I recently shared about my Reading Resolution for 2010. I want to report that it’s going well! I will post a review of the first book in the next few days.
The next resolution that I wanted to commit myself towards was to not just read blogs, but to also comment on them. It’s hard to post day after day and not get any comments. Are people really reading what I’m writing? Do they hate me? Love me? I wanted to give that blogging love a little more often.
I currently have 146 feeds in my Bloglines. Not everyone blogs each day, but many do. I enjoy reading those blogs. If I find myself skimming a blog time after time, it’s time to unsubscribe. A lot of my subscribed blogs are friends and I love hearing what they have to say. And the rest of the blogs of people I don’t really know..well, I get something from them. I learn, laugh, and nod my head a lot.
I love the book reviews on 5 Minutes for Books, and the Cub Scout updates on KISMIF, and I especially love the recipes on Smitten Kitchen.
So I’ve been commenting more. I’m not forcing it. But when I read a post and thoughts naturally come in my head, I resolve to hit that comment button, and take the time to share what I thought.
The one thing that is annoying about this comment determination of my mine, is that bloggers do not always make it easy to comment on their posts. If a commenter must jump through hoops to comment on your post, you just might be missing out on comments.
I think the biggest pet peeve is word verification. And what about word verification mixed with owner comment approval? What is the point of the word verification if you’re going to approve each comment anyway. And let’s discuss comments on new pages….why can’t we just comment right below the post? By the time I comment, I don’t want to hit the back button to figure out where I was last reading.
At least now most people don’t require you to have an account with their blogging service in order to comment. They’re still out there…but I haven’t run across one in recent days. Even on my blog, it opens the comment box but doesn’t leave the rest of the blog posts on the page. I have yet to figure out how to change that one.
So I will continue commenting. Spreading the blog love. But if you have word verification…I might skip commenting in the future. Sorry!
About Me
I blog about our life as a military family of 8 living in Twentynine Palms - about our town, how we homeschool, what I think about, what I cook, how we serve God, and more! Life is great here in the desert and I love sharing it! I can also be reached at burkemc@aol.com.
Coffee with Me 
I need to figure out what kind I have. and how to monitor your blog. I have it on a feed, I just don’t know how to find that feed. ROFL
Are you using Bloglines or Google Reader?
Great thoughts, Melissa. My favorite one is about leaving a comment on a particular entry and then having to figure out where you were in the blog reading. That’s the most frustrating for me.
Praising Him,
Kim
Well said, Melissa! I’m trying to leave comments more. Such a bad habit to read the blog post and then just move on to the next.
I’ve really enjoyed your Share a Blog challenge. Such fun!
I spoke too soon. Twice today I went to comment on blogs that only let someone with a Google account post. Thankfully I remembered my Google password, but still!
Also, I decided I don’t mind when the little box pops up (not a new page) with blogspot blogs, except that I have to scroll DOWN through all the comments before I can comment.
Well, thanks for taking the time to comment on my post! I noticed you had Apologia science over in the sidebar. What do you think? Have you reviewed it somewhere? We’re looking at Real Science 4 Kids, but most folks that use our basic curriculum use Apologia right now. so it’s on the list.
I don’t think I’ve reviewed it, probably just shown some pictures. I don’t know anything about Real Science. My best friend uses Noeo Science and loves it. Another friend uses the one from Answers in Genesis and loves it too. I do like how the Answers in Genesis one is laid out. The lessons are very clear and same with the instructions for the experiments.
I am a hands off science mom. I like Apologia because it’s like a good book that you would pick up and just dive into. The experiments are very clear (and I purchase kits for those) and easy for my children to do without me. They often pick up the ones they’ve already read, and will just read sections of the book. They are books that we will keep forever. They’re not just a text to get through. Does that make sense?
I also just realized I can right click on it and open it in a new tab and comment there and yet keep my place in blog reading. đŸ™‚
Praising Him,
Kim
I changed my word verification requirement a few weeks ago, just for you đŸ™‚
I’ve been trying to leave comments more too. I was thinking about how if I just wanted to write for myself, I’d keep a journal. Blogging and never getting comments sometimes feels pointless, it would be easier to just journal. That led me think of my own lack of commenting. I wondered how many blog posts I’ve read and had a thought but didn’t post it for whatever reason.
Thank you for making it easier to comment!!!!
Rock on.
Ha! I hate word verification, too. It really isn’t too bad when it is below the comment post from the start. When you write your comment and submit it, instead of being able to go on…boom…same page with a word verification box. ARG!!!
Thanks for putting down what I was thinking.
Kim, YES!!! I had that happen to me twice yesterday. What a pain. LOL
Thanks for the complement for KISMIF.org!
I know exactly what you mean. I usually check blogs on my reader on my phone so it’s a bit harder to comment right then (due to speed of connection and having to type with my thumbs, etc), but I see that there is a lot of traffic on our blog, but none of our family (the reason for the blog) gets blogging, so they just read it and that’s it…or they’ll email us their comments.
Joyce, My family doesn’t comment either! It’s mostly friends from a message board I was on for a long time. I know my mom reads because she’ll talk to me about certain posts. I try to email my family with a post when I know they’ll want to see the kids.
i just changed my blog settings after reading this…i’m glad to get some perspective. i was pretty easy about blog comments at first but after getting some nasty hatemail on my site during the election when i posted my views (on, um, er MY blog) i had to enable a lot of comment moderation settings–i’ve relaxed them now, although i still have comment moderation up to keep out people who can not string a coherent sentence together without being degrading, insulting or just generally foul mouthed!
AMEN! Great minds think alike!
I blogged about this very same thing in a previous post of mine. Thanks for the other thoughts you put in as well.
AMEN!
are people getting that many comments that they need to filter them out. Oh.. to have that problem;)
I am more like “wahoo”, someone left me a comment this week. Oh wait, it was just my hubby. Maybe I should do word verification… j/k hunny, I love you.
I am having Give Aways for the whole month of February. Come check it out at http://teachingmoneytokids.blogspot.com
Staci
[…] off your word verification. I want to comment on your blog. I really do. Because see… I said If I read, I comment. But you make it so difficult. Especially when I’ve already commented, entered my personal […]