A Comment on Comments

Source: crafterminds.com via Cara on Pinterest

I've been a little quiet with the comments the last week, perhaps even longer. I've been thinking about the nature of comments.

There are generally four types of comments.

1) Positive reinforcement
2) Constructive criticism
3) Generic self-promoters
4) Trollers and haters

The more I thought about comments, the less they seemed to be in categories, and the more they seemed to blend together.

I started to wonder about the value of the comments I was leaving. The majority of my comments are: "Great dress!" or references to tangential remarks unrelated the body of the post. Was it worth the effort to those receiving the comment? Was I really participating in the discourse? If I wasn't, was I really any better than the "generic self-promoters" that I despise ("Great post! Visit my blog!").

It seemed my next option would be to provide constructive criticism. It seemed to be a good idea in theory - throw in a sandwich comment ("I love that colour on you, but I think tucking in the shirt would help the line of the silhouette with that full skirt AND it will highlight your thin waist!"), and be a worthwhile participant of this community.

But then I realized how quickly it could blend into being perceived as a hater - just because my aesthetic dictates the emphasis of a nicely nipped in waist over a long torso doesn't mean that everyone does. And what gives me the right to tell someone that? What authority do I have?

So the more I thought about the comments I would leave, the less sure I was about writing them. Suddenly, thoughts like: "They never comment on my blog, so why comment on theirs?" and "Will they think I don't like them if I don't comment?" run through my brain. Even when people left comment-stress-reducing ending questions, I couldn't help but think: "Will they think I'm self absorbed if I leave my thoughts?"

The irony is that despite my neurosis on leaving comments (or rather, on what people think of the comments I leave), 99% of the time, I'm grateful people stop by to comment!

Do you have any preference about the type of comments you'd like to receive? What kind of comments do you leave?