12 reasons why I won't comment on your blog entries

I would love to comment on your blog, especially if you were kind enough to comment on mine, but I just can't. The following are 12 reasons why, in no particular order.

1. All of your blog entries are listings.
   
   I appreciate what you're trying to do, and that is to make a living helping your Clients buy and sell real estate, but let's see some of you, too! Sprinkle some of who you are into your blog.
   
   If we remember how blogs were founded, they were a personal diary on the web, a web log. Businesses eventually found blogging (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em) and tried to make them their own. To a certain extent, they have succeeded.
   
   I try to use the 80/20 rule: About 80% of my blog entries on a business site are business, and about 20% personal interests. On a social site, about 80% of my blog entries would be personal interest, with about 20% being about my businesses.
   
   
   
   
2. You have disabled comments.
   
   I understand why some people would disable comments on specific blog entries, but one person who commented on my blog had about 40 pages of blog entries, every one of which had comments disabled (you probably know who you are).
   
   I wasted a lot of my time this morning rummaging through those 40 pages looking for something to comment on. No such luck. Actually, after the first three pages, I might have just gone through the other 37 to see if the person was persistent and consistent in disabling comments. He was.
   
   
   
   
3. You seem to be in a fit of rage.
   
   I realize that politics is emotional, often bringing out the worst in people, which is why you won't see me blogging about politics. As my wise old grandmother said, "Keep sex, religion, and politics to yourself." She told me that 38 years ago. It still holds true if one uses the 80/20 rule again.
   
   I might use a political point to drive home a point about home inspections, or marketing & business, or a great restaurant, or a link to nature, or something about cats and dogs, etc., but you're not going to find me going off on a rant about that with which I disagree, especially on a business networking site.
   
   Recently I had the "opportunity" to visit a blog about a subject near and dear to my heart because of who I am. His blog entry was so hateful that I was crying when I finished reading it, realizing that such hateful people exist even here in the United States of America.
   
   And, yes, I did finish reading it, and I commented using the blog entry of someone else who was kind enough to give me permission. Shortly afterwards, the hateful blog entry was deleted but an even more hateful one put in its place. I just moved one. I don't need hateful people in my life, and there are a lot of other people in the world who don't either. I saw him as an American terrorist.
   
   
   
   
4. You either didn't log in or you're not a member.
   
   When either of those two events happen, there's usually no name and no link with the comment. That makes it difficult for me to visit you.
   
   
   
   
5. You have 40 pages of blog entries that conflict with everything I believe in.
   
   Debate, constructive criticism, and a good variety of differing views are healthy to a republican democracy, but if you have 40 pages of blog entries about what you your personal interests and what believe (often coupled with other problems noted here), I'm smart enough to know that nothing I can say is going to have any kind of an effect on you at all, so I just move on. Hint: Remember the 80/20 rule for a business networking site.
   
   
   
6. You don't have any blog entries.
   
   For the few times that I have found this, I have sent the member a note of encouragement, offering my help if s/he needs it, and referencing this blog of my alter ego.
   
   
   
   
7. You have 40 pages of blog entries that do nothing but use names, some quite despicable, to refer to people who have differing viewpoints from yours.
   
   My wise old grandmother taught me that when people start calling you names, you have won.
   
   I remember in debate class when I was making a point and my opponent turned, looked at me, and said, "You're simply an idiot." I won the debate, in my eyes, in the eyes of my wise old grandmother sitting there in the first row, and in the eyes of the judges.
   
   I try to keep my blog entries eligible for being published in a family magazine.
   
   
   
8. Your blog entry is a wall of words.
   
   If you have a lot to say, don't say it in one long paragraph. The human eye gets tired trying to read a lot of text across a computer screen, so help it along by breaking up your text with pictures, colored text, and paragraphs.
   
   You can even start a paragraph just to help your readers, even though in formal writing no such paragraph would start there.
   
   
   
9. YOUR BLOG ENTRY USES ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
   
   MARKETING PSYCHOLOGISTS PROVED LONG AGO, AND CONTINUE TO PROVE, THAT THE HUMAN EYE GETS VERY TIRED TRYING TO READ TEXT IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. I LEARNED THAT IN 1968 IN MY JUNIOR HIGH WRITING CLASS.
   
   I was going to make a point by continuing to type in all capital letters, but my own eyes were getting tired.
   
   Turn that CAPS key off!
   
   
   
10. Your blog entry has too many grammatical errors.
    
    As a home inspector, I depend on my writing to keep me, my Clients, and my Clients' Realtor out of trouble (i.e., out of court).
    
    If a prospective Client found every one of my Active Rain blog entries, and my comments on the blog entries of others, full of misspellings, typographical errors, run-on sentences, bad grammar, etc., what do you think they would logically deduce about my professional work? After all, this is a professional networking site.
    
    I would think that the same thing would apply to Realtors and mortgage lenders.
    
    If your blog entry has so many grammatical errors that I can't make heads or tails out of what you're trying to say, I won't.
    
    There are great spell checkers and grammar checkers available on the Internet. Use them!
    
    
    
11. The first or last page of your blog entries doesn't have anything that I can make a relevant comment about.
    
    This usually happens because of one of the other 11 problems. I'm very busy, so if I can't find something to comment on in your first page or last page, I'm moving on.
    
    I do like to visit your last page because that will have your very first blog entries on it, which can be quite interesting to read.
    
    
    
12. Your blog entries are unprofessional
    
    Quite often this happens because of one of the other problems noted here.
    
    I realize that we don't have to be professional all the time, but I think the 80/20 rule is relevant here:
    
    Be professional at least 80% of the time.
    For the other 20% of the time, make your blog entries "Members Only."
    





I've spent much of my life helping other people through my active participation in

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, Xi Delta chapter, Texas A&M University
• Brazos Valley Chorale, Bryan, Texas
• Breast Cancer Research
• American Cancer Society
• Democratic Party
• Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego
• HIV/AIDS Research
• Houston Symphony
• Key Club, H.M. King High, Kingsville, Texas
• Muscular Dystrophy Association
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
• Red Cross (10-gallon blood donor here!)
• Republican Party
• San Diego Symphony
• San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
• Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
• Special Olympics

I hope I've helped some members
of Active Rain, too. 

WARNING

I reserve the right to alter the title of this blog entry,
and add more problems if I find them.