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from tfa: "I know some people think that blogs are conversations, but I don't. I think they're publications."

It's not about interesting conversations.

It's about on-topic replies to the author's post. IE people being able to read and comprehend a post before making a comment on it.

I also view blog posts much like publications, but the comments on a blog post are not part of the publication. Or, they don't have to be.

It's not clear to me what metric is being sought, if it's not interestingness.