To comment, or not to comment...

Derek Powazek shares his thoughts on turning off comments:

I turned off comments in the last redesign of powazek.com because I needed a place online that was just for me. With comments on, when I sat down to write, I’d preemptively hear the comments I’d inevitably get. It made writing a chore, and eventually I stopped writing altogether. Turning comments off was like taking a weight off my shoulders. It freed me to write again.

I too have been trying to decide whether to continue using comments on my main blog. On the one hand, I can sympathize with Derek. I often “hear” the comments I’ll get, or won’t get, and ultimately allow that to either adjust the content in a post, or don’t publish the post at all.

On the other hand, I truly do enjoy the good discussion that can sometimes takeplace, and I don’t want to lose that. Perhaps a reply by Twitter option (as Jon Hicks is considering) is a decent option to generate that discussion without the feeling of obligation?