Greensboro (North Carolina) News-Record Editor John Robinson and readers are wrestling the question of message board moderation in "The Silence of the Trolls."
The discussion illustrates the challenge: One reader complains that reader comments containing profanity have been allowed to stay on the site, while another says that to remove such comments would be a heavy-handed "hall monitor approach."
The positive thing happening here is that Robinson and the site's readers are discussing this problem and possible solutions. That kind of interaction is what makes readers feel a sense of ownership and empowerment. Sorry for the buzzwords, but, hey, that's the difference between static shovelware (another buzzword) news sites and those that are making an effort to connect with readers -- not just for the sake of connecting but for building a better online experience.
More on Comments and Message Boards.
http://CubReporters.org
website for college and early-career journalists has internship listings, job banks and interview tips.
please add a link
Posted by: mark | Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 11:42 AM