Comment Challenge Days 2 through 8

31-Day Comment ChallengeI’m catching up a bit on the Comment Challenge. I don’t plan to write a post every day; I’m aiming for a reflection about once a week.

Day 2: Comment on a Blog You’ve Never Commented on Before

Since the challenge started, I’ve commented on a number of blogs outside my usual circle. I don’t read that many blogs from practicing K-12 educators, so these were all new to me.

Day 3: Sign up for a Comment Tracking Service

I’ve been using co.mments since last August; it works great. Here’s all my conversations, if you’re interested.

Day 4: Ask a Question in a Blog Comment

Well, I’m the one who came up with the idea for this task, so I probably should do it. 🙂 My comment on Wendy’s blog had a lot of my own thoughts about the purpose Facebook, but I did turn it back around as a question to her. That discussion has prompted a second post on the topic, with more great comments.

Day 5: Comment on a Blog Post You Don’t Agree With
Day 6: Engage another Commenter in Discussion

Nothing has come across my reader in the last week that prompted me to disagree, so I postponed this task. I’m bending the rules a bit and combining tasks 5 & 6. Someone linked to a post by Kristin Hokanson about copyright confusion from a Diigo conversation. I replied to a comment where someone argued that students should be taught to ask permission to use any material, even if it’s under a Creative Commons license. That defeats much of the purpose of Creative Commons in my mind.

I also responded to two other commenters on Wendy’s second Facebook post, so I guess I did #6 twice.

Day 7: Reflect on What You’ve Learned so Far

What have I learned?

  • I comment to agree or ask questions much more often than I comment to disagree.
  • I have a hard time limiting myself to really short comments because I don’t usually take the time to edit them down after I write.
  • Rambling comments can still be beneficial though, if they let me mentally process something. That’s what happened with my Facebook comment on Wendy’s blog; I used her space to “think out loud” and reflect.

Day 8: Comment on a blog outside of your niche

I knew this one was coming, so when I saw this meme on Musical Perceptions, I jumped in with the few songs I could identify off the top of my head. This is one of the blogs I read that is totally unrelated to my current professional life. This is for the band nerd in me, not the instructional designer.

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7 thoughts on “Comment Challenge Days 2 through 8

  1. When I use a Flickr image on my blog, I try to leave a comment telling them that I used it with a link to my post. (I’ve been less consistent about that lately, but it’s a good habit.) That takes care of letting people know how their work has spread. The image I use in my header is from MorgueFile, where the one condition is that the creator asked to know how it’s been used. I honored that, and she was very happy with how this turned out.

    So if your goal is simply to let people see how their work has been used, why not send a link afterwards? Wouldn’t that accomplish the same thing?

    I understand that the publishers, RIAA, and content producers have tried very hard to create a culture where we all think we have to ask first. They want you to be too afraid to try to use or share anything. My question for you is, do you want to perpetuate that culture?

  2. That defeats much of the purpose of Creative Commons in my mind.
    This is the ONE PIECE that I struggle the MOST with…Yes I agree that is the point of creative commons, but I know it is really great to see where that creative commons material is being used…It helps in the discussion of transformativeness and also as a content creator, it is fun to she how much my work has spread. Is asking permission necessary? absolutely not…Is it good practice? perhaps….Should is be part of the discussion? I think THIS is the question we should be answering. Great reflections btw 🙂

  3. Hi Christy,
    Nice to be here and read through your reflections. Cool to see me on your blog. I LOVE the suggestion to leave a question. Thanks for that great idea. I will keep that one but remember who began it.
    I am not comfortable either about the focus of disagreeing on someone’s blog. I see that it’s an interesting idea and I agree that it’s a great way to get conversations motivated but it’s not easy to be searching out blogs for that in mind. Oh well, I’ve been good with almost everything else.
    Bonnie

  4. Hey, Wendy, I’m a real meanie that way–I even enjoy making other people think!

    Some of the deep thought stuff just takes a while to reflect on, so I think it’s good to pause sometimes and let everything percolate. Taking a little break isn’t a bad thing.

  5. Yeah – that wasn’t very nice. Now I have all sorts of other stuff that I need to think about and process. Shame on you for making me think and work and stuff
    :’ )

    Now – I’m off to link to the comments so others can see what you are talking
    about. I promise – I’ll reengage soon.

  6. I know for myself that personality is a lot of it. I’d rather avoid conflict if I can, online or face-to-face. At some level, commenting on blogs where I disagree is more stressful.

    I think if I disagree, I’m more likely to do so as a post on my own blog than a comment in someone else’s space. Partly, I think that’s because if it’s a blog I’m not familiar with, I wonder if my comment will get deleted. In that respect, I do understand why Stephen Downes reposts his comments sometimes. If I feel strongly enough about something to disagree, it also probably means I have more to say than a quick comment. A post is better just in terms of length.

    I feel a little weird sometimes if I disagree on someone else’s space–it’s like being on their “turf.” But I think most of the education/training/e-learning blogs would welcome respectful disagreement and a little healthy debate. Certainly, I got to know Cammy Bean because she came here to disagree with one of my posts. Our debate was really good; we both saw some perspectives we weren’t used to seeing.

  7. I think most of us comment when we agree, and not when we disagree. It seems easier to navigate away than to push our thoughts into the mix.
    I wonder if the digital canvas plays a part in that?
    I suppose it all comes down to personality, too.

    The meme — over at musical perceptions — seems interesting. I’ll have to take a look.

    Peace
    Kevin

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