Next month nelsonstar.com is joining the trend away from anonymous comments on our site. Starting December 1 we will switch to Facebook’s commenting platform.
As is the trend in media, for the last few years our website has garnered more attention. As the popularity of finding news on-line grows, ome readers have raised concerns about one issue in particular: the fact we allow visitors to post anonymous comments.
The policy has led to some unpleasant and mean-spirited postings. It’s also raised an inconsistency in our Black Press brand. Our community newspapers don’t print anonymous letters, yet we've allowed our websites to become a place where people can hide their identity while occasionally taking shots at one another.
Starting next Thursday, people will only be able to comment by using their Facebook account. This means their name, often even their photograph, will be linked to the statements they post.
Our website is not alone in making this shift. Several media companies, equally troubled by the vitriolic trend of anonymous comments, are turning to Facebook to power their website commenting.
All of Black Press in BC, Alberta and Washington State have made the switch. Our sister publications have continued to see spirited discourse among those who post comments, yet the discourse is at a much higher level, and commentators are generally well-mannered and on-topic.
This new approach won’t be perfect. People without a Facebook account won’t be able to participate in online discussions.
Still, we’re enthused to be in the vanguard of this movement. It shows we’re listening to our readers and responding. It places us more deeply into the powerful world of social media. By using Facebook comments, we’re embracing a social medium with 800 million users worldwide.
For those of you who choose not to create a Facebook account, remember we will continue to run letters to the editor in print (drop they by the office or email them to editor@nelsonstar.com).
So please continue to be a part of the discussion. Your comments are part of an important dialogue that enlivens and enriches civic life in our communities.
We attempted to answer most common questions at http://