As a book blogger, I love it when someone comments on one of my posts. Therefore, I try to comment on other blogs whenever time permits and I feel I have an opinion to voice. 
Today, I received a comment on a post I wrote over two years ago. It was wonderful!
Also today, I tried to place a comment on an interesting post that was published only two days ago only to find that “Comments are Closed“. Why? Why would someone close down the ability to comment? I’m curious.
Do YOU close your comments after an interval of time? Why? After how long?
Some bloggers do not allow comments at all. I think comments are very valuable. They add input and opinions other than your own; they are a valid way to support other bloggers; and most of all they form the foundations of a ‘blogging community’.
For those of you who didn’t realize that this could even be done, here are my comment settings. You’ll find yours under WordPress Admin – Settings – Discussion
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. How do YOU feel about blog comments?
Fictionophile 
I wondered about that myself. Could they possibly close them when they have a reall, really big following and find it hard to get back to them??
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Possibly, but the blogger I’m referring to has only over 2000 followers. Knowing from my own experience, (I have 3200 followers) I only get 4-6 comments per day so I find that very manageable. Oh well, I guess they must have their own personal reason for closing them off so soon.
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Possibly so!!
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thank you fictionophile
Fantastic blog
And a special post
thank you
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.
It’s a question of the owner of the blog. Maybe you feel safe with what you post that you do not need other opinions
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I guess that could be true. If I was posting on more controversial topics, I might be more hesitant about allowing comments. Thanks for sharing your view.
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Love comments and to make comments on posts. A lot of my posts started out as comments about somebody else’s post.
Two today as a start!
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Now that you mention it, I have written posts that have stemmed from comments.
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Good!
Why not!
Are ideas, words owned by you are me!
If I have a Post based on the gist of another post, the post I write has started with a reply liked by that blogger!
And credit is given where credit is due!
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Hi. I’m one of the bloggers who does close off the comments, I think they currently close after 7 days after the blog post goes live. I’ve had this set since I started in February as I known bloggers who have had significant spam comments months after the post went live and I personally want to prevent this.
It isn’t that I don’t want comments but I don’t want the spam or abuse that some people feel they need to share in life.
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I completely understand.
I’ve had my blog comments open indefinitely for years now and I’ve never experienced the problem with spam. That’s not to say that I haven’t had any spam, it is just that I think the Akismet widget on WordPress blocks them all – hence alleviating the problem. Do you have Akismet?
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I’m using the free wordpress so I can’t use plug ins or widgets. I’m happy with my choice, which is what it is. My choice. If anyone wants to leave their comments open indefinitely, it is their choice as it’s their blog.
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I too use the free version of WordPress (I never installed Akismet, it was just there…)
I’m pleased that you are happy with your choices and thank you very much for your comments. Happy Reading!
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It seems like everyone in the comments on this post is in agreement – comments are great, and why would anyone ever close them? Hahaha.
I suppose I can see a case for closing comments on older posts for very large websites, where comments sections can quickly become cesspools of nonsensical arguments and terrible insults – moderating them would take a lot of time and labour, so closing them would be an easier way to go.
Luckily, that’s not a problem for me (yet!), so I’m with you all. I’d never close a comments section. I like to think that a lot of my content is “timeless” (at least, in the sense that it continues to be relevant, even with the passage of time), so it would still be relevant to readers in months or years, and I would still welcome their contribution and discussion, regardless of when they came to it.
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Thanks for sharing your opinions Sheree. I was hoping to hear from the blogger who does close her comments, but haven’t heard from her yet. I’d love to know her reasoning for doing so…
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I love to give and receive comments. I used to comment a lot more, but I am now following so many blogs that I often just have time to like as it takes so long to read them all. I am trying to catch up now. I would never close comments. I would respond to any and all comments I receive whenever I receive them. It is great to know what others think about my posts. I agree with you completely Lynne.
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Thanks Carla. ♥
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I love blog comments! It is a way to connect with people you find common ground with. I suppose I might close them if I was getting inappropriate comments from trolls. My experience, however, has been completely positive on WordPress.
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Thanks. My experience has been very positive as well. I have received some ‘spam’ but Aksimet catches it all. The only reason I even know I had any was by looking in my spam folder.
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Lol, I LOVE comments! I would never turn them off. I feel like most people have something interesting or kind to contribute. Maybe that other blogger turned comments off because there were too many? Or they were getting hostile? Who knows. I just had a woman call me a bitch on Goodreads, and I’ll admit I deleted that one. I’m all for differences of opinion, but not ALL comments are welcome… 😬
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Gosh!! I cannot imagine anyone saying something so vile on Goodreads. Did you report her? I’m all for differing opinions but there are more polite ways of saying you disagree with someone.
As you say not all comments are favourable, but if phrased politely, they are all welcome on my blog.
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I know! I was shocked honestly. At the end of the day, who cares about some stranger on the internet. But still, yikes. I definitely agree that name calling is off limits…
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I really believe that comments are valuable and don’t believe in closing the comments section. Obviously, everyone has a right to do whatever they want with their blogs- I just personally think it’s valuable to get feedback and keep the comments section open no matter what. As scary as it is to put opinions out there, the only way that you actually get to know if you’re on the mark or completely missed it is if you get feedback. And I also think, from a more positive outlook, closing the comments section means you also miss out on the largely wonderful blogging community- which is what makes blogging so fun!
