Comments on: Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comments http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/ A collaborative effort to figure out the future of journalism. A project of Harvard University. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:39:00 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Anonymous http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-286963 Anonymous Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:32:00 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-286963 Technorati will give you a short code which you need to place in a new blog post. After that...it's a waiting game. Technorati will inform you, via email, whether or not your blog has been verified.  Technorati
will give you a short code which you need to place in a new blog post. After
that…it’s a waiting game. Technorati will inform you, via email, whether or
not your blog has been verified. 

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-286937 Anonymous Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:56:00 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-286937 Yea gawkers commenting system is just even more broken now.  When you setup barriers like that you only get the die hards or no lifers to comment, who in their right mind would waste their time "auditioning" with invisible comments trying to curry favor until someone agrees with you enough to promote you into visibility.  It is like some sick one state party system where you have to show your ideological credentials and loyalty before you are accepted as a fellow comrade.  Essentially what gawker has done is turn the comment system into one policed by a sick little clique of no lifers.  They will enforce opinion and it does show, as for the female centric sites, I'm sure you will see very little disagreement anymore in the comment section, which is strange because the feminist gawker type sites are actually link bait tabloid feminism which take every opportunity to take the most outrageous stance on anything possible to generate traffic. Just that now they will have to generate that traffic without any honest responses to their posts.. As fred below has said, this system weeds out people who just won't waste their time on such nonsense, so the idea that it filters for quality posts is a nonsense, it filters out a whole lot of quality posts from the first pass. Yea gawkers commenting system is just even more broken now.  When you setup barriers like that you only get the die hards or no lifers to comment, who in their right mind would waste their time “auditioning” with invisible comments trying to curry favor until someone agrees with you enough to promote you into visibility.  It is like some sick one state party system where you have to show your ideological credentials and loyalty before you are accepted as a fellow comrade.  Essentially what gawker has done is turn the comment system into one policed by a sick little clique of no lifers.  They will enforce opinion and it does show, as for the female centric sites, I’m sure you will see very little disagreement anymore in the comment section, which is strange because the feminist gawker type sites are actually link bait tabloid feminism which take every opportunity to take the most outrageous stance on anything possible to generate traffic. Just that now they will have to generate that traffic without any honest responses to their posts..

As fred below has said, this system weeds out people who just won’t waste their time on such nonsense, so the idea that it filters for quality posts is a nonsense, it filters out a whole lot of quality posts from the first pass.

]]> By: Joshua Benton http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-286909 Joshua Benton Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:01:00 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-286909 Hey Ellie: You can see author stats and other useful numbers on each Gawker Media site. All you have to do is add /stats to the end of the URL. So gawker.com/stats, gizmodo.com/stats, deadspin.com/stats, etc. For the overall traffic numbers for the site, follow the Quantcast link at the top of one of those pages. Hey Ellie: You can see author stats and other useful numbers on each Gawker Media site. All you have to do is add /stats to the end of the URL. So gawker.com/stats, gizmodo.com/stats, deadspin.com/stats, etc.

For the overall traffic numbers for the site, follow the Quantcast link at the top of one of those pages.

]]> By: Ellie K http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-286908 Ellie K Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:04:00 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-286908 Hello @jbenton:disqus ! My apologies for asking so long after the fact, but might you re-post that link to the page view data for Gawker Media sites, referenced in your comment? Nick Denton dot org no longer exists: It now redirects to a fancy Facebook page.  I found this article while surreptitiously browsing the bookmark libraries of CiteULike users  (academic citation-type social bookmarking site) of all places! I've never seen anything other than peer-reviewed publications there, so it was kind of a surprise. I am a mild fan of Gawker... no, an  enthusiastic fan. I enjoyed reading your post, very much! It was thought provoking, given my fascination with spam and detection methods as both a web-dweller and a statistician. I'm asking you to do something for me, so I'll offer something (minimal as it is, but best I can do for now) in return. As a Gawker comments reader, you may find their recently overhauled approach of interest. I did! Here's a sample:   http://gawker.com/5856588/this-week-in-commenter-executions-who-is-it-gonna-be  from Nov. 2011. Thanks for considering my request. Hello @jbenton:disqus ! My apologies for asking so long after the fact, but might you re-post that link to the page view data for Gawker Media sites, referenced in your comment? Nick Denton dot org no longer exists: It now redirects to a fancy Facebook page. 

