You know what I hate? When there is a post with a jillion comments to it, and everyone has moved on, yet some asshole has to post yet one last response, like he can't get enough of seeing his own name on someone else's web site.

Sheesh, get a life or something.

And for once, I'd like someone to call me "Sir" without preceeding it with "You're making a scene"...

Do what feels right Jodi. I just stumbled upon this site by pure chance, and have been reading all your entries for the past month or so. Totally cool, totally engaging, totally well written. Love at first 'site', I would say. I won't come back for the comments, that's for sure, I'll come back for what you write.

You find the comments useful as feedback, leave them, otherwise, take them out and don't give it a second thought. You can always bring them back if you're feeling comment-sick, eh?

Oh, how weird. I just posted what amounts to the same thing on mine. I said if I ever came back I wasn't going to have comments because they're a complete waste of time.
I left them on for two days so I could get reacquainted with everyone, but I'm already tired of them. I don't miss the comments at all.

There are only three kinds of comments:

1.) People who kiss your ass and/or post fluff
2.) People who like to listen to themselves talk
3.) People who actually say something of substance

The third type are pretty far and few in between, and if they have something to say, I figure they can email me.

Otherwise, who the hell cares.

Comments are part of your blog Jodi. You don't have a troll (do you ?) it's just friends, so leave them.

Jodi ~ I love your blog.. I truly do. You have a gift! Your entries always make me smile! I think that the comments made on your blog (you have very amusing readers) just add to the whole Jodi-blog experience.

I say, "Keep the comments!"

hi - i am quite a regular reader of your column and i think have never left a comment .... i love your writing, but really don't have a need to comment on your site. if there is something i want to tlak about, i would certainly email you directly before putting it on your site ...but, it is nice 'knowing' that the comments are there "just in case" !!

*phew*

Everyone: Check out Maddy's link, above, entitled "My Own Personal Soap Box". It's a marvelous follow-up to my original entry!

P.S. to Jon: Thanks for the clarification. I do appreciate it!

Keep 'em!

I know there have been some unsavory posts the past few days, but, I'm sure the boys will learn how to play nice. Besides, I would miss the (usual) wit and creativity. Your's is the only web site where I faithfully read the comments.

Max & Jodi,
I think you guys got the wrong idea. I believe that the contrast of ideas and the ability to contribute to a discussion is what makes some of these weblogs so successful. My comment had nothing to do with the quality of Jodi's posts...obviously I enjoy them. Don't most people who visit this site enjoy posting their comments? I'm just saying that you'd be taking something away from them.

Personally I mostly enjoy blog comments. I'm one of those lazy readers who, if a comment appears too "soap box-y", skim it or skip it altogether.

I'd like it if you kept 'em, but like others said up there - it's up to you. I'm a regular reader either way. :-)

OK Thomas... You've lost me on that one.

Was there an episode of Beavis and Butthead I missed?

I like being able to post a comment in the moment I'm reacting to something you have written. But I have a couple of blogs myself, and one will never have comments, so I understand why someone would write and not allow comments.

Do what you WANT to do, Jodi, and I'll live with it either way.

My Own Personal Soap Box.

I love your comments page. I can't imagine censoring long posts. Why do that? You engage a variety of people. The humor in the comments section (for the most part) is wonderful. You have a very witty entourage and please do NOT discourage them. Creativity is a good thing! And your wit and writing is the stimulus!

I've also thought about the not posting... because so often (being from the Midwest is NOT an excuse) but I just don't have anything to say.(sometimes when I do not have anything to say... I will write anyway...and that is especially annoying).

"HI"... "I'm lurking and just wanted you to know" does not seem to be a worthwhile addition!... but lurking also has its problems for me as well. I like to at least speak up and let people know I am in the room... .

I've been thinking about losing comments too. Its nice when people tell you what you want to hear, but really annoying when they don't, and really depressing when no one says anything at all. Still, I think I'll keep them, and think you should too.

Max said "record"... Heh heh heh...

You're kidding, right Jon?

So what you're saying is that you don't actually like Jodi's ramblings, you just come here to read the comments?

Isn't that a bit like going to the dentist, just to read his magazines?

More to the point, isn't that a bit fucking rude?

All of us who write online, invest a lot of time and effort to produce something for people to read. It's not a paid job, there's no reward other than the venting of our creative urges.

I say 'creative urges', but of course some people are happy just cut-n-pasting Instant Message transcriptions, or writing a whole four words and then linking to someone else's hard work. These are the people who's comment sections are more (self) important than the actual content of the site's author.

For the record, I'm not thinking of anyone in particular, just all those self-appointed 'pundits' and the other lazy bastards.

