On Random Interactions: Part Two

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about random online interactions. I appreciate all the people that took the time to get in touch via email to suggest potential solutions. I love to hear from you so thank you for that. I'll go through a few of the ones that have been suggested here, just to keep the discussion going.

Comments

This was by far the more common suggestion. Comments are an obvious solution. But this is why I'm not a fan of comments. First, a comments section is tied to the content of a particular post. Which can be good but it's also not what I'm after. I'd love to find a way to let you discuss whatever you want without me being in the way. Comments are also a double edge sword. You need to moderate them, make sure bots are not taking over them and more importantly they add complexity to the site and that's something I'm actively trying to avoid.

Off-Site Comments

This is a variation on the same topic but it's way more interesting. The idea is to have a place to host comments that are separated from my site. This is slightly more interesting but also adds complexity because now you need to find a place to host the comments. Someone suggested Reddit (and even created one with my name which felt very weird and kinda awesome at the same time). Now, I'm not a Reddit user but I know Reddit can be awesome and terrible at the same time. So I'm not sure about using it.

Slack/Discord

A few people suggested using something like Slack or Discord. This could be a solution. I personally already use Slack for work and I do have a personal slack we can use. If you're interested and want to give Slack a try send me an email and I'll send you back an invite. I'm not a Discord user but if there are enough people interested in using it as a platform I can set it up. Again, if you're interested, send me an email.

Private Directory

This is a concept I'm still considering. The idea is to create a private directory, password protected and not indexed where you can add just a few contact information. And only people that are willing to share their contact information will have access to the directory. Contact info can be whatever you prefer: an email address, a social media profile, a phone number, whatever works for you. Could this work? I have no idea. But I'm intrigued by this concept.

As always if you have thoughts on the matter please do get in touch. I love discussing these topics with you.