First off, thank you so much for all of your comments lately. If you have a blog, you know how wonderful it is to get a comment....and when so many arrive at once (especially all of that Jumbo love yesterday - wow!), it's a little overwhelming - in a very good way! ;-) So thank you, dear readers, for taking the time to take part. I love reading every single one.
A while back, Tammy posted about commenting over on her blog, and asked people their thoughts on etiquette, expectations, etc. Although I didn't really leave my two cents at the time, I've been thinking about it a few times since.
I see comments as a furthering of a conversation. A blog is very much a one-way conversation - most of the time - and the comments are a way for people to 'nod back' and acknowledge they're listening, ask questions, and effectively further the conversation. Of course, I know (and stats would confirm) that a much smaller percentage of people leave comments than actually stop by to read my ramblings. Proportions probably similar to odds of winning a lottery!
I will sometimes reply to comments – if there is a real question being asked, if someone new stops by, if I have something to say, if time permits...or most often, if I am procrastinating doing something that I know that I should be working on instead . But many times I simply sit, smile, and read them, and promptly get back to work on whatever I was doing before I realized I had a new message. While I really cherish my little internet world, I also try to make a life beyond the computer. I need to make things, I need to read books, I need to talk on the phone with my family and friends, work, cook, eat, etc....and I really need to sleep for 8 hours each night - or everyone pays! There is simply not time to do everything I would like to do (not to mention all of the stuff I should do!), and managing my time is a constant struggle. In fact, I'm becoming convinced that perfection is a myth.....but that is a story for another day....
I will fast admit that I don't leave as many comments behind on other people's blogs as I should or as I would like to. To be honest, sometimes I try to leave a comment, but get frustrated by the multi-step process to do so (type comment, sign in, attempt to decipher the code, try a second time, approve the preview....only to have to wait for the the owner's approval in any case!), and sometimes my internet connection is super slow (and I don't have time to wait for each screen to load each or any of the above-mentioned steps), and sometimes I realize too late that I thought I was done, only to miss a final step at the end and get booted back to the beginning again...by which time I've forgotten what I was saying in the first place. But sometimes the main reason I don't comment much is that I tend to over-psych myself out about written small talk ....whether it be in a greeting card or on a blog, I have a tendency to obsess. I'm not a fast thinker+typer (not that you can tell....LOL!), so sometimes when my spare time is scarce, I'd rather read more and type less.
So keep commenting - if you want to, I do love to get them! - or not, if you prefer to lurk, or you're just busy with life and making. That's perfectly fine, too. If ever you ask me a question, I will reply in the comments - and if you click the box regarding follow-up by email (otherwise I can't reply directly to you), I will be sure to copy and send you the answer to your question, so that you don't need to come back and check.
