If you visit here much, you’ve noticed that there are few comments. I’ve noticed that too and have given it some thought. While comments are few and far between, I do receive the occasional email. This dearth of comments is something I could get defensive about. Why so few comments? Is it a good blog if there are almost no comments? Is it a bad blog? Must I come up with a reason for the lack of comments? <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I don’t know the reason. I realize that getting defensive about my
\nblog’s woeful lack of comments won’t accomplish anything. I recognize
\nthat there are other measures of what makes a blog good than the number
\nof comments received. I am appreciative of the nice emails that come in
\nfrom time to time which give me reassurance that there are people out
\nthere in the world who are on the same page as I am as far as
\nunderstanding what I write and why I write it.<\/p>\n
\nThe relevancy of the lack of comments aside, I would love to know why
\nmy posts attract so few comments. When I get responses, they are in the
\nform of emails rather than posts. Why do people email me rather than
\npost a comment?<\/p>\n
\nI can think of a few reasons for emailing rather than responding in a
\ncomment. A major reason might be that emails are private while comments
\nare public. No one except me can see who writes the email. Another is
\nthat I’ve had comment moderation turned on most of the time as well as
\nrequiring the commenter to be registered with Typepad. (Note: I’ve
\nrecently removed these requirements.) Also, an email address is
\nrequired that is visible to me if not to the world. Commenting on my
\nblog has not been as easy as writing an email.<\/p>\n
\nBack when I had the weblog on LiveJournal, I received comments. Most
\nwere anonymous or were from my daughter. When I switched the weblog to
\nTypepad, I turned on requirements for comments which effectively
\nsquelched commenting.<\/p>\n
\nThe common denominator of estrangements is that everyone who is
\nestranged knows that there is someone out there who is estranged from
\nthem. It is a non-relationship of at least two people in that regard.
\nUsually there are hard feelings involved. Often there is anger. The
\ninternet is a public place. Talking in public about estrangements means
\nthat the person from whom we are estranged may see our words, our email
\naddress, our name or recognize the circumstances so that they can
\nidentify us as being the person who pisses them off and then they have
\none more reason to be angry. Like they needed another reason to be
\nangry? Public comments are a risk. <\/p>\n
\nAnother reason might be that I occupy the unenviable dual positions of
\nbeing an estranged mother and an estranging daughter. I am someone
\nabout whom anyone in the "other" position can be uncomfortable. Having
\nperceived estrangement from more than one angle gives me a perspective
\non it that helps me feel empathy for both estrangers and estrangees.
\nbut having been on the opposing side of what others have experienced,
\neven if they identify with me some of the time, makes it possible for
\neveryone to dislike me or to feel uneasy. I don’t know how much that
\nhappens and if it happens. But I think that it must happen with some
\npeople who read my entire story.<\/p>\n
\nI know that the blogs where I see the most comments online are the
\nfunny entertaining blogs. The blogs where the authors are outrageous,
\nwitty, and humorous. I respond to them too! I confess that I haven’t
\nbeen responding with comments on blogs on serious topics until
\nrecently. <\/p>\n
\nI visit some public discussion groups also (as opposed to blogs)
\noccasionally and check which ones have the most responses. The ones
\nthat have the most posts are the ones where people are discussing sex
\nor religion. I’m not surprised. I’ll bet politics elicits a lot of
\ndiscussion too. I learned early on in life not to get into arguments
\nabout politics and religion. If I want comments, then I should start a
\nblog on politics and religion! Or maybe sex! Sex, politics, and
\nreligion – if a blogger can’t get comments on those topics, they should
\nhang up their blogger hat!<\/p>\n
\nBy the way, speaking of politics, Ralph Nader was on CNN tonight. Wolf \nSo, speaking of politics, one thing I am sure of is that in the next \nI guess until someone makes estrangement really funny or sexy or \nGinny<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you visit here much, you’ve noticed that there are few comments. I’ve noticed that too and have given it some thought. While comments are few and far between, I do receive the occasional email. This dearth of comments is something I could get defensive about. Why so few comments? Is it a good blog…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[241,248,247,54,120,41,249,230],"class_list":["post-140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weblogs","tag-blogs","tag-comments","tag-diary","tag-estrangement","tag-estrangements","tag-family","tag-ralph-nader","tag-weblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estrangements.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBlitzer was interviewing him. That made me wonder what the heck is
\ngoing on with Ralph Nader. He is always angry at someone whom I’d
\nexpect he might like. So I did a Google search and looked him up. Talk
\nabout estrangement! Not of the family kind but of the former friends
\nkind. He has a lot of ex-friends. He is quite the estrangement-magnet!
\nAlmost a poster boy for estrangement! The most interesting article I
\nfound was written in 2004 on Salon.com: The dark side of Ralph Nader by Lisa Chamberlain.<\/a><\/p>\n
\npresidential election I know whom I am not voting for! Anyone want to
\ncomment?<\/p>\n
\npolitical I will be grateful for those of you who occasionally email me
\nand give me a pat on the back. I"m grateful for you anyway and always
\nwill be even if I had a thousand comments!
\nThank you!<\/p>\n