Thing #4

Before doing this “thing” I never really thought much about commenting.  Most of my experience with comments has been seeing the small bits of text that people post on YouTube videos which usually fall into three categories.  First are the comments expressing simple amusement or displeasure with the video watched.  Second are the comments which provide some amusing comment which reference the video and express an opinion which is generally appreciated by other viewers.  Finally are the comments which are blindly hateful.  These commenters are usually looking for a reaction (trolling) without care for other peoples’ feelings.  (For a great summary of how bad these comments can be and a good laugh, see YouTube user “McGroiter”s series of videos entitled Celebrity Hate Mail. WARNING: CONTAINS MATURE LANGUAGE AND SHOULD NOT BE SHARED WITH STUDENTS)

I mention these comments because they are the opposite of the community that comments can be.  Instead of encouraging conversation or creativity, these comments go nowhere except to encourage argument (reminding me most strongly of “Darth Commenter”). This ties in with the other part of the reading that stood out to me the most, which is comments need to be constructive, not only in avoiding pointless hatred but, in avoiding pointless praise.  I realize that not all comments you make can be essays on what makes something great but, more often than not the comments on things are rarely more than a sentence either way.  Without expressing true thought, not only is the sense of community lost but, it is almost as though you are saying that you don’t matter as a viewer/reader/community member.  It reduces you to a like/dislike vote with a name attached, which fails to leave an impression to the point that the name is irrelevant.

In regards to choosing which blogs from our group to comment on, I took a “click randomly until something intriguing happens” approach.  Knowing that I could not possibly read every blog posted by ever classmate, I chose blogs almost at random, read them, and, if I felt I could add something of value, I commented. 

1.      Kyle Christmas- Kyle’s picture of a library closed sign from flickr caught my eye so I read his blogpost and contributed to the conversation regarding the digital age by describing my fear of the loss of books, which he alludes to in his post. 

2.      Jordan Tupper- I commented on Jordan’s “Thing 1,” because I agreed with his statement that “play” should be its own habit. 

3.      Ethan Bourke- Again I was attracted by a pretty picture.  Ethan posted a beautiful image of the old Clarksville bridge and mentioned that it could be applied in an English classroom.  I have always loved teaching Literature by means of art, since it’s a different way to reach more students so I commented exactly that. 

4.      Stephan Morehouse- Stephen has some interesting ideas about using blogs in the classroom.  I agree that blogs can be a great way to communicate with students and parents and add that they are a great way to foster a community in the classroom.

5.      Meghan Wagley- Meghan is a fan of Google Translate, and I think it is a lovely tool, but posted a caveat that it can be used for evil by students of a foreign language.  Since I have a different perspective, I felt that I could add to her conversation. 

And two more from the beyond:

1.      “Witch Rants”- This blogger rants about misused words, particularly in the media.  I often comment because he says what I am too nice to say and points out things that drive me insane as well.

2.      “Strange Salmagundi”- This blogger is a freelance writer who posts for the sake of the “odd, unusual, or bored out of their mind.”  When I comment, it is usually in the form of criticism (generally good) of her writing.  I often read it when I am “bored out of [my] mind.”

Overall, the most important characteristic of commenting is conversation.  If you have something to add to the conversation that was created when the blog was posted, then you should add that point in a comment, but comments that do not contribute to that conversation should not be posted.  Comments are simply another form of social interaction with their own customs and etiquette.