The question of comments

(Continuing. I promise I'll never do this again. Until the 20th anniversary, anyway. I should live so long.)

A couple of years ago, I moved from "static" to "dynamic" website. I've spent the past several years trying to figure out how that works, and how to make my site take best advantage of it.

Among other things, with a dynamic site, I can finally have comments mostly without spam. I've opened a few pages to comments, and actually received one. (Imagine, 18 years on the web and 1 comment. Why I call it the web's best-kept secret.)

I haven't opened up most pages to comments, though. The site was originally just my portfolio of eclectic nonsense. The webpage is a frame.

You don't hang a work of art on the wall, carefully framed and lighted, then leave a Sharpie hanging on a string so folks can write their opinions on the wall all around the art.

But... but... people like interactivity. Sure, there's trolls, and spam, and h8rs, but look at the community here (noting the several sentries armed with banhammers). Or, take an "art" site I really like, http://braveandboldlost.blogspot.com/ - all the comments discuss the guy's work and make suggestions and it's nice.

So, I've wondered about opening up my site more for comments. I watched a lot, and did a little, of SysOp back on CompuServe, and from BBS to Blogs, it can get weird. But it's a new and interactive age. I might do more comments-opening on pages. But I'd hate to get into that, then find it such a burden or time-consuming away from content production, or, worst of all, off-topic or flamewars that lead to closing out comments altogether.

Well, that's quite a ramble, and I'd be ashamed except, I'm too tired to care, you didn't read it anyway, and anyway, I haven't been commenting much lately as I've been so busy tinkering with the website behind-the-scenes stuff, trying to give it a bit of housecleaning and facelift for the anniversary. So, I earned one tl;dr, maybe, huh?

Back to y'all someday when time permits. Meanwhile, [salute!] to the ONT folk, and..

...my goodness that was quite a hidden kitteh!