I’ve been thinking more and more about Hannah’s comments on my post last week about the impact and significance of connecting with others in the diabetes community through our various platforms of choice and I want to try something. I’m a firm believer that comments make the world go ’round, as far as blogging is concerned. Yes, there are stat counters and analytics reports you can run, but pageviews and unique visitors don’t mean much to me when it comes to sharing personal stories and experiences. What matters to me is when someone reads something I write, and then takes the time to leave a comment.
Sometimes it’s feedback. Sometimes it’s a high five. Sometimes it’s a pickmeup. Sure, there’s a weird satisfaction in knowing that someone found value from something I share on a silly diabetes blog, but I think there’s something else going on. I think comments can be a positive reinforcement that you’re on the right path. I share, you comment, it encourages me to share (more? again? I couldn’t decide on the right word). You share, I comment, it encourages you to share.
It’s the circle of life?
So here’s what I’m proposing:
Next Monday, July 22nd (2013), I want everyone to comment on every blog post you read. I know a lot of you always have something to add to blog posts (Mr. Scott K. Johnson comes to mind), and that’s awesome. You all keep handling your business.
For the lurkers, or for anyone who truly doesn’t have any feedback or comments (which, by the way, is totally okay), a generic phrase can work. I’m nominating “Check!”, with the exclamation mark as the “Hey, I read this. Have a nice day” response for everyone else to use.
Because anonymity is still a thing that needs to be respected, I’m going to allow anonymous comments that day. Normally I request a name and email address so I can verify you are a human, and if necessary directly respond to feedback or questions, but since I moderate my comments there’s still a minimal chance of a robot passing through my setup.
To review: Monday, July 22. Everyone comment on everything you read. It can be a full-on sentence with a subject and predicate, or it can be a simple “Check!” to indicate you read the post. Blog admins are encouraged to enable anonymous comments for the day, because lurkers that wish to remain anonymous are simply readers with a grayed out question mark for an avatar (and they are people too). Please tag your posts with #dblogcheck so we can find your posts.
I think this could work. But only if everyone else is interested. So what say you?
[Update 20:06] After receiving some feedback, I’d like to add a few additional thoughts and parameters to the gathering.
In an effort to better accommodate lurkers and readers more comfortable with social media platforms besides blogs, comments are welcome along any channel: Facebook comments, Twitter mentions (or direct messages), reblogs, +1’s, and so on and so forth. The idea is for the community to grow through mutual awareness. By realizing the impact and reach of our content. I’m sure we all know that the diabetes community is more than the active 1%, this is just a way to shine some light on the remaining 99%.
And for some reason I never thought to give this thing a hashtag. Since they can be followed on both Twitter and Facebook, in an attempt to keep track of everything I’m suggesting the hashtag #dblogcheck. I’ll do what I can to curate and share everything I see next week, but if the hashtag circulates it’ll make all of your great content easier to find.
A Consequence of Hypoglycemia. 
I like it! I will happily participate 🙂
LikeLike
Awesome Idea! I too will happily particpate! 🙂
LikeLike
I like this idea, though I find it hard to believe that someone would read without ever commenting, even once. Thanks
LikeLike
This is such a nice idea!! I’m in – if I can’t come up with something profound to say (which is usually why I don’t comment) I can at least say “Happy Check In Day:”.
LikeLike
I’m in. Obviously. 😉
And hey, my blog stats say I get a bunch of views every single day, but not a lot of comments. Let’s see what happens.
LikeLike
Great idea! Comments = love.
LikeLike
Great idea.
LikeLike
Check! :] Love it.
LikeLike
I’m in! (Now, do I need to come up with an intelligent post on Monday or just ask for a roll-call?)
LikeLike
Check!
LikeLike
Awesome!
LikeLike
This is a great idea!
LikeLike
Checkity check!
LikeLike
Love this idea!
LikeLike
“check” is great for those times we don’t have anything we feel is interesting or profound to add/comment/say!
LikeLike
Check! 🙂 – Sounds fun and interesting to me …
LikeLike
Blogabetes currently doesn’t allow comments (we bloggers have been assured that this is a temporary phenomenon, but I rather doubt it will be resolved/replaced by Monday).
LikeLike
check:)
LikeLike
Check!
LikeLike
Yep. I’m in.
LikeLike
I’m in. That is, if I remember! (Hey, I’m an old lady!) But I think I will do the same thing with my blog, which I don’t write very often, but do know that people read. We can be a big, interconnected world of people with D!
LikeLike
Great idea! Check!
