Tripping Words - The Philosophy of Design

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Welcome to the blog of an ordinary 25-year old, PhD student, whose carricatured literary take of all things media and social would drive you up the wall and hopefully...just hopefully, drive you back for more...

Top 3 Reasons Why Blog Readers Don’t Comment

Like most bloggers, I tend to peek at my visitor hits on occasion, just to observe the general trend of readership rates. Today, while engaging in a similar ritual, I was left with mixed feelings. After running Tripping Words for a month exactly, I’ve had close to 8000 unique readers (from 97 different countries) grace the hallways of this humble domain. That is a very positive statistic and I am indelibly grateful to all. It is also equally surprising (and alarming, if I’m being extra critical) that till date, the site has garnered a measly 16 comments spanning over 8 posts (that’s 0-2 comments per post). I’ve never excelled in math, but surely the figures leave a bitter taste of disproportion. I’ve been told by my fellow blogging compatriots (and of course the gazillion “blog starter kits” out there) that the main reason for this gross imbalance is: ‘content’.

This blog is oriented towards more abstract aspects of web design, and due to this very specialized niche, readers may not see a need to leave a comment. It does actually make sense. If I were to branch out into the more technical web based elements (CSS design tutorials for example), I would probably amass quite a few comments (or “verbal brickbats” if my advice falls short of expectations) from readers. Today, my agenda deviates slightly from the usual design-philosophy related articles. So, listed below are my top 3 reasons for this commenting drought. I hope this post will serve to help fellow bloggers who are facing a similar predicament with their websites.

1) There is Nothing to Comment About (“I Have No Comment”)

This point has already been brought up in the introductory paragraph. The content here may not elicit many responses, either because it does not address the technical aspects of design or it makes uneasy dense reading. I must state that Tripping Words was never intended to be an atypical “design resource portal”, with tutorials and freebies. There are a dozen designers out there who are doing a great job in providing just that. I want to explore the skeletal barebones of web design; what is underneath all that visual eye candy, the substance behind creative ideas and concepts..

2) The Anonymous Author

This reason is derived from a personal reflection. I tend to be more reluctant to leave a comment on a blog run by an author whom I have not read much about of (either due the lack of available information or the fact that I’ve not visited the author’s blog before). This site, as you would have noticed, does not have an “about” page and this is deliberate. I decided that it would be more practical and ‘user-friendly’ if all the information about me was on the front page itself. I have had a fair few emails requesting an “about” page to be put up, and to be honest, I am seriously thinking about changing my stance. But while I do the thinking, you can read more about me on the header or footer of this site, as the key stuff is already there.

3) Lack of Encouragement

I must admit that I tend to ramble on and at times and I do get lost in my own thoughts. I guess if you are writing for an audience than you would have to encourage opinions and invite comments. I was also fixed with the misconceived notion that readers do not need to be told to comment. On hindsight, I guess I would be hesitant to leave a comment on a blog which shows no sign of pronging.

So there you go, my top 3 reasons explaining dwindling user commenting rates. In the hope of not sounding too cheesy, please feel free to post your comments on this issue or anything else you want to get off your chest, web related of course!

Nov 7, 2009
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COMMENTS (111)

44
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COMMENTS

{111 people tripped so far}

kcrn tripped on Sat Nov 07, 2009 at 08:06 PM

I always thought it was because they didn’t want to be the first. Feel free to be the first to comment on any of my posts

Josh tripped on Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 05:07 AM

Yes, you are probably right! Thanks for “breaking the ice”. I’ll be leaving my opinions on your posts for sure! Cheers!

bwoz tripped on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 10:01 PM

I always try to leave a question at the end of my posts (and not a really tough one where people feel like they have to give a really intelligent or thoughtful answer). Also, I’ve gotten more comfortable not having the last word, which means I’ll often end a post without making any resolute conclusions. It hurts, but I’ve gotten some really interesting comments as a result.

Josh tripped on Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 05:26 AM

Thanks for the tip! Yup, I guess ending a post with an ‘open ended’ conclusion increases the chances of people wanting to add their own form of an ‘ending’.

Oh and thanks for commenting!!