What do people think of comments below the chapter?

I noticed comments were moved from the sidebar to beneath the chapter. On the one hand, for longer comments and long chains, this is better. However I find it harder to tell at a glance if there are new comments to look at now.

Also, if I am writing new stuff or just passing through to navigate, I tend to speed scroll down hard, and this can now lead me way past the navigation area if there are a lot of comments.

 

Thanks for creating the poll, Murakami. It looks like this change is creating some friction in the community, so it’s helpful to get a clearer sense of what people prefer. I’ll keep an eye on the feedback here.

 

I think the main issue is that people are used to the comments being on the side, and it takes time to get used to having comments on the bottom instead. I still check the side first, out of habit, even though I very much prefer the new location and features.

 

I remember when I was here before, but I don’t remember them ever being on the side…

As I type that, I think I might, but I like the feedback better at the end; it seems like it would mix/confuse on the side.

 

I like having the ability to reply directly to a comment, but we need to be able to do it repeatedly or it limits conversations.

EDIT: looks like you can keep replying, but it looks weird since you have to keep "replying" to the initial comment.

 

The biggest plus for side comments is that you can write your thoughts down while reading the chapter, this is especially helpful with longer chapters.

Personally I just think it should be an option so people can pick what they want.

 

Not having it on the side bar has directly made commenting a pain for me. If it has to be on the bottom there could at least be a place on the side bar for writing your comments then go below when you post.

 

Comments are like gold dust around here. Anything that makes it harder to comment should be discouraged. Unless there is a good reason why comments need to be moved to the bottom, then I'd say leave it where it is on the side. People don't like change, especially for no reason. So it would be good to know why it has been moved.

 

I think it's a bit messy and opinion based but I made a primitive pro and con based on my opinion and what I've read above.

Pro:
Does having the comments at the bottom make them easier to read?
Yes specifically if they are on the longer side.

Con:
Does having the comments below make it harder for comments focusing on a particular paragraph of the chapter harder?
Yes since you can no longer independently scroll the comments and the chapter to line things up with each point made in the comment.

Pro:
Does the inclusion of likes and ability to reply to comment makes the section better?
Yes, the ability to reply and like comments lets the writer see if there is an idea that has traction among the readers who engage with the writer beyond normal views and likes. It also is unlikely that would work as smoothly on the side bar given the size constraints of the sections.

Con:
Does the change make it harder/more of an effort to comment?
Yes, having a side bar meant you could write your comment as you read it. Having it at the end means you can't write a comment as you are reading without more effort on your part to scroll up and down.

Mixed:
Will people go to the effort of checking for comments when it isn't obvious there are new ones as if they are on the side bar?
I put this as mixed because some works have too large an 'about', 'customize' or 'game' section for the comments to be visible in the first place. Personally I don't usually scroll down to check comments, unless I know there are comment and I know there are comments by checking the story map or going to 'all comments'.

Maybe a compromise would be something like a preview on the side or a simple note in the 'jump to comments' if there are any comments.

Personal opinion:
I like the new comment section. Having the wider area makes people more willing to write more detailed comments since they won't be thinking about creating a screen size text scroll that won't be looked at. I think the new ideas of liking and reply introduce more interaction between the writers and readers which would encourage more people to comment since they can see if the writing is interacting with their readers or.

 

My biggest gripe against comments on the side is spoilers. But if they're hidden until clicked then it shouldn't be a problem.

Comments on the side is good since there are many times when you want to write a comment while going over a part of the story.

An advantage of comments at the bottom is that it flows naturally with reading the story. It could also be something that encourages more people to read comments since they're now on a path that the eye will naturally follow.

 

I agree that commenting is painfully rare, and making it harder makes them rarer; clearly a bad development. However, writing the comment is only half the picture, and I think you're overlooking the positive effects of the change.

Like I said elsewhere, I'm a big fan of the new location. Old-style comments were practically invisible specifically because the sidebar scrolls independently. If a story has a description and tags, the comments disappear off the lower edge of the screen for me, at least (even now), so I have to go out of my way to read them. I rarely bothered doing that, and I'm sure a lot of people didn't either. The only time I myself commented on stories were when I had something to say.

Whereas if you're reading a story, you're scrolling down as a matter of course, so new-style comments appear pretty much automatically. And because they're more prominent in the site layout, users will see them more often, and if you see comments more often, you're more likely to post. Because even if the chapter itself didn't cause you to want to say something, a comment still might. (This could be improved even more by reducing the amount of space between the last sentence of the chapter and the first sentence of the first comment.)

I acknowledge the issue that writing-while-reading has been made harder, and it would be nice if a fix could be implemented. I (and others) suggested a second (small) comment box in the sidebar. But moving the comments back too seems to me very much throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

 

I certainly wouldn't agree to move them back now, it's done, so leave them where they are at the bottom. At the time I posted my comment I was not aware of the reasons for the change, since then others have commented and I can see why some folks feel it's better at the bottom. Which is fair enough.