Jun 26 2007
Closing Down Comments?
OK folks, the comments section of this blog is being underused by serious commenters and fouled by people who whine about insults as they fling them left and right. Sadly, the comments section is losing it purpose for me – the owner of this little old site. So I put it to a vote.
Keep Comments Up? – “yes” or “no”.
Please just vote in the comments. I have had it with the BS and it is a pain to keep monitoring the comments for spam and finding just a bunch of crap once the spam has been removed. We have 1300 registered users, but only a handful comment. I get the feeling they are bogarting the comments and have chased others into silence. I know I avoid them most days. Anyway, please vote. No promises from me I will honor the vote.
My time is precious and when I take a day off for a big event like today’s vote and the losers come thrashing in with angst and anger it really questions the utility of the comment section. It was never meant to be a “bitch and moan about AJStrata” section.
Update: Seems the trend is to keep the comments and ban the nasties. I am glad to hear there are more folks reading than posting the garbage, which is what I suspected since the traffic level only drops a bit when I challenge the orthodoxy. I will keep the comments on. And if posters can’t be civil (as the amnesty hypochondriacs seem incapable of doing)….
Well – we shall see. After listening to Sean Hannity whine all day about how our democratic processes was shoving something down his throat (simply because his side took a loss) I realized a lot of people do not love this country as they profess so much to do. True love of country is demonstrated in how one loses the debate, and does this while still supporting America. It is not demonstrated in how one acts when they win.
The far right has done a disservice to this country in the way they are losing ugly on this. Hannity was crowing about how he has had the same position on immigration for years and how this was something to admire. Well, Bush (and others) have held their positions for long times. So if it is admirable in Hannity, it must admirable in Bush. But Hannity did not admire his adversaries – he belittled them and puffed himself up. I realized after getting totally repulsed by Hannity’s hissy fit that there is possibly some good to come of this. And it is probably better to demonstrate a better option than following in the footsteps of those who cannot tolerate differences of opinions. The comments will stay open, if only to prove to the hypochondriacs there is a better way.
Keeping comments, that’s up to you. A blog with no comments is a blog that’s not read. No one is interested in reading just one side of a situation. I fully enjoy reading the comments as much as I do the original post. For example it is interesting that most of your posts that don’t deal with immigration, most commenters agree with you and on the posts about immigration, most commenters disagree with you. Both are equally interesting to read.
The blogs that are out there that don’t have comments.. I don’t read.
My real suggestion would be to read the comments yourself, and just accept them as feedback, but don’t respond to them. That would save a lot of your time.
and one more thing.
It was never meant to be a “bitch and moan about AJStrata†section.
The only posts that get lots of comments, generally are about immigration. And this is my opinion:
You have a lot of readers that like what you write, except on that subject and then those faithful readers just can’t believe you have bought into the illegal alien amnesty thing hook, line and sinker. It is totally out of character for you and they are baffled by it and are looking for some sanity in it. And can find none and it is frustrating to them. But that’s just my opinion.
What are we, Huge Chavez now?
Of course I meant HUGO Chavez, I’ve been taking spelling lessons from BIGLUSPORTSFAN.
Bikerken,
Your vote goes into the “yes” shut it down column.
Bikerken
Haha.
Ilvote to keep the comments up. Even those posted by the typing /spelling Nazi Bikerken. lol
Blogdom is not a democracry . . . one can only hope for an enlightened despot.
Keep comments.
Like FE said, a blog without comments is boring.
You have a jewel of a blog.
This issue just touches a nerve and IMHO brings out irrational fears in folks who have well thought out positions on other issues.
I vote KEEP the comments and toss the folks bogarting the comments.
If serious comments don’t show up, pull the plug.
I do not comment often here anymore as the tone of those who think they are the authority on this subject is not one which I wish to deal with on a daily basis. I love AJ’s site and I for one never felt he jumped the shark on this issue. We have to start somewhere and if this bill has anything worthwhile in its final form it is better than nothing in my opinion. I recognize that opinion is in the minority perhaps among those in the party I call mine but so be it.
As for blogs not being read which do not have comments two come to mind immediately, Instapundit and PowerLine. Perhaps some who read here do not choose to frequent them but there are many, many others who do. (And yes you can leave Powerline and comment elsewhere but on their original site there never were comments allowed.)
Concerning your comment section AJ, that is a personal decision which I believe only a site owner can make. Your loyal readers will remain with you either way.
AJ, you may not like what us “for enforcement first” proponents have to say, but to close down the comments section is to admit that you don’t want to take the heat.
It is, of course, your choice. But I really don’t think you subscribe to the Fairness Doctrine and when you start monitoring comments that are not profane you show that you are doing exactly what those who subscribe to the Fairness Doctrine are saying “we don’t like what you say, so we are going to try to stop you from saying what we don’t like”.
agree with Hutchison
I don’t mind the comments, it is interesting to see how crazy and venomous people are. I experience this in my everyday life dealing with people. I don’t comment because mostly I agree with you AJ or if I don’t, I don’t know how to fix it.
Every country needs immigration. Personally I’m thankful that most of our immigrants come from south of the border and not the Saudi Peninsula. Every country has people sneaking across their border, look at Europe. Yes we need to know who is here, how I’m not sure. Yes we need to make it harder to sneak here, but we don’t need to go broke doing it.
My experience with our form of democracy is that over time, we usually get things right, if not we correct them. But our form of democracy takes time to work things through, big things sometimes decades. As a people we need to learn to be patient and realize that the ship will right itself in the long run.
I say it is up to AJ, maybe he is tired of his hospitality being abused by people who like Bikerken who hijack his site without even bothering to be respectful to the opinions of the guy who runs the place. Hugo Chavez indeed. If you feel like that go start your own blog.
I know I am tired of people acting like their hair is on fire.
If he wants to shut them down, I say do it. After all the guys at powerline and Glen Reynolds don’t have comment sections and they still get traffic.
Biglsufan:
I got the newest firefox browser and it underlines my spelling errors. Helps a bunch, it catches stuff I would otherwise not even see.
Kathie, good comments:
As a people we need to learn to be patient and realize that the ship will right itself in the long run.
But as in the case of the illegal aliens when you lean hard to port (left) as this bill does, it takes a lot longer to get it back on course.
AJ, its your site and you make the rules.
Good luck with this little old site of yours.
One thing about shutting down the comment sections. I would never have to read one more self righteous sanctimonious comment from hardliner saints who only want to save America from the rest of us. You know, the people who assume that anyone who disagrees with them has no respect for the law or anything else.
I feel more like I need to be saved from them than from the nannies and roofers.
Really, it gets a little thick sometimes.
terrye
I know I am tired of people acting like their hair is on fire.
When did you have your hair on fire and how does a person act when that happens? Who is acting that way? name names.
If he wants to shut them down, I say do it. After all the guys at powerline and Glen Reynolds don’t have comment sections
Glen who? Powerline does have a comments section. you need a link to them?
I never read Glen who and powerline only when linked to them.. they’re boring. On the other hand, I read AJ several times a day.
terrye, Do you realize that terrye is underlined in red when you type it in firefox?
One thing about shutting down the comment sections. I would never have to read one more self righteous sanctimonious comment from hardliner saints who only want to save America from the rest of us. You know, the people who assume that anyone who disagrees with them has no respect for the law or anything else. I feel more like I need to be saved from them than from the nannies and roofers. Really, it gets a little thick sometimes.
Just who writes more sanctimonious crap than you do? name names. quit calling names.
These are the same people that you agree with on all other issues, except illegal aliens, you are the outsider on that issue, not us hardliner saints.
I don’t see Terrye as underlined in red