I've been debating with myself for some time putting this up on my profile versus just doing it.  Being a bit impatient these days I'm going to try to articulate it as clearly as possible.

With my limited time on here, I tend to get a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stories.  I just can't get to it all.  Sometimes I try, and that doesn't go well.  Then I check out and stop coming on the site for a while.  That's not good either.

Here's my middle ground.  I read and comment upon at least one writing sample of each person who comments on my stuff.  It's selfish, I know, but I prefer to think of it as reciprocity.  Then, if I'm not swamped with work or other projects my next step is to read something by the other authors who have commented on the piece upon which I've just commented.  Then, if I still have time, I'll go find something random upon which to comment.

Is it clear where I'm going with this?  It's behavioral science really.  My idea is to reward what I consider "good" behavior, that is leaving comments.  On a small scale, if I do it, I don't feel so overwhelmed.  On a large scale, if this is the norm, think how much commenting in general would increase.  This means more feedback, more fine tuning of writing skills, and more productive use of the site's features and purpose.

Rant complete.