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Started 1 year ago by drew
Latest reply from myliftkk

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drew

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I think this is a brilliant idea, and one that the Dispatch should jump on:

How about this for a paywall twist.... a US newspaper publisher has decided to charge users a fee for posting comments on its newspaper website.

From tomorrow, the Sun Chronicle, a Massachusetts paper, will charge would-be commenters a nominal one-off fee of 99 cents. But it has to be paid by credit card, which means providing a real name and address.

And the name on the credit card will be the name that will appear on comments. So it's goodbye to anonymity.

At the same time, the poster must acknowledge that he/she will abide by US state and federal law and agree to be legally responsible for any content he/she posts.

More here

Posted 1 year ago #
kellisc
Italian Village
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Hmm.. just another step in regulating the internet.

Posted 1 year ago #
cc

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CU would become a free 'comments aggregator' for the Dispatch. I would miss this place. :(

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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kellisc wrote >>
Hmm.. just another step in regulating the internet.

That makes less than zero sense.

A private entity who pays the bills can regulate the terms of access however they want. You are *not* entitled to the use of their servers.

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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kellisc wrote >>
Hmm.. just another step in regulating the internet.

Anyone can regulate their little piece of pixelturf as they see fit. That has nothing to do with 'regulating the internet'. This site does not go unmoderated, y'know...

cc wrote >>
Do you really want those people* moving over to CU to post for free? It would add a painful twist to 'news aggregator' - ie 'comments aggregator'.
*if you have read the comments section of the dispatch you will understand what I am saying.

This... this is a bit unnerving...

Posted 1 year ago #
kellisc
Italian Village
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Andrew Hall wrote >>

kellisc wrote >>
Hmm.. just another step in regulating the internet.

That makes less than zero sense.
A private entity who pays the bills can regulate the terms of access however they want. You are *not* entitled to the use of their servers.
A.

Your right, it doesn't make sense... meh.

Posted 1 year ago #
Talcott
Clintonville
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I'm a bit torn on the idea. I like the pay-wall to post plan. That should be enough of a hurdle to keep away the loudest/stupidest voices on the comments section. I even think that if the discussion became valuable, they could charge a good bit more than a one-time $.99. It makes a lot more sense than setting up a general paywall, and could eventually become an actual revenue stream.

That said, I think there's value in allowing semi-anonymous comments. They'll have the CC info and could still ban someone if they got out of hand (and it would be a more effective ban than just blocking a username/IP address), but knowing that current and future employers could find it all in a simple google search could stifle debate, especially in articles about contentious political issues. If someone is posting the kind of awfulness that is the current Dispatch comment section, then that would be worth holding against them, but there's a legitimate fear that employers (or others) would also hold reasonable, but opposing, political views against an employee.

Of course, I say this as someone posting with his real first name, who uses his full name all over the internet. I just think it's important that it's my choice to use my name, not required by the site. It's not that it's a matter of regulation or an infringement on free speech, but I just don't think it's the best way to foster open conversation.

Posted 1 year ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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While I would be afeared for CU, I think the Dispatch should jump on something like this with both feet. They need additional revenue streams, and they really need to have more control over what is said within their space. It's a win.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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Talcott wrote >>
That said, I think there's value in allowing semi-anonymous comments. They'll have the CC info and could still ban someone if they got out of hand (and it would be a more effective ban than just blocking a username/IP address), but knowing that current and future employers could find it all in a simple google search could stifle debate, especially in articles about contentious political issues. If someone is posting the kind of awfulness that is the current Dispatch comment section, then that would be worth holding against them, but there's a legitimate fear that employers (or others) would also hold reasonable, but opposing, political views against an employee.

Aren't there plenty of places to post anonymously or semi-anonymously on line?

I guess, to me, it'd elevate the seriousness of the conversation at a venue that should strive for exactly that. Really, the requirements are no different than for a letter to the editor, except that the barriers to being published are much lower and you're out a buck. The possible consequences you mention are exactly the same as in the LTE scenario.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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CU has always been moderated for vulgar/offensive/trolling comments, and those are removed and users get blocked/banned. If we did see any sort of surge in that activity, we'd continue to moderate by the same standards. I don't think this would become an issue here either way.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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I'd also like to suggest that if pay-to-comment idea were implemented, then it could potentially serve to improve the quality of the Dispatch's writing. If mediocre writers were regularly upstaged by more insightful commenters (who weren't drowned out by the massive quantities of inanity seen currently...), I'd guess (hope!) the writers would feel some motivation to step up their game.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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A CC would not prevent posting anonymously.

Step 1: Buy visa gift card with cash.
Step 2: Register gift card with address of 1060 West Addison, Chicago, IL.
Step 3: Post as Elwood Blues.

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
How Do I Delete My Account
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You'd have to really want to comment to pay for it.

Me thinks it would kill the majority of commenting (not a bad thing, yeehaw!)

Posted 1 year ago #
matzerrose

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There have been recent court decisions holding people responsible for "damaging" businesses because of their online comments. That's kind of shocked me, since I always figured that things like product reviews were opinion and protected speech. My guess is that publications are looking to protect themselves somewhat.
I should add that I'm not aware that the Dispatch is considering this specific thing, though I wouldn't necessarily be in on such plans.

Posted 1 year ago #
melikecheese
Merion Village
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I think this is being done more for the tracking and real name and address collection and not to earn a profit. The paper is not going to earn much at all after a 99 cent CC charge, if anything.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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matzerrose wrote >>
There have been recent court decisions holding people responsible for "damaging" businesses because of their online comments. That's kind of shocked me, since I always figured that things like product reviews were opinion and protected speech. My guess is that publications are looking to protect themselves somewhat.

Are those decisions more along the lines of one competitor slandering the other... essentially defamation?

Are they holding the comment forum itself liable?

Posted 1 year ago #
matzerrose

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Drew,
No, my recollection is that the suits were against individuals accused of slandering a company with negative reviews. I don't know that they've held the forum liable, but even if that isn't the case, it certainly could be a liability for a hosting site.

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
How Do I Delete My Account
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I like the Count Chocula avatar. I think everyone should use a cereal as their avatar for a while, ready? GO!

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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melikecheese wrote >>
I think this is being done more for the tracking and real name and address collection and not to earn a profit. The paper is not going to earn much at all after a 99 cent CC charge, if anything.

It's not a money earner, but I think it's less about address collection than about taming the unruly comments section.

I wouldn't be opposed to a $1/comment set up. I'm sure it'd be controversial, though.

Posted 1 year ago #
joev
Merion Village
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As a revenue generator for a newspaper - it's a great idea. As a way to prevent jerks from taking over a comment section - it's a great idea. Maybe 2 cents a comment?

Posted 1 year ago #