the writing and photography of Neil Kramer

The Second Annual Thanksgiving “Thank Your First Commenter” Day

turkey2.jpg

Tommy the Turkey hated that Americans ate turkey on Thanksgiving Day. It really pissed him off. He wrote letters to conservative blogs like Michelle Malkin, but they just ignored him. He ranted and raved to the liberals on The Huffington Post until the editors blocked him from their site.

At last, Tommy the Turkey decided to start his OWN BLOG, The Daily Cackle. For weeks, he clucked his heart out daily for an audience of one — himself. Then, one morning, Tommy the Turkey logged on to his blog and saw that he had a comment:

“Tough luck, you stupid turkey! I can’t wait until Thanksgiving to stuff you with stuffing and eat you with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce!”

Cranky Blogster

“Oh my god,” Tommy the Turkey gobbled happily, “I have my FIRST COMMENT!”

This proves that it doesn’t really matter who your first commenter is — someone friendly or an absolute idiot. It’s still a comment! It is what you’ve been waiting for as a newbie blogger. Getting a comment means that you have been accepted into the community. You are officially a BLOGGER.

Thanksgiving is a day of thanks, so why not thank other bloggers? If you spend as much time as me online, you know more about other bloggers than some of your co-workers. I’ve met so many great people online. I want to thank all of you for making blogging such a wonderful experience.

I thank everyone who has found his or her way to Citizen of the Month.

And since this is “Thank Your First Commenter Day,” I thank you, Terry Finley for the very first comment on my blog:

Nice blog. Thank you.

Our health is really important.

Check out my blog.

Terry Finley

Simple, but direct.

Sadly, we lost touch after that first comment, so I’d like to also thank the first commenter that still reads me and that I consider a blogging friend — the former TWM, now at Not So Confidential.

At first glance, NSC and I have little in common. He is a Southerner, a former Air Force Officer who served with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. But blogging can make strange bedfellows, and despite our differences in political views at times, we immediately bonded over our love for buxom brunettes. Now, THAT is what the true meaning of the blogosphere is all about. So, thank you NSC!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging friends!

(other Thanskgiving blogging fun)

64 Comments

  1. Fitena

    First! Claiming my place!

    Fitèna

  2. Fitena

    Cher Neil,
    This is no boot licking, you are one of the most good people I haven’t met yet. Whatever the reasons you blog for, thank you for sharing with us; your thoughts, your views, your feelings.

    “You give but little when you give of your possesions.
    It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

    Merci très cher Neil. Merci. Et heureuse fête de thanksgiving. A Sophia aussi.

    Fitèna

  3. sgazzetti

    I can still remember the thrill of that first comment. It came from Faith, who must’ve been referred by my sister. Thank you, Faith, for being my first commenter. I hope the Australian spring is being kind to you.

    Why my own flesh and blood couldn’t have been my first commenter I don’t know. I hope the Maine winter is crushing your spirit and destroying your will to eat cranberries.

  4. better safe than sorry

    my first comment on this blog was from me, which i find ironic because i rarely comment back to any who reads me. here are my thought provoking words

    is big brother watching me now?better safe than sorry Homepage 06.24.05 – 7:29 pm #

    i did thank myself (see, i do earn the loser award, or at least honourable mention)

  5. tamarika

    Happy Thanksgiving, Neil! What a fantastic idea. I had so much fun looking back and finding my first ever commenter to thank. In fact, through your blog I’ve been doing a lot of looking back at “Tamarika” a year ago etc. So, thank you to Neil for your blog and great ideas, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and Sophia!

  6. Alison

    I forget how to play. Can I just tell you who my first commenter was? It was Allan, back when I started my blog on *gasp* AOL.

  7. Neil

    Alison, and who was first on Allan’s? Don’t tell me it was YOU!

  8. Alison

    Neil, it was me. That’s his old blog, of course.

  9. Paperback Writer

    Happy Thanksgiving Neil. 🙂

    My first commenter? Mixi.

    🙂

  10. Becky

    Neil,
    What a great thing to give thanks for! and to get others to do so as well. Just genius.

    My post is up, with appropriate credit given to you!

    Have a marvelous holiday!

  11. Miriam

    Thanks for your comments, too. Neil. You’re a sweetie.

  12. DebR

    I love this idea, so I’m in. My shout out to my first commenter (and to you, Neil) can be found here.

  13. NSC

    Meil,

    First, thank you for your kind thoughts. I consider you a blogging friend as well, and I appreciate your putting up with my strong political views, especially since I know you don’t agree with most of them. It says a lot about you and it is all good. If we ever chance to meet I swear I will not say one thing about politics. I will, however, steal Sophia away for a while and we shall vent like good conservatives do.

