“What Do You Think?” – The Social Cop Out

When people tag on “What do you think?” to the end of a blog post, I think it is a cop out for trying to be social. It’s done because, hey, we need to be social. But it really annoys me because I feel that my thoughts are just an afterthought.

In my opinion, you should either:

1. Broadcast Socially. Don’t write a complete thought, then ask “what do you think?” and then not respond to the comments. This is just comment vanity. Admit that you are writing complete, fleshed-out ideas, and that whilst your blog posts might adapt over time from feedback, you aren’t actually looking to converse much. Get some conviction and admit it.
2. Go Social Social. Consider that you don’t have the complete picture, and begin making your blog just as much about the comments as the posts by carefully crafting questions that draw out the wisdom from your readers. Facilitate discussion. Consider your audience to be smarter than you are – because they are.

What I can’t stand is when people talk about ‘social’ and then don’t do it. Either value my comments, or don’t ask for them.

The best way? Be far more direct and focused than “What do you think?” – ask for feedback with deeper, more specific questions.