The Comments Are Dead

If you have been here before, you may notice the site looks different this week. I redesigned my site using Middleman, an awesome static site generator, so that I could move away from WordPress and do things lean and simple. I am hoping to do a write-up about the redesign some time soon, but that's not why I am here tonight. I am here to address the lack of something that old and new visitors alike may have expected -- the comments.

The new version of my site intentionally does not have comments. Comment sections often become a nasty place where nobody wants to go. There's a twitter account that regularly reminds people to avoid them for a reason. Hell, even Popular Science recently turned off comments based on a study that showed they have negative consequences. I am not interested in hosting a space where people spew invective at myself or others. There are plenty of other places where people can have those conversations ad nauseum.

The few sites I frequent with quality comments have dedicated moderators who spend a great deal of time and energy maintaining a positive space. For some of them, it's pretty much a full-time job. I do not have the time, energy, or willingness to put that kind of work into my site. Sorry, commenters, I have a day job.

If you want to engage with me about my writing, you can find plenty of ways to contact me on the about section of my site. However, please be respectful of my time. Please understand that I receive a large number of emails and may not be able to respond to everyone. On a more sinister note, if you send me threats, harassment, or abuse, please be aware that I may share it with the internet and/or the authorities depending on the content (also, if you do this you are a bad person and you should feel bad).

I am hoping the much simpler site management will encourage me to write more, so that I can share my thoughts with people more often. I hope you will continue to join me on my little corner of the internet.

For anyone who might be angry that there are no comments, tough shit. :)