Summary

The author expresses their disagreement with Tim Denning's decision to not read or reply to comments on his Medium articles, emphasizing the importance of engagement and interaction in the blogging community.

Abstract

The author acknowledges Tim Denning's success as a blogger and the influence he holds within the Medium platform, but takes issue with his recent advice to ignore comments on articles. They share their personal experience with commenting on Denning's engagement post and the disappointment of knowing he would not read it. The author understands Denning's reasoning for avoiding negative comments that affect his confidence, but argues that engagement with readers is a crucial aspect of blogging. They highlight the benefits of replying to comments, such as connecting with readers, learning from others, and addressing misunderstandings. The author ultimately decides not to follow Denning's advice, as they value the relational aspect of blogging and appreciate the opportunity to engage with their audience.

Opinions

The author believes that Tim Denning's decision to not read or reply to comments is a missed opportunity for engagement and interaction with his audience.
They argue that blogging is inherently relational and that connecting with readers is an essential part of the platform.
The author values their own readers and appreciates the time and effort they put into reading and commenting on their articles.
They enjoy replying to comments and view it as a way to foster a sense of community and learning.
The author acknowledges the potential negative impact of trolls and negative comments on one's confidence but believes that there can also be valuable insights gained from constructive criticism.
They express their appreciation for the comments section as a way to clarify misunderstandings and address follow-up questions.
The author encourages others to share their thoughts on the importance of engagement and interaction in the blogging community.

Why I Won’t Be Following Tim Denning’s Latest Advice

I know he’s the Godfather of Medium, but he’s not always right

Not Tim Denning. But a man dressed as Santa doing a Godfather impression. Image by Veit Störmer on Canva.

Normally when Tim Denning suggests something, we all listen and take notes. And for good reason, he’s highly successful in the blogging world and has 163k followers on Medium

I am one of the 163k, and I would hazard a guess that you are too. Everything he writes gets thousands of reads. Tim is not just riding the wave of his name. He creates eye-catching titles and is experienced at writing easy-to-read blog posts on popular topics.

Recently David Majister, a writer whose work I really enjoy incidentally, followed Tim’s gold plated advice and hit the jackpot with a viral baby. Then as things sometimes roll on Medium he got a viral article from writing about how he got a viral article.

However, Tim Denning’s latest article on writing on Medium stated in the title that he doesn’t read, let alone reply to the comments left on his work. This hit a nerve with me, it seemed an arrogant comment and I was surprised.

Tim just seems so nice and I always thought he would be engaged with readers.

My response might have also been because the day before I had left a congratulatory comment on his engagement picture, which I now knew he would never read.

The fact that he just ignores his comments I guess riled me a little personally. But when I got over that, I went back and read his article, I was sure Tim being a reasonable fellow would have a reason that he doesn't read the comments.

And he did.

His reason is, the negative comments knock him for six. Too much negativity in the comments hits his confidence and his writing ability.

And I think that’s an entirely reasonable reason, he’s not being arrogant, he’s just being incredibly honest.

I too have had trolls, I’m sure we all have. I even wrote an article in celebration when I got my first one. But obviously, like everything, the shine has worn off and trolls are no longer exciting, they are now as tiresome as the sink that never seems to be empty of dirty dishes. And I agree with Tim, dealing with trolls does affect your energy. However, reading comments from them does not make me feel less confident about my writing.

Not yet anyway.

Maybe if I had reached Tim’s dizzy heights, it would be grim. I’m sure he gets more trolls than me, after all, he’s got pretty much the majority of Medium reading his articles. The more readers, the more trolls.

Perhaps if I would have to read 20 or more trolls a day, I would feel more like Tim, so I’m not criticizing his choice. We are in very different places. And if I'm honest, I initially thought that he was going to say that he didn't have time.

I do also think time may be a factor as he devotes only 5% of his time reading and replying to comments. As someone who carefully reads and replies to every comment, I would say it definitely takes up a greater percentage of my time on Medium. But I don’t mind that. The truth is I actually like replying to comments, so for this reason and a couple of others, I won’t be following Tim’s lead this time.

Medium and blogging is relational

The platform is about connecting with other writers and readers. It’s not just about writing. I personally get a lot out of this side of Medium. Granted I am a new writer here, so getting involved in writing challenges from David Majister and Dr Mehmet Yildiz and having support networks from publications are much more useful for me than they would be for established successful writers.

However, blogging, in general, has always been relational as Ev Williams explains here.

I really appreciate readers (and need them)

I have readers who read, clap, and comment on my posts. Ok, I only have one. Wanda Booneshaft is my only true fan. Love you Wanda. She reads everything and I am so incredibly grateful for that. If I didn't reply to Wanda’s comments, would she still read? Maybe. But maybe not.

I actually like replying to comments

When people write something nice, it’s really nice to reply. I know it takes up time but I enjoy it. If no one comments on my article, I do think it wasn't an interesting article. So when someone reads and comments, I really like it and I am happy to reply. Would I feel like this if I received hundreds of comments a day? Maybe not.

The comments section adds to the article

I always read the comments section as I find it adds to my understanding of the article: I often learn just as much from the comments as from the article. Particularly when the author has engaged in the debate too. For me, this is a large part of the article.

Replying to comments in my own articles can clear up any confusion and answer follow-up questions. There may be a negative comment from a misunderstanding or a misreading. If I didn't engage in the comments section, that misunderstanding would be left floating there and could create doubt in subsequent readers.

It’s good to listen to your critics

When I do a Google search, should you listen to your critics? The results are mixed. So, let's take the middle ground, agree with Lord Google and say that a dash of critical opinion is beneficial. But not too much, you don’t want to be surrounded by negativity.

Criticism and rejection are hard to read. However, occasionally, looking through those negative comments for anything constructive can be useful. I am not saying that any of it will be useful, it might all be personal attacks. And if it is, then, of course, it's not worth listening to. But there may be something in there.

Also, if I take a step back and take myself out of the equation, sometimes the comments from trolls are hilarious. I can just imagine them bent over the computer at 2 in the morning gritting their teeth and spitting with rage as they attempt to obliterate my character with their poison words.

Am I the only one who sometimes finds this funny?

So, I understand why Tim doesn’t have the space for the comments sections. I on the other hand get a lot out of it, so I will still be reading and replying to my comments. And I will continue enjoying the debate on other articles.

I love it when people get a bit lairy.

I'm really interested in hearing what you think in the comments section:

Do you always read comments from your own and others’ articles? Do you write comments? And why do you comment on a story? Do you feel put out if people don’t comment on your articles or reply to your comments?