3.14.2012

Comments Come Lately: Overused and Underwhelmed

So here are the rules for Comments Come Lately... well, not so much 'rules' as a set of loose guidelines.  That can change.  As the spirit moves me.

Let's move on.  Here it is, from Tuesday's Bell post titled:

Brent: Whatcha Think About Rankings HQ?

In it, I referred to a type of Big Red article we bemoan behind the scenes; it goes something like this:

Author X spends time writing article > Big Red spends time writing article
Author X's page views and comments < Big Red's page views and comments



So after referring to this phenomena... it happens with the very next post:


My numbers were respectable, and par for the course for an article like that - usually you have to be more controversial - or piss someone off - to draw big number comments.  Or you can just be Big Red.

Don't rush out to be number 422; you ain't missing anything.  And yeah, that's jealousy talking.  The comments in my article were pretty good, by and large.

And then there was this one:


It was Straylight's use of the word 'meaningless' that flipped the switch.  I don't hate on criticism, but one's failure to understand the language due to a whimsical overuse of adjectives isn't lazy thinking, it's lack of.

Then he wants to share.  Huh.

So I responded with a Bit of Nothing Much:  an equally useless statement.  After all, maybe the dude was just feeling reasonably disagreeable.  Hell, I've been there!

Now we get to the fun!  AbaddonsMummy (I added the caps, having met the woman) dropped some valid wordage!

It's fair criticism, though I'd suggest somewhere on the mood disorder spectrum would be more appropriate a comparison than schizophrenic.  Schizoaffective at the very worst.  But what I loved about his comment, and why I responded will become apparent after the next frame...

...but first he responds:


That's how you do it!  What a *SELF-EDIT* sandwich; perfectly done!

Notice his criticism is still there, nestled all snug between the exclamation mark and the juvenile humor?  So what?  I can own it - almost none of my Terrible Tuesday posts get a second draft, so there's always something that could be improved.

Besides, in trying to please everyone blah blah blah.

I'll stick with 'acquired taste.'  (And queue joke...)

More than all of that, I'd like to point out that this is why I don't overreact to biting comments to a Bell of Lost Souls article: most of the time there's a decent dude on the other computer.  I can't count the number of times I've won over a critic  - or at the very least agreed to disagree - by engaging them in conversation rather than pointless sniping.

In this case, there was a funny masturbating joke to laugh at... but what's it in reference to..?

So a new, hot girl joins Bell every minute?  In her underwear, to boot?

6 comments:

Zero said...

Hmm, you wrote a blog post about comments on another blog post you wrote.

This is getting way to incestuously meta for me. Can I buy you a beer at Adepticon?

Tabletop Fix said...

Have you seen the comments on my last article? 25, and most of them were guys telling me how bad it is or that I am a horrible person for supporting a specific company.
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2012/03/outside-box-03-09-12.html

I just file this kind of stuff under "welcome to the internet". Always keep in mind that satisfied customers are less likely to spell out their satisfaction, even if they are the vast majority.

Haters gonna hate *shrug*

Brent said...

Zero: I'm all about digital incestuousness!

Strictly Average has become more about what strikes my fancy of late, and the people and comments around the Blogosphere always tickle me.

And for that beer? It would be a privilege. By far the best part of these events is getting the opportunity to put names to handles and meet the rapid hobbyists out there.

Tabletop: Yeah, I'm right there with you. Believe me, I don't lose sleep on the random hate.

That said, it's amazing that your articles draw anything but positive comments - you're always dropping the new and interesting eye candy...

...so what's not to like?

Tabletop Fix said...

Easy to answer: It's not GW :)

SinSynn said...

Remind me never to goof on Darkwynn....

Anonymous said...

I hate those spam banners, they're showing up in more and more places and it's concerning me some.

(A new favorite!) Anon: I haven’t even bothered playing a game of 6th yet, cause I have read the rules, and actually understand how they interact with units. I know my armies no longer function how they should, and so I need to change them.

