I get it, the world is changing, but it's helpful to reflect.
One upon a time blogs use to be popular. There's one particular website which I loved, still do. I wrote an article there once upon a time. And I remember the comments. Good comments. Supportive and curious. The positive vibe stayed with me.
This website still exists. It continues to thrive and do good things. There is still the option to comment. But there are none. The comments are a ghost town. Yet, I'm sure, wherever these articles are sometimes shared on social, there are often comments. It's such a shame that the web feels disconnected in this way.
This is nothing new, it's been a long slow decline of people stopping for an extra moment to comment on one they are not currently signed into. I get it, it can be a hassle sometimes.
I'm not here to propose a technical solution. I don't think there is one. The solutions out there are good enough. It's the humans that need to change. To recognise that their comments matter to these other spaces. To show care, and build upon the work that has been sown.
It's also a point to recognise that if people are commenting in the spaces that you create, then you are winning. It's truly a hard feat to get people to spend those extra moments to show up.
I've been reflecting upon this. Partly to focus on the positivity and progress of our own work. We need to recognise the signs where we are winning. More recently in the MoTaverse, comments have been on the up. And that's such a win that I choose to take note of and celebrate in little ways.
When a person shows up to comment, especially on your own website or platform, there are so many steps they have taken to get there:
- they are aware of your existence
- they've created an account
- they've read something of value
- they've been processing that thing of value
- they've taken the time to take action and post something
- they're starting to build trust with your community
- they'll most likely keep an eye out for any responses
- they've done this on your platform (hopefully!)
The point is to think about this and recognise how this shows up in your spaces. Think about how this impacts your community flywheel.
And then take it further. It's cool, right? It's fun, it's exciting, it's an interesting data point.
But because I'm here to advocate for a better web, it's such a shame if this happens on someone else's platform. Especially an enshittifed one. You might not see the value of the data right now, but your future self will have regrets not being able to tap into the data comments can reveal.
Celebrate the good things. Comments are great. They are much better on your own platform. Your future self will thank you.
🐌