LikeLike
Love it! Check!
LikeLike
I think this is a GREAT idea. I look at my stars but I also know I have a lot of lurkers. 😉
LikeLike
love it! ….and it’s a great way for me to get back into blogging and reading blogs…been missing both and can tell when I’m ‘out of the loop’
LikeLike
I don’t like it, I LOVE it. Great idea!
LikeLike
Checkmate.
LikeLike
Check!
I haven’t been reading as much lately, but I’ll make a point of catching a few extras on Monday. Thanks for the inspiration.
LikeLike
Fantastic idea, I like it!
LikeLike
I’m in!
LikeLike
I’m in.
LikeLike
Check, 1 2 3… but WOW – that’s going to be A LOT of comments.
LikeLike
Great idea! I’m not the best at commenting sometimes so maybe something like this is a good push to get conversations going…
LikeLike
I LOVE this idea but I’ll be out of the country that day, can we make it a monthly thing? Or if not, we should at least have another one in August 😉 Have fun next Monday!!
LikeLike
LOVE!
(now i need to think of a super awesome post for monday!)
LikeLike
Really excellent idea. Commenting and getting more involved is sometimes a question of momentum: getting things rolling is the hardest part, but once you do … 🙂
LikeLike
I think that since I started using RSS readers (first Google Reader, and now Feedly), it has made it so that you just jump from post to post. You have to make the extra effort to go to the actual blog to make a comment. Excellent idea to have everyone take the time to let people know you are reading what they are writing.
LikeLike
Check 🙂 this is the perfect motivation to become a regular commenter!
LikeLike
Fantastic idea – Check!
LikeLike
Check! 🙂
LikeLike
Check! A very good idea to get some of us ‘lurkers’ to comment.
LikeLike
In other words, if you read a lot of blogs, put a cushion on your seat first, right? 😀
LikeLike
Check –
‘Post A New Comment’ – http://www.ardensday.com/main/2013/7/18/post-a-new-comment.html
LikeLike
How cool is it that even just a post proposing an idea of a check in day got so many checks? Here’s one more – “Check!” 🙂
LikeLike
Love the idea! I confess to being a lurker!! A lot of times I begin a comment and then think, “they’ll think this is weird” or something and just erase it:) I’ll press “submit” on Monday!
LikeLike
Oh gosh… this is going to be a lot of work 😉
LikeLike
I’ve got a Post-it on my iPad and I will comment on every blog I read tomorrow. I always post on Mondays, so maybe I’ll get lots of comments too:)
LikeLike
Love this! I’m going to be checking in all day! *check!*
LikeLike
Pingback: Comment ça? | Bigfoot Child Have Diabetes
Pingback: Your Voice on Diabetes Tech & Innovation: One Week to Enter!! : DiabetesMine: the all things diabetes blog
Pingback: Words collide (#dblogcheck) | Rolling in the D
Pingback: D-Blog Check In Day…Leave Comments On The Blogs You Read Today
Pingback: Diabetes Thoughts and Notes | SurfaceFine
Pingback: Pumped to See the Pizza Man - doing the diabetes pizza dance
Pingback: The day I lost it at the grocery store… | a1-Conceive!
Pingback: Fifteen Wait Fifteen | Diabetapedia and Check-in Day
I worry about you sometimes Chris.
LikeLike
Pingback: When I’m Old | probablyrachel
This is a great idea especially for me as I tend to lurk 😉
LikeLike
Lovin’ this! Maybe this could be a monthly thing? Or quarterly? Also, yes, Scott K Johnson is #1 Commenter.
LikeLike
Checking in from sunny San Diego 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: dblog Check in Day! at Aliza with Diabetes
First time here. Check check check, or as the hipsters might say, !!!.
LikeLike
Pingback: #Dblogcheck – Or “This Is Jen’s Song” | See Jen Dance
I simply can’t stop LOL at the Circle of Life gif! Well played & Thanks Chris!!
LikeLike
Great idea! Got there late in the day, but I posted and am checking in.
LikeLike
Chris, what a great idea. I only learned about this late on Monday. So I’m going to pretend it’s #dblogcheck week. There’s far too many great DOC blogs to cover in a single day — or week for that matter. This is what I love about the DOC, new ideas popup that help strengthen and expand it for all of us.
Happy (late) #dblogcheck day.
LikeLike
Pingback: Keeping Up with the… “DOC Bloggers” | d-meanderings
Pingback: Diabetes Organizations and Organized Diabetes Folk | Imperfect Pancreas