Zombie Future

sasquatchmedia:

Yet another newsroom is killing or re-thinking story commenting. Below are Damon Kiesow’s core recommendations to journalists. Simple, direct stuff if they wish to retain comments:

* The community does need to be managed, and moderators need to be present, visible and involved.

* A “real identity” mandate might seem like a solution, but requiring a ”persistent identity” connected to a verified e-mail account may be just as effective.

* Technology is our friend, and advanced moderation tools, such as blacklists and reputation ratings, are helpful

* Given the right tools and support, the community will often do a reasonable job moderating itself.

I’m glad people are beginning to rethink the utility of comments. I can’t wait until the internet finds its way out of this “everyone’s voice is important” idiocy.