There's a fine line between comment verification and fristration.

Yeah, we all hate Spam. But if you make people register with your blog for comments, then require login, authentication, etc. Well, that's time out of my day.

I'm not going to jump through those hoops unless I plan on commenting on that site many times, like, say, Metaversed or LGF.

Like right now... your Captcha is pissing me off. Tried to get it right twice.

I don't comment for various reasons:

1. I just have the germ of an idea for a response, but don't have the time right this moment to explain the idea properly

2. Someone else has already posted a comment expressing an opinion similar to my own

3. I'm uncertain that my opinion will add to the conversation (don't feel confident about the subject matter)

4. I'm too offended by what's written and would rather stay away because I might leave a comment that I will later regret

5. I can't add anything meaningful to the conversation without:
(a) revealing something that I or someone else considers confidential
(b) sharing information that would benefit my competitors

6. I just happen to feel lazy or anti-social right that moment.

I'm sure there are other reasons, but these are the ones that were the first to come to mind.

yeah, i get where youre coming from.
I tend not to comment much where i have no connection at all to the author. whereas if its a 'friend' of a 'friend' at least then you don't come accross as a random nutter.
Of course if its a first level connection then you can be as random as you like...

If I refrain from commenting on a blog, it is for mdy's reasons, and also because I may not know enough about a topic to offer an insightful reply. I tend to comment when the blog post has hit a nerve or is inspiring. As for this one, I felt guilty that I hadn't commented on any of your previous blog posts, so I heard the call for action. :-)

i usually just can't be arsed

Well I put a comment on why I don't comment on blogs and the system here seems to have decided it was not worht publishing. I don't have th energy to do it again - just to whinge!
Matty

My reasons have been touched on already, but I'll take the plunge and fight my fear of appearing redundant.

Top Five Reasons that I don't respond to blogs:
1. Fear that I sound stupid/uninformed.
2. Anxiety that I may inadvertantly offend somehow.
3. Concern about not being taken seriously or being condescended to.
4. Uncertainty about how 'private' my private info will kept (but I trust you, Chris).
5. Lack of time.

So many blogs to comment on, so little time! If I find an intriguing post, I'm more likely to blog about it than comment

This is my first time commenting on your Blog....

- Yesterday I went to comment on a blog for a HR journal, but stopped because my opinion was very similiar to others, so I thought am I really adding anything new?

- If I don't understand the subject or know enough about it, I will definately refrain from commenting.
I wouldn't be adding value if I don't understand...

- I'd wonder who else was reading it

- Sounding silly/stupid

- Subject does not interest me at all

- Confidence....especially if you've not done it before, but then it's getting over that first hurdle!!

you know what, i hate commenting on blogs on the whole.

there are myriad reasons for this.

i like to treat online discourse in the same way as i treat F2F discourse. therefore my virtual verbal voracity is a mirror image of my real life personality on the whole although obviously there are infinite benefits to F2F discourse such as body language, tone of voice, easily recognisable irony/sarcasm.
as other people have pointed out there are lots of reasons why people don't comment, some logistical, some political, some cerebral.

i have no problems with confidence in my views and i have no worries about offending people.
however i really just don't 'give a shit' about most of the blogs i read - i prefer to read other people getting in a tiz about someone elses words rather than wading in there myself unless it is something i care strongly about.

however maybe the root reason for my apathy is this;
the web gives everyone a voice - [irony]great[/irony]
of course the democratisation of media and distribution of said media is a great thing but it highlights the obvious which is most people have little of interest to say, or have little to say which hasn't been said before in a much more articulate manner. in real world terms the internet is like going down the pub and listening to everyone deliver a monologue/soliloquy about something and then choosing to enter into debate with everyone. after a while this becomes tiresome, and whilst i'm quite happy to listen to most people for a few seconds i quite often lose interest if they are not saying something important/interesting/original and then i have even less desire to engage in further debate.

hope you don't mine me beng the agent provocateur ;)

I must admit that all the comments read so far were grouping most of the reasons why many times I avoid putting a comment on a blog, so instead of giving more reasons why I do not comment I will tell you what makes comment something:
I tend to post comments easily on blogs of friends, where I feel that my comment is a support for that friend who made the effort of posting and would love to hear my opinion.
I also post whenever I feel that the subject treated touches me very closely.
I love to post when I know that I can start a funny or constructive conversation.
... and I definetly post whenever I am called to repsond to something via an email, that makes me feel that the person sending the email is looking for my "precious" feedback.

