Oct 28, 2007
Pick and Comment
Okay, here’s the thing. Sciencebase is now getting around 2000 spam comments every day. So, if I take a break, like I did this week, that’s a vast cr*pflood to check through even with the help of the Akismet spam filter and the Auntie Spam Greasemonkey script for Firefox that compresses and labels Akismet’s findings.
I just passed the 1200 posts mark on this blog and a total of 1200 or so legitimate comments and questions have been posted here by you, the readers. That’s one comment per post, on average, give or take a few. Some posts, such as any that mention the science and religion debate, Richard Dawkins or perpetual motion machines seem to elicit a flurry of comments, but other posts, which personally I predicted would stimulate discussion, seem not to get any comments at all.
Could it be that the vast majority of my posts are simply so wonderfully written and self contained that there is nothing more for you to add? I doubt it! Could it be that no one is actually reading Sciencebase? Well, with 2700 or so RSS subscribers, 1000 podcasters, and several thousand unique visitors to the site each day, that cannot be true either.
I know I shouldn’t worry that the blog receives relatively few comments even compared to countless blogs with fewer subscribers, but I would like to feel that this blog was more than just my random rants and raves and that there might be an opportunity for dialog across cyberspace.
So, here’s the challenge, have a dig around among my blog archives and pick out a post that piques your interest (it could be this one, if you like), leave a pertinent comment on that post of, say, at least 20 words. I’ll then pick out the most inspirational ten new comments over the coming week and post a summary next weekend together with a back link in that post to a site of the commentator’s choice (so be sure to include the web address you want linked in the comment form).
To get you started here are a few links to posts that have proved popular (i.e. were visited the most): Medical marijuana, No More Chocolate Headaches, and Benzene Soda.
You can browse the other popular articles via the Hot Science link in the blue menu above or browse the site by category – Health, Science, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Cancer, Geek, Bio, Bird Flu, Environment, Education, Sex, spectroscopy, genetics.
Well…what are you waiting for, comment away…
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August 28th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
“Rubber chicken is fine, goes well with silicon chips ;-)”
Hahaha)))))) RIGHT!!!
November 1st, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Rubber chicken is fine, goes well with silicon chips ;-)
November 1st, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Wanting to leave a pertinent comment, rather than a silly flippant one , can be the reason to hold back. But, even silliness can be stimulating sometimes. After being overexcited by an exchange with creationists, I made that “Gravity? It’s just a theory.” comment a while back and that started a wonderful series of comments on the nature of theories, hypotheses, etc. So, if you can keep it from getting out of hand, is the occasional rubber chicken OK?
November 1st, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Honestly, I’m just far too lazy to comment much of the time. :p Seriously though – there are many reasons for not posting a comment. I would agree with JohnX who mentioned subjects of which he has little knowledge. Sometimes, that’s the case for me so it’s cool to just sort of be a sponge and soak up the information. Other times, I find that I’ll hit up google to read more on a subject after one of your posts because it’s a subject that has really kicked up my curiosity.
This is one of my favorite blogs that I regularly read (along with Lemonick’s ‘Eye on Science’ blog). It’s a favorite because the language is comfortable to read, the topics are varied and the jokes and tone aren’t too p.c. ;)