A penny for your thoughts

Sadly, I guess its sort of commonly known among bloggers that 99% of readers are what is referred to as lurkers. They read (and enjoy to their little heart's content) but don't comment. I'll admit it, I have lurked, too in a lot of the blogs I read...but The Valley's Other Fruit isn't just about recipes or trivia or tech news...we're about finding and connecting with the gay community in Napa and nearby. And the authors (that's us!) are locals who live, work and play in and around Napa. So that means that REALLY, the percentage should be reversed: 99% of The Fruit's readers should be commenting and clicking and enjoying, and just 1% should be lurking. I guess we all come out at our own time. Here's to hoping that your time is now:

How to comment on a blog
You probably can tell by now that a blog is basically a web diary (or web "log", get it?). Each entry is called a "post" and each post has comments attached to it at the bottom:


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The link to the comments section might say, "0 comments" (or "1", "2", "16 comments") or "Post a Comment" depending on how you are looking at the post. (If your can't tell, click the Headline or Title of the Post which will then take you to a page where the comments should be right at the end of the post.) Click there to open up the form to post your comment. Then, it's simple:

1. You type in what you want to say in the bigger empty box
2. You type in the code letters so that we know you are indeed a living human
3. You choose how you want to identify yourself (use your log in? make up a cool name that you've always wanted? post anonymously?)
4. Often blog authors moderate comments which means that they get sent to the author to make sure they aren't hate-filled, and then they get posted!

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If the post author asks a question, it's a great idea to add your answer as a comment! Get other people talking, tell us what you think. Reply to a comment that someone else left! The point is to get you more involved.

If you're just looking to see what people have been talking about lately, in the sidebar of each page is a "Recent Comments" section where you can see who and what people have been talking about. Click on through and join in the commenting.

Don't just read about The Valley's Other Fruit, fruit it up with us, join in and comment! (And, just because a friend asked: EVERYONE is welcome to comment, not just the gays. As if that would stop you.) Feel free to share the comment love, starting right here, with this post!

"lurker" photo by dhammza