Ch..ch…ch…Changing…

Okay, before I get into the meat of this post, I have to get in my shameless plug.  If you haven’t already nabbed this one, now’s the time, as its enrollment in KDP Select is up next week, and I’ll be rolling it out to other retailers.

Coffee free days promo

 

Now, on to the topic at hand.

Yesterday I read this article by Michael Hyatt about why he pulled the commenting option from his blog.  Those of you who are part of ROW80 may have already seen me reference this.  The poll is still up over there, but I’ve already made the decision to do the same here on my blog.

Now, I don’t get anywhere NEAR the traffic here that Michael Hyatt does, but I do have a fair number of comments or trackbacks to approve (and I only just discovered you can make it where you don’t have to do that…), and there is a vast quantity of comment spam caught by the built in spam filter.  Plus the spam that gets through that I have to spend time DISapproving.  Each time I do this, it may only take seconds or a minute or so (depending on the speed of my internet), but over the course of a year…that time adds up.  If, over the course of a year, I gain a few hours by doing this, HOORAY! Maybe I’ll find the time to write another meet cute with what I’m saving.

And, let’s face it.  I’m absolute crap at replying to comments here unless someone asks me a direct question.  I’m notorious for starring the notification in my inbox to come back to when I have time…and then I almost never find the time (or make the time, which is a prioritization issue that’s outside the scope of this discussion).  I’m certainly not trying to be rude or unappreciative of those who take the time to comment.  This is just not really where I hang out.  And it kind of reflects my reasons for blogging in the first place.  I blog, first and foremost, for myself.  To get my thoughts out there.  If it engenders discussion or interest, AWESOME.  But even if I wasn’t getting readers at all, I’d still be going it for me.

The crux of Hyatt’s point is that by removing comments from his blog, discussion about whatever he’s posting about inevitably moves into other forums–i.e. social media.  Facebook.  Twitter.  This is where people hang out, this is where people ENGAGE. And because social media is like a giant cocktail party–this is how others end up finding out about you that might not have.  Social media becomes SOCIAL again–which is why I love it.  I DO hang out on Twitter and Facebook (because I’m surgically attached to a computer most of my waking hours), and I DO respond and engage there.

So that’s where I am, y’all.  I’m closing comments, and I hope you’ll move the party outside!

You can find me on Twitter @kaitnolan or on Facebook.