To thank or not to thank... that is here the question

I think most people do not comment back unless it is an ongoing discussion or a comment that needs a response. If you are commenting on other people's posts when a comment is appropriate, then don't worry about it. I think most everyone on here understands that every single comment does not need a thank you. At least, I hope so! :)

Ok, so you yourself would not find it strange if I stopped commenting back unless it was something "important"?

There could be several reasons. In my case I try to always respond to comments but I stay behind and it might be several days after the comment is made. I remember one person saying they were not going to respond to comments but instead were going to the persons post who commented on their article. Some people just might not have time. I go to my friends articles before I reply to comments on mine. There are probably other reasons. You just do what you are comfortable doing.

I had also read that it would be nicer to comment on other people's content before "spamming" all the "thank yous". Maybe I will do that. Like seeing you have commented and then I'd check out your content so that you earn more points. I guess that would be nicer and would benefit us all... Mhh...

I'm torn on this one. I can understand some not wanting to get so much email. But, I was raised to say thank you, so I feel rude if I don't respond. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I'm not sure what to do either. It just seems good manners are disappearing so quickly these days. :)

Hey, don't say sorry. Your comment helped me :-)
I am also totally torn. Is there the same saying "torn between two chairs" in English?
I have just thought about a compromise... if someone comments once (let's say once per day) I will write a thank you note. If that person comments more than once I will leave it to the one thank you. Maybe that would be a solution I could live with without having that bad feeling inside me *lol*

That's sounds like a good solution! Especially for the group things where you usually get the same comment on numerous things. I've never heard that expression, but I have heard 'torn between two lovers'. It probably amounts to the same thing. Either one sounds painful! :)

This, indeed, is a hard one; however, I have always been raised to say "please" and "thank you," so I always do try........I try to reply to the biggest majority of the comments I get; however, these days I've not been on Gather a whole lot, due to the fact that we've been doing a huge remodeling project at our house, and that takes considerable amounts of time.....then, we usually go over to the Senior Center to help out over there, or to participate in activities, like ceramics, bingo, etc.....always on the run, doing something; but, I do make it a point to get online, though, even if just for a few minutes a day, to check to see if I've gotten any comments here and then do a few of my rewards programs.
Just my own personal thoughts here!

Oh wow, you are busy. You know what, once you are retired, you have less free time than before. Why is that? *lol* :-)

It's taken me quite awhile to get used to the "retired" title.....don't really care for it, myself, but oh well.......you know, as I think back, even when I was single and working 2 jobs, about 12 to 13 hours a day, I still wasn't as busy as what I seem to be these days.........I know, it's just one of those things.....I've heard it from lots of people, that when they "retire," they're much busier than ever before!
Today, though, I've chosen to stay home from the Senior Center.......got over to the laundromat early this morning, now I'm sorting through books and am hoping to sell a lot back to Amazon.com.......we're finally getting rid of the storage pod tomorrow.....yayyyyy! Our new furniture will be delivered this Friday....plus, we have to take Puddles to the vet for her 3 shots and get her ears checked out, as we think she's got ear infection again!!!!!
Anyhow, I do try, as much as possible, to reply to comments, as I feel it's only right......when people take the time, and are so kind, to comment on my posts, I try to reciprocate as much as I can.

I usually try to reply to comments with a thanks (and/or more added if it fits) to be polite; just comes naturally to me I guess. I know some don't want that because they primarily use the email notification system to Gather in here and get tons, but it's also impossible for me to remember who wants that or not etc. So, I just do "my thing" as it happens best I can... so you can do whatever you want to any comments I make, or whatnot... no harm no foul, LOL.
;-)

I think I will do "my own thing" *lol* A combination so to speak.
I will comment in "full length" when I have something to say. But I will give out the simple"thank you" maybe only once per day per commenter. You know, when I get 10 comments from someone for a monthly group list, I will thank them once and that should be it. I think, that way I can still be as polite as I want to be but also reduce the many emails :-)

I do try and respond to comments on my posts because people take the time to read my stuff and comment and it's polite to respond to feedback. And if people don't want emails, they can turn off the comment replies in the email preferences.

The "Thank you(s)" in my email don't bother me because as soon as I click it, I can tell if it needs a reply or not. But like some of the others, I'm torn about sending them to others. Also, Gather says that having conversations helps to increase our points, so I figure there is not a conversation if I don't reply to a comment, and most times there is really nothing more to say other than "Thanks" or "Thank you".

I do, though i am so far behind you may notice it was from something a long time ago. It also is my way of keeping track on who i payed back with a comment on their stuff.

follow your mind,

i still write thanks yous,
but some times i feel a lil silly,
so i try to respond with something more,
hoping to add a lil bit of my knowlege/expirence to the conversation.

but some times a Thank you is enough
so i guess it's just up to the indivitual.

I try to respond with a thank you to simple comments, more detailed comments get a more detailed response. I feel I should at least acknowledge the person taking time to view my post/photo. I don't mind if I don't get a response to my comments, nor do I mind getting emails that simply say "Thank you." I will say this-I've stopped viewing a few people's work because they never respond to any comments from anybody and they don't bother commenting on anyone else's work.

Yeah, I really feel bad when I comment and comment and never get ANYTHING back. It's like talking to a brick wall :-(

I think I will try to comment back with a "thank you" maybe once a day per person. That way they will know I appreciate it but they are not spammed with 20 "thank you"s.
Might be working... :-)

I like to say a quick thanks and comment on the other person's work as well. It's sort of give and take... :-)

I try to respond back to every comment. There are times I don't and its really not intentional

I say thank you too. I wonder how much time we'd all save if we all stopped thanking each other for a week...