I found this article while surreptitiously browsing the bookmark libraries of CiteULike users  (academic citation-type social bookmarking site) of all places! I’ve never seen anything other than peer-reviewed publications there, so it was kind of a surprise. I am a mild fan of Gawker… no, an  enthusiastic fan. I enjoyed reading your post, very much! It was thought provoking, given my fascination with spam and detection methods as both a web-dweller and a statistician.

I’m asking you to do something for me, so I’ll offer something (minimal as it is, but best I can do for now) in return. As a Gawker comments reader, you may find their recently overhauled approach of interest. I did! Here’s a sample:   http://gawker.com/5856588/this-week-in-commenter-executions-who-is-it-gonna-be  from Nov. 2011. Thanks for considering my request.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-283120 Anonymous Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:28:00 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-283120 Gawker wants readers to follow them on Twitter or Facebook. But they've failed my audition. Gawker wants readers to follow them on Twitter or Facebook. But they’ve failed my audition.

]]> By: By giving commenters trust, Gawker did the right thing | Ernst-Jan Pfauth http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-282126 By giving commenters trust, Gawker did the right thing | Ernst-Jan Pfauth Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:20:10 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-282126 [...] July 2009. Click for a larger version So hiding comments leads to better and more comments? Maybe. When having a discussion, it helps that between you and your opponent’s comments the [...] [...] July 2009. Click for a larger version So hiding comments leads to better and more comments? Maybe. When having a discussion, it helps that between you and your opponent’s comments the [...]

]]> By: Trabajo medio tiempo http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-275005 Trabajo medio tiempo Sun, 08 May 2011 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-275005 This is a very interesting point of view. <a href="http://trabajo-de-medio-tiempo.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Trabajo de medio tiempo</a> This is a very interesting point of view.

Trabajo de medio tiempo

]]> By: Gawker Media’s redesign: What’s it mean for the future of news sites? Pt. 1 « Alex Reports http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-262940 Gawker Media’s redesign: What’s it mean for the future of news sites? Pt. 1 « Alex Reports Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:19:35 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-262940 [...] But Nick Denton, owner of the Gawker blogging universe, has been a pioneer of profiting from blogs, and he’s done a lot of innovative things over the past five years that has made his company lotsa money. He used to spur his writers to compete for pageviews through a leaderboard, increasing the advertising value of his website.  And the Gawker Media line of blogs has been one of the primary leaders in cultivating an online commenting community. [...] [...] But Nick Denton, owner of the Gawker blogging universe, has been a pioneer of profiting from blogs, and he’s done a lot of innovative things over the past five years that has made his company lotsa money. He used to spur his writers to compete for pageviews through a leaderboard, increasing the advertising value of his website.  And the Gawker Media line of blogs has been one of the primary leaders in cultivating an online commenting community. [...]

]]> By: Catalysts: The Globe and Mail’s community brain trust » Nieman Journalism Lab http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-205350 Catalysts: The Globe and Mail’s community brain trust » Nieman Journalism Lab Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:15:51 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-205350 [...] of the news organizations that employ a select group of users to do their comment-moderation: investment leads to accountability leads to higher quality. (And to add a bit of incentive, the paper has been picking a particularly punchy quote from a user [...] [...] of the news organizations that employ a select group of users to do their comment-moderation: investment leads to accountability leads to higher quality. (And to add a bit of incentive, the paper has been picking a particularly punchy quote from a user [...]