    I re-read my first comment to you and I am kinda embarrassed by its tone. It seems so nasty now that I have gotten to know what kind of guy you are. I am making a note to myself to make better first impressions.

    Anyway, thanks again, and I wish you and Sophia the best of Thanksgivings.

  14. NSC

    Neil,

    I do realize your name is not Meil.

    Sorry, my friend – LOL

  15. Marilyn

    I don’t know how to link to a permalink in this comment, so I’ll just say that I think this is a great idea and my post about it is up. (It was fun to look back.) Happy Thanksgiving!

  16. Think Frustrated

    I did it. My post is here.

  17. deezee

    Not only can I thank my first commenter, Dweezila of No Place No Hide for her comment, I can thank her for being the one who insisted I start a blog.

    And if you’re never read her, check her out. Her writing is bold and courageous and infused with spirit.

    Thank you, Dweez…..

  18. Aletta C

    Well damn, my first (real) comment came a whole 13 months after I started blogging… Can I get a prize for Longest Blogging with no Real Readers, or something? And the dang post was about putting formula in mashed potatoes right after my daughter was born b/c I couldn’t get out of the house to get more milk.
    Enlightenment, I tell you!
    Happy Thanksgiving all…

  19. thephoenixnyc

    Hi Neil. My first commenter is stil one of my favorite bloggers. A certain Ms. Beelzebabe.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and Sophia.

  20. paintergirl

    I’ve posted mine on my site. It was my husband, who came out of lurking and I didn’t know it was him for a couple of months. Happy Thanksgiving!

  21. Edgy Mama

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    I’m thankful for ALL commenters!

  22. Nance

    Okay, Neil! My post is up, commenter thanked. Check it out.

  23. MARGARET

    Thank you Neil for being the first blogger to comment on my blog! I love you man..

  24. Neil

    Margaret — You mean I was your first?

  25. Churlita

    Hey Neil,

    As you know, I put up my post about my first commenter, but then Pos-Modern Sass thought we should give thanks to our first non-friend/relative commenter. I think I’ll save that for the third annual “Thank Your First Commenter” day.

  26. Mist 1

    Tess and tj…first commenters on my blogs. Where are they now?

  27. Jack

    Neil,

    This is a nice idea. Of course when I go back into the early archives I cringe at the posts I put up.

  28. Rhea

    I am just too lazy to go searching for that first comment. But I was sooooo grateful at the time!

  29. Jader

    Thank you Cherry of cherryride.blogspot.com!

  30. Neil

    Jack, next year I thank you. I think you were my next commenter.

  31. littlepurplecow

    Neil, I am thankful for your insane sense of your humor and the time you take to share it. In the spirit of thanks, you made my blogroll today. Happy Thanksgiving!

  32. Jack

    Woohoo! It is always good to have something to look forward to. Have a good holiday.

  33. Heather B.

    Ahh thank your first commenter day, is always a good one. If only my wireless wasn’t crapping out on me, then I’d write a post devoted to my first commenter.

  34. buzzgirl

    My first commenter was CornyMom. Never to be heard from again…

  35. mmariem3

    My first commenter whom I keep in touch with is Erica at Mopey Chick. Thanks Erica!

  36. Roonie

    Heeeeeeelarious. You’re right, the first comment from someone other than your best friend (who is obligated to read) is a momentous occasion. And you know what? I’m thankful that I found this blog, so that I could comment away on all posts from now through the future. Happy T-Giving to YOU!

  37. Dating Dummy

    Hey Neil, we’re certainly thankful for all the laughs this year! Have a great Thanksgiving – we still need to stop by LA and swing by for a visit.

  38. scott

    You know what. You’ve inspired me. I’m going to thank my first commenter:

    Thanks, COCKSURE® brand Penis Enlargement Herbal Remedy! Sure, you didn’t work, but you cared enough to comment on my first ever blog post. Forty-three times.

    Hello, Neil.

  39. psychomom

    Thank you mysterious foreign man.

    Thank you Neil, for the first email inquiring about my blog.

  40. Neil

    Scott — but at least you were intrigued enough to try it. Give and take. That is what relationships are all about, both on and offline.

  41. Janet

    I think thank your first commenter is a great idea. Unfortunately I can’t do this though as Haloscan doesnt save comments that far back. Bummer:(

  42. Minge

    David was the first to comment on my blog:

    http://fabulousminge.blogspot.com/2006/11/first-comment.html

  43. tiff

    Hmm, Erica from mopeychick was MY first commenter too….how very very odd. However, MMM3, because we are friends I will share her with you (and go update my post for today to include this accolade)!

