Lurking

Jill left a comment on the last post about 'lurking' by which she means - visiting the blog, having a read and then not leaving a comment. Lurking sounds like a bad thing, but I have no problem with the concept. I 'lurk' all the time. I call it blog-surfing, and I spend a bit of most days checking out my 'regulars' and sometimes clicking on their links and finding new ones. This is how I find all sorts of interesting ideas, for there is nothing new under the sun, and if you think you have come up with a new idea, a bit of blog surfing will soon show you that at least 50 people are doing a variation on your idea  and have been for years.
Leaving a comment is always nice and I am ashamed to say that I don't leave as many comments as I could. Sometimes that is because I have to go through such a palaver if it is Blogger or  one of the ones where I have to fill in my life history before it will let me comment. And those code things are irritating when all the letters are smudgy. (what a moaner)
And then I feel bad when people take the time to comment here and I don't reply at once, or at all. My Blog Inbox has a shameful 152 unanswered emails in there. I like to try and write a considered reply to you. But what do you want?

Lets do some Blog Etiquette research.
Just made up from the top of my head.
For no reason at all.
Expect that I'm curious to know.

1. who minds 'lurkers'?
2. what makes you leave a comment?
3. do you want a reply to your comment?
    a) as an email?
    b) as a comment in my comments?
    c) as acknowledgement in my next post?
    d) as a comment on your blog?
    e) don't expect a comment
4. some people get 100's and 100's of comments, what do they do about replying?
5. some people turn their comments off, so for those of us who don't, how important are they? (I enjoy getting feedback, connecting with people - both those I know and those I have met here, like getting lovely letters through the post or emails from pals, comments are another source of friendly connection - are there any other reasons?)

Well - I don't know what prompted that - maybe just to reassure Jill that I don't mind who calls by here and who leaves their 'hello' - I like it when you do, but I don't mind if you don't.

Now -
My camera is on its way to Colchester where the nice people at Canon assure me it will be repaired and back with me within two weeks. I will trawl back through my old files and find some vintage photos for you. This is Matt, not as seen by a bluebottle, but through one of those toy lensy things.

Comments

[jude]

i am glad you asked all those questions, i may comment a lot but i lurk more and have many unanswered comments too. sometimes it is just to tiring or i have too much stitching to do.

[Teresa]

I am just a lurker mostly and like to read many blogs. From a non-bloggers perspective I would say - a reply would be nice if I asked a question but for any general comments a collective "thank you" every-so-often in the blog would be sufficient. BTW, I enjoy reading your blog although I don't think I've commented before and this is just a personal POV.
Teresa

[Ruth]

I don't mind lurkers - I do it enough myself. I go through phases of having the time and energy to comment and respond regularly, and other phases of feeling too busy and overwhelmed to do so, but still enjoying reading blogs. I kind of expect others do too, so I don't get too hung up on getting comments or getting a response to my own comments - it all seems to go in waves.

[Zoe]

Hi Katie - please read my e mail that I've just sent. I must say I get lots of "hits" on my site or so my stats say and not many comments. I would like more comments but sometimes I think people are shy. However, I am guilty of lurking on some sites and comment more on my regulars.

[Lucy Locket-Pocket]

I love to get comments and try to respond either by

commenting regularly on the posts of people I talk to a lot

or,if someone new comes along who has a blog aiming to visit them and specifically thank them for visiting me.

I'm not very good about replying to each comment although I have other blog friends who do and I feel like I should (but run out of time)

I seem to have a lot of lurkers as I have far more visitors than commenters but that's ok although de-lurking to win a giveaway is something I personally would avoid doing now, having seen how the system works.

Then again there are quite a few "big" blogs that I don't comment on because they get so many responses and tend not to respond by a visit or email to comments I may have left previously.

Does this make any sense?

Sorry I seem to have rambled on a bit. I saw your post this morning but kept putting off commenting because I knew I needed to answer it properly - and yet this is what you got!

Lucy x

[Panda]

I lurk all the time! If I don't have anything in particular to say, why clog up someone's comments with "That's pretty!" for the 18th time?

I never expect a comment from the big-name blogs who get hundreds of comments a day. Of course, I hardly ever leave them any comments, though its sometimes fun to scroll through the first twenty or so.

