It's not a new trend. I haven't allowed comments on my blog for years. I want people to post thoughtful responses on their own turf. If someones care enough, they can respond on their own blog.
But how does one find those follow up posts? I don't see any pingbacks on your blog either.
Its an interesting problem though, I actually find a lot of value in comments, especially when the topics aren't too sensational and the people aren't entrenched in their camps. I actually come to HackerNews and Reddit specifically for comments but not every story gets there.
