Yes, I have a blog. No, you don't want to read it

You probably have a toolbar that offers "Auto Fill" for website forms. It's obviously handy for filling in your shipping info when you order stuff and for filling in your name and email and website when you are leaving a comment at some blog (like this one!).

Recently my Google Toolbar Autofill got confused and started filling in my email in the "Website" slot when I'd post a comment. I didn't notice it immmediately, so I actually don't know how long it has been doing that. I was a little annoyed at first..

And then I realized something: most of the time, at most web sites, it would be pointless for the vast majority of readers to come here anyway. Now sure, if I'm leaving a comment at some fellow geek's site, yeah, a good percentage of the readers at least have a possibility of being interested in this site. But for the most part, while there may be an article or two here and there that good old Random Reader might enjoy, there's not anything here worth their while. As it happened, I was commenting upon someone else's comment where he poked a little fun at some folks motivation for leaving comments. I said:

Michael said: "hope people think I'm clever and visit my blog"

Well, Michael: I visited your blog. I RSSed it. Happy now?

If I want people to visit my blog, it would help a lot if I'd
remember to fix the Firefox Autofill that keeps putting my email
into the "Website" slot.

Not that you'd find anything interesting. Too techy. Don't bother.
In fact, I'm taking out the link so you won't even be tempted to
waste your time..

There. Now you CAN'T visit.

Makes you want to, doesn't it? :-)

Now here's the funny part: even though I left out the link, Michael was resourceful enough to track me down, visit here, and said he'd add it to his RSS.

I don't know if he really did, but the whole thing did make me think more about whether I really want to fix that Auto Fill. On the one hand I don't want to make it hard for someone who really would like to join in here, but on the other hand this site really is too quirky and esoteric for your average Netizen, so why waste their time?

Of course I'm assuming two things here, neither of which may be true. The first assumption is that other comment readers are prone to click through to read the sites of comments they enjoy. I know I do: when I see intelligence in a comment, I at least go take a look at the person's blog or website if they have one. The second assumption of course relates to that "see intelligence" phrase: while I may think that my comments are always witty, appropriate and true gems worthy of further investigation, others may have a slightly diminished opinion. Only slightly diminished, of course..

So there I am. I'm thinking of setting that field to "You don't want to visit my blog unless you are a strange geek like me".. or perhaps something like "You don't want to visit unless you are a Unix/Linux/MacOSX geek".. I don't know..seemed like a good idea for a minute or two..

So instead, I now often use this post as my "website" link in comments I leave. Not always: if I'm commenting somewhere where I think the readers there might really be interested, I'll leave the homepage instead. But otherwise, this feels right.

Comments /foo-web/dont_read_my_blog.html


Tue Feb 12 03:16:47 2008: Subject: Skellie   Evan
http://www.wellbeingandhealth.net

Hi Anthony,

After I hit the post button I realised I probably shouldn't have said what I said to Skellie - because bloggers seem so precious (they love comments so long as they are entirely positive). And I just seemed like a grump I think.

But hey ho, we live and learn (sometimes).

This is just to thank you for the link and posting it after my comment so I don't look like it's just me.

The book looks interesting, but I think you've given the main points and it would cost $50AU. So I'll try to get it from a library.

Thanks
Evan

Tue Feb 12 16:05:33 2008: Subject:   TonyLawrence


Oh, I don't get the impression that Skellie is that shallow..

Fri Feb 15 10:38:31 2008: Subject:   Anish
http://coversports.blogspot.com

Nice way of expressing things.

--Anish
http://coversports.blogspot.com

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