Whenever I respond to comments, I try to do so on the other person’s blog rather than on my own in order to maintain the Ideal Ratio–i.e., 2 eProps : 1 Comment. There is just something about seeing “58 eprops 33 comments” that makes me want to throw myself in front of a bus–and I mean a moving bus, because I’m hardcore like that.
Of course, the balance can also be disrupted when people leave multiple comments or for some reason click the little radio buttons next to “1 eProp” or “0 eProps”–but I’m okay with that. It’s not like any of you have a reason to indulge my obsessive quirks, you know? And plus, I care more about your feedback than I do maintaining mathematical perfection. Therefore, if the balance becomes unbalanced because of you, I’m completely happy with it.
But if the imbalance is because of me, when I am fully aware of my need for Ideal Ratio-ness, then I’m committing a most egregious offense punishable by being turned into moving-bus-mush. The same goes for people who eat In-N-Out burgers with lettuce instead of buns. Why would you do something so heinous? The bun is what holds all the flavors together! So when you opt for lettuce cups instead, you’ve just gone from eating a hamburger to an assburger.
As I was saying…
I prefer to respond to comments on the other person’s blog–and most of the time I am successful, but I have had these moments where…
I go from this:
…to this:
Besides being drawings of me using a computer atop a magical, floating desk, they also accurately depict the existence of an unspoken rule regarding appropriate and inappropriate ways to respond to comments on someone else’s blog. Okay…no, they don’t…but allow me to explain.
In the first picture, I am reacting to someone’s funny comment–let’s pretend it was about being assaulted with kitten farts. Having been farted on multiple times by my cats (and returning the favor), I understand this person’s plight and will thus post on his blog: “I feel your stank.”
The second picture is of me, armed and ready with this response, but seeing that the person’s most recent entry has the opening sentence, “my good friend died after being hit by a fertilizer truck,” and is an outpouring of grief and loss.
For some reason, I don’t think it would be appropriate of me to write “I feel your stank” on this entry
However, it might be okay if I can somehow connect my response to the comment this person left on my blog–that way, he’ll know I’m referring to kitten farts and not death-by-doodoo-truck. Perhaps I can use the hideous “R.Y.C.” Mini? Or maybe copy-and-paste his comment and then add my response under it (I don’t really like prefacing with “R.Y.C.” or “regarding your comment”)? Or maybe I should respond on one of his previous entries?
In the end, I realize that none of the options are enough to preserve what little humor exists in “I feel your stank,” and just take the safe route by giving the guy 5 stars on his post.
Does anyone else think this unspoken rule exists?
absolutangel64 
OMG, I kinda thought I was the only person who really paid close attention to the commenting/propping ratio! But yeah, I definitely do the same thing as far as replying back on someone’s actual xanga rather than my own page: I like to know the the comments there are feedback from people who have stuff to say about my entry, and not my responses to them…that’s for their page! ^_^ And I get those comments that stump me on how to respond, too…sometimes it’s hard to find the right words to reply to what people say, and in moments like those I gracefully bow out! lol Working on that, though…
just balancing out the universe. here is 2 more to add to your collection;)
I feel your stank.Personally, I don’t like it when ppl use RYC. It’s so left-field for other readers who read other’s comments to build upon that. How is “RYC:I find you mad sexy and think about you all the time” go with my blog on why my cat loves drinking out of the toilet bowl and then licks my fingers?Plus, it usually adds 2eProps that weren’t actually deserved, as they probably didn’t read or understand my WoW withdrawal. So actually that’s skewing the overall number of eprops/comments!
The little things that bother us. (I have much weirder obsessions.) 😉 I used to do the “RYC thing” (still do it sometimes) on people’s pages, but then I started replying directly on my page just so the conversation pieces stay together, I guess like a continuous thread? =| But definitely not to deliberately inflate my number of comments ’cause that would just be sad.
That is why I like the cool little thingy things. Or perhaps the thingy where no one else can see what you write? Don’t make me serve you a writ of habeus corpus, or else I will condemn you of being a principle of the first degree. Do I seem random? Well, that’s me.