]]> By: Evolution of comments needed http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-180597 Evolution of comments needed Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:56:59 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-180597 [...] the Nieman Lab has written about Gawker’s ‘tough love’, what they refer to as a tiered commenting system, introdcued in mid-2009. It initially led to a drop-off in comments, but now growth has increased and at a faster rate than [...] [...] the Nieman Lab has written about Gawker’s ‘tough love’, what they refer to as a tiered commenting system, introdcued in mid-2009. It initially led to a drop-off in comments, but now growth has increased and at a faster rate than [...]

]]> By: More growth for Gawker comments, and more power to elite commenters » Nieman Journalism Lab http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-165366 More growth for Gawker comments, and more power to elite commenters » Nieman Journalism Lab Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:04:31 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-165366 [...] written before about the commenting system at Gawker Media’s family of sites, which for my money [...] [...] written before about the commenting system at Gawker Media’s family of sites, which for my money [...]

]]> By: Community Engagement, Best Practices: How to make your comments section feel more like Cheers and less like a bar fight « Sarah Fidelibus http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-135501 Community Engagement, Best Practices: How to make your comments section feel more like Cheers and less like a bar fight « Sarah Fidelibus Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:25:56 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-135501 [...] Of course, comment moderation can be an all-day job if you are running a high-traffic, high-participation site.  The human factor can still be at work, though, if one gets one’s readers involved.  When Gawker began using a “promoted comments” system, in which readers could “promote” comments they liked and help “hide” the ones they didn’t, the site found that comments as a whole improved in quality. [...] [...] Of course, comment moderation can be an all-day job if you are running a high-traffic, high-participation site.  The human factor can still be at work, though, if one gets one’s readers involved.  When Gawker began using a “promoted comments” system, in which readers could “promote” comments they liked and help “hide” the ones they didn’t, the site found that comments as a whole improved in quality. [...]

]]> By: More, better website comments? « Jason Kandel http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-132107 More, better website comments? « Jason Kandel Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:09:51 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-132107 [...] via niemanlab.org var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="More, better website comments?"; a2a_config.linkurl="http://www.jasonkandel.com/2010/06/27/more-better-website-comments/"; a2a_color_main="D7E5ED";a2a_color_border="AECADB";a2a_color_link_text="333333";a2a_color_link_text_hover="333333"; [...] [...] via niemanlab.org var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="More, better website comments?"; a2a_config.linkurl="http://www.jasonkandel.com/2010/06/27/more-better-website-comments/"; a2a_color_main="D7E5ED";a2a_color_border="AECADB";a2a_color_link_text="333333";a2a_color_link_text_hover="333333"; [...]

]]> By: Rob http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-131107 Rob Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:08:03 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-131107 The majority of the Gawker's trusted commentators are overwhelming leftist or liberal, depending on their POVs. Either they won't promote comments that are of conservative leaning or allow their fellow leftist/liberal commentators to attack conservative or right-leaning commentators for all to see. It's almost the same as Big (Breitbart) sites, only in reverse but surprisingly, conservative/right-leaning commentators are more tolerant of leftist/liberal commentators there. Gawker's "trusted" commentators are more intolerant of anything that doesn't conform or reinforce their POVs. I prefer the Big's IntenseDebate commenting system over the Gawker commenting system because ID system allows people to thumb up or down comments. No need to hide disagreeable comments, except for inappropriate or offensive comments (which get deleted). And disagreeable comments invite spirited debates at the Big sites. Not so much at the Gawker sites. The majority of the Gawker’s trusted commentators are overwhelming leftist or liberal, depending on their POVs. Either they won’t promote comments that are of conservative leaning or allow their fellow leftist/liberal commentators to attack conservative or right-leaning commentators for all to see. It’s almost the same as Big (Breitbart) sites, only in reverse but surprisingly, conservative/right-leaning commentators are more tolerant of leftist/liberal commentators there. Gawker’s “trusted” commentators are more intolerant of anything that doesn’t conform or reinforce their POVs.

