This is referring to my post regarding my Apologia that I gave last week. Comments are useful as a reader, sure, but comments, more than anything, are a key aspect of internet community, I think. Writers, or at least me and some others I know, like interacting with our audience. We like getting feedback or our stories, ideas from fans, but it’s bigger than that, I think.
Having a website without comments means that no criticism can be directed at any work, good or bad, which can be publicly viewed. A site can survive on that model, sure, but it isn’t a healthy community. It isn’t one which can effectively grow and develop. It isn’t one where authors can have an open dialogue with their readers and with each other. In the end, it isn’t much of a community at all, and that’s the issue.
As a reader, comments matter because they allow you to ask questions, voice opinions, and have some sort of stake in writing as an active project, rather than as a vessel that I just pour stories into. And, by making them public, it helps other people understand my writing and stories, and the nature of this genre. You obviously appreciate the ability to comment or you wouldn’t have sent me this, after all. It isn’t crucial for a site to survive, but it is crucial for a community to remain healthy.
Bracken's Corner 