Good advice, Bill. I've been gradually rebuilding the writer ranks at the E-Group and comment "strategy" is integral. I've often said that the comments sections are the lifeblood of the blogosphere. When high-profile bloggers like Instapundit or Paul Wells don't accept comments, they lose a lot of attention. Kudos to Garth Turner, in this regard.

A problem I've experienced is writers who "can't take the heat." I try to run a multi-partisan ship and the arguments from either side are often well thought out and documented. Many bloggers are more accustomed to echo chambers and serious debate seems to take them off guard.

Blog platforms and/or settings that require user registration for commenters and moderation of comments is stifling, IMO. Inhibiting comment spam while making commenting simple and easy is a balancing act.

The admonition not to respond to each comment holds if there are plenty of comments coming in. If a piece is up for a few hours or a day, I think it's a good idea for the blogger to respond. It lets the commenter know somebody bothered to read what they spent some effort writing.

Blog platforms and/or settings that require user registration for commenters and moderation of comments is stifling, IMO

Maybe, Jim, but I had to recently initiate registration for commenters and I've had to crack down hard on moderating them in order to clean up the rampant infestation of trolls my site was plagued with.

It most likely does inhibit discussion but the alternative was endless unproductive discussion such as we're now seeing in the comments at the Globe and Mail. Even CTV's Politics Blog is beginning to become nothing more than another outlet for rightwing propagandists to spew the day's talking points.

So the bigger problem that needs to be solved is how to allow for unrestricted meaningful discussion to take place while keeping out the freepers who do nothing but try to shut down any meaningful discussion with their pointless blather.

I'm sorry, Jim. You were saying ...? :)

I don't really consider blogs that don't accept comments to be blogs. Online columns or notebooks, perhaps, but if you're taking the interactivity out of it, then don't call it a blog. OTOH, bright lights attract moths, so I can't be too hard on A-listers who don't take them.

After all, comments are reportedly a big part of the demise of azerbic.

I suspect you're right about thin-skinned bloggers (there's more than a few thin-skinned journalists :) ).

In terms of the echo chamber, unfortunately, that's what many bloggers seem to want. They aren't there for debate. They are there for validation -- or to talk at people.

With respects to responding to comments, it's a little different in a high-traffic forum. Comments are relatively few and far between in this little corner of the blogosphere.

What I find weird is posts of mine that are heavily visited and/or commented on elsewhere in the blogosphere, but have no comments on this site!

I've also seen my name on some individuals' daily-visit list, yet those same people have never left a comment here. I don't require registration, but I also don't let comments go straight up.

Robert, I think you're right in that some inhibition of discussion needs to take place for certain types of blogs.

I moderated a few online lists over the years, and what that experience taught me is that it pays to be ruthless with trolls.

They never get better.

So, if someone just wants to be obnoxious rather than take part in an honest discussion, I wouldn't blame a blog owner or comments moderator for not wasting a lot of time on them.