HELLO.

I don't comment anymore because I had to stop flirting with Brent.
And, I'm busy stalking Keith Olbermann. Whoops - I meant to say I'm working on my transfer degree to the University of Oregon. I'm up to my eyeballs in homework.
Yeah, that's the story... ;)

I enjoy most of your subjects, not all.

But if you compare to some very commented blogs, sometimes your writing style is a bit dense, not so easily readable at a glance. The problem is compounded by the typeset. First I was going to say too small, which it probably is, but for some reason I just find it hard to read or don't like it.

Also, it would probably be better just to have one string of threads where each comment is numbered rather than the sub-threads in response to particular comments.

I am afraid I am not so clear here myself.

...I don't comment more. I visit almost every day and find stuff to read or click through to. UTI is at the top of my blog bookmark list just above Daily Kos (where I also rarely comment). Maybe it's because I don't have the time to offer anything substantial except the occasional "at-a-boy" or "me, too" or "no shit, Sherlock." I get tired of all the short comments like this and don't want to add to it.

I really like it when I have the time (very seldom) to expound on some aspect of a post. But, I can't write very fast. Take this simple post: it's taken me more than 10 minutes to get this much written. I continually marvel at Brent, Jim and the others and their prolific writing. I much prefer face-to-face conversation for the topics presented here. I could imagine having friends that read the posts, then get together a the coffee shop (or smoke-free pub) to talk about it. I'd be willing to commit an hour or so a week to that.

BTW: I'm not new. I've been around here for more than a year. At least since my skunk episode early last spring.

"Any twelve people who can't get themselves out of jury duty are not my peers."
______________________
Claybow

Some of the earlier comments on this thread mentioned that their posts had disappeared. Mine have too, even though they pretty much agreed with the topic and just added a little something more. After having that happen, I thought commenting was limited to a special few so I just lurked. Now that I see that you want all comments, I'll e-mail you if something goes amiss.

As an aside, I also have UTI on the top of my list of blogs, its funny, compelling, and intelligent. The two part article on Why I am an Atheist (a year ago or so?) I consider to be one of the top 50 articles I have ever read (and I read a LOT). So... don't lose heart.

This is the blog I read the most frequently and the most of. And it is probably the one where, over time, I have posted the most comments.

Jim's comment about participation rings a bell for me because it's similar to the comments I hear from people in groups I facilitate or participate in. I do a fair amount of group discussion, and the most frequent comment I hear from people is that I don't say much, but when I do it's really deep and insightful and often changes the course of the discussion, so I should say more. Well, part of the nature of my comments comes from my rumination of what is being discussed, filtering those thoughts through whatever process occurs in my consciousness, reacting to the energy in the room, and letting my intuition come up with whatever it comes up with. I don't plan most of the comments, and I often don't understand their wider ramifications. If I fired off the first thing that came to mind every time something came to mind, it wouldn't have the same impact.

With posting or commenting, I can also be undone by my professional inclination as an editor, which is part of what I do for a living. This means that I rewrite, revise, rethink, and start all over again frequently, so that by the time I get my comment written to my satisfaction, the conversation has moved on to other spheres. I am overcoming my awareness of the number of comments that have already been posted here (so why should anybody bother to read me?) to continue with my own work, and I am writing this one fairly briskly, probably because I've already thought about this topic so much that I'm willing to let myself fly.

So that's why I don't say much. As far as groups go, I just think they go through phases. Maybe we're just in a group nap for the moment. I have confidence the cacophony will return soon.

Frank Moorman, skeptic

The last time I posted a long, fairly-well written comment, it never appeared. I figured if you're going to moderate comments to the extent that mine won't appear, I won't spend time commenting. Sorry.

...just go heckle some of the Dumbass Design troglodytes. That's usually good for a bump.

I've noticed the fewer posts here too. But the contrast with a site like Pharyngula, where there are progressively more posts, has me suspecting that there's an aggregator effect that causes progressively more traffic to go to the popular blogs, and progressively less to those not quite so first-tier. There are only so many comments to go around -- we all have other lives to attend to.

I've been thinking that the Wild West of the Internet is coming to a close, just from some sort of saturation factor, and the community is solidifying into something more ...

Can't even think of the word. Solidified? Consolidated? No. Um ... Well, maybe just "developed." It's passing out of its larval state and into some more advanced juvenile stage.

Part of that is that blogs today face a threshhold, below which they never develop much traffic. I wonder if UTI has somehow dropped below that threshhold.

I was amazed a while back when I got an email from Gregory Benford, asking me when I was going to be back up with my blog, which I'd taken down so I could have the time to write books. Gregory Benford! Reading ME!

But the traffic to my reborn blog today, which I only post on about once a week, is far below what it used to be. The reason may be that I'm less energetic about investing the time in it. But I wonder if it isn't also this aggregation effect.

I dunno. Maybe I need to go pick a fight with Vox or something . . .