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I agree whole-heartedly that comments make for a stronger bond with the blogging community. I’m so glad that I’m a wee part of it.
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I love interaction with other people. I think comments are such a crucial way to discuss ideas and get feedback. I think some people shy away from that though out of troll fear perhaps?
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Could be I suppose. Perhaps they just don’t have the time (or inclination?) to respond. I am so appreciative of all the comments I get.
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Me too.
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I feel comments are a token of appreciation for bloggers.
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I heartily agree.
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I just noticed this feature a few days ago myself-and no I wouldn’t use it. I am happy to receive a comment any time, however old the post.
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My sentiments exactly. Thanks.
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We love comments and love to discuss books more in the comments. We love to see more thoughts on the books we review or post about.
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We are on the same page. ♥
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Oh, I didn’t know comments close automatically as someone pointed out here. I have to check this on my blog. I really love comments 🙂 Both writing them and receiving them. I came across a few posts where there was no comment option and I really wanted to say something about the post. haha 😀
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I don’t often feel the real urge to comment, but when I do – and can’t – I find it very frustrating.
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It always makes me happy to get a comment! I have noticed that this year, comments have been fewer, though. My numbers have all gone up except for this one!
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Maybe it is just that people are busy rather than they don’t WANT to comment. Thanks Meggy. ♥
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Yeah. I don’t know what’s causing it. It’s okay, I like to notice things 🙂
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Me? I LIVE for comments… but I hardly ever get them. Mind you, I’ve just moved my blog to my own domain, but when I was on blogger… most of the comments I got were spam! Couldn’t get them to delete them either. Bummer!
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I wonder why some people close comments. Maybe they feel a bit overwhelmed. Or maybe they don’t realize that their settings choices will result in comments being closed.
Take care. Bye till next time.
Neil
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You’re probably correct Neil. Sometimes you don’t discover all the ins and outs of blogging until you’ve been doing it for awhile. Thanks.
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I know some bloggers that close off comments on their blogs due to their time commitments and inability to reply to them.. that way they are removing that pressure of wanting to reply but not having time.
I personally do have comments enabled as I cherish them. I enjoy connecting with others and the comment aspect of my blogging brings me a lot of joy. Each to their own though, I get that replying does take time and I sometimes can’t reply straight away either…
Great discussion! 😊
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Vera thanks for reminding me that many bloggers have very busy lives. As a retiree I’m prone to forget that. 🙄 Time factors might well have been the reason in this case.
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Ha ha, I bet your life can get busy as well. 😊 I just recalled reading that reason on a few blogs. I personally don’t close comments off when I’m not online but do reply to them with a delay. I’m prone to disappear now and again to keep my anxiety / overwhelm at bay. 😊❤️
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Hm I’ve never seen this before. Yes I do agree with you that comments are so important and I, like many I’m sure, always feel so thankful whenever I receive a notification that someone has read my post and taken some of their time to comment. I love that feeling!
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It IS a lovely feeling- especially when the content of the comment shows that they have really read your post and not just clicked like.
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I love receiving comments on my posts too. Knowing a blog post has been viewed is good, knowing it’s been liked is great but receiving a comment shows someone has really appreciated it. Having a ‘comment conversation’ about books is one of the things I enjoy most about book blogging. Your article prompted me to check my own settings and I found I had it set to close comments after 30 days, so I’ve increased that now. I do try to comment on other blogs, especially if I’ve read a particularly interesting review or article (like this one) but, as you say, it can be difficult to find the time to do this – and it’s time out of reading! However, I do try at least to ‘like’ a post I’ve enjoyed reading and maybe share it on Twitter.
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Same here Cathy. Time doesn’t always allow me to comment but I ‘like’ and share to Twitter most of the time. I’ll comment only when I have time, and feel that I have something to say.
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I, like you, love comments regardless of how long ago the blog was written.
I have an older friend that blogs and has been harassed so much, most of the time 2-4 days after her blog was written, that she routinely closes her comments after 24 hours. I feel so sorry for what she goes through, and though I know it’s trolls and to ignore them, she doesn’t understand why it happens so much. So, there’s that, then for some reason, some people just don’t like comments-go figure, whereas I LOVE them.
Anyway, just my 2 cents worth.
Have a great day, and keep on commenting, please!!!
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You are not the first person to mention ‘spam’ and ‘trolls’. I find this curious. I’ve had my blog for several years now and have (luckily) never experienced this. I find that the Akismet tool from WordPress gets rid of it for me.
I will continue to love other people’s comments on my posts AND I will continue to comment on other people’s posts when I have anything valid to offer.
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I had some trouble for a while. I think most of it ends up in my spam section now, though.
I had one that was really bad, thankfully that was a long time ago.
I am glad you’ll continue, as I appreciate and look forward to your comments!
Blessings~💖
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I love blog comments!!! That is wonderful to find someone appreciating a post, even if it’s not recent.
