I know it’s none of my business, but I wonder why Mr Krishna Prasad appears averse to comments in his blog – ‘Churmuri’. He shuts them firmly with a ‘No comments’ tag on all his postings. My sense of journalists is that they thrive on feedback. For a journalist, the only thing worse than not writing is not being read and commented upon. Besides, interaction is what web culture is all about. Comments make blogs ‘chutputi’. In blogs, they say, it isn’t just comments that are free. Even facts aren’t sacred. Blogs are about perception; about subjective reality that may not tally with facts. But then in a widely accessed blog, where comments are free, you don’t normally get away with blatant untruth without someone taking you on it.
‘Churmuri’, we know, blogs facts and, presumably, has little use for such comments-driven corrective device. And Mr Prasad, I am sure, has his reason for turning off comments. An open forum has its snags. There is no way, short of a turn-off, to prevent people posting spam, promoting their own agenda, crank messages posted by sick minds. We get our share on mymysore.com (look up ‘What's the idea, Elena’) But then we simply can’t do without feedback at MyMysore. Comments are its life-blood.I find ‘Churmuri’ is in the illustrious company of the Washington Post blog, which has shut off comments because, as its exec. editor Jim Brady put it, a significant number of those who posted on the washpost blog had refused to follow the ground rules, which say ‘no personal attack or use of profanity’. Brady articulates his case in ‘Blog Rage’ (click on this to read article).
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3 comments:
I agree Mr. GVK, it is not chatpati if no comments can be posted. Regarding washington Post, their decision may have been a wise one, look at some of the comments that come up on Times of India, we Indians are no less abusive.
But, having said that, blogging is a bit different. It is supposed to be an interactive forum whether exchange of ideas or news or whatever else. Blogs linked to newspapers such as Wash. post and Times of India and so on will have greater readership because of their visibility and hence may attarct unwanted comments as well. Blogs such as Churmuri don't have that kind of readership, I assume, so it may be better for them to allow people to interact. Look at my blog. Never thought that anyone would put in any comment but what happened was something else. My blog makes me think each time a comment is placed, makes me be on my toes, makes me write better because people are reading it after all.
Please make Churmuri interactive, maybe you will get quality responses as well. You always have the option of deleting unwanted spam or other rubbish. I have done that in my last posting.
'Churmuri' has lifted its cap on comments. Says KP in his latest post,'Send us your bricks and bouquets'.
Bouquets first! For opening up the blog.
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