Create and maintain a basic weblog/Commenting/Comment on a Blog Post You Don't Agree With



Most of us have a tendency to comment when we come across a blog post with which we agree. The blogger says something that makes us want to shout "Me too!" and we're motivated to leave a comment. But what happens when we read a post with which we don't agree? What do we do then?

Activity
Find a blog post where you don't agree with the author and leave a comment. It might be that you just disagree with a segment of the post--that's fine. The goal of your commenting today will be to bring up your point of disagreement in your comment. For some people, the challenge will be finding posts with which they don't agree. If this is the case, try using Technorati to find blogs on a political topic--these are usually great sources of potential conflict. You might also want to consider expanding your blog reading horizons because to learn, you need blogs in your reader that regularly challenge your thinking.

If you want to peruse some suggestions on how to disagree appropriately, check out the comments section (how appropriate!) for this post on 10 Rules for Blog Debates. Some great ideas for both commenters and bloggers, as well as a good example of how the commenting can become better and meatier than the original post.

As an add-on reflection activity, consider blogging on some of these questions. Don't forget to let us know what you blogged by adding a link in the discussion page for this activity.


 * What happened as a result of you disagreeing with the blogger? How did they respond? How did you respond?
 * What do you usually do if you find a post with which you disagree? Do you comment publicly? Email the blogger? Or do you just move on?
 * If you comment, typically how do you engage the blogger? Do you ask questions to better understand his/her position? Do you make statements to explain your position? Do you track comments so that you can return to continue the conversation?
 * If you're a blogger, how do you feel if people post comments where they disagree with you? How do you handle these?

Resources

 * http://www.technorati.com/ - Technorati
 * http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2006/10/10-rules-of-etiquette-for-blog-debates_03.html - 10 Rules for Blog Debates
 * http://www.wikieducator.org/Talk:Create_and_maintain_a_basic_weblog/Commenting/Comment_on_a_Blog_Post_You_Don%27t_Agree_With - Discussion page

Attribution
This activity was originally designed by Michele Martin for the 31 Day Comment Challenge.