  44. sarah

    Happy Thanksgiving! My first commenter was the one who introduced me to the concept of a blog (web log or web journal)…Tara at
    http://tara.elmadera.com/wordpress/

  45. claire

    Happy Thanksgiving, Neil and Sophia! I hope you have a great day tomorrow and thanks for being part of the blogosphere.

    On a side note, I can’t believe Sophia had never heard of Snoopy before. I always loved Joe Cool (though Snoopy’s alter egos would probably make even less sense if you tried to explain them).

  46. wendy

    I’m in…Mine is posted at my blog…Gobble Gobble…can someone come and do the dishes for me…after all I’m cooking tomorrow!! Come on…I’m Pooped!

  47. Pearl

    Neil, I think it’s supposed to be “And a Happy Thanksgiving to all my AMERICAN blogging friends.” We Canadians have the holiday in October… (but it’s a much bigger deal in the U.S., I think)

    Enjoy YOUR Thanksgiving.

  48. Postmodern Sass

    To make a short story long, I’ve identified and thanked my First Commenter. And several other people, including you, Neil.

  49. Two Roads

    Neil, I am thankful for having been exposed to your intellect, humor and thoughtfulness. Have a safe and happy thanksgiving.

  50. s@bd

    I was thankful six weeks ago.

    You go ahead and be thankful now. I’ll be right here waiting for you to come back from thankful-land.

  51. othurme

    If a talking penis doesn’t make your blog better than Dooce’s, Thank Your First Commenter Day should. Thanks Neil, you’re the best.

    In the spirit of this new found blog holdiday I would like to thank my first commenter, http://hamleeinnz.blogspot.com/ although yesterday when I was looking who my first commenter was, it was someone else, because apparently Blogger purges comments faster than I thought. At least I’ll get to thank someone different every year!

  52. Dagny

    Really easy. At my first individual blog, the first commenter was Gloria. I wouldn’t be blogging if it wasn’t for her. She roped me in as a contributor to another blog she had started. After a couple of months, I realized that I wanted a blog that was completely my own. When I changed blogs, last year she once more was the first to comment.

  53. communicatrix

    I am THANKFUL for Neil coming up with Thanksgiving blogging ideas. Thank you!

  54. Bev

    Thanks for a great idea. here is my thanks, including a nice link to you.

  55. Lynnster, yeah

    What sucks for me is all the years I had the site on AOL I didn’t have comments so that’s nearly a decade without comments. Tho I had a guestbook so I guess that counts, but that sucks too because the last one was actually the second guestbook, so I’m missing the first REAL guestbook entry.

    So here’s to my first actual REAL blog commenter, Carmi>, in January 2006, who congratulated me on finally getting my site out of the clutches of AOHell.

    As far as my old site guestbook, turns out *I* am the first signer there as I was testing. Unfortunately the next REAL signer, I can’t thank because it was my lifelong friend/slash/bane of my existence KC, who wrote that back in 1998 and who is no longer with us. So a little teary-eyed here for a moment, but it was nice, too, to see that that’s who my “first” there was. 🙂

  56. Otir

    I am arriving here a little too late (via Elisabeth’s blog) and I would have LOVED to participate especially that I had discovered your blog a long time ago, loved it, forgotten to bookmark or netvibe it and how it goes… time went by, never came back, which is a real shame on me (well, oops, wrong topic, this should go for a pre-yom-kippur-comment-day, shouldn’t it?)

    So here is my thanks to my first commenter: mimi in houston,tx who commented on March 7,2006 about the post describing deer crossing the roads, both in New York and Texas state as well as in France – see how all favorite themes of the current blog are covered by this wonderful first comment!

    I will definitely have to write a note to thank her now.

    But thank YOU Neil for your blog that I will now read more regularly I promise.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  57. Otir

    Here is the link to my ‘thank you’ post.

  58. Peanut

    I put my post up the other day!!! lol But just to say officially here.. my first commenter was Wendy..

    :o)

  59. Otir

    Thank you Neil for having corrected my horrible link encoding. I came back on the crime scene because I was feeling guilty, and now I am feeling relieved.

    What a great week-end!

  60. Jakob

    Geez, it’s easy to see that all the Americans are taking a holiday. So much time, so many comments.

    Thanks Neil. The fedExed turkey was just fine. I feel like you’re the native American and I’m the pilgrim that doesn’t know what to eat.

    Well shit, It’s obvious that you can eat a turkey.

    I hope you and Sophia and the rest of the bloggers will have a nice holiday.

  61. kapgar

    Well, mine was late, but better late than never, right?

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  63. Anna decosta

    Nice.. unfortunately, Blogger doesn’t require email addys for commenting, so I’m not able to do this.

    A great idea, though.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you both.

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