Letters to the editor have been a long-standing tradition with magazine or newspaper writing. There was a time magazines would offer prizes for the best three letters to the editor( I think most of them still do). The letters, not just established the magazines popularity, but also, the writer’s credibility if the article evoked any kind of response. While some people like blatant praise, for me the ideal response is when the reader either shares his/her experiences or comments on something that was said in the article.
The tradition of writing letters to the editor has extended itself to the online medium in the form of comments on articles or blog posts. The dynamics of internet marketing demands that one leaves comments, along with the website or blog url to get back links. So , this exercise in a way self-serves. If, this is the primary reason for commenting, you will eventually find that you are just commenting to get links. I prefer to comment on something that interests me or evokes a reaction or response in me. I think commenting has a lot to do with being passionate about a subject or life in general.
What do you think? Should you react or not? Do you feel like sharing your views with others? Do you leave comments and why do you leave comments? Do you read comments made by other people? Do you feel passionate about sharing your views with others? More musings later………
If I am very intereted in an article I will definitely read the comments left by others. I will then share my own thoughts, trying to take into account the viewpoints shared previously.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started blogging I hoped that I would only get nice comments, nothing "mean" or disagreeing.
I've changed my mind.
Now I hope that people read what I wrote, get insprired in some way and ask me questions, perhaps debating an issue with me.
These discussions then spur me on to write another article, exploring the issue fully.
I encourage all readers to comment on blog posts, letting the author know what you feel about the subject. It is stimulating!
Thanks for the response Laura! even I feel one should respond whenever one is interested. I also read all comments and reply directly. I feel very happy that somebody was interested enough to respond to my write-up. I like people to share their views and most of my blog posts are actually my reactions to real life experiences, I feel people may be able to react or offer another viewpoint.
ReplyDelete