Mhh, I don't know how much we saved but wouldn't that be boring? *lol*

I try to respond to all comments. If I can't think of anything, Than I say thank you. But also in return for someone leaving a comment, I go view their content and leave a comment if they have something I have not commented on before or something recent in the past month or so.

When I say thank you. It is my way of letting myself know I have returned comments so far. Because i do get behind at times and are gone for several days off gather and tend to forget where I left off.

I always try to say thank you even if it slows me down.Friends are more important than points.

Thanks for stopping by :-) Good point!

I've been here for six years and no one ever posted a "thank you" for a comment until maybe the last two years or so. I personally don't have time to go to each and every comment and say thanks. I'll comment back and forth in a conversation but to thank every person for commenting means a lot less views of my friends/connections posts (this is what we accumulate points for, views, not comments) and I view everything in my feed.
I can say the thing that bothers me the most - I have a group and everyone who posts to that group gets viewed and a comment. I have some members who post to my group every day and never once have commented on anything of mine and we are talking about years of participation here. It's just the way it is. You have givers and you have takers.
In real life my friends consist of people who are both but I certainly don't mind it here on Gather, I just go with the flow.

Idk I kinda like being thanked because if you think about it that thank you is helping you and the other person make points so it wouldn't really be a thank you for the post so much as something to coment on and be commented back on. It's be nice to start a conversation but I like thank you's.

I have learned about this personally on Gather ... very personally ... and now make commenting just as important in my Gather life as posting. I LOVE GATHER & it really holds a special place in my life right now.

I feel we as 'writers' have an unwritten duty to comment back when our Gather friends take their time to read & comment ... & I must say a couple of dear people on Gather actually used their talent & social manners to tell me so & to spur me on to do so & not just be generic myself.

Gather is after all a social writing network & most of us spend quite a lot of time here & yes, some of us are honing our writing skills at the same time. Plus, we are gathering points along the way ... whether we consider this a major factor to our writing or not. Spending time doing what we do best here in Gather is a plus plus factor in many many different ways.

I find that many of my Gather friends comments REALLY inspire me to do more, to say more, & to get more involved in Gather with them & it makes being on Gather a real blessing. Plus, many have considered my comments to be a blessing to them as well & have have personally told me so.

We never know who is reading our comments just as well as our postings & how it is affecting their day - but we do know how our comments really affect someone - because of how WE react to the comments left for us!

There are NO set rules that is for sure. We all have to be comfortable with our own responses & responsibilities ... I guess it all depends upon our 'motive' for being here in Gather. I personally even add a thank you to a generic 'Group thank you' comment also ... no need to I know ... but now the habit is SO engrained that I just do it anyway out of common politeness.

This is a very good post Christine & a very important question to ask all of us. I am sure you will receive many more answers & the comments made already are fantastic. In the long run you will know what to do & it will make you content with your own reasons for being here with us in Gatherland.

Thank you so much & I hope to read many more of your articles, posts, & comments!!!!

Hey, thank you for your great comment and sharing your thoughts. I think we have not yet met before here on Gather, so welcome to my posts :-P

I have thought about this "issue" and I think I will try to find something that will please everyone. I will reduce the generic "thank you" and try to be more creative. And if I lack time and/or creativity I might only reply once per user per day. I participate in a few monthly comment lists to get more views and points and I think I don't have to thank everyone ten times, you know?

I always try to at least say "thank you" to let the person know I read the comment. It's time-consuming and I cannot get to do it for every comment, but I do it fro almost every one.

Thanks for stopping by :-)

It all depends on how much time I have. All comments are important to me and I try to respond appropriately.

Thanks for stopping by :-)

You ask a great question!! I always try to say thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on my posts, but I realize that not everyone does this. And that's okay by me. It doesn't bother me if people don't reply to my comments with a Thank You. I guess in the end, it just depends on what you feel comfortable doing, and how much time you have. :-)

Thanks for stopping by :-)

I don't feel anyone would be offended either way. If you have time to do it and feel like it, go for it. I don't think it is a have to thing. I try to say thank your or see if there is anyone who asked a question but sometimes I do overlook one or two, I feel bad when I do but there are a lot of emails and it is easy for them to get lost. I don't think it is spam, we signed up for this. If you want to say something we are willing to listen, if you can't reply to everyone that is fine too.

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Marksville is here from Give Me 40 June listx
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I am find with thank you's showed you read my comment and a comment back to my comment is even better means I started a conversation with you

Thank you Pamela. I will have to reduce commenting though. But I will still read all notifications in case you have a question :-)

I don't do the thank you to every comment because of what you said. I don't think it feels like spam completely, but I don't want to annoy someone with excessive e-mails simply saying thank you. Not that you annoy me with writing the thank yous.

:-)

PIF- sometimes I say thank you, sometimes I only comment back when I have something to say or have something to add. and its not spam in my eyes

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Sometimes, life gets in the way.

Thanks for stopping by :-)

I always comment back with a thank you or what not when someone comments on my posts or pictures.

Thanks for stopping by :-)

By the way, I am somehow back to the "old" system. It feels strange to not thank everyone *lol*

I find I just can not not comment back, lol

Yeah, it's an urge... *lol*

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