Its nice to get an e-mail reply back to a comment, but I'm not insulted if there isn't one. I hardly ever go back to an old post to read comments, unless I've never read the blogger before and want to get a sense of who they are.

[Maddy]

#1-Not me, I love them.
#2-A good post, nice photo or story.
#3-E, but it's nice when you get a reply.
#4-I'm sure they don't.

I'm with you on the blog hopping, I do it all the time. I love finding people all over the world doing just what I'm doing or thinking. It’s reassuring some how.

Colchester!! Now that's a long way from home for you. Hope it comes home all better.

[Maddy]

PS: I hate all the palaver to post at some sites too, please tell me if my site has that problem.

[penny]

I am a bit of a lurker Im afraid!! The reason I usually dont leave comments is that I feel quite shy and whatever I would have said has been said in the comments already, mostly in a far wittier, funnier and more clever way than I could ever have thought up too!! I wanted to leave an encouraging note when you posted your blog about leaving work to look at the small things along the way and wanted to wish you well on the next part of your lifes journey!! Mostly I dont comment because it takes me sooo long to think of what to say succinctly!! (see above!!!!!)
pennyx

[heidi]

I love lurkers and commenters both. I try to leave comments when I visit, probably because I have my own blog and appreciate them so much. If someone sends me a comment, I make an effort to reply since they made the effort to tell me they liked my post. I had to turn on the comment verification (funny letters) though when I received an email from my own address selling myself Viagra. That was just too much.

[Alicia]

I'm a lurker - I very rarely leave comments anywhere unless I feel I can offer something constructive.

I've been following your blog for ages. Having had the privilege of being a Hexham knitter temporarily back at the outset it's great to keep up with what's happening - unfortunately since I went back to work after my maternity leave I can't ever get there now. It's also really nice to follow the blog of someone i've met in "real life"!

Good luck with all of your new ventures and who knows I may bump into you in Hexham one day (with my now nearly 3yo Christian - doesn't time fly!)

Alicia

[Tash]

I know I have lots of lurkers - I don't mind them as I'm not really in it for the attention (no, really!) - it's nice to know people stop by and get something from the blog. It's nice when they do say hello though.

I leave a comment when I have something to add to something, an experience, support, ideas etc. I really dislike having to feel like I "must" comment, which sometimes (not often though) leads to comments which are done because I don't want someone to be offended if I don't. If you get what I mean.

A reply can come either as an email or via my own blog - it doesn't really matter, it's nice to have feedback though.

As for the 100s and 100s of comments, either they make a point to comment on each and every commenter (some do!) but many don't - they say they can't do it and proceed to never comment again. I think the latter is a tad harsh, I don't comment on every single post (some I don't feel I've got anything to add) but I do try to do a round-robin like tonight. My commenting of late has been shameful. Am working on it though!

And finally sometimes people turn comments off on a sensitive post where they don't necessarily want any feedback as it may cause ripples, or it may be inappropriate. Those blogs will have chosen to do it for a reason, and that's fine too - they can still be hugely enjoyable blogs. Comments are important to an extent, but if I don't get any I will still continue to write and enjoy it. I love reading and responding to them all.

Hope this was helpful!

[carolyn]

I love to receive comments and I like reading comments on other peoples blogs. To me they are kinda blog lifeblood. But I fully understand that people haven't always got the time or the inclination to leave a comment, I don't always myself. "Lurkers" don't worry!
Have to say that I'm always amazed to get an email response to any comment I might leave unless of course I've asked a question or the blogger wants to ask me one. I know that lots do do this but I simply don't have the time - I'd rather read more blogs.
Why do I leave a comment? Well sometimes I might actually have something constructive to say but often just because it's nice to let the writer know you've been visiting and have read the post.

[Willow]

I don't mind lurkers, as I tend to lurk on certain blogs. What prompts me to comment? Mostly a connection I see, something I care about or amuses me. I appreciate getting a response to a comment; I observed about a year ago that there is some sort of 'blog etiquete' about comments/responses. I prefer to get them on my blog (I love it when there are a bunch of comments on my posts). One blogger who has 100s of comments seems to respond to a few each time. I've gotten a couple of replies from her; seems my comments caught her eye. I just like people and the world and enjoy the connections I've found all over the electronic world.

