letter from the Editor
Question to NewWest.Net Readers: Required Registration For Comments?
By Courtney Lowery, 9-04-08
We’ve been thick in the discussion of how to offer readers and commenters a better experience when interacting on our site and have batted about the idea of requiring users to register to comment.
It’s not a move we take lightly, and it’s one we’ve actually tried to avoid for a long time. But because we continue to have issues with keeping a handle on the trolls, on spam, sock puppets and the other unsavory things that comment sections can attract, we’d like to give required registration a shot—but only if it won’t deter the meaningful comment threads we’ve been able to foster here.
So, tell us dear readers and commenters, how would you feel about having to register, or log in, to comment? (Keep in mind that once logged in, you won’t have to log back in unless you’ve logged out or are on another computer.)
Thoughts? Questions? Fire away.
[End of article]Yes. The First Amendment protects speech, even anonymous. Yet the simple fact remains that anonymous crank calls are not exactly approved of by polite society. If someone insults you, it's nice to know who it is, and why. I'm sure people appreciate it when I express my opinions without skulking about. As for my good buddies like Matt and Steve, while we never ever agree on any topic, and sling lots of ad-hominem scheiss, I have more respect for them than I do for, say, Pendejo.
And while I'm ranting about this, I must point at the Washington Post comments pages as a prime example of cloakery. It's not very productive dialogue. It deteriorates rather quickly...while one might recognize the pseudonym, there's no way to divine the context of the commenter.
I'm fine with registering to comment, and I think a verifiable email address ought to be required, too. I suspect the only commenters it will deter are the ones who contribute little of value to the discussion, anyway.
I had to google sock puppet. Cute.
It might have deterred me initially, but the site has established its quality and value, and I would be willing to do it now.
Registration by itself doesn't keep the garbage out, as the Idaho Statesman's comments illustrate so well. Absent or insufficient moderation can make things worse--only uncivil and combative participants will be interested in joining an uncivil and combative forum.
I thought we were logging into comment.
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