Wait…you don’t allow comments on your blog?
The word “community” is inextricably tied to social media. Facebook is a community of intertwined communities, as is Twitter. One of the most common social media related job functions is the “community manager”. Blogs too are considered communities, but in my opinion, only if they allow comments.
What is this you say Jeremy?
Yes, it’s my opinion that a blog that doesn’t allow comments is not a community. It might be a journal, perhaps a scholarly, professional or hobbyist one. It could be an online diary or maybe a magazine of sorts. It could be considered alot of things, but without comments, I don’t see it as a community.
Sense of Community
SOC is considered by many an essential component of any virtual community. Without SOC, a property is often called a virtual settlement.
SOC consists of the following four characteristics
Membership - Belonging to and identifying with the community
Influence - Feelings of having influence on and being influenced by the community
Integration and fulfillment of needs - Feelings of being supported in the community and being able to support others
Shared emotional connection - Feelings of relationships, shared experiences, and history
Comments are the glue that bind blog readers
Content is great; it’s the primary reason why we’re reading a blog. But that content is through the lense of the author. It’s their point-of-view. However without comments are some key questions/functions that can’t be accomplished to establish SOC.
- If don’t share the author’s point-of-view, how do I know if others share my feelings?
- If don’t share the author’s point-of-view, how do I make my argument in an attempt influence the author to accept my point-of-view?
- If I don’t understand a concept or their point-of-view, what am I to do? Who do I reach out to for help?
- How do I build relationships with other readers?
Do you agree or disagree with me? Can a blog with comments be considered a community?
Posted by Jeremy Hilton on Jan. 25, 2010
Comments
If I wanted to merely absorb a point-of-view, without any chance to express how MY views align (or not) with yours, I’d be content to stick with traditional editorial channels (TV, newspaper, etc).
Did some research on Campus Party Brazil and must say that it looks like alot of fun! If I knew Portuguese, I would consider the 2011 event.
Posted by Jeremy Hilton on 01/29/2010 03:02 PM
It drives me absolutely nuts when I can’t make a comment on a blog post. More often than not, I won’t return….
Posted by Ashley K. Edwards on 02/17/2010 04:30 PM
This post is rather funny for me to read, as it reminds me of a discussion that ocurred yet yesterday here at Campus Party on Brazil. I agree that a blog without the comments section is just a place for the author(s) to expose his/her point of view to others without giving the chance for the readers to expose ‘their’ point of view, which would create a place for more learning where new and interesting subjects would appear for new posts.
Though people do not like being criticized, it is important for both the reader and the writer growth.
Posted by Paulo André on 01/28/2010 08:21 PM