To Melissa in response to Death of Comments (this is an e-mail I sent to her):

I’m terribly sorry you feel that way and have disabled your readers’ ability to interact with you.  Blogging of any relevance includes comments, the feedback from those who read your blog and the communication between them and its author.  To consider it anything akin to that sans the comments is to create your own news media outlet, a soapbox upon which you might stand and shout your views with utter disregard for those who might hear you.  If that’s the case and intent, more power to you.  If it’s not, you exact a disservice on your readers to deny them the ability to offer feedback.

I’ve been a longtime reader of your blog, yet this tells me it’s a fruitless endeavor of a self-aggrandizing individual who wishes to hear their own voice while squelching that of others.  As you put it, some lambaste you “for removing the ability of complete strangers to express their opinions about my writing and personal life…”, yet you display your writing and personal life on the internet for all to see.  You invite strangers into the depth of your convictions and aspects of your existence by placing that information on the web.  Does it not seem contradictory to question their desire to comment and provide feedback on that very personal display?  Perhaps I missed the intent and misunderstood what you wished to accomplish with your blog.

Did you not invite us “strangers” to read your writing and to see your personal life?  If so, then you also invite the feedback you have now disabled.  Selfish would be inadequate in describing that mentality.  You open the book and tell me to read, and you open the door an invite me in, but then you tell me to stay any response to the stimuli you cheaply proffer.  I can tune to CNN or MSNBC for that kind of nonsense.  To think we considered you different…

Again, I’m sorry you have seen fit to disable the comments and thereby refuse your audience the chance to interact with you.  You hold your content out for examination and consideration while demanding that we remain silent about it.  That’s selfish and small-minded.

While I’ve enjoyed your blog to this point, I’ll now have to move on to those authors who care about what their readers think, who refrain from holding out cheap offerings while refusing to hear what makes them cheap, and who don’t protect their precarious positions and exalted attitudes by hiding behind walls of incommunicado.

Based on what I deem a betrayal of her audience and disservice to whatever readership she wishes to claim, I have removed Opinionistas from my blog list and my RSS feed.  I have no interest in anyone who so readily turns their back on their readership and claims superiority by way of denying contrary opinions (or any other opinions).  I can always turn to CNN or MSNBC or Faux News for that level of self-aggrandizement and personal puffed-uppedness.

Don’t offer your life and heart and opinions and mind to the internet world while stating you have no wish to hear their responses.  What self-centeredness and arrogance.  If you’re not willing to face the music, why sing?