Saturday, June 7, 2014

Comments Are Always Appreciated

I have a confession:  I get excited when someone comments on my blog.  Yeah, I know I've said that I write just for myself, and that is still true.  But when someone takes the time and leaves a comment about what I've shared on a particular day, I get excited.  Sometimes I even do a little happy dance, followed by furtive glances about to make sure that no one anywhere nearby saw me.  Occasionally I even giggle out loud.  To know that someone appreciates my writing is like water to a thirsty plant.  I've turned off anything and everything that might inhibit a person's ability to comment on my blog. If I could automatically send cookies to each and everyone of you, I would. 

I try to read as many blogs as I can, to show my appreciation, to pay it forward, and any other form of good karma that I can share.  Since I am usually in places where blogs are not easily accessible, I have to use my phone to read.  This usually works out well, when I am standing in a long line, or waiting in a doctor's office, or waiting for my nephew's name to be called at his graduation(he was way back in the Ws, fer cryin' out loud!).  Plenty of moments during the day, which would otherwise be spent staring blankly off into space, are now packed with stories of children's escapades, cookie recipes, romance, and horror.  I always want to comment, to tell the blogger how much I enjoyed their post. 

But sometimes, despite my best efforts, I can't comment. Some bloggers seem to have designed obstacle courses for their commenters.  I've clicked on blogger names, and been directed to a page, only to find that the person has moved their blog somewhere else without leaving a forwarding link, to name one example.

Sometimes, the blogger has that captcha thing set up, where you have to enter a long series of numbers or words in addition to your comment, to verify that I am not a random computer spammer.  Do you know how tiny those numbers are on a phone, to these old(ish) eyes?   Even if I enlarge the screen, sometimes I just cannot see clearly enough to type out the correct numbers, so I get the 'try again' screen.  After a couple of tries, I have to move on to the next blog, or else throw my phone at the wall in frustration. I might try again once I turn on my desktop, but my memory is an iffy thing these days.

There are also those boxes underneath the comment box, that nonspammers need to check in order to prove they are indeed not spammers.  Again, do you know how very tiny those little boxes are on a phone?  And how resistant they are to my fingers trying to hit them?  I often feel like a horrible microsurgeon attempting to reconnect nerve endings in a do or die situation.  I think that five minutes of trying to check that tiny box and hit submit, followed by a message telling me to check the box, is plenty.   I move on.

Then there are the Wordpress blogs which require a person to log in to comment, like Wordpress is some sort of gated community.  Since I don't have a Wordpress account, I can't log in, and often I don't see any other way to leave a comment.  So I have to move on. 

If I cannot actually comment, for whatever reason(sometimes my phone, or local wifi, will not cooperate), I still try to show some appreciation by sharing the post on Twitter or Facebook, if there is a button that I can find.  Ultimately, however, there are only so many hours in a day, and I have to do other things. 

I do try to comment.  I do try my very best to return the favors bestowed upon my by others.  Sometimes I go to sleep feeling that I didn't do enough, and I feel guilty. I know that sounds silly, but I'm Catholic, and we are all about unresolved guilt over weird things. 

I made a promise to do my best and then let it go, and I'm working on that. I am certainly not perfect, but I am still trying.  My efforts are sometimes appreciated, such as by Comment Bob, here, and that lets me know that I am on the right track. 



So, if you feel that I am not showing your blog the comment love it deserves, let me know here or via email. Try not to yell.  I promise to try and do better. 

6 comments:

  1. I'm with you; I love comments!! I really do write for my own enjoyment but it also feels great to interact with other bloggers. I don't get to visit as many blogs as I would like but I do my best :)

    I'm not sure that all of those safeguards that people put up in their comments section are really necessary unless they've had issues with spammers. If anyone has trouble commenting on my blog because I've accidentally messed up my settings, I hope they'll let me know.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Even more than comments is the conversation and later writing they can provoke.

    Yet, commenting is what I suck at the most when it comes to blogging. I read, promote, and read some more and either forget to comment or just fall short.

    ReplyDelete
  3. you never have to worry about me...I'll always be here, reading and letting you know that I did.
    (it might take me a week or so to catch up, but I promise to always do it)

    I got into blogging because of the commenting and I even had a piece syndicated on BlogHer about how much I love (and miss) commenting. I likened it a "cupcake" of course. Commenting is my favorite part.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, I don't comment here nearly as often as I should so I would NEVER, EVER yell at you (wait, I just did! lol). I'm with ya all the way about captcha....drives me crazy!!!!!! Since I have a cat blog and a dog blog, I know that not everyone is interested in those and that is ok..........I know that you have commented in the past, we all get busy, so I totally understand!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I pretty sure if a blogger said they didn't like comments they would be lying. I love comments!! I'm with you on not always being able to comment but I try to show love as much as I can but to honest I fall short a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think all of us love comments! I'm not sure why some bloggers make it so complicated to share the love!

    ReplyDelete

I welcome comments, but reserve the right to correct your spelling because I am OCD about it!