Something in a post hooks me, and I can't help but comment. I'm not sure what that mysterious quality is, but I suspect it hovers around authenticity of voice and word. Or, I sense that the blogger is posing a genuine question from a place that is important to him or her, a plea for help in figuring out something that matters. That snags me, especially if I'm bugged by the same question. I mull the topic and feel a nearly physical need to respond, partly in hopes of learning something by what I find myself saying. That's why I'm answering your post now. I had to, even though they're scheduled to shut off the water in our building in five minutes, so I've risked going the day without a shower, just to finish this! ....aw rats. The idiots left me high and dry five minutes early... I'm still glad I took the time to join the fray!

Not every blog post is worth a comment. Not every blog post is DESIGNED to generate a comment (or a conversation) -- sometimes it's just someone talking AT the world.

But I will say, as a blogger, that the power of a comment to validate a post is (sadly) great. I've made many a blog post that I felt raised serious questions, or should generate passionate discussion, only to have the audience fall silent. Meanwhile, posts I consider to be throwaways have generated lengthy responses.

So what's the difference?

If I had to guess, I'd people tend to comment only when:

A) They know the poster personally
B) They have something to add to the conversation
C) They FEEL STRONGLY about the topic, or
D) They ARE FAMILIAR with the topic.

One thing I've noticed is that I get far more feedback on posts about miscellany, personal behavior or pop culture than I do about "Large Issues" -- with occasional exceptions.

Perhaps people are just reluctant to air their opinions about Large Issues in a barely moderated public forum where their words linger on the page forever...

Dear Chris
I am very interested in this string (forgive my now knowing the technical word for this) of comments and feeback to your post about commenting on blogging. You, and some of your commenters, sound like you have thought about this a bit. I am interested in blogging as an educational tool and, in particular, how to reduce barriers for students. Any references that you might have on this kind of area would be of great interest t me and I can send you my article when it is complete.
For the record, I don't comment on blogs because of all the reasons other people said - I would be SO interested in the age, gender and ethnicity of your commentators, wouldn't you? This leads to the whole online identity discusssion ....

I read through almost all the comments, and comments on comments, and comments commenting on the commenting comments - and I wasn't going to comment, even though I started out wanting to comment when I saw the original comment in my comment-a-lator (google reader).

So, I finally find the time to comment and there are a bazillion comments. Hats off the previous commenters, a great dialogue.

Time is my enemy in all this. Voltaire said something like "I would have written a shorter letter but I didn't have the time." To start, I have to make time to read any blog that is longer than a Twitter post (unless it is a news or informational blog). Now, since its a dialogue to begin with, if I put my two-cents in (or buck and a half, depending on the day), I want to know what takes place. I know I can rss comments, but who wants to get ALL the comments from every post, I only want the ones on the conversation I've become part of. So now I have to make more time to come back and read the follow up. Reading and commenting on the follow-up? HA HA HA HA HA - ok, let me look at next Thursday.

Hi Chris,
My progression has been -
Last spring when I started 'listening' as Jeremiah O refers to it - I was reading blogs.
Then I wanted to participate & commenting was a great way to get involved.
But then, I wanted to carry on my own discussions which led to my personal blog.
(So I think if you can get in the habit of joining in, it leads to a progression that's addicting! I'm loving blogging!)

It was interesting to me that you sent a comment on thru email (thanks for that!), but you're welcome to leave it on my blog. ;) It's easy! no captcha or anything.

and now be forewarned I've subscribed to your blog & am trolling thru it.... I love new info & friends :)
Connie