Asking Questions on the Internet

Hello, Internet.

I am here today to discuss the Internet. And how sometimes, it can be a lonely, empty place.

One of the ways to tell how you are doing with a blog is getting comments. After all, it’s one thing to write stuff. Another to be followed, or liked. And yet another to have someone add and combine their thoughts to yours, to join in the discussion.

One of the main ways that we might incite this sort of a response is by writing a question. After all, the question begs an answer, right?

My First Attempt

When I first created my Tumblr, I was thinking about things to write, and I was in a certain season. The presidential election was in swing, and I really thought, to choose a president, I would really like to know what the future they would build will really look like. At least, in their eyes. If the Democrats could have their way for 20 years, what would the country and the world look like? If the Republicans could have their way for 20 years, same question? We keep flipping back and forth, and compromise, and things not passing, so-on and so-forth. But what future would they build?

Try as I might, I could not think of the answer, for either party. Though I had been thinking of writing this short of short-term Sci-Fi, I could not think of what it would look like – at least, without it turning dystopian. So I asked the Internet a few times about it.

I got no answers. Anywhere. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress. Sure, I don’t have a lot of readership, I suppose. But blatantly asking questions, with no response? Not even a, “what are you talking about?”

Oh Internet, you are a lonely, interconnected place.

Trying it a lot more: Comparative Geeks

So, on our new blog, Comparative Geeks, we tend to ask a question with every post. Also on our Facebook page. We get very few responses, even though we are getting reads. At least, we seem to be getting reads. We’re getting likes, and follows, and these things.

However, we sometimes get more likes than views in a day, according to the stats we’re getting on WordPress. What does this mean? Are people able to “like” the post without reading it from their RSS reader, perhaps? (This is a real question. Do you know the answer?)

I would like to give my strongest example, however. I posted one post specifically to ask a question of my readers. I used a video, as well, for my plea; maybe a mistake, I suppose, but I did it. I have shared this on Google+, the blog Facebook, my personal Facebook, and on this blog as well.

I have ten views. I have no answers. No one has said a word on Facebook, no one who actually knows me. No answers totally anonymously on YouTube. Not even to mock me. I kind of almost wish I had a troll reply – just to maybe feel like I’m being silly. Instead, it makes blogging and putting yourself out there feel a bit like sitting in a room alone talking.

Then again, I got views at all, so I’m not alone – so what does getting no replies mean? Are my questions too obscure? Does no one care about what I am talking about – certainly possible. But then, why has no one really said so?

Why is it so hard to get a response when you ask questions on the Internet?