I prefer the Big’s IntenseDebate commenting system over the Gawker commenting system because ID system allows people to thumb up or down comments. No need to hide disagreeable comments, except for inappropriate or offensive comments (which get deleted). And disagreeable comments invite spirited debates at the Big sites. Not so much at the Gawker sites.

]]> By: Rolling Stone’s late start on McChrystal costs it comments » Nieman Journalism Lab http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-130850 Rolling Stone’s late start on McChrystal costs it comments » Nieman Journalism Lab Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:01:59 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-130850 [...] comment quantity isn’t the only thing that contributes to community. Gawker Media recently changed its policy, introducing a tiered system that made it harder for comments to be seen that, ironically, seems to [...] [...] comment quantity isn’t the only thing that contributes to community. Gawker Media recently changed its policy, introducing a tiered system that made it harder for comments to be seen that, ironically, seems to [...]

]]> By: Internet Strategy for News Organisations » Session 4: Social Software http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-126827 Internet Strategy for News Organisations » Session 4: Social Software Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:30:54 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-126827 [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment..., Joshua Benton, Nieman Journalism Lab [...] [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment…, Joshua Benton, Nieman Journalism Lab [...]

]]> By: OutofNets » Blog Archive » dd http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-126525 OutofNets » Blog Archive » dd Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:44:58 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-126525 [...] system is working well so far. Commenter volume dropped initially but then doubled in 9 months and anecdotal evidence suggests the quality of commenting has changed for the [...] [...] system is working well so far. Commenter volume dropped initially but then doubled in 9 months and anecdotal evidence suggests the quality of commenting has changed for the [...]

]]> By: This Week in Review: News talk and tips at ASNE, iPad’s ‘walled garden,’ and news execs look for revenue | Mark Coddington http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-119172 This Week in Review: News talk and tips at ASNE, iPad’s ‘walled garden,’ and news execs look for revenue | Mark Coddington Mon, 31 May 2010 03:02:34 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-119172 [...] than wondering what the heck’s the problem with those crazy commenters. And here at The Lab, Joshua Benton found that when the blogging empire Gawker made its comments a tiered system, their quality and quantity [...] [...] than wondering what the heck’s the problem with those crazy commenters. And here at The Lab, Joshua Benton found that when the blogging empire Gawker made its comments a tiered system, their quality and quantity [...]

]]> By: How should news sites deal with comments? | Spark | CBC Radio http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-115844 How should news sites deal with comments? | Spark | CBC Radio Thu, 20 May 2010 19:47:31 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-115844 [...] For example, Gawker Media implemented a tiered commenting system last year. At first, they saw a big drop in comments but it has since doubled. Making it harder for people to comment, it seems, makes people want to comment [...] [...] For example, Gawker Media implemented a tiered commenting system last year. At first, they saw a big drop in comments but it has since doubled. Making it harder for people to comment, it seems, makes people want to comment [...]

]]> By: A case for better comments « http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-115824 A case for better comments « Thu, 20 May 2010 18:34:38 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-115824 [...] a system where readers and moderators can rate the value of specific comments. Push those contributions to the top of page, and allow commenters to work their way to [...] [...] a system where readers and moderators can rate the value of specific comments. Push those contributions to the top of page, and allow commenters to work their way to [...]

]]> By: An answer for online anonymity « Engage: McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-115561 An answer for online anonymity « Engage: McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations Wed, 19 May 2010 20:49:53 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-115561 [...] the ability to rate individual comments, and then sorting comments according to those ratings, can encourage respectful and open discussion. Hopefully it can quiet a lot of ugliness and hostility, too. Posted by Rob Robinson [...] [...] the ability to rate individual comments, and then sorting comments according to those ratings, can encourage respectful and open discussion. Hopefully it can quiet a lot of ugliness and hostility, too. Posted by Rob Robinson [...]

