Beware: Rabid Commenter on the Loose

Readers’ comments are the lifeblood of a blog. A high volume of traffic may come and go, ratcheting up your AdSense earnings, but they don’t stick. I have read somewhere these kinds of visitors come to your blog, consume the free beer and off they go. Faithful readers who care to leave comments on your posts are different:

* They inspire you do more and make you feel you’re not alone in the wilderness.

* They teach you with their inputs and open you to a different point of view.

* They challenge you and your core beliefs and make you accountable.

* They make you laugh -they have strange ways of making you lighten up when you sometimes become so full of yourself.

* They make you grow – after all they see a potential in you long before you have gained a firm assurance of your self-worth. You have no choice. You simply have to grow.

Yeah, right. Wait until you’ve seen me in action as a commentator.

You would have thought that with all your effort, a fairly reasonable man will assume I have progressed a lot as a human being. Alas, three months is not enough to hone that rough diamond you’re interacting with on this blog. Because I have proven to be just a clump of carbon.

So basically it’s your fault.

To get on with my story -here’s my confession.

I spent the whole day comment sniping in Jaypee’s blog – meaning I sneaked in every chance I got during lulls in my day job. He had a contest going for top commentator for February. At stake is a WordPress t-shirt, a fistful of dollars (okay, okay $15), and WP plug in of some sort. Up until yesterday, I thought I was comfortably ahead by several comments. Woke up this morning to see Elmot a fellow blogspot author literally blitzing to the top. I was second, but a far second.

So dear readers, guess what. Here’s the ugly part. Your good friend here made a commenting frenzy never seen before at least in these parts. I became unhinged. Bah, I will not be denied that t-shirt. I already have seen it hanging in my closet after all.

In a matter of hours, I have commented about Ubuntu, defended my about-face about Kindle2 (sneezed at it in my previous comment), fell in love Shaq and his fancy dance moves, critiqued iPhones as if I had the means to buy one, and generally wrapped my feeble brain around many other technical topics – geeky stuff – that I’m so tired and irritated at this point.

It’s not as if the whole island of Mindoro will sink to the bottom of the sea if I did not win it. It’s only a t-shirt for crying out loud.

Update: As of this writing, me and Elmot are tied in first place with 42. I’m giving up though. I have made a good account of myself, I think. To go on will be simply ridiculous and that’s putting it kindly.

Besides, I’m on the road to Manila as you’re reading this and will not be able to add to that measly 42. Waaah. So there’s my excuse for losing.

You can check out Jaypee’s site to see how a sedate blogger can suddenly turn rabid. When a fellow reader on the blog asks you if you know me it’s entirely probable we’d still be friends even if you denied ever knowing me. I understand.

I think I need a therapist more than I need a Kindle2 e-reader or even that prized WP t-shirt. As for Jaypee – maybe he needs a reflexologist because he took great pains answering every comment made on his blog by personal email – not an auto responder. Consider the stats at this point for the top two – 42 x 2. His keyboard must be darn hot by now.

Maybe I don’t need a therapist after all, after imagining Jaypee’s anguish. One more day, Jaypee. Just one more day and you’re done.

Ciao.

Here’s Elmot’s account why the top commentator award slipped through his fingers.

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