Comments on: 31-Day Comment Challenge (catching up!)

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:14:55 +0000

Michele,

The idea of planning out a week of posts is interesting and requires some good thinking, just like lesson plans. It helps to have a theme in mind that you are developing but I do agree that this can help us as bloggers. And you may get folks hooked on Day One.
Kevin

By: Amy Sample Ward

Amy Sample Ward — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:51:27 +0000

@ Michele- That’s a great example, thanks! It is hard to believe that we can get bogged down in doing something we enjoy, but it is true! And through this challenge, I have rediscovered how much I enjoy finding and reading new blogs and commenting!

@ Kevin- I completely agree that we put ourselves either consciously or not into a fenced area that is comfortable, we may go adventuring elsewhere, but don’t want to speak up. This challenge has encouraged me to step outside that box and start new conversations. I can’t say that it was always a successful ongoing conversation, but I did feel like I expanded my world. Thanks for sharing!

@APKC- I have the same impression often that because I work with it, think about it, talk about it all day long that everyone else does as well. But then I walk down to the office kitchen and start a conversation there and remember that isn’t the case at all. I hope to create a relationship with my readers and bloggers but not one that discourages new participants, though can’t speak for any one else’s blog. I think everyone wants to create a ‘group of friends’ of sorts on the blog but like any group of people, the group naturally becomes open or closed. Thanks for commenting and sharing those thoughts!

By: Michele Martin

Michele Martin — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:54:57 +0000

Hi Amy–I like your idea of having devoting some days to blogging and some to commenting. One thing that has emerged for me in the challenge is the realization of how easy it can be for me to get bogged down in blogging without having the balance of also commenting. When we did the 31 Days to Building a Better Blog Challenge last summer, one of the activities was to plan a week’s worth of posts. I’ve been forced to do that for the Challenge, so I’ve had one day where I wrote several posts, leaving me other days to comment. That’s something I’m going to try to continue to do as much as I can, although the downside of planning out my posts is that they tend to be a little less timely in responding to what’s happening online. At any rate, I think your suggestion to balance blogging and commenting is a a great one!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:54:00 +0000

Good question.
You know, there are some tech-head-style blogs that I subscribe to in my RSS that I read but never comment on. I guess it feels as if I am outside my “zone” and that the deep tech, while interesting to read, is not something I can contribute to.
But most education/teacher blogs, I feel no qualms about when it comes to commenting, even if I don’t know the person. I guess I feel as if we may have some affinity of experience.
Thanks for asking
Kevin

By: APKC

APKC — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:14:23 +0000

Often I feel that I do not want to be seen as “teaching my grandmother to suck eggs” and so I hold back because I do not know what the level of knowledge or expertise is.

Also what I work with on a daily basis has become so well known and second nature to me that I feel as if everybody has the same degree of knowledge and expertise.

Sometimes too it may appear as thought there are a core group of participants in a blog, or many of the respondents are personally known to the blogger. When that is the impression it can also be a disincentive to responding.