Reader comments, part infinity

Here's a vision you can project:
http://tinyurl.com/yfgezvb

How do you think those '09 numbers will look?

 

Ours was similar to that a couple years ago, then we made a simple change which requires posters to reply from a confirmed e-mail address before their comment will appear.

Yes, out comments have lessened somewhat, but basically all we've lost are those crazy personal attacks that you delete anyway. A few still trickle in, but it's much fewer plus you have an e-mail to challenge the poster if you feel like it

 

Flex - Sounds like a great idea.

 

We get some advertising on our Web site. It's not revenue-producing though, and likely doesn't pay the nearly dozen Web site employees who seem to only work Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (you know, when all the news happens). But they do pat themselves on the back for all the "traffic" they get despite the fact that most of the comments attached to our stories read like the minutes of a Klan meeting. If that's the future of the news business, it's a sad, sad thing indeed.

 

Quick update - commenters had to start registering, starting this week. So far, the numbers are only down slightly, and the comments are a bit more civil, though strong opinions still abound (understandably).