But then again, I like stirrin’ the pot.

Unlike on my site which is very tongue in cheek, it doesn’t seem appropriate to be a smart ass commenter at techipedia, and by the same token, it is not hard to fathom why the worst comments experiences I have had myself or witnessed in others, is on Digg.

As far as the negative commentary goes, I can only add the following: I’ve had a blog for over a year. It’s a dumping ground for stuff that I don’t publish the old fashioned way, and it keeps friends up to date on what I’m thinking about. I’ve got a comments spot on there, and I’ve asked them to leave comments from time to time if they have anything to add. Much more often than not, my friends wait until they see me to say, “I liked that post you had,” or, “I think you’re full of it.” (Many of my friends have different views than mine, which makes for great conversation and, I guess, great friendships).

In any case, whenever I ask why they don’t leave comments for me to look at, they’re more afraid of being able to remain anonymous if they want to pipe up with reactions to what I’ve written (I ask people to leave a first-name and home town when commenting). Many of them have been on sites where they see others being “shouted down” or insulted to some degree, and they just think it’s a waste of time to put their opinions on the screen. So when they want to speak to me directly, they wait until we can talk, rather than be afraid that someone will read what they’ve written specifically to me about a specific topic, and end up being called something rude by a stranger.

I can see their point. Many times in the comments sections of blogs, the original post gets completely lost, and by the end of a long comments string, people are talking about a completely different topic altogether, and pretty pointedly, too. I think my friends still look at a comments section as a ‘letter to the editor’ as opposed to a wide open discussion board.

I think the days of anonymity on the Internet are coming to a close. Even at a place like digg, I am seeing more and more folks gain *respect* because they have opened up and revealed themselves more. I refuse to be so anonymous any more and encourage others to open up.

Peace to your day!