Comments on: On comments to articles and community building http://citizenmediawatch.com/index.php/2006/12/20/on-comments-to-articles-and-community-building/ Keeping an eye on Tom, Dick and Harry being very creative Thu, 13 Jan 2011 07:46:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mathew Ingram http://citizenmediawatch.com/index.php/2006/12/20/on-comments-to-articles-and-community-building/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Mathew Ingram Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:13:55 +0000 http://citizenmediawatch.com/index.php/2006/12/20/on-comments-to-articles-and-community-building/#comment-10 Thanks for the link, Lotta -- I think you are right that having a presence in reader forums and comment areas does make a difference, and it's something I'm trying to encourage my newspaper (www.globeandmail.com) to do more of. Without that, I think readers get a feeling that no one cares or is listening to them, and there is more likelihood that someone will decide to get abusive. I like to compare it a host who invites people to a party, and then decides to leave. Things have a tendency to go downhill when that happens :-) Thanks for the link, Lotta — I think you are right that having a presence in reader forums and comment areas does make a difference, and it’s something I’m trying to encourage my newspaper (www.globeandmail.com) to do more of.

Without that, I think readers get a feeling that no one cares or is listening to them, and there is more likelihood that someone will decide to get abusive. I like to compare it a host who invites people to a party, and then decides to leave. Things have a tendency to go downhill when that happens :-)

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