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So true! Even if they didn’t ‘appreciate’ the post – at least they visited the blog and were interested enough in the post to take the time to comment. Thanks ♥
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I thrive on comments.
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As do I. Thanks ♥
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I never even realized you could close comments! So clearly it’s something I’ve never done. But I can see why some bloggers might choose to do so if they’ve been harassed.
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One blogger I follow closes her comments as soon as she publishes another post. The one I wanted to comment on was dated Dec. 5th and she has posted again since then so I couldn’t comment.
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I don’t personally understand that but I guess she has her reasons 🤷♀️
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I love having comments and it’s only recently that I’ve started having more. I do try to comment though if I’ve appreciated or enjoyed another blog post. I think some bloggers do close off comments if they’ve had a lot of spam
Caryl x
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Getting spam would be a good reason to close them off a particular post. In this case though, the blogger just regularly closes them after a day or two.
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I closed comments a while back when there was a prolonged spam attack but otherwise my blog is always open for comments.
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I’ve never had occasion (yet) to close comments on my blog Nicki. I hope I never need to.
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I love comments, when I get them and frankly, I wouldn’t even know how to close them down.
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There is a place in your WordPress settings where you can toggle a setting that states:
“Automatically close comments on articles older than ____ days.” You can choose the number of days for yourself.
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I never knew that. Thanks.
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I also find it odd when I encounter a post on which the comments or closed, or on a whole blog with closed comments, because comments are so important to me and to the bloggers and people I interact with. I understand closing them on a post in harassment/abuse circumstances, but to not allow comments at all is puzzling.
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I agree Kelsey. I often wonder if the bloggers who do this have forgotten that they’ve saved the WorldPress setting to close comments. Or… maybe they just don’t want to bother answering them. LOL
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I wonder that too, especially since when I started blogging with WordPress I did just that. 😆
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Personally, I love comments. I’ve gotten some on really old posts, and never mind and always try to respond! I’ve had some of the best conversations on old posts tbh
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Exactly Ally. I was SO tickled today when I got a comment from a post I published in 2016. I was extremely flattered that anyone would even glance at my older posts.
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Closing comments after a while is a WordPress setting. Some people may not know that or that it can be changed?
Mine do close after a while, although I forgot when exactly. But that’s mostly because spammers tend to pick older posts to leave comments on.
I love getting comments although I don’t always have the time to reply or to comment elsewhere, which makes me feel bad.
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Thanks Eva. Although I have my comments setting completely open, I have never had trouble with spam. I find that the WordPress Akismet tool blocks all my spam.
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Okay… This happened to me recently, and my first thought is that the blogger may have passed away, and his site is still up for a variety of reasons. Just a thought!
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Oh dear, I hope not. ♥ I think it is just a matter of the blogger setting their ‘Discussion Settings” to close their comments after a certain number of days.
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As I said.. Just my first thought!
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I love getting comments on my blog, it’s always lovely to know that people are reading my posts and feel they have something to add. I try to make time to comment on other blogs too but I need to do better with that. I don’t get why people close comments on their posts – it’s a shame because there are times when you see an older post and wish to comment but can’t.
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My sentiments exactly Hayley. ♥
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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It seems weird to me to close comments on a blog post and it’s not something I would do. I think, perhaps it’s not that the blogger doesn’t appreciate comments but perhaps on that particular blog post they might have received an argumentative, negative or horrible comment from someone and because of that they decided to close the comments on that particular post to save any future hassle.
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I can understand it if they were receiving spam – but I don’t think this was the case. They must have their “Discussion Settings” set to close comments after a certain number of days. Perhaps they set it up that way when they first started blogging and forgot to change it? Who knows… Thanks for ‘weighing in’ Drew.
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I never close off any post Lynne. I love getting comments but I must admit I find it hard to find the time to comment on all posts.
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I agree Mairead. If I commented on all the posts I read, I’d never get anything else done. I do try to comment once in a while though. ♥
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I’ve never thought of doing that. I’m always interested in other opinions and thoughts on what I write. Unless it’s an author and I didn’t give them a good review. lol
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The reason is certainly puzzling Patricia. I welcome all comments whether they be negative or positive. As long as they aren’t abusive – and luckily I’ve never had one of those.
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It would never even occur to me to close comments. Perhaps the blogger had some issues with spammers.
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Maybe…. but I find that Akismet blocks most spam. Thanks for commenting Jonetta. ♥
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I have closed down comments on one of my post as I was harassed by an author’s fans for the negative review for one year. It caused me so much pain to be called names and my profession attacked. Hence I shut down the comments on posts where these trolls attack
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Interesting Shalini. I know that you can have your ‘Discussion Settings’ set to close comments after a certain number of days, but this action is applied to all posts. I didn’t know you could close comments on ONE particular post.
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Every post has a choice if you want likes and comments on it in its own settings.
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Thanks! Great to know! That’s the good thing about discussion posts – you always learn something new. ♥️
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I love to receive blog comments and spend time each day commenting on other blogs. Like you, I never close my comments.
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We are in complete sync Debbie. ♥
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I have never run into this problem, but now I am really curious. Why would you ever want to close comments?
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Exactly!!! Thanks Beth.
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