Some of you may have wondered why I have my comments turned
off. Blogger gurus call it a big no-no, saying that when you allow comments,
people number one, stay on a page longer, making the search engines like you
better; and number two, are more likely to come back because they engaged with
you – especially if you reply to their comment.
I don’t care what the gurus say. I am keeping four blogs
updated right now, and have turned off the comments on all of them. I also no
longer allow comments on my YouTube videos.
One reason is spam. In my previous blogging life, even if I
had a plugin that makes people do a math problems or check a box before their
comment can be submitted I would get spam comments.
Another reason is idiots. I know that sounds harsh, but hang
with me for a minute. One of the blogs I let go last year was a natural health
blog. A natural health blog, as in, a
blog that preaches against conventional medicine, particularly drugs. Yet one
time I wrote an anti-antibiotic post, and I got this guy who was clearly into
conventional medicine commenting about how wrong I was.
Okay, if it’s a natural
health blog, and you’re not into that, then don’t visit natural health
blogs!
The biggest reason – and the one that most recently sent me
over the edge – is that people think that because they don’t know you
personally and they have anonymity online, they can be mean. Vicious, even.
Yes, I know, there are trolls that have too much spare time
and go write ugly comments on every blog post and video they see, regardless of
their real opinion – or whether they have actually read the post or viewed the
video. But not everybody who makes mean comments is a troll.
I have thin skin, people. If you prick me, I bleed. And I
have enough stress in my life without you lambasting my looks or my personal
decisions like what to do with my suburban front yard. The vast majority of
comments I have ever received on either blogs or YouTube have been positive.
But somehow, the minority of negative ones hurt so much that the positive ones
can’t neutralize them.
That’s why I don’t allow comments. The search engines can go
ahead and not like me as much therefore. That’s fine. I blog because I want to,
not because I’m hoping for 100,000 visitors a month. If you ever have a positive
comment for me and are frustrated because I don’t let you write it, pass on the
positive vibes to someone in your life who needs it.
And thanks for the happy thought. :)
Happy reading,
Emily Josephine
