According to Mashable, popular gadget site Engadget has recently shut down comments. According to Engadget it’s a temporary measure but the blog took it because the “tone in comments has really gotten out of hand.”

As Mashable point out, John Gruber's blog has famously always shunned comments.

For me the whole point of blogging is the social side of it. I don't see it as a broadcast medium.

So what do others think...are comments really passée?

Should we rely solely on reactions on Twitter, Facebook etc to fill the comments void?