To me, part of the appeal of blogging and reading blogs is the discussions that occur in the comments and not just the blog posts themselves. I like talking to people and I like hearing what others have to say. I’ve learned as much from comments as I have from the posts themselves and I’ve met a lot of great people there as well.

I can understand how spam would be an issue, especially for a large, popular site. I just think there are better ways to handle it than shutting everyone out entirely.

@Amber – Yes I think a blog means regularly updated content, a feed/subscription feature, and comments. Ideally all three, otherwise it is a website not a blog.

@Elyse – My reaction is proably more a ‘tsk’ than a ‘grr’, but it is still annoyance, just a mild one

Sometimes when I read on Steve Pavlina’s blog I want to respond, but he has comments turned off too, mind you he does have a forum on his site that he uses for participation with his readers, which actually makes more sense as he has a very high readership – comments at the bottom of the article would get very long very quickly!

I also wanted to respond to an article on the BBC news website the other day, but there you have to send them an email using the form at the bottom, and it has to be read and approved by the publication team before it may or may not be published. – That annoyed me too!!

I do also agree to an extent with John Paul – YouTube comments very often are a waste of time, I think comments should only be used constructively, which unfortunately I’m not sure most YouTube users understand!

I’ve said that I get annoyed a lot in this comment – it’s not really a strong reaction, just a “grrrrr” then I move on!!

To me, the whole point of a blog is to open up that two-way conversation. Otherwise, as a reader, I’m just allowing people to talk AT me. There are plenty of media platforms that already do that and that’s why I enjoy reading blogs.

As a blogger myself, the post I write is merely a way to start the dialogue. I get a kick out of hearing other people’s thoughts on the subject. They frequently add fresh perspectives and great ideas.

To silence the audience, which is what you’re doing, turns you into a lecturer. The boring professor in college who did nothing but prattle on endlessly. Remember, the guy who put you to sleep?

To me, a blogger who silences his/her audience tells me that person has no interest in building community, sharing ideas, or creating connections. They think they already know everything and don’t want to be bothered with the pesky readers. I think we already have enough platforms like that. And, quite frankly, those traditional vehicles (e.g. newspapers, magazines, etc.) are slowing realizing they have to CHANGE because that formula isn’t working anymore.

A blogger who doesn’t allow comments is not a real blogger in my book.

@Dandellion – My main blog turns off comments after a while because I have been under constant attack by spammers since it appeared on a list of blogs to spam, people get upset with that let alone not being able to comment at all.