What do you call who writes comments? Commenter or commentator?

Question

What should I call a person writing/adding comments (by pressing "add comment" link)? Commenter or commentator?

From a deleted answer, I understand that there are commentators (like those unilaterally commentating or closing questions) and commenters (those entering in discussion with others). Is it correct?

Isn't commenting by answering/questioning another commenter/answerer/questioner a live event? And what is the difference in these definitions between a commentator and an answerer?

Rohan Singh · Accepted Answer

Commenter, for sure, unless somebody is reporting on a live event. According to the Oxford American English Dictionary:

com·men·tate/ˈkämənˌtāt/
Verb: Report
on an event as it occurs, esp. for a
news or sports broadcast; provide a
commentary.

user3847 · Answer

I'm not keen on the choices offered. A commentator is one who gives on-the-scene reports of news events (whether recorded video or live tv). A person who writes comments (here, I believe we're talking about periodicals) is usually referred to as a 'columnist'. E.g., the UK Telegraph online has their columnists listed under the heading 'commentary'. It would never occur to me to call these writers commentators/commenters. They are columnists dispensing opinions.

Answered by user3847 on September 23, 2020

What do you call who writes comments? Commenter or commentator?

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