Reader comments on the website

[apeman33]

Our chain seems to be obsessed with the number of "clicks" it can generate, but I don't think they know what those clicks mean or how to use them. And they mistakenly think that comments equal more clicks because people will come back to the article and see if their comments are generating replies. I think most people who comment on stories "hit and run" — they just want to gripe and then they don't care after that.

"Clicks" would be great if our papers were actually doing a good job of selling advertising for the web site. But they aren't. When those people "click," they're much more likely to see a house ad than one for anything they might use.

Reader comments don't do a newspaper a bit of good. Ours is even so naive as to allow people to send comments directly to the managing editor anonymously — and you don't even have to register to do that. The sad thing is, we could reply to these comments with answers we think they would find satisfactory but we can't because we don't know who sent them.

 

[Fredrick]

The last 3 posts on here are great! I agree with all. So logical.

 

[sporting_guista]

Our chain seems to be obsessed with the number of "clicks" it can generate, but I don't think they know what those clicks mean or how to use them. And they mistakenly think that comments equal more clicks because people will come back to the article and see if their comments are generating replies. I think most people who comment on stories "hit and run" — they just want to gripe and then they don't care after that.

"Clicks" would be great if our papers were actually doing a good job of selling advertising for the web site. But they aren't. When those people "click," they're much more likely to see a house ad than one for anything they might use.

That's why the number of clicks really don't matter, it's quality clicks! If you collect info on your readership, carve up that info and sell those names and contact info to retailers who know--through that list--that they'll hit their target audience, you can make a relative fortune! Those lists are GOLD. Clicks are not.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

What happens to the price of your gold when your readers angrily let you know they don't appreciate you selling their contact info to merchants, especially those whose legitimacy you are unable to verify, and your customers are suddenly flooded with spam thanks to you because the lists of names and contact info keeps getting passed around?

Or did I miss the blue font?

 

[JakeandElwood]

Yeah, I don't see how selling personal information could possibly be a good idea here. That'll just **** people off.

 

[SF_Express]

Fredrick, you have some nuggets in some of your posts, but some of the rest and the delivery just basically leave me speechless, and that's where I'll leave it after saying, for the last time: The Internet isn't going away. Reader interactivity isn't going away. That's it. Period. End of story. So to continue on about this is just a lot of noise.

 

[Flash]

Fredrick, you have some nuggets in some of your posts, but some of the rest and the delivery just basically leave me speechless, and that's where I'll leave it after saying, for the last time: The Internet isn't going away. Reader interactivity isn't going away. That's it. Period. End of story. So to continue on about this is just a lot of noise.

Yes. And as far as 'click' go, there's ROI simply in the number. It's proof people are reading the stories online, which could -- by a smart salesperson -- be turned into a reason for a company to advertise on your site.

CBC.ca does a great job of this and gets the advertising revenue (not withstanding, the CBC is also a federally funded media organization and blah blah blah, but still).

 

[mike311gd]

Never liked the idea of anonymous comments. The lack of accountability usually leads to abuse and spoils it for everyone else. Most of the comments at my shop are from local u and state u fans bashing each other. Tends to get ugly - and personal - pretty quickly. Very rarely does anything positive come from any comments.

I understand this was said regarding the topic. But I love the irony. An anonymous poster says he doesn't like anonymous comments.

 

[Flash]

Never liked the idea of anonymous comments. The lack of accountability usually leads to abuse and spoils it for everyone else. Most of the comments at my shop are from local u and state u fans bashing each other. Tends to get ugly - and personal - pretty quickly. Very rarely does anything positive come from any comments.

I understand this was said regarding the topic. But I love the irony. An anonymous poster says he doesn't like anonymous comments.

Ain't it great? :D

 

[Fredrick]

I understand this was said regarding the topic. But I love the irony. An anonymous poster says he doesn't like anonymous comments.

SF Express I said long ago the battle is lost. I realize the Internet isn't going away. That doesn't mean newspapers have to cheapen themselves by allowing racist/sexist/mean/nasty reader comments that are anonymous. It truly makes newspaper employees seem the dredge of society IMO. Do you agree or disagree?

As far as me being an anonymous poster. If I had to sign up here and post under my last name to go with my first name I probably wouldn't sign up. So what the board would do just fine, most would say, better without Fredrick.

 

[mike311gd]

Never liked the idea of anonymous comments. The lack of accountability usually leads to abuse and spoils it for everyone else. Most of the comments at my shop are from local u and state u fans bashing each other. Tends to get ugly - and personal - pretty quickly. Very rarely does anything positive come from any comments.

I understand this was said regarding the topic. But I love the irony. An anonymous poster says he doesn't like anonymous comments.

Ain't it great? :D

I almost peed my pants a little.

 

[Flash]

Never liked the idea of anonymous comments. The lack of accountability usually leads to abuse and spoils it for everyone else. Most of the comments at my shop are from local u and state u fans bashing each other. Tends to get ugly - and personal - pretty quickly. Very rarely does anything positive come from any comments.

I understand this was said regarding the topic. But I love the irony. An anonymous poster says he doesn't like anonymous comments.

Ain't it great? :D

I almost peed my pants a little.

You should blog about that.

 

[mike311gd]

Never liked the idea of anonymous comments. The lack of accountability usually leads to abuse and spoils it for everyone else. Most of the comments at my shop are from local u and state u fans bashing each other. Tends to get ugly - and personal - pretty quickly. Very rarely does anything positive come from any comments.

I understand this was said regarding the topic. But I love the irony. An anonymous poster says he doesn't like anonymous comments.

Ain't it great? :D

I almost peed my pants a little.

You should blog about that.

Consider it done.

 

[sporting_guista]

What happens to the price of your gold when your readers angrily let you know they don't appreciate you selling their contact info to merchants, especially those whose legitimacy you are unable to verify, and your customers are suddenly flooded with spam thanks to you because the lists of names and contact info keeps getting passed around?

Or did I miss the blue font?

You spell it out in the privacy policy, you're covered. Caveat emptor

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

I'd wager a lot of people would provide throwaway addresses, then, or addresses they'll never check again after their registration is approved.

 

[sporting_guista]

I'd wager a lot of people would provide throwaway addresses, then, or addresses they'll never check again after their registration is approved.

You're right, but think about this shotgun style of marketing and selling. Why is spam so successful? The model is cheap; send out a million emails, if you get a 1% or 2% return that is converted into a sale, that's really not that bad considering the initial investment. Now granted, many spammers are hijacking computers to send spam, and there's no cost-per-email that a legit business would have to incur, but it does work.

 

[Flash]

http://tinyurl.com/85wec9

 

[SF_Express]

http://tinyurl.com/85wec9

Fredrick won't like it -- heck, maybe I don't like it, I just hope I'm a realist -- but that's the way it is and will continue to be, more and more.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

There is a huge gap between responsibly allowing reader comments and letting anonymous people have their say. Both ends of the spectrum involve diligence on the part of the paper/media outlet, and both come with their own headaches. If you're fine having your reputation go down the tubes, thus further losing the foothold you've spent decades and decades gaining with readers, be lax and lazy about it and call it a "dialog" because someone else says that's what it is.

 

[Flash]

Point is, Johnny, you're not just telling the readers the news anymore. The popularity of reader comments signals that they want to interact and they want to be heard.

How are you going to interact with them? Or will you just ignore them and drive them away?