The Core

Why We Are Here => Web Development => Topic started by: rcjordan on November 09, 2014, 02:53:12 PM

Title: The death of comment sections
Post by: rcjordan on November 09, 2014, 02:53:12 PM
Today, it makes much less sense to append to articles a poorly-moderated playground where readers can spout often bilious opinions on an organization's precious web property.

That's why many news organizations, from Popular Science to the Chicago Sun-Times have killed comment sections. And now Reuters becomes the latest and arguably the highest-profile news outlet to jump on the anti-comments bandwagon

http://pando.com/2014/11/07/reuters-kills-comment-sections-on-news-stories-should-you-too/
Title: Re: The death of comment sections
Post by: Brad on November 09, 2014, 03:04:58 PM
About time.  Wackos and trolls feed on the reaction of others. Don't give them a soapbox in the mainstream.
Title: Re: The death of comment sections
Post by: rcjordan on November 09, 2014, 03:30:28 PM
>Wackos and trolls

For news sites, I agree with nuking comments --no longer worth the effort to even scroll down.
Title: Re: The death of comment sections
Post by: BoL on November 09, 2014, 04:11:08 PM
i'd noticed that on NewScientist... their articles get hundreds of likes and shares but they shut down their comment section.

You can't 'trust' the comment section to give a true representation of what other people are thinking, I've seen a few examples where the pre-moderated posts that get approved are simply the backslapping kind that agree with the article.
Title: Re: The death of comment sections
Post by: rcjordan on November 09, 2014, 04:30:33 PM
>likes and shares

While I personally don't even notice those (like-blindness??) because I don't FB, I think that's a good --maybe even better-- substitute for comments for general-interest articles.  But we here know that for some types of sites, comments can be the best part.  App review sites would be a good example.
Title: Re: The death of comment sections
Post by: Drastic on November 09, 2014, 05:32:30 PM
Yeah sucks to lose places to drop urls.