Some Comments about Comments
I hope you are enjoying seeing new posts flow through blog feed! I’m writing this post to give you an update and few tips.
Comments Feed
If you haven’t noticed yet, I have added a new widget in the right sidebar that is titled “Comments on #CCCWrite Blogs” (thanks again, here, go to Laura Gibbs!). This area will show all comments on our members blogs. There are a few stipulations I’d like to make about this feed, however:
- If you receive comments on your posts that are not #CCCWrite related, they will still show here. There is no way to parse out those comments.
- If you are using Wix, Weebly, or Medium as your blogging platform, unfortunately, your comments will not appear in the comments feed. This is due to the way the different blogging platforms handle the RSS feed for the comments. I encourage everyone to try different ways of engaging with blogs each week (the blog feed, the Twitter feed, even mosey over to our Members Roster and explore the blogs of folks located near you or really far away).
The Commenting “Experience”
It is typical for a blog to require a commenter to enter a name, email, the comment, and complete a Captcha (anti-spam test). However, as we navigate the different blogs, we’re finding that some of you have set your comments up in such a way that it requires a user to log-in to leave a comment. If you require commenters to log in, it will significantly reduce the number of comments you receive. If you are wondering what the experience is like for a commenter on your blog, open an incognito or private browsing window in your browser, navigate to your blog, and try leaving a comment. That’s a great test for everyone to do! If you are confronted with a log-in screen, I recommend you visit the commenting settings in your blogging platform and see if you can adjust them.
Twitter or Post?
Interactions on Twitter are great! But please leave your comments for each other directly on their blog posts. This ensures that more conversations can develop in the comment area. Think of Twitter as our backchannel and a place where you can follow your peers and build your professional learning network, which will stick with you long after our Club is over.
Finally, if all this feels kind of messy, you’re right! Remember, learning should be messy. If it isn’t probably doing something wrong. I know there are things that can be improved with this process and I will be reaching out to ask for your feedback so keep those suggestions in mind!
That’s all for now! Have a lovely weekend, everyone.
Michelle (@brocansky) is Faculty Mentor, Digital Innovation for @ONE and the OEI and author of Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies. Michelle’s work ensures CCC faculty and staff have opportunities to engage and develop through networked learning and the use of emerging technologies. Learn more about Michelle at brocansky.com.