Comments are mixed blessing. More than what people say about your post, what does having a comment system say about your blog and your relationship with your readers?

Turning off comments says something along the lines of, “Here’s what I have to say. This is for anybody, and I’ve already formed my own opinion on it. Myself and the rest of the readers don’t need to see what you have to say about it.” It’s not elitist or self-righteous, it’s minimalist. John Gruber’s Daring Fireball is run this way, and it functions well. His opinions are usually interesting in and of themselves, and comments would run against the grain on that site.

Having comments enabled says something more like, “Here’s my idea on something; I’d like to hear what my readers have to say about it, and, if possible, I’d like a conversation to form.” This is much more popular; for both personal and commercial blogs enabling comments seems to be the de facto standard.

But should it be the standard? I think not. A blog writer should know his style: is he asking questions? Or is he providing his own opinions? I’m probably going to be turning off comments on this blog soon; I don’t believe the system is adding any value to this site. I really feel like the articles section is where it’s at.