A note to my commenters. A good one.

I want to take a moment and say how much I appreciate the commenters on this blog.

Yes, sometimes some commenters are a pain in the glute, and sometimes it takes a lot of patience dealing with some comments and commenters. But far and away, most of the comments on this blog are supportive, or inquisitive, or just shooting the breeze, because we have a community here.

I appreciate that. I like it when people find a mistake I’ve made, so I can correct it (assuming it is in fact a mistake). I like it when people go out of their way to tell me they like what I’ve written. Or when they send me off to some other page that has more info, or contrasting info, or whatever. Or when they send me tips, news items I can write about that I might have otherwise missed.

Some contentious blogs have comments turned off^*. Wimps. If I turned off comments I might as well sit here in my office talking to myself. I want feedback. It would be hypocritical to do it any other way. That’s science, baby, and we know it works. How could I expect anything less from myself?

Without commenters it’s easy to make mistakes. I mean, it’s easy because you don’t have to deal with them. Say something wrong, drop it into the ether, and it’s gone. For proof, watch any talking head political show. These guys say stupid things all the time, and off it goes into space, never to be challenged or argued or debunked. That’s what happens when you throw things down a one-way pipe.

I like having commenters. Keeps me on my toes.

So comment away! Remember my rule, but jump in. Say something!