Quid pro quote

How d'ya like 'em?

I must post upwards of a dozen blog comments a month. Some months it's well above that, and I'm by no means not alone in that respect.

Usually it's for someone I follow regularly or occasionally I find something in cyberspace that captures my imagination. Often I choose to comment because it's a fellow author at Musa or a comrade on Strictly or someone else I have connections with (and for the preceding reasons), and who wouldn't want to support a buddy? 

I used to feel a certain pressure with commenting and I have to say that I've long since noted a marked inequity between what I give and what I receive. However, that equation actually liberates me. If it's not a checks and balances arrangement then I'm free to comment when and how I feel like it, although I try to make it meaningful. After all, I want them to know I have read their piece and that I'm paying attention.

Blog posting is a strange and captivating world. It's the column you always dreamed of (minus the money or the guarantee of a readership, of course) or it's a confessional to the world. However, blogs do not write themselves. They take time and effort and focus. In short, they're like any other form of writing.

Commenting does two things:

1. It lets the blogger know that their post has been read and understood. (Or, in the case of the person who wanted to sell me the services of a detective in Arizona, completely ignored but for the odd keyword.)

2. It opens up the possibility of a dialogue. Writers love dialogues - and they needn't be solely about their own work and how wonderful it is, although that can be a great way to start the day/week/coffee break.

I like to ask questions too, partly because I'm a nosey sod and partly because I hope other commenters and readers will enjoy the answers. 

So I may not comment on your blog all the time, but be sure that when I do it's because I want to, and not because I feel a sense of obligation (well, maybe occasionally!). And if I don't comment, it's only because I don't have anything to say.

If you have something to say, why not make a writer's day (and any blogger is a writer) and drop them a line. You never know where the conversation will take you.