]]> By: Trust, But Verify: TidBITS Commenting System Succeeds « MacPadd.com http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-115078 Trust, But Verify: TidBITS Commenting System Succeeds « MacPadd.com Tue, 18 May 2010 07:00:04 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-115078 [...] of that trend, too, enabling people to use a single identity to comment across multiple sites. And a change at Gawker Media blogs that instituted a stricter commenting system caused a quick drop in comments but ended up [...] [...] of that trend, too, enabling people to use a single identity to comment across multiple sites. And a change at Gawker Media blogs that instituted a stricter commenting system caused a quick drop in comments but ended up [...]

]]> By: Gizmodo Made the ‘Next iPhone’ a Great Story | Joe Wilcox http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-111825 Gizmodo Made the ‘Next iPhone’ a Great Story | Joe Wilcox Mon, 10 May 2010 23:46:27 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-111825 [...] judgment navigating Gawker properties through the worst of the economic downurn. Many actions, like putting limits on how readers comment, were counterintuitive but absolutely [...] [...] judgment navigating Gawker properties through the worst of the economic downurn. Many actions, like putting limits on how readers comment, were counterintuitive but absolutely [...]

]]> By: John Doe http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-103583 John Doe Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:10:58 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-103583 Joshua Benton or Anybody: I am sure the Gawker family have a core user they target for ad purposes. My question, has the new commenting system improved that core audience whether they spend more time on the page, or clicking on ads, or attracting more users of that type, etc? John Doe Joshua Benton or Anybody:

I am sure the Gawker family have a core user they target for ad purposes. My question, has the new commenting system improved that core audience whether they spend more time on the page, or clicking on ads, or attracting more users of that type, etc?

John Doe

]]> By: Pigsaw Blog » Blog Archive » Bookmarks for 19 Apr 2010 http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-102935 Pigsaw Blog » Blog Archive » Bookmarks for 19 Apr 2010 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:04:16 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-102935 [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment..."That chart is, for news organizations seeking to tame their commenters, perhaps the best evidence yet that adding a few obstacles for those seeking the leave their mark on a web page can actually lead to more comments. And better ones, too. [...] In essence, Gawker’s “class system” means unknown commenters get stuck behind a “show all discussions” link few users will click. What most readers will see are only the musings of trusted commenters and the few comments from the riff-raff that either Gawker staff or trusted commenters have decided to promote — the “featured discussions.”" (gawker community blogs ) [...] [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment…"That chart is, for news organizations seeking to tame their commenters, perhaps the best evidence yet that adding a few obstacles for those seeking the leave their mark on a web page can actually lead to more comments. And better ones, too. [...] In essence, Gawker’s “class system” means unknown commenters get stuck behind a “show all discussions” link few users will click. What most readers will see are only the musings of trusted commenters and the few comments from the riff-raff that either Gawker staff or trusted commenters have decided to promote — the “featured discussions.”" (gawker community blogs ) [...]

]]> By: Läsvärt – vecka 15 2010 | bryggare.nu http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-102828 Läsvärt – vecka 15 2010 | bryggare.nu Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:24:23 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-102828 [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment... - Högre krav leder till bättre kvalitet på kommentarerna och diskussionerna. Anonymiteten på nätet behövs ibland men alltför ofta leder det till till en massa nonsensbrus, okvädningsord och personliga påhopp som inte på något sätt adderar värde. (via @SBoSM) [...] [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment… – Högre krav leder till bättre kvalitet på kommentarerna och diskussionerna. Anonymiteten på nätet behövs ibland men alltför ofta leder det till till en massa nonsensbrus, okvädningsord och personliga påhopp som inte på något sätt adderar värde. (via @SBoSM) [...]

]]> By: Success in Vegas and NPR in coffee shops - James Cridland http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-102248 Success in Vegas and NPR in coffee shops - James Cridland Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:02:31 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-102248 [...] posted under a secret username. Turns out that Gawker has been doing something different: simply hiding comments from untrusted people on their blogs. While they’re a click away (“see more comments”), it works quite [...] [...] posted under a secret username. Turns out that Gawker has been doing something different: simply hiding comments from untrusted people on their blogs. While they’re a click away (“see more comments”), it works quite [...]