Jim Downey

Hmm...maybe everyone is upset that Brent wrote a positive review of The Irrational Atheist?

Probably just the economy though. Housing slump, comment slump...

Just kidding. I have only recently discovered UTI, having come here from Vox Popoli. You have a great blog, I will be a regular reader.

dinkle

Like some previous posters UTI is a daily stop for me. This was one of the first "rational, humanistic, free-thinking, atheist, baby eating" blogs I came across nigh on these three(?) years past. It has been near the top of my Rationality Folder since the beginning. I feel a subtle twinge of expectation when I click this link. I consider it worthy.

I have commented several times here, sometimes with tongue in cheek, sometimes to share your outrage, sometimes to just tell a story. I comment on other sites but some of them have so much traffic that my motivation dwindles as the chance for notice (and timely reply) likewise dwindle. Actually, this is something that's been lurking in my brain for a while; that is, how does an essentially anonymous, non-scientist, non academic, non-published commenter, though admittedly well versed in the basics of several disciplines and conversant on a few and deeply concerned with the future of people (I'm a grandpa, you see), how do I meter the frequency of my comments versus those of others who are obviously well credentialed not to mention more familiar with you and the other authors of this blog.

Hey, man; sorry for the run on sentence. This is actually the first time I have actually written the notion out.

Maybe I speak for others who, while having what they think are relevant observations based on their own observations and experience (a crude form of Science ;->), feel more free to comment with a large crowd than with a more, ah, intimate gathering. In the real world people are demonstrably less restrained at the stadium than in a library, say, or an office. And because speech is for communication, it's nice to get replies and have a bit of dialog.

So, Jim. Have you ever looked at that angle? It may be less to do with content and tone and more to do with cryptic social behaviors.

Note to self: (You know, if I cut down on the number of sites that I routinely visit I'd have time to write more useful and entertaining comments. And don't worry about being considered ill informed or silly. A more assertive attitude might be useful and correction could be educational.)

Please continue to post, Jim. In the end its not about quantity. I have an idea that before long your comment count will rise. Maybe rise some more. Plateau then fall a bit ... fall some ... rise abruptly ... plateau ...

Thanks for joggling my brain so that it has focused on something that's been gnawing at me for a while.

I dunno... I rarely post because you guys usually have covered the meat of most topics, and I feel like there is little I can add to most conversations here.

Plus, I'm a little worn out from joining in on internet arguments after spending a couple of months pointing out the lies and indefensible rhetoric on Ray Comfort's blog (seriously - I never got a single substantiative response from him).

Lastly, three little words: World Of Warcraft! I usually visit a handful of blogs (Pharyngula, Dispatches From The Culture Wars, Canadian Cynic, etc), and when there is little I feel I can add to your examinations of the stupidity and absurdity, I escape to Azeroth. Escapism of the highest sort, I know, but at least it's not as brainless or expensive as church.

...has been takkng my time since March 12 when PZ was kicked out of the lineup for using his real name. I had to blog that. Three were eye-witness accounts of how Mark Mathis' face went white when he realized that Richard Dawkins was in the audience. And Mathis' spiteful, ever-changing story, which didn't really mask his incompetence. Then it got into the NY Times. Do you know how long it rakes to read a thousand comments? Then there was the "PZ must have been acting up - no he wasn't" spat with instant creationist experts manufacturing their own facts as usual, then the framing controversy, the taking down of all movie dates after Minnesota and their replacement wtih TBA and waiting lists, then people who had signed up were told the events were cancelled but they weren't - it was just an attempt to keep science people out of the screenings. And we had some personal stories from people who'd been told the shows were cancelled but went anyway, and their movie reviews. Then there was the invitation to the phone "conference" where PZ, who received an invitation as a member of the distribution list "Panda's Thum crew" phoned in on time and heard the de-muting code, which he used when the lies got a little too rank; then there was another mini-history-rewrite as the creationist hordes tried to make out that _somehow_ PZ had hacked into the phone system. Meanwhile, more and more was leaking out about the plagiarism of XVIVO's and Harvard's video, then a little bit of a warning letter from Peter Irons on behalf of the small animation company that made the video. And comparing the old with new animation. And tonight, another video source has been identified as a probable victim of further plagiarism. On top of that, I've been trying for 3 - 4 time-delayed posts a day on my blog so that there's always something new.

My suggestion: blog about vaccines and autism. Link to Kathy Siegel. That gets the most views for me.

Hi Jim,

I've got UTI on my RSS feed and read all the posts. I find UTI to be one of the few places that is consistently in line with many of my interestes and bents. It's also a forum that has a pretty darn good signal to noise ratio in the comments. I generally only like to contribute to a thread when I have some significant signal to add.

