Mastodon Leave a Comment ~ Pallimed

Monday, March 28, 2005

Leave a Comment

For the many readers of Pallimed who have not commented before I would really encourage you to break your silence and be proud to say 'long time listener, first time commenter.' Here are some of the reasons why you should comment on blog posts:

1. Comments Are Peer-Review: Discussing a counter-argument to the original post helps balance the viewpoint and encourages the writer and other comments to better define the original point.

2. Comments Make a Community: By contributing you now are part of a small network of Pallimed commenters which provides a foundation for a growing community. Often times the commenters answer each other's questions before any Pallimed writer gets a chance to reply.

3. Comments Guide the Content: Sure blog topics are what we decide to write on, but how we decide to write on is influenced by great comments which open up new areas of interest.

4. Comments Are Currency: Comments help any blog writer realize they are not talking into thin air, which is what it feels like when you first press 'publish post.' And that currency can be cashed in as goodwill from any of the blog writers. If we get a request for more info or a favor from someone who comments often, we will be much more likely to reciprocate.

5. Comments Make a Better, Smarter Blog: Comments often lead to new resources, new links and new insights making the blog a better resource for everyone. Also like a huge crowd sourced editors desk, if you find a broken link, a misspelling, poor grammar, tell us. We'll fix it, then thank you for helping all future readers.(Edit 9/8/10: Found two errors, but no one told me. *Sniff*)

6. Comments Make you a Pallimed Author: Drew started this whole thing, but Thomas Quinn, Lyle Fettig and Christian Sinclair (me) all started out as commenters before becoming formal contributors.
Barriers to Commenting:

"I didn't know I could make a comment"
-Well now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

"I don't know how to comment"
-See below.

"I don't have anything important to say."
-A comment doesn't have to be a long counter-point, it can express general agreement, a variation on a theme, a new question, a request for blogging on something different, etc.

"I am concerned about putting my real name online"
-Comment anonymously. Don't say anything inflammatory. Say anything you would be willing to defend on the radio or in court. Talk about things more generally. But using your own name may actually establish you as a thought-leader and for continuity purposes lets us know who is doing the talking. Is anonymous one person or 45 people?

How to Comment on a Blog Post:
Pallimed uses DISQUS for our commenting system and you may likely find it on several other popular sites like NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and MLB.com.  DISQUS allows several sign in options including Facebook, Google, and Twitter.  You can also create a DISQUS account if you comment often or do not want your comments associated with your social networks.  DISQUS also allows for voting up or down comments, which is helpful in letting the cream rise to the top on posts with several comments.  If you are really particularly interested in a post, you can always subscribe to the comments by email located at the very bottom of the post in gray.  DISQUS allows for posting links, videos and pictures, but this will usually be flagged for moderation.  If you comment often, we can add you to the 'Do Not Moderate' list so your comments always go through.

Click here for our full comment policy.

If you have questions, please email Pallimed editor Christian Sinclair, MD, at christian@pallimed.org.

Last revised June 26, 2013

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