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Okay, gotcha. I think the registration requirement has hurt the site, but as Shrub would say, you are “the decider” 🙂
If you’re going to continue requiring registation, though, you might as well make the most of it. If some posters have gotten too hateful, disruptive, etc., you could always make their posts subject to moderation. My guess is that 95% of their posts would still make it onto the site, but moderation would probably be enough, all by itself, to make them think twice before clicking on “Post”.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to listen.
We definitely were NOT talking about removing the registration requirement. We’ll elaborate this week and solicit feedback.
Oh and also, please do continue to allow comments, Mr Brownstoner. No disrespect to your own fine work but they are one of the most entertaining and informative parts of the site, even if they do get cranky sometimes.
Right, I am off to get a life and drink some martinis (not in that order). Hope anyone that manages to read this is having a great weekend!
Just checked the original twitter comment. I am not sure what exactly was meant by ‘revisit the commenting policy’. Not clear whether Brownstoner means allowing anonymous comments again, removing comments altogether, or something in between.
I think the situation is fine just as it is. I cannot stand reading through millions of ‘guest’ comments on blogs. It is especially irritating to have to track back though lots of ‘1151am here’ ‘215pm here’ etc to follow what is going on. It forces posters to have some sense of responsibility, as they ‘own’ their comments more when they are identified by a name. Curbed anonmymous comments can be amusing but the debates on that site seem far less real to me than those here, largely because it allows ananymous comments. Choosing one’s own login name provides enough privacy in my opinion. Also, as many of us saw last Thursday night, having an identifiable online personality can help build connections and a sense of community in the real world.
Finally, “White and Proud in Crown Heights”, I think your own choice of login name is at best open to misinterpretation. At worst it seems flame-y and designed to promote the kind of unproductive heated trench wars that Brownstoner is keen to avoid.
Yes, my coworkers update me two or three times a day on what’s happening in the comments section of Curbed.
They used to talk about Brownstoner back in the day.
By “uptick in quality and style”, I didn’t mean to suggest that the site would be inundated with Hemingways. I do believe it would be a step up from where it is now, but I understand that’s not saying much.
I seriously doubt that removing the registration requirement is going to provide an “uptick in quality and style.”
Quite the opposite, really. It’s just adds more noise and less signal. Look at the comments on Curbed if you need an example.
Brownstoner I agree with your Twitter comment that it may be time to revisit your commenting policy. The comments on the site need fresh air and new life, and the only way you’re going to get that is by lifting the registration requirement. Opening up the comments in this way would give you a huge leg up on some of the ‘competition’ out there and return this excellent site to its glory days. Yes, I know you open the floodgates to a lot of aggravation when you get rid of registration, but it’s totally worth it for the uptick in quality and style.