TheMediaBriefing: It’s tough below the line: the paradox of reader comments
For too many media organisations, for too long, community “strategy” has simply consisted of opening up comment forms underneath as much content as possible, and hoping for the best. It is no surprise that it doesn’t work.
I agree with a lot of the perspectives in this article. For many newspapers, allowing reader comments helps drive traffic but in many cases it doesn’t enhance a discussion when people in comments just yell at each other instead of listening to each other and building on each other’s comments. That would only work with more active community management which would likely become an expensive proposition for newsrooms and at the same time drive many of the readers away who come for a shouting match, not for a discussion.