I say that you leave your comments, but set them up so that they are automatically translated into Portugese. This will stop soapboxers (um...why's everyone looking at me? Oh....oh yeah.) from getting up on their high horse, but it will still allow people to say things like:

"Você bateu a direita do prego na cabeça!!!"

Leave 'em. How else would I get a laugh every day, Jodi? I mean REALLY now.

Having said that, I totally did away with mine!

;)

I disagree, Jon. That's like saying that people read magazines just for the Letters to the Editor.

You'd lose all your loyal visitors if you got rid of the comments. What makes the site work, is that people get to voice ideas and opinions other than your own. If we just heard only your opinions, it would get stale...

<soapbox>
Do whatever the fuck you want.
</soapbox>

Keep the comments section Jodi.

All that's required is a bit of self-policing on the part of the commenters, and I think they're all intelligent enough folk to be able to do that.

I too get extremely irritated by people who write thought-provoking stuff, and have no facility for commenting. I agree with Rev9, that I'd be far less likely to email a blogger/writer/whatevvverrrrr that I don't know, than I would be to leave a comment.

Also, as Philippe said, it's a good way to find other people with sites to read. In fact he's now a regular EID reader, thanks to your site!

Leo said "pasta"... heh heh heh...

Delete the comments that deviate too far off topic, in my opinion.

I mean - using a comment section as a personal soapbox? I'm sorry, but weren't places like Blogspot, Diaryland, and LiveJournal invented so that people could type to their heart's content, about whatever they want? Hell, even if you don't want to go create your own weblog, at least go to a forum somewhere and start random threads there.

This sort of thing irritates me especially because this is a classic case of people not playing by the rules, and taking advantage of someone's goodness.

Define irony. Irony is posting a long winded comment stating that all long winded comments should be deleted. The only thing missing is me going off topic... Hmm...

I like pasta.

Ok - now it's okay to delete this.

Since I'm partnered to Sardonic Bomb -- who is toying with the notion of comments himself, I'll add my 2 cents.
I've always been surprised that bloggers and online journalists get all up in arms when someone leaves a comment they don't like on their site. I mean, "Hello!", you made it possible for people to "write" on your site so what did you expect? All of these sites are soapboxes, and comments sections are simply soapboxes for your readers. To play devil's advocate, if people don't like the notion of soapboxes then take down these sites, they clog the internet and keep me from looking at far more important things like porn and eBay. Nuf said.

My 2 cents: Leave 'em. Don't let the preachy/soapbox-y, whiny crap spoil your fun, feedback and interactivity. If people want to preach, hell, blogger is free ...

As one who reads rather than writes. I would like to see you keep the comments. Thanks!

Needless to say, it's your site and you know what will work best for you. However, I have to say that I'm unlikely to email someone I don't know well, no matter how intriguing their entry, and I get frustrated without comment boxes. I'll try also to rein it in and not expound voluminously on my own agenda - I can understand how frustrating that must be.

A very reliable, extremely wise source just advised me as follows: "abusus non tollit usum". Literal translation: "misuse does not nullify proper use."

He also said, in more colloquial fashion, "You can't close the door totally." (He was also referring to a literal door, by the way. I told him my cat had peed in an inappropriate place given that I had inadvertently shut her out of the room where her litter box is placed.)

Darling, leave the comments.

Aaron, Thomas...stop it this very instant! Go to your rooms! Now! I mean it! No more lip from you, young men. Don't make daddy have to spank you!

There! Sometimes all you need is a little tough love.

I think I am one of the long winded ones of which you speak, and for that I apologize. I think there may be a way, in your comments FORM section to limit the size of the TEXTAREA, not just the size of it as displayed, but to limit the number of characters that can actually be typed in. That might be a good way to "have your comments and eat them too!"

I like the comments, though I rarely use them. Email is different, more "intimate" (note : english is not my native language, so I hope I'm not misusing intimate here. Definitely un-sexual). I use them to more thoughtful and elaborated writing.
Comments are sometimes like a random conversation initiated by your prose, a collaborative work sometimes meaningless and sometimes genuinely interesting.
Beside that, it may be a way to spot interesting bloggers.
But, well, it's your blog and I'll love it the way you'll choose.

I already told you this in my last e-mail to you, but I definietely think you should keep it. Don't let my own stupid need to write my freaking head off stop the rest of your readership from putting their two cents in.

Besides - if you didn't have comments, where would we tell you whether or not we thought you should get rid of your comments?

But, Ms. Jodi...if you do away with these comments where will I be schooled on the latest dissertation on western society capitalist scum?

You know, because, like, I really need to know.

I'll keep it light if the comments stay.

I'd hope Aaryone... sorry... EVERYONE else would too.