Comments on: Grumpy Kvetching of the Day

By: Kai

Kai — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:04:38 +0000

I liked the article very much! But I guess it’s also just human to keep silent (and lurk) if you like something, even if you like it very much and only raise your voice to complain. At least this post ended my (years long and very enjoyable) time as a lurker here on CV.

By: Joe Shobe

Joe Shobe — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:00:27 +0000

I would feel jilted having wasted the time it took to learn to read should you give up blogging.

By: Alan in Upstate NY

Alan in Upstate NY — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:57:38 +0000

There seem to be a lot of “glass is half empty” folks in the world, people who simply don’t like much and enjoy complaining. I see the same thing reading book reviews on Amazon.

I read several blogs. The author decides what to write about. I decide if the entry is worth my time, and sometimes an entry just doesn’t catch my fancy, so I just skip it. It’s easy to do.

Clear skies, Alan

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:51:32 +0000

[/i]Please don’t let a vocal minority put you off – lots of people read with pleasure what you write but do not put finger to keyboard. You inspire and care for your subject, which makes you a special blog to read, but also makes it easier to be knocked back by negativity.

By: John Hawks

John Hawks — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:32:06 +0000

Apparently, commenters also feel entitled to leave open italics tags cluttered about.

By: Of interest around the web & elsewhere – November 22nd, 2010 | Gene Expression | Discover Magazine

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:10:26 +0000

[...] Grumpy Kvetching of the Day. One of Sean Carroll’s readers complains about the content he’s posting up. If I ever get one of those blogs where my readers “sponsor” me, then I would listen to this sort of input. You paid for the privilege. Until then, shove it. Anyone who leaves a comment like that would be on my permanent “sh*t list.” I’m not really that disagreeable in person, but in person people rarely make demands on my own time as if such requests are the nature of things. Not so on the internet. [...]

By: Lonely Flower

Lonely Flower — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:40:52 +0000

@61 George
There is a big difference between expressing disagreement polietly and offending and hurting others.

I am expressing my view as reader, Dr. Sean don’t offend his readers or disrepect them, so why his readers don’t do the same.

There are blogs, I am really afarid even to comment in it, I am worry that the author may insult me if he didn’t like my post or at least critcize my comment viloently. The author sometimes disribe some of his readers as stubid, non intelligent and worse than that.
I don’t find that disrespect to me in Cosmic Varience honestly!

By: George

George — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:29:51 +0000

I suggest ignoring any comment that has ” you should” contained it it as a comment for what to blog about. You are free to write whatever you please. Readers are free to tune in or out.

Perhaps you need more folks to simply comment – nice job, keep it up, I enjoy your blog posts and have followed for years.

By: LowT

LowT — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:30:37 +0000

Jack, I feel for you, man. Slip up once around here and they swarm on you like bees – even if you apologize. Sheesh!

By: JimV

JimV — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:25:59 +0000

I like the posts on personal beliefs – much more interesting than the ones on non-personal beliefs, or even some of the ones on science (the ones I don’t understand well). I’ve often considered commenting just to say there should be many more such posts, but then I realize, whoa, probably not cool.

By: Albion Lawrence

Albion Lawrence — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:57:10 +0000

(The beginning of the above being a point about the informality of blogging, not a critique of the enterprise).

By: Albion Lawrence

Albion Lawrence — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:14:49 +0000

I thought the point of blogging was that every post doesn’t have to be a gem, but here I don’t even understand the complaint about the post. The article is covering a pretty hot&important topic on the interface of physics, chemistry, and biology (well, it’s hot at places like Brandeis and I think Caltech). Why *not* point out there’s more to science than particle physics?

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 19:34:52 +0000

“I wonder how many of you telling a stranger to lighten up frequently find yourself and your efforts criticized by strangers? ”

What?

By: richardtede

richardtede — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:14:01 +0000

yes agree with you that no every visitors like you every post . people does’nt have time to fill forms and comments on post . its your ability to bring a visitor to your blog and share your info with his network;

By: JoAnne

JoAnne — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:37:30 +0000

It’s seemingly inexplicable. All of us scientists on CV are tops in our field and when we write on CV, we work really hard to write a good post. Yet some guy called “Jack” can write a spurious commet and get under our skin. We should be above that, but the more “Jacks” we get commenting, the fact is the less we write. We are, afterall, human, and CV is not our main job. It’s our hobby. And if the comments start to seriously detract from the enjoyment of our hobby, then we stop writing blog posts and concentrate on our research. Just sayin….

By: Douglas Watts

Douglas Watts — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:03:25 +0000

I always enjoy reading a dialogue between a real guy named SEAN CARROLL who uses his real, actual name when he writes and an “it” who calls itself “Jack” and calls SEAN CARROLL a big fake.

By: Saturnina Pinkton

Saturnina Pinkton — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 06:31:51 +0000

This page Grumpy Kvetching of the Day | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine hit the nail on the head. I will be sure to return here often to find out what you have to express. You won a visitor.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 05:37:33 +0000

Brian, Mike:

Given that our humble host felt like grumbling about it and how often he gets comments like that, I think it’s worth a little bit of venting on the part of people who *don’t* ever feel that way, who enjoy the blog, and who don’t want to see it diminished because of people who feel entitled to entertainment, and if people who make those comments see a bunch of folks pitching a fit whenever it happens, maybe they’ll be less inclined to do so in the future.

So goes the hope. Obviously naive, I know the internet doesn’t work that way, but there it is.

Beyond that, even as he “took it back” (since when does that grant immunity from criticism?) he made comments about how Sean is “better than this post”, which I know would piss me off if it was sewn in with the retraction that doesn’t seem to recognize at all why the original message was aggravating. Maybe Sean was gleeful to see it, I obviously can’t speak for him or read his mind.

I wonder how many of you telling a stranger to lighten up frequently find yourself and your efforts criticized by strangers? Just a thought.

By: Lonely Flower

Lonely Flower — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 04:55:18 +0000

You know Dr.Sean,
Why do I like your blog?
Apart of the good scientific and educational content, I feel that you respect your colleagues, you don’t talk about them badly or aggressively when they differ with you, you are one of the most considerate science bloggers I read to them.

If you want to live in our virtual world(internet), don’t be sensetive.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 04:18:39 +0000

I agree with Brian, Jack took it back, come on folks, lighten up.