Why I Untethered from Comments (again)

At the beginning of August 2011, I decided to experiment with re-introducing comments to Evbogue.com.

At the end of September 2011, I made the decision to untether from comments again.

Many people have asked me: why have you removed comments after this two month experiment?

My complex history with comments

I have had a complex history with blog-based commenting systems for awhile. I didn't use comments on my blog(s) from August 2010 until August 2011. I ran a profitable writing business for an entire year without having comments. Leaving comments behind for a year helped me focus on my writing in a beneficial way.

The reason I untethered from comments in 2010: they were taking time away from my writing. Frequently my blog posts were getting 100-150 comments over the course of a day. This led to me spending much of my day moderating the comment stream, answering questions, and controlling the occasional troll.

This year, my reasons are different. The landscape has changed considerably in the relationship betweens blogs, social media, and the people who read and use them.

The reason I untethered from comments in 2011

I've been using Google+ for two months, and had blog comments for two months. Over those two months, I've seen an incredible rise in readership via Google+. Google+ is a place where gatherings thrive. I can measure the growth my work is receiving through that gathering place -- I like that.

There are key differences between maintaining my own community on-site and having gatherings in public Internet spaces. When a comment is left in a public space, those who have gathered are responsible for it. When a comment is left in my space, I'm responsible for it. This means that maintaining my own space for community is as time consuming as the number of comments left. While on Google+ the time consumed does not rise in proportion with comments, because of the collective social pressure.

When I weighed these options, it became clear to me that I need to focus my attention...

...on my writing. ...on the public digital spaces in which we gather.