I find the topic of learning how to be a better commenter particularly interesting. If you have any further thoughts on that, I’d like to hear about them.
I think that a common reason that people who might have commented on something end up not doing so is that they aren’t sure if what they had to say is actually worthwhile. Well, just saying ‘I agree!’ probably isn’t, but this does raise the question of how how high that threshold should be.
The first paragraph of this comment is near that borderline, in my opinion—it could pretty much be formulaic: “I find [subtopic] particularly interesting. If you have any further thoughts on that, I’d like to hear about them.”
On the other hand, it’s true, and conveys information that an upvote wouldn’t, so I do consider it worthwhile.
What are the norms/rules for commenting on older posts? Many internet communities forbid thread necromancy; I see no mention of it here, but thought it worth checking.
Also, if I’m reading a sequence as it comes out, of course I do not have access to future posts when I make a comment. But if I’m reading through several posts from a month or two ago, and I have a question about one of them, is there an expectation that I read through the rest of the sequence to see if it’s answered later before I say anything, or should I comment as I go along, as would be the case if I’d been reading it as it came out?
For example—I’m reading Tensions in Truthseeking. Shall I reply to Writing that Provokes Comments? Should I read the rest of the sequence first? It’s not so long that that’s unfeasible, but trivial inconveniences could probably reduce my likelihood of commenting significantly.