]]> By: links for 2010-04-17 http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-101849 links for 2010-04-17 Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:04:29 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-101849 [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment... Kevin: Joshua Benton looks at the impact of a new, stricter commenting system on Gawker Media, the blogs empire run by Nick Denton. Trusted commenters got preferred access to the site, and while that caused an initial dip in commenting, it's now leading to an increase in comment at a higher rate than before. (tags: 2010 analytics blogs commenting moderation conversation culture engagement journalism socialmedia gawker) [...] [...] Tough love: Gawker finds making it harder for comments to be seen leads to more (and better) comment… Kevin: Joshua Benton looks at the impact of a new, stricter commenting system on Gawker Media, the blogs empire run by Nick Denton. Trusted commenters got preferred access to the site, and while that caused an initial dip in commenting, it's now leading to an increase in comment at a higher rate than before. (tags: 2010 analytics blogs commenting moderation conversation culture engagement journalism socialmedia gawker) [...]

]]> By: Sal http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-101577 Sal Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:29:33 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-101577 Kathy was on the right track by requesting more data. Although the subjective quality of user comments and the number of comments have both increased since their system change, you need to realize that the perceived uptick in quality is based on those comments that have been "promoted" and easily viewed. There is nowhere near enough basis to conclude that the TOTAL number of quality comments/commenters has increased. As you mentioned, very many comments - by the "unapproved" masses - are hidden behind an extra click. Many more comments are replies, which are also initially hidden by the Gawker system. This leads to a vast number of redundant comments & replies as can be easily be verified by making that extra click. I've seen enough authors of approved or promoted comments actually edit their comment to discourage further answers/replies because they're all the same. This is not a picture of a system that works as well as it's being advertised. Since I am a regular reader of some of the Gawker sites, including unapproved comments, I'd actually argue that the system works well to highlight quality posts (assuming you like snarky one-liners) or longtime contributors, but increases the TOTAL number of comments only by causing a huge number of redundant, and therefore non-quality posts. Kathy was on the right track by requesting more data. Although the subjective quality of user comments and the number of comments have both increased since their system change, you need to realize that the perceived uptick in quality is based on those comments that have been “promoted” and easily viewed. There is nowhere near enough basis to conclude that the TOTAL number of quality comments/commenters has increased.

As you mentioned, very many comments – by the “unapproved” masses – are hidden behind an extra click. Many more comments are replies, which are also initially hidden by the Gawker system. This leads to a vast number of redundant comments & replies as can be easily be verified by making that extra click. I’ve seen enough authors of approved or promoted comments actually edit their comment to discourage further answers/replies because they’re all the same. This is not a picture of a system that works as well as it’s being advertised.

Since I am a regular reader of some of the Gawker sites, including unapproved comments, I’d actually argue that the system works well to highlight quality posts (assuming you like snarky one-liners) or longtime contributors, but increases the TOTAL number of comments only by causing a huge number of redundant, and therefore non-quality posts.

]]> By: This Week in Review: News talk and tips at ASNE, iPad’s ‘walled garden,’ and news execs look for revenue » Nieman Journalism Lab http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/tough-love-gawker-finds-making-it-harder-for-comments-to-be-seen-leads-to-more-and-better-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-101313 This Week in Review: News talk and tips at ASNE, iPad’s ‘walled garden,’ and news execs look for revenue » Nieman Journalism Lab Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:21:58 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=15156#comment-101313 [...] than wondering what the heck’s the problem with those crazy commenters. And here at The Lab, Joshua Benton found that when the blogging empire Gawker made its comments a tiered system, their quality and quantity [...] [...] than wondering what the heck’s the problem with those crazy commenters. And here at The Lab, Joshua Benton found that when the blogging empire Gawker made its comments a tiered system, their quality and quantity [...]

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