Strictly Average: 'cause 6-inches is all you get.

Stalking Jawaballs since 2009.

Jawaballs: "My butt just tightened up."

Brent, preferred 2-to-1 over Not Brent in a recent, scientific poll.

Brent: emptied the Kool Aid and DRINKING YOUR MILKSHAKE with an extra-long straw.

Unicorns don't exist.

Home of the Stormbuster, the Dyson Pattern Storm Raven.

I'm a comment whore and this whore is getting no play.

Not Brent hurts Brent's feelings.

I think, therefore I blog.

"You should stop writing for everyone else and worry about your crappy blog." - Anon.

Not Brent has been spotted lurking around with a green marker.

He's not like a bad guy from a cartoon, all devious but never quite evil, Not Brent is bad beans, man, bad beans.

Dethtron: "Again I feel obliged to remind you that trying to sound smart only works if you are."

MVB: "I am not one to join the unwashed masses of self-titled 40k experts out there distributing advice from their blogs about exactly how your list should be built..."

Shiner Bock on tap: that's how I choose hotels.

Strictly Average: The Home of Hugs and Gropings.

Don't feed the trolls!

MoD: "Welcome to Brent's head."

Competitive is Consistent.

Dethtron: "...you could use that extra time to figure out a way to get your panties unbunched and perform a sandectomy on your vagina."

Dethtron: “When calling someone an idiot, it's generally best to avoid making grammatical mistakes.”

Warboss Stalin: "You know, if it actually WAS funny, maybe I wouldn't mind."

Mike Brandt: "It's not a successful bachelor party if you don't misplace someone".

"The Master Manipulator (every store needs one): "...now, enough stroking."

Kirby: "I don't know about gropings. Seriously, Brent, keep it in the pants, please."

Loquacious: "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Hugs & Gropings or Stalks Jawaballs into Brent's little tribute."

Captain Kellen: "I rate this article a Brent on the Faith Hill to Nancy Pelosi scale!"

Drathmere: "Come for the balls, stay for the Brent? Kind of disturbing, man."

Go no further, lest thee see something thine eyes would fain look past!

Isabelle: "So, thank you for supporting your local and not so local unicorns. A noble gesture like that can show some scared kids out there that they don't have to hide from everyone and it's ok to be who they really are."

There is nothing more interesting than We The People... in all our beautiful, ugly glory!

On Internet Advice: You see, I have an almost religious belief that's it's a huge, colossal waste of time.

...I think I'll call it the Gun Shy Pattern Stormbuster, because after the Internet destroyed my first humble effort, I find I'm a bit worried about the reaction to this one.

Lauby: "Is it left over from that time you thought that you could just complete step one 12 times to meet the mandates of that court order?"

Not Brent: "I guess we'll have to read on and find out. Signed, Not Brent. Especially today."

Cynthia Davis: "I think the scrolling text is from Glen Beck's new book."

Grimaldi: "Spamming certain units creates interesting possibilities but also fatal weaknesses."

Purgatus: "Math can inform decisions. It cannot make decisions."

Thoughts? Comments? Hugs and gropings?

You'd be that much quicker to figure out what I mean when I refer to a Unicorn if I covered it in a rainbow flag.

SinSynn: (To Brent) "Curse you and your insidious influence on the internets..."

Dave G (N++): "You know you're an internet celebrity when your following is more akin to tabloids."

I prefer the term Internet Personality (or IP) myself, seeing as how I coined it.

Lauby: "Your attempt to humanize him as failed. I feel nothing but scorn for his beard - it's like a warcrime or something."

BBF: "I've always thought you are a good player but I finally figured out that you are a great player. It's hard to see sometimes because your personality is engaging, sincere and quite charming - to me that is kind of a rare combination."

'Clearly cheating?' I didn't misspeak: you jumped to conclusions. If you'd like to apologize I'll be happy to send you an autographed picture of my ass.

Ass.

I thought I was doing alright before I realized I was losing.

Age and treachery beats youth and vigor every time.

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