IComLeavWe

Welcome to IComLeavWe. It stands for International Comment Leaving Week, but if you say it aloud, doesn’t it sounds like “I come; [but] leave [as a] we”? And that’s sort of the point. Blogging is a conversation and comments are honoured and encouraged. I like to say that comments are the new hug–a way of saying hello, giving comfort, leaving congratulations.

Look at the icon in the top left corner of this blog to jump directly to the current list.

I’m assuming if you’re still reading that you actually want to hear more about IComLeavWe. This is actually the third incarnation of this project. The first time, it was called the Commentathon and it was a group of 67 participants pledging to leave at least 1000 comments collectively over the course of a week. We ended up leaving 3739 comments altogether.

The next year, we called it NaComLeavMo in the tradition of NaBloWriMo. We had 214 participants vow to leave 5 comments each day and return one comment for a total of 6 daily comments. But people heard about it after the list closed and someone suggested holding it year-round. So IComLeavWe was born.

How does it work?

On the first day of each month (regardless of the day of the week), a new list opens. Anyone can and should sign up who wants to participate. Because it is held monthly, you can drop in and out month-by-month depending on your schedule. You sign up by leaving a comment on the current list (do not leave it on this post) with the following information:

• Your blog name (if you don’t have a blog, this isn’t a problem. Simply leave your first name instead and write that you don’t have a blog)
• Your blog url
• Three words to describe the three things you write about most frequently (only three; if you leave more, I only take the first three).

Example:

• Stirrup Queens
• http://stirrup-queens.blogspot.com
• Infertility, twins, books

I move the information from the comment section into the body of the post every so often (usually within 24 hours). There is also a bit of code at the bottom of the current list for you to grab that contains the latest icon (the icon changes colour every month so you know that you’re on the right list) and it would rock if you place it somewhere on your blog. The reason is two-fold: (1) it enables more people to find out about IComLeavWe and (2) it gives you easy access to the current list once the commenting week actually begins.

The list remains open from the 1st of the month until the 21st. On the 21st, it closes for the month. Commenting begins on the 21st and runs until the 28th. Participants agree to leave 5 comments a day and return 1. If something bizarre happens and they don’t have any comments to return, they just pick another random blog and leave a comment. The daily total should be 6 though you are obviously encouraged to go well beyond 6 daily comments. This goes on for a full week. You are highly encouraged to choose new blogs to read from the participants list. You could also leave comments on blogs you already know and read daily. Both count. But support your fellow participants please. Here is your big chance to delurk or find new blogs to add to your Google Reader.

There is one more challenge–Iron Commenter. People who wish to be an Iron Commenter and be entered on the Iron Commenter honour roll need to leave a comment on every blog on the participants list (exceptions are blogs that require you to have a special log-in, such as some LiveJournal accounts or other similar situations). You can spread out this commenting over the whole week, but the final comment needs to be left by midnight on the 28th (EST). Reaching Iron Commenter status is done on an honour system. The Wall of Honour is at the bottom of this post.

And that’s it. The commenting orgy ends, we all catch our breath, and it starts back up a few days later on the 1st. So–regardless of the day of the week, IComLeavWe always opens on the 1st, the list closes on the 21st, and the commenting takes place between the 21st and the 28th. And then we do it all over again.

Any questions? Why don’t you write me. Feel free to leave a general comment about IComLeavWe below, but if you want to sign up for the current list, pop over and leave it on that list. Comments listed below will not make it onto the current list, get it?

Oh…and the dog on the icon. The story behind that is in this post.