Should you switch off your blog comments?
Kumiko from Cash Quests recently turned off her comments for a week to see what difference it made to her blog. She has decided to keep comments switched off for the time being.
This is an interesting topic which I have read some posts on recently. Kumiko’s decision to switch off blog comments gives me a good live example of the pros and comments of doing this. 
Why Kumiko has decided to switch her comments off
Kumiko has explained her reasons for switching off her comments however I disagree with some of those reasons. Below are some of the reasons why Kumiko is switching off her comments and my view on the subject. You can view Kumiko’s full post regarding this here.
RSS subscribers will increase: A 5% increase in the past 7 days. Without comments, there are only two click choices at the end of a post now - read another post or subscribe to the feed. There are no links leading to commentator’s sites and no avatar distractions which keeps the focus tight on the content. The increase is slightly above the weekly average increase for Cash Quests.
RSS subscribers go up and down every day for most blogs. Cash Quests subscribers have been steadily increasing the last few months so I don’t believe this 5% increase in feed subscribers can be attributed solely to switching comments off.
There will be more incoming links: With most visitors having their own sites, I predicted that there would be some readers who would choose to respond to Cash Quests on their own site if they were unable to leave comments here. The results were difficult to judge as it depends a lot on the nature of the posts on Cash Quests but the links coming in have definitely been of a higher quality than usual. Instead of just a “check this out” link, there have been more posts focused entirely on Cash Quests than usual.
I’m a little skeptical about this reason. Perhaps some bloggers will respond through their blog however not all of Cash Quest’s readers will be able to do this as quite a number of them don’t run blogging related blogs. Therefore, they are unable to blog about it on their own blogs because it would be so off topic (i.e. I doubt readers of a music related blog would be interested in a making money related post). More importantly, trackbacks appear to be switched off. I think this will discourage some bloggers from linking to Cash Quests.
The sense of community will decrease: This one made the decision quite hard! Without comments, there is definitely a decrease in the community feeling of the site. However, I believe that a blog isn’t a community in the first place. If Cash Quests were a community everybody would have an equal chance of having their voices heard and there wouldn’t be just one person writing 90% of the content for the site - and taking 100% of the revenue! A blog is part of a community of bloggers but it isn’t a community itself.
Cash Quests usually gets a large number of comments and I’m sure it plays a big part in the success of the site. Some bloggers may get frustrated from not being able to contribute to the discussion.
Better relationships will be built: Without having to spend time reading, moderating and replying to comments I predicted that I would have more time to spend e-mailing and building relationships with other bloggers. This has definitely occurred with some fantastic relationships being built that have resulted in some very high PR links being both given and received.
I don’t believe that relationships will change due to comments being switched off. I understand what Kumiko is suggesting here ie. that she will develop more relationships because readers are forced to email, however some readers may want to comment but may not want to email about something so it evens out in my opinion.
Productivity will increase: When a question is asked in the comments, I feel it is polite to reply. Furthermore, when someone disagrees with me, I feel obliged to correct them on why they are wrong. Without having to spend time doing this, my productivity has increased and I’ve been able to spend more time researching content. As a result, I feel that Cash Quests has never been better!
I agree with Kumiko on this. It can be timeconsuming responding to comments every day. With no comments to respond to, more time is available to write posts.
Do I believe that Kumiko has made the right decision? I’m actually not sure, I disagree with a lot of the reasons behind this move however if switching comments off gives Kumiko more time to write posts it will prove to be the right decision. It will be interesting to see how Cash Quests develops in the new few months with commenting switched off. 
Should you switch off your blog comments?
I have no doubt that some blogs will thrive with commenting off. Responding to comments can be timeconsuming, spam can be frustrating and feedback isn’t always positive however for the majority of blogs discussion plays a huge part in the blogs success.
Have you ever considered switching your comments off? Would you enjoy the extra time you would gain by switching comments off?
Personally, getting comments to my posts is one of the most rewarding parts of blogging.
Thanks for reading,
Kevin
Blogger from Russia | July 15th, 2007 at 10:43 am #
Comments in my opinion - are necessary. In them it is possible to discuss article with readers and as a result to add something or to change the point of view. Though, all depends on comments. If they silly - it is necessary to switch-off. If good - to switch-on.
Matt Jones | July 15th, 2007 at 12:01 pm #
There has evidently been some success for her, after all you wouldn’t have written this post with links to her site unless she switched them off! ahh the irony.
Ram | July 15th, 2007 at 12:02 pm #
I’m a regular reader of Cashquests. But since I was not given the option to express my views on the blog post, I didn’t go to read the blog for two days. But still I like the blog very much and now Im back and am reading the blog.
Rich Minx | July 15th, 2007 at 12:33 pm #
I would never switch off comments. For me, they’re half the fun of blogging. To write something that people feel compelled to respond to is very rewarding. I write for print publications too and of course I barely get any feedback from readers, which is a shame because often people have valuable information to add or a new take on the subject.
More Merchant | July 15th, 2007 at 1:39 pm #
No reason for me to blog without comments! i live for my readers comments. I want to get to know my readers and I want them to know me.
Comments creates community. This is why I like about commenting.
Kevin | July 15th, 2007 at 1:55 pm #
Matt Jones - I’ve linked to Kumiko’s posts on a number of occasions
Cash Quests | July 15th, 2007 at 6:34 pm #
Some valid points Kevin.
-You’re right that the RSS increase can’t be contributed solely to comments being turned off. However, that also means that keeping comments on may not contribute either.