[Milly]

I don't mind lurking. I leave comments at times, I wouldn't say every time I read a blog but if I find the subject matter interesting, the pictures nice, I like to leave a compliment. I like to leave a comment if it seems I have something in common with the blogger that day, etc.
I like receiving comments on my blogs lets me know it is not all for naught.

[jill]

Thanks for not minding 'lurkers'. (I hope) I just read Julie's post today and agree with it. Blogging is cylclical. I have loved learning about bloggers', often go to leave a comment, but am put off by the life history/degree in computing comment forms some blogs have! You've made lots of lurkers smile, and no we don't need replies. (well I don't, just making contact, letting you know I enjoy your blog!)

[hannah]

Hi, thought I had better come out as a lurker! I read a lot of blogs, as many of us do, as a way to connect with people. I leave comments if I have something to add, or if someone has made something I like, or if I feel the way they feel about something etc. I like it when people comment on my blog, but I dont mind if they dont, I understand trying to have 5 minutes alone with the computer and not always having time to comment. I dont often reply to comments, unless someone has asked me a question, and am often surprised when people reply to my comments! I think it is nice to visit someones blog after they have visited yours, and have found lots of lovely blogs and friends in this way. its just nice being part of the blog community isn't it? essay over!!

[Karin]

I don't mind lurkers, but of course I am happy with comments and love getting them.
I usually try and send an e-mail or go to that website and leave a comment there.
I find it sad if I get an anonymous comment and can't reply.

[dottycookie]

I think my views have been expressed over and over already - I both lurk and comment, depending on time commitments and on what has been written about. There are some blogs I pretty much always comment on, and others, especially big ones, where I never do. I feel chuffed if I get a response, but not offended if I don't! I do try to answer all comments with an email or a return visit, but I'm thinking I'd like to start answering anonymous ones with a comment in the comments, especially if they've asked a question. I don't mind lurkers at all - I no longer look at my stats so maybe I don't have any anyway :-)

That was a long message to say "Me too!"

[Lindsay]

Hi,
I tend to comment when a particular blog entry inspires or strikes a chord, but like you, I won't often take the time if I have to jump through blog hoops. I never expect a response though am delighted when one occurs. Keep up the great blog Katie!

[Michelle]

Love this questionnaire.

[Elizabeth Wix]

I love getting comments on my blog about Marrakech!
I have lots of friends here but no TV so spend quite a lot of time surfing the web.
I leave comments often on people's blogs - if they seem to have a little bit in common with me.
Gald to have found your blog.
I'll visit again
Best wishes

[Barbara]

Hi! and nice to meet you Katie. Thanks for visiting and commenting. Hexham, had many enjoyable visits in years gone by . My husband comes from Gateshead.

Those Florentines I could eat right now and the socks look so cosy.

[Sue]

Hi Katie

I tend to both lurk and comment on your blog, and from time to time we actually swap comments, don't we! There are a lot of blogs that I enjoy keeping up with and sometimes I feel the need to comment, sometimes I don't. If I don't get a response it doesn't bother me and hope those who leave comments on mine aren't offended if I don't reply to them.

I agree with one of the other commenters and if a new person leaves a comment on my blog I like to visit their blog and hopefully leave a reply in thanks just as an acknowledgment. But if they become a regular they may find just the occasional comment back, depending on what time I have available and whether I have anything worth saying!

I don't expect or wish to ever become a 'big' blogger, although it sometimes amazes me how many visitors I've had. The fact that someone has even bothered to look at what I have to say is enough - at least I know I'm not talking to myself ALL the time!

Happy blogging - and I won't be expecting a reply!!!
Sue

[snapdragon]

Well thank you for leaving a comment on my blog!
I love comments - it is part of the conversation that I see blog life as being a part of - yet I lurk on many blogs - often when I perceive that there are already many commenters and it is a kind of community - there are blogs where I comment every post and blogs where I have never commented, though I visit.
I know from stats that I have hundreds of lurkers and it would be interesting to know who they are. Speaking to bloggers I know that many have hundreds that they visit - it would be a full time job to comment on that many!
I sporadically reply to commenters - I will try to reply if someone takes the time to write a considered comment or ask a question. I changed from blogger to typepad so that I could do this.
J
x