I’ve been responding to comments via email, but I have noticed that most bloggers tend to respond in the comments. While this seems to be a little impersonal, it does add to a sense of narrative on the blog. Questions get answered, fish puns are made, and the dialogue may be interesting to more than just the participants.
What do you think? Is it better to keep these responses offline, or do you like to read comments?
Would you subscribe to comments if there was a feed?
Disco Knitter 
Hmmm, I often think it’s a little weird to respond in your own comments field, but then again it does give continuity to the post.
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Sometimes one, sometimes the other. If it’s personal I write to the person; if i think a discussion might eventuate I reply in the comments. And I get irrationally irritated when I have to sign a comment captcha to prove I’m not a spammer on my own blog.
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I’ve noticed that one-off readers of my blog (actually I can’t really confirm that they are one-off’s) might not come back to read the reply. I actually quite like how you respond by email unless it was somehow a “debateable” topic.. but then you might get flamed =)
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Fish Puns? OK, that’s a narrative I’d like to hear more about – I don’t mind reading comment responses.
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I usually respond in my comments, because that way it keeps the narrative going (like you said) and I think it’s more interesting to other readers too. If someone asked me something very personal in my comments, I’d probably leave a response advising that I’ve emailed them with a response in private. I get a little frustrated when I read blogs where people comment, maybe even ask questions, and the blog owner is never seen to respond. Their response might be interesting to other readers, add further meaning, but primarily it just seems bad mannered to me to just leave these comments hanging. Or so it looks. I don’t respond to every comment, but I do like to establish a dialogue when it’s called for.
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I always respond in my comments, partly because I think it’s easier to respond via my site than it is to write an email (due to the way my blog/comments are set up in technical terms).
I think it is also a philosophical reason as I like to seem engaged in the site and willing to publically participate with people who are publically participating with me. I think responding in email is OK if you have something private/your eyes only to say, but most of the comments on my site don’t really engender responses like that. I agree with what The Other Andrew said about dialogue.
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I like to respond in comments, simply because I envision my site more as a chat show than a journal. I talk, they talk, we all talk together! And since everything is searchable, it’s easy for anyone to go back through the archives and follow an entire discussion (which wouldn’t be possible if all the individual conversations were taking place via e-mail).
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I answer comments personally but would subscribe where there was a feed
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Responding live in the blog is good, you can get some good discussions going, but shouting from a megaphone while driving at high speed down the highway is also bound to get attention as well. I say (in the words of that fine musical institution “Take That”) “Do What you like!”
And as a test case, I have a question: What pacifically would subscribing to the comments entail dearest?
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I usually respond via email when i can. Blogger tends to send me the comments saying they are from anonymous@… grrr
I always thought it may be a little strange writing in my own comments. I keep meaning to reply to comments in the text of my posts, but I keep forgetting!
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There is a feed for comments. It’s just hidden away at the bottom of the page.
feed:https://lara.nettle.org/blog/comments/feed/
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I send emails or go the the comment writer’s blog and add my own comment on their blog. I agree with Lien that ‘lurkers’ may not come back.
In fact, I leave comments on blogs all over the place but having left a comment rarely go back to see if there’s been a response (unless I’m particularly wanting one!)
However, I take the Other Andrew’s point that sometimes the blog writer might need to respond publicly to a comment. If there were several similar questions I think I would do a post about it.
Lynne
http://www.2hot2knit.blogspot.com
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