Posting Comments

Last week, I put out a call for all of you to respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to whether you read my weekly columns. The response was, well, all positive. However, since there were no negative responses, and yet there were more recipients than responses, I don’t know what to make of that.

The responses I did get were enlightening, because many didn’t just follow my simple instructions to put ‘Yes’ or “No’ in the Subject Line, but also sent some feedback as to why they don’t place comments in the blog.

Those who did respond were overwhelming in their reluctance to set up a Google account in order to post comments in the blog. They felt it was a privacy issue.

I have toyed with the idea of writing a column devoted to the newest Internet phenomenon, “tweeting.”

There are apparently a lot of people who find it entertaining to post their personal information for all to see, either on Twitter, or Facebook, or My Space. I am not one of them, and it is precisely because it is a privacy issue with me.

I suppose that most of you are also of the same mind as I am about the aforementioned, shall we call them ‘sharing sites’? That must be why you also don’t have a Google account.

In order to set up my blog page for the weekly column, I had to open a Google account, and I have never been bothered by anyone because of it. I do maintain a profile on the blog site, but it is very ‘low profile’ and doesn’t expose any of my personal information that I prefer not to share.

Let’s face it, everything we share with others has to do with our own ego. That is the main reason I write the column every week. I don’t consider myself to be an ‘intellectual’ or an ‘expert’ on the subjects I write about.

It is interesting to place my opinions out there for debate and discussion. But I know that I’m not always right, and I welcome criticism as well as praise. I get both almost every week; it feeds my ego either way.

The problem is, if you don’t post on the blog, I am the only one who sees how you react to my columns. A lot of your comments are good. They add to the topic, and should be available to everyone who reads the column.

I’m considering the idea of posting comments from you—anonymously, of course—for others to see. That means you might want to go back a day or so later and read the comments as updates to the column.

Regarding those other online tools, Twitter, Facebook, etc., I guess it’s different strokes for different folks, but I don’t consider them a worthwhile exercise, and they definitely compromise you in some fashion.

Oh, and my poll... In the first 24 hours, I received 22 responses, all ‘Yes’, and that makes me feel great. See, it is all about ego!