The wow effect of the commenting section?
Not long ago I started to learn social media from the ground up. I imagined meeting tools like Facebook, Medium, Reddit for the first time.
- What do people do in them?
- Why do they do what they do?
- How are they talking?
- Why they are there?
So I’ve noticed the comment section. Seems like it was always there. A thought ran through my head:
Every Social Media is spinning around the Comment section. The tool that every single person on this planet can use to be heard! That’s where the juice is at.
And I saw a lot of personalities out there using the commenting section for far more then just to say ‘cool pic’… I started to jump from one post to another participating here and there, getting into dialogues, meeting same people from time to time.
I felt like I’m part of something bigger than myself: a fraction; a drop in the ocean of other drops. I have finally connected to the virtual dimension.
Wow.
Too pathetic maybe. But this was the first time I felt the moment of awareness while browsing the Web; awoken in the dream. I started acting strategically, aiming to meet more talents, authors, masters, thinkers, poets. I wanted to know everyone!
While doing so I realized that the writing for the comment section is much like a philosophical discussion at the college party around 11:56 AM at the window in Paris, 19eme arrondissement. You just gotta say what you really think. If your talking to the people capable of expressing intelligent thoughts you will quickly find your buddies only.
But enough with the intro part
Here are couple of things I was doing to spark the conversation:
- Seeing unusual in the usual
- Inviting people to look at the problem, situation from a different perspective.
- Imagining the different context for the conversation
- Answering the question as if I want to get a good grade for my answer: high quality response only; no bullshit.
- Telling a story that would relate to the original post
- Responding to somebody’s long post through: relating or exploring the alternatives
- Sharing professional experiences and anecdotes
- I’ve also noticed that a lot of skillful commenters tend to integrate very natively their self-promotion. The masters did it so professionally it was hard to believe their leaving a bread crumbs trail to they businesses. It was beautiful...
As for the questions in the beginning of the article. Share your thoughts in the comment section 😄
-K.
When I first joined Steemit comments were not rewarded, I argued the case that they should be because above all else, blog writers want comments.
Good comments can enhance a post, sparking debate that grows the original idea, or even takes it off into a whole new realm of thinking. I have lost count the amount of my articles that were inspired by great comments.
We are in the new age of informationalism, and the many currency is attention. Comments reflect an attention that goes deeper than merely reading the original post. It is a way to connect on a deeper level, I like your analogy about hooking onto intelligent conversation at a party and finding friends.
As well as being inspired by comments, I have found some great people to follow as well. Sometimes it might just be a 2 word observation on an article I've posted, that makes me think; "I like this person; lets check them out" :-)
Cg
well said Cryptogee, well said 👍
Thank you for the support!
You have certainly been giving a fair bit of thought in the comments that you have written so far. I do think the value of a post isn't so much in what you learn from it (information-wise) but how much it made you think, and whether it compelled you to take some action. So even if you watched a 'bad' movie, if it made you think critically about why you thought it was bad, and inspired you to make a 'better' movie. The point you are making about the comments is quite valid in many ways, and it certainly contributes to the post in more ways than one as well.
Fast food has the effect of making you consume quickly, at a larger volume/quantity than you should, and discouraging you from cooking yourself. I hope your early experience of Steemit is more like wandering through the alleyways of an exotic country and finding interesting cuisines rather than a foodcourt full of takeaway food.
It's sad that I see that 2 people have commented but can only see one comment visible. When I restarted the page once I saw a second large comment. It disappaered right away though. Maybe will try again later.