I'm actually not contributing much to this relationship of ours lately, and I'm sorry. You must feel that you're just giving and giving and I keep taking. I haven't been very good at showing you that I do care, UTI. I am listening to everything you say. Occasionally I have the time to get involved in a really good discussion with you, but lately that's a luxury that I haven't been able to indulge in. Please don't leave me. I'm here for you and I love you although I'm not always good about showing it. Now that I know how fulfilling life can be with you, I can't live without you.

All melodrama aside, I'm still reading. I post comments, etc. when I can. I appreciate everything that everyone on this site does. It is a great source of information and I think it's wonderful that I get to see the minds of so many wonderful people.

You complete me UTI!

Mandy U

I'm sure that there are many reasons for the lack of comments.
I have to say that I really enjoy your posts, Jim. There are not enough blogs that highlight the blatant abuses of power and loss of freedom in our society. Most of the blogs that give a lot of attention to these issues have an obvious right or left wing bias to them, and try to spin everything into partisan issues without really trying to help solve any of the problems. I enjoy your view, which seems pretty balanced politically, while still pointing out the real problems. Even when your posts are not directly related to the subject of atheism, they are often about freedom of speech, abuses of power, religious privilege, or other topics that are closely connected to the experience of the skeptic and non-believer in society.

I've been trying to comment more, but I have to be honest. After reading one of your posts, Jim, I generally have to give myself 30 minutes or so to cool down and think up a rational response. You manage to find the worst of the worst; religious nuts killing their children, fascist government actions, paranoid overreactions of authority figures...it takes all my restraint to comment on these issues without sounding like I'm already in the book depository loading my rifle.

Perhaps some would-be commenters are simply imtimidated by the issues. I've noticed that when you post about abuses of questionable technology and surveillance society, many of the comments are of the "oh well, what can you do?" variety, which angers a freedom loving guy like me as much as the abuse itself.

I've been reading here for over two years, and I hope that UTI keeps rolling for a long time. I miss Darksyde's posts(whatever happened to science Friday?) and I miss Hank Fox as well. But the remaining gang are quite competent and interesting people. It seems to me lately that you are posting 2-3 times more often than the rest of the guys put together, and you're doing a hell of a job.
Keep up the good work, Jim! If anything, I would like to see you delve deeper when you have the time, and lay out more of your thoughts, solutions, or grievances relating to the issues brought up. Even if you stir up some disagreement, it may lead to a more productive discussion.

Jim,

First of all, I've been really busy with a new job, secondly I started fostering a dog and lastly, it seems like nothing new happens anymore. I have a bit of an obsessive/compulsive personality and when I find something I like sometimes I do too much of it. Then I get bored and look for something new to consume.

UTI was great when I first discovered atheist/freethinking blogs, now it's just one of a half dozen I check frequently. I mostly just read and don't take time to join the conversations.

There have been many good posts and topics lately but I feel like "I've been there, done that," no matter what the conversation is about. I used to really get into having it out with some of the trolls, but lately I just don't care enough to argue with them.

Maybe I'll come out of my funk or maybe its just natural for interests to subside in favor of the next shiny object I find? Not sure....

Dirk

... I read every post here. Sometimes on my Google feed but I'm here. I've been inspired and challenged and uplifted and pissed off by stuff I've read here, and passed links on to many other people.

For what it's worth my record-comments post was one I wrote about tomatoes. That's right; tomatoes. The number-two post was about a Burger King commercial.

- George

I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but although I read here and a dozen other blogs every day and remain interested, I have reached a saturation point. The numbskulls are so thick that hearing about the latest tragedy or reading basically the same patient explanation of reality to yet another provocateur from the island of misfit toys, that I can feel myself losing the will to patience that a secular saint ought to have.

In any case, please don't stop writing. You and your crew are an important component of my day.

I appreciate the site and come here often, but I'm one of those lurker types who rarely comments anywhere. I just spent about an hour looking at the free range kids links, so thanks for that.

Please don't go away. You're the voices of sanity in this theocracy wannabe world we're living in.

Jim,

I don't have a ready answer for you, but I've noticed a slowdown from my (a reader's) perspective too. I don't know if the pace of posting has slowed down, but it feels that way -- like the site is much less active than it used to be. You hardly ever see Brent post any more, and for better or worse I think it's still "his" site in a lot of people's minds. I mean no disrespect to any of the other posters, all of whom I like, but I get the same kind of feeling when Andrew Sullivan is away and has guest posters, like it somehow doesn't "count" for whatever reason.

Like I said, no answers or solutions there, just some random thoughts.

Jeff

Jim,
I appreciate all the good work that goes into this blog by everyone. I really do. As for posting/rebuttals, etc., I'm currently short on time and don't spend as much time surfing as I had been.

Personally, I'd like to write a couple of pieces and post them but again, no time.

If I had a question about any of this, I'd like to ask what happened to Darksyde? I really, really like his posts about What It Feels Like To Be An Atheist and his Why I'm An Atheist.

Please keep up the good work. We out here in the blogosphere DO appreciate it!

Best wishes,

Scott Mange