The 31 Day Comment Challenge is still going strong and two of the tasks from this week were to highlight a comment on our blog that seemed to resonate with us and also, to reflect on what we think makes for a good comment. So, I spent some time moving back in time through the comment bin (and getting used to the nice new upgrade to WP2 in Edublogs). There are quite a few comments in there (thanks to everyone).

The comment I am going to choose is from Carla, who was responding to a post I wrote earlier this week about a virtual mentoring that I had done this year with a high school student learning about claymation animation. Carla wrote:

Dear Bryan and Kevin,

Your partnership has proven to be a fantastic way for a wonderful visual result! Great, Bryan. Your claymation shows how hard you worked. It would be great to hear the stages to make it, the behind the scenes, so others could profit from your own journey.

I chose Carla’s comment because it was clear that she had read my post, watched the video and offered some reflective insight. Carla’s words connected with me here. There were other folks who wrote nice things, too. I liked how Carla was speaking both to me and the student with encouragement. And, she seems to truly want to know more. Thank you, Carla!

Now, what do I think makes for a good comment?

  • The comment adds some insight into the discussion and moves it forward;
  • The comment values the original writer and builds on those thoughts;
  • The comment is constructive and not destructive;
  • The comment may pose a question or thought-provoking angle on the issue;
  • The comment serves as a building block for community.
  • (And as we are learning with this challenge) The comment may generate healthy debate in order to bring the commenter back later for further discussion.

What do you think makes for a good comment on a blog?

Peace (in words),
Kevin