photo@ idak
photo@ bluecinderelle
I'm curious about bloggers habits {i guess that's why i wrote a book about them} But I'd like to get your feedback and perhaps the information collected here could be useful for you on your own blog. I am thankful that I receive numerous comments and I read every single one of them. I am having some frustration with Typepad comment format and being able to respond, etc. so I've turned them off for a bit, which then creates a lot of email inquiries. I will continue to work on a custom comment box and will experiment sometimes with comments turned on//off.
Research for the book showed me that there are SO many bloggers that have a very large readership {I mean HUGE} and only a handful of comments on each post. So we can't judge a blog by its comment count. And honestly vice versa on those big bloggers who receive 7,789 comments on each post, because that research showed a lot of bloggers were leaving comments to advertise their own blogs, realizing the blog had a lot of traffic.
I'm lucky that I have readers who actually read my posts, know my family over the years, get my sense of humor and writing style and therefore when they leave a comment, it's an exchange of welcome communication.
Really, what it comes down to is... are we "drive by" readers? or do we have something to say? I am soooo guilty of doing drive-by's and I have no idea why. Also, do we need comments on every single post?
So let's hear it..what do you think? During research for my book, the following were some hot topics of debate. I know on my new "Ask Me Anything" page over here, there are MANY questions about comments {at least 35 & counting I still have yet to answer}
Start voting , I can't wait to see what you are thinking!
UPDATE 3/10/10: Poll closed, thank you! Results below
It's here! Romantic Country Magazine. What a lovely issue...jam packed with all things romantic and chic. Love seeing my friends at 
you are greeted by a calm and relaxed hostess (you think she would be frazzled) I know she has been cooking and preparing all week long, making everything from scratch (right down to the desserts, including homemade ice cream!) Her giant dining room table is beautifully set for 22 people. Nothing is spared, we each have a handmade place card, a valentine box with goodies inside, and each setting has a gift bag with our names on it. 
The lighting is just right, candles are everywhere. Music is perfectly set and pumped throughout each room (thanks to an integrated audio system with small speakers built into each room's ceiling) She loves to mix up the guests, so your place card is not next to your husband. In fact, my husband was clear down the other end of the table. But it's ok, you get to talk people you wouldn't normally mingle with while standing around having appetizers. Sitting down next to them, you get to know them better. Under each place setting was a tiny piece of paper with our name, with a sentence written on it. (some were crazy things most people would never say and things I could never type here!) Our hostess announced that we had to work the sentence into our dinner conversation and whoever did it best would win a beautiful Waterford crystal decanter. She held it up and showed everyone like a Price Is Right showgirl. Needless to say my crazy hubby won...here's how...When all drinks were poured and our salads were served...he proposed a toast to our hosts, I was thinking (from way down the table) "wow, I taught him really nice manners", then he blurted out his sentence in the toast (like I said... I can't repeat!) and I was mortified, but everyone cracked up and he won hands down! As a surprise, she also had pictures of each guest attending, blown up and put into a gallery in the billiard room. 
She found the most horrible pictures of each of us from past parties(on purpose) BUT she had a beautiful picture of herself and her husband in the middle! It was great to laugh at each other looking ridiculous! By the end of the night, we took a marker to her picture and you can only imagine what it ended up looking like. 
The night was ended by a fun dice game and you only needed 3 dollars to play- my kind of game!
Anyway, I don't know why I am obsessed with the show or trying to figure out the big mystery. After I watch it, I always have a migraine from thinking too much and I end up having bad dreams all night long! I think the writers of the show mess with the minds of us loyal followers, don't you? I won't give up on it though, I'm in too deep, PLUS, I need my weekly dose of Fox (even if he wasn't on the show last night!)
