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I am all for daily novel writing and, of course, daily blog writing, but rather than 30 posts about the numerous bowls of Cheerios I consume throughout the week, I am for daily comment leaving. Hence NaComLeavMo--National Comment Leaving Month (the "national" is relative to wherever you happen to be). Comments are half of the blogging experience, yet the comments box often gets short shrift, leaving the post simply dangling in the blogosphere. Comments give affirmation, support, closure. They give food for thought, questions, rebuttal. Comments can be 12 point font love.
Last year brought the Commentathon--a month long quest to leave as many comments as possible throughout the infertility blogosphere. But this year opens up this concept and smooths it out in order to draw in all corners of the blogging world--knitting bloggers reading political blogs, cooking bloggers checking out the book blogs, and mommybloggers mingling in the infertility world. It is like the BlogHer conference happening on-screen. It is meant to not only knock you outside your blogging niche but to also foster understanding cross community. One month, a commitment to leave 6 comments a day, and a chance to connect to a plethora of other bloggers.
It is cozy to read and comment on blogs within your community. Certainly, the close-knit nature of certain areas of the blogosphere create a space where information can be passed along and support gathered from those experiencing similar situations. What is missing when we read and comment only within our blogging niche is the opportunity to have our vision of the world tested, to reexamine our long-held beliefs, to learn something new.
Resolve recently discontinued their magazine, Family Building, but when it used to arrive in my mailbox, it was either within an unmarked envelope or had an additional sheet of white paper encasing the cover. People were embarrassed to be receiving an infertility magazine, an executive in the organization explained. Infertility is still a taboo topic hence the covering of the cover. But the lack of communication between the infertility blogosphere and the outside world (and this holds true for all groups discussing sensitive or misunderstood situations) means that the taboo will forever be repeated. I want those outside the infertility community to read our blogs in the same way that I want to read more blogs outside of my realm of understanding. Hence why I'm on the NaComLeavMo list.
That is my reason for joining NaComLeavMo, but other bloggers have listed their own thoughts:
Fertility Notes asks, "Have you been lurking? Those bloggers you bookmark don’t know you read them faithfully every day. They don’t know that you (or I) find them funny, inspiring, insightful. Let’s nurture them by letting them know." Sam's Stories concurs: "The point is to start/increase conversations on your blog, as opposed to the posting in a vacuum thing. It is also a good way to meet and greet other bloggers."
Sell Crazy Someplace Else extends the invitation to the greater blogosphere too: "Though this idea started in the IF (infertility) community, we would like to have blogs and readers of all shapes, sizes and persuasions join us. Come on blogosphere, let's go comment crazy!!" And Surviving Single Motherhood is doing it for the love she'll get in return for leaving comments: "Yes, I'm a dork. I check my sitemeter visitor log every other day or so. It makes me happy to know people are reading this other than me. Again, I'm a dork and I'm okay with that. But I have to say, the lack of comments does make me a little sad."
The larger question is if you are joining the conversation--whether it's to finally feel welcome to comment on blogs outside of your area of the blogosphere or to receive some comment love back. Whether you're doing it to find new blogs or to admit to your lurking on existing ones. Whether you have writer's block and would rather comment than stress about posting or whether you view commenting as a creative outlet.
Add yourself to the list and kick up your commenting starting May 25th. Including, but not limited to, the pu-pu platter of blogging topics you can delve into right here at BlogHer.
Melissa is the author of the infertility and pregnancy loss blog, Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters. She