-I admittedly wrote that the incoming links bit was a tough one to judge and that music blogs won’t link to me. However, music blogs wouldn’t have linked to me even with comments left on.
-It is quite interesting that some bloggers may get frustrated by not being able to leave comments. Do these people get frustrated when they watch TV and can’t leave a comment? Does this frustration mean they won’t visit Cash Quests? With my assumption that only 3% of readers leave comments, those who get frustrated would probably be a very small percentage.
-You’re right that many readers may not want to email, but if they choose not to - was it important?
To those who have commented that comments are half the fun and that they like the community and reward, that’s great. However, you must keep in mind that my goal is not to have fun or build a “community” - it’s to only make money!
I admittedly don’t know if it’s the right or wrong choice in the long term. But the results have indicted that it’s the correct decision for now. In any case, it’s definitely an interesting experiment!
Kevin | July 15th, 2007 at 6:46 pm #
thanks for dropping by and giving your side of the story Kumiko.
allow me to retort
* I know that keeping comments on cannot be attributed to an increase in rss subscribers to your blog, therefore it cant be viewed as a reason
* I should maybe have clarified this point more. Yes, a music blogger wouldn’t have linked if the comments were on, however they might have added a comment to your post. Your argument was that those who cannot comment would simply reply via a blog post but as I said, not everyone can do this
* I don’t think that blogging can be compared directly to tv as it’s a different medium. Maybe I view blogging a little differently to you but for me, commentating is a huge part of the blogging experience (I’m pleased with the replies to this post so far)
Hope you don’t think I was attacking your post, I just disagree with some of your reasons for it. As I said though, if switching off comments gives you more time to blog then your post quality and quantity could improve
I think the question you need to ask is, ‘Is this change good for you’ rather than ‘Is it good for your blog’ because if your happier without comments on it will be reflected in your posts.
GoddessCarlie | July 15th, 2007 at 6:47 pm #
I don’t read Cash Quests because of the lack of comments, and because it’s not pink anymore! haha. Sometimes I pop in but then I get annoyed that I can’t comment on something, so I hardly bother anymore.
Mama Duck | July 15th, 2007 at 7:32 pm #
I find it is easier to pop in and comment than to hunt around for contact information, copy it into an e-mail, write the e-mail, send it, etc etc. So if you want feedback, comments are easier. You definitely have to have it set up to manage - not just spam, but all incoming comments in a way that is easily manageable, as it can really sap your productivity if you spend too much time taking care of comments, good & bad. It also really would depend on your subject matter as well, also on your personality, if you like to hear what others have to say or not, some people will also just open comments on selected posts and leave the rest closed, which can work well also. I say whatever works for you, I’m all in favor of conserving time and energy for the best usage possible :).
Joey | July 15th, 2007 at 7:47 pm #
For me I will not turn off comments. The comments keep me going. One of the main reasons I blog is to have a dialog with my readers and for most readers they choose to do it via comments.
Long Live Comments.
Jennifer | July 15th, 2007 at 10:13 pm #
I am one of those lost readers.
I don’t think I commented much there, but comments are a fun part of blogging and I won’t bother reading sites without it even for the best content in the world.
If you are to busy to communicate with your every day common reader, you are definitely to arrogant to enjoy my company anyways.
More Merchant | July 15th, 2007 at 10:40 pm #
Many bloggers have become lazy and have stopped commenting on other sites.
I make it a goal to comment on 5 - 10 blogs a day. I remember back when there wasn’t so many blogs and comments came by the tons on my blogs.
People wanted to participate. Now so many just expect people to comment on their blog yet never return the love.
Tay | July 16th, 2007 at 12:33 am #
I would never switch off my comments. I love getting new comments and if I took them away not only would I get any, but the whole sense and value of community would be gone.
Also, upon reading some of Kumiko’s articles as of late, when there is one I really love I scroll down to comment, only to remember I can’t anymore. It does get a little annoying at times when I cannot just drop a quick comment on what she has to say.
Anyway, I can definitely see how it would help some but I don’t think it’s for me.
SELaplana | July 17th, 2007 at 3:01 am #
i will never switch of my comment at my blog. my blog will not be a blog without it.
Snoskred | July 17th, 2007 at 5:43 am #
Kumiko said “when someone disagrees with me, I feel obliged to correct them on why they are wrong” - that’s pretty egotistical! Nobody can be right 100% of the time. Sometimes blog comments change my mind completely - that is because I am willing to listen to someone else’s views with an open mind. If someone disagrees with your views it is sometimes better to say let’s agree to disagree.. especially if you’re spending a lot of time proving that you’re right and they are wrong.
People are allowed to have their opinions and I have to say, mine is not to read a blog where the sole intention is only to make money - and where the blogger is always right and not even willing to listen to others opinions.. and I have to say probably others would feel the same. This might mean making money is a bit more difficult. And who doesn’t want to have fun along the way? That baffles me!
But aside from that, the actual topic of this post was whether it was a good idea to switch comments off. I’m leaning towards no myself, but for each blogger this answer will be different. Some bloggers will find themselves spammed or trolled to the point they have to moderate a lot, and sometimes there isn’t the time. So in cases like that, turning the comments off could be ok.
I try to reply to comments on my blog, but sometimes time gets away from me..
Snoskred - has a new home at -
http://www.snoskred.org/
Community Building Blog | July 17th, 2007 at 11:02 am #
A blog without comments is not a blog. I wrote an article back in April entitled ‘Always enable comments on your blog‘ and still think it is a relevant post today.
- Martin Reed
Sean | August 26th, 2007 at 11:05 pm #
I prefer to keep comment on.
Attract more readers if you ask me.