Let's Talk About Commenting
We twittered about this a few days ago, but we’d like to open it up for discussion: What can we do to improve the overall the quality of comments on the blog, to encourage lurkers to get involved without alienating some of the more active and, um, spirited commenters? We hear quite often from regular…
We twittered about this a few days ago, but we’d like to open it up for discussion: What can we do to improve the overall the quality of comments on the blog, to encourage lurkers to get involved without alienating some of the more active and, um, spirited commenters? We hear quite often from regular readers who feel uncomfortable, even intimidated, with the prospect of commenting. This isn’t surprising given the verbal beat-down one new commenter received from a gang of regulars a couple of weeks ago. Nor is the level of discussion going on in today’s Open Thread really where we’d like it to be. Short of active comment moderation, which really isn’t a practical option, what do you think we can/should do to elevate the quality of discussion and make newcomers feel more welcome? We’d be particularly interested to hear from some folks who usually hang back on the sidelines. It’s in the best interests of the blog and everyone who reads it to have as many people contributing their knowledge and opinions as possible.
Thanks,
Mr. B
Tesla Coil: It’s obvious that’s not your name, and equally obvious that you’re not making an attempt to engage in constructive dialogue. I rarely use these pages to call people asses, but I’m breaking my policy for you. There’s no reason to get rid of the OT; anyone who doesn’t like it, doesn’t have to read it. I don’t need a greek chorus (or any other ethnicity) rating whether my comments were useful or approved, or whether I’m an “innie” or an “outie.” I’ll continue to contribute where I can. That might be worth trying for anyone who’s opted out or ceased posting because of others. “Others” don’t rule your life or your decisions—you do. Doing the right thing is an available choice 100% of the time.
xander is absolutely right with the rating suggestion.
dkos.com and slashdot.org do it very successfully and those blogs attract some of the most opinionated loudmouths around. it definitely helps keeping threads somewhat civil.
it also helps a lot to actually show threads as threads – that way i can just ignore the endless banter that often goes on here, because i can skip the entire side-thread.
and yes, some of the regulars really are incredibly annoying losers – brownstoner can’t change that, but you could help other folks filtering out that noise.
“1. Take down the OT and certain “personalities” will all begin to congregate on other threads. So that idea is just palin stupid.”
I meant to type “plain stupid” but perhaps I’ve invented a new phrase for the urban dictionary: “palin stupid.”
1. Take down the OT and certain “personalities” will all begin to congregate on other threads. So that idea is just palin stupid.
2. If you’re annoyed that there are “personalities” on this site then try and grow one yourself.
3.Yes, Horror Show Friday is racist, classist and baiting. Change the name to “Is This In Context Friday?” But please don’t stop posting these POS houses for all to see what is becoming of development.
One thing that I don’t see anyone mention except within the “Last Weeks Biggest Sales” is that there should probably be a “Last Weeks Smallest Sales” as well.
For those of you upset with the “personalities” since some of them are now using our Sunday morning coffee time to post here, please refer to them in the future as “Losers.”
Just want everyone to know that “Tesla Coil” is not my real name. It’s a moniker that I plucked out of thin air, as this site doesn’t permit guest commenting. If anyone else would like to borrow the name “Tesla Coil”, drive it around the block a few times, post comments (absurd or profound) under it, have at it. This is a website after all, not real life. My sense of “identity” will not be threatened.
Benson, NOP – great points, as usual, and Brooklynista, you need to post more often, like in the old days. Your point of view is missed, plus you have a lot of info on renovation. Envy, envy!
Snappy, I agree with you except for one thing. If we go back to non registration, signing your name at the bottom of your post is meaningless. There is nothing to prevent someone, who shows up as “guest” in the log in space, like everyone else, to write any sort of trash that they want, and then sign your name to it. Who’s to know, the truth, except Mr. B, who will then spend his entire day deleting false posts, after getting irate emails from people who have had their identity “stolen”. Been there, done that, more often than I’d like to remember. I remember spending stupid time telling the rest of the blog, “MM at 4:15 was not me.”. Sometimes the troll would post things that everyone knew I wouldn’t say, but sometimes they would also post things I might say, and people wouldn’t know what to believe, and got really tired of me wasting blog space denying and defending myself, and then have the troll post and say my denial wasn’t me, which I’d deny, and it was absolutely absurd. The return of registration was a blessing. Even Mr. B’s identity was being co-opted, and posts he didn’t make were showing up before he could delete them.
I have no reason to think that it won’t just start up again, if registration is abolished. Some people live to cause trouble. I don’t understand it, but it exists. I see nothing wrong with registration. How can one not have 20 seconds extra time to log in?
“You become a personality on this thread”
EXACTLY. And that’s what I (and many other people) don’t like about this site. I don’t care about all these different personalities. Commenters’ “personalities” overwhelm almost every single thread. The site has become tedious to read–no matter what the topic.
I agree 100% with those who feel that discussions in general were more interesting and substantive in the pre-registration days. And so much more enjoyable. I say bring back anonymous/guest commenting for those who want to use it. This site never was and never will be like Curbed, so there’s no need to worry about that. Just my .02.
“I think it’s also important to point out that one can have a sense of responsibility without any handle at all, but simply in virtue of being a person, here, conversing with others!”
This remark redeemed the entire thread for me. Thanks.
I’ve been reading this site since the beginning. Commented as a guest at first, and when the registration requirement started i basically became a lurker for a while. I’ll admit I was intimidated by seeing the same names all over the place and feeling like I was crashing a private party. Eventually I realized there was nothing to be intimidated by and jumped in. Recently, I’ve pulled back – mostly because I’ve started to ask myself why I should bother getting myself worked up getting into arguments with people I don’t even know. SO I created a second name, and only wade in every now and then with one-off comments, but make sure to never get dragged into ongoing arguments or discussions.
That being said, I’ve been thinking about b’stoner now vs bstoner then. Fisrt of all, I remember thinking in the beginning that alot of the commenting was very harsh and just outright mean. In the end, I think registration was a good idea and definitely raised the level of discourse. THis is definitely one of the more polite forums on the web. The OP has also definitely helped in the regard.
Reading through all 200-something comments here it strikes me that my favorite commenter back in the day was babs. SHe was great and always had something useful to say. Nowadays she rarely pops up and thats a shame. She’s the kind of commenter you want to attract more of.
My favorite more recent commenter is 11217. I can’t think of another commenter who I agree with more than him (or her). I was kind of sad to read that he/she has also taken a commenting holiday. If you wanted to start a blog and only allow babs and 11217 to comment, I would be your biggest fan.