Link: If you're not doing comments right, you shouldn't do them at all
The RGJ could do incredibly well reading this and at least taking a step or two toward trying to adhere to it. I think they violate the first two things he says and the third is probably happening. Those things make their site a total joke and make people not believe that comments in news can be useful when they should be a part of every story. I’d like nothing more than for commenters to be accountable for what they say, just like they are here and on other sites. If you say something here that makes no sense, is attacking of others, or whatever, then I will call you out. Authors of stories should do the same on their site.
Comments
That seems to be a plague that hits all the media sites. I notice Jake Tapper’s Political Punch is the same way. No matter what the political topic of his post is, the comments are almost always a bunch of extremist idiots arguing Bush vs. Obama amongst themselves. Now that I think about it, I think Freakonomics is about the only blog where I read and enjoy the comments. But their demographic isn’t the average.
As for the RGJ, since they did their last redesign, or maybe it was two or so ago, I really quit going over there. It is so jammed with ads and pop-ups it’s almost impossible to find anything, well, except for some bimbo on metromix always being above the fold. If this is their future they are in even bigger trouble than they think.
I wonder if the part of reporters not participating on their own stories is more a case of they’re either too busy, don’t care because they feel it’s beneath them, don’t care because Gannett is squeezing them or the commenters are such rabid morons they don’t want to get involved. It would be interesting to know.
I know back when I was on a paper I would have loved to have seen the feedback, just to know someone was actually reading it and cared. But, if it was a bunch of the same idiots calling me or themselves names I’d probably eventually take a pass too.
May 5, 06:15 PM
Don Vetter wrote:
Great link and great comment…I think the UNR/Groth/ Press conference/gun on the sidewalk epic was a good example of Murray and Hinxman participating in the “community forum” but I think they didn’t go far enough…papers have to get this right or else the sliver of relevance they still have will disappear — just like revenues.
DV
May 9, 10:14 PM
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