I’m sure I’m biased, but I think OTE commenters are at least two standard deviations above the norm in terms of substance, content, evidence, passion, and insight. (And yes, the bar is pretty low, as many comment sections–in other, lesser blogs–just reveal the worst about human nature.)
BUT, as I’ve often said, if the snark-to-mensch ratio gets too high, we won’t publish your comment.
What’s too high? I’d say above 40%. And no, beyond that, I won’t share my formula.
You might be at a sweet spot in comments, where you’ve got just enough comments such that you can get a cadre of interesting commentators, without drawing so many commentators that your blog becomes a target for trolls and spammers chasing eye-balls and attention.
I’m sure Jared would like it still a little sweeter. It’ll get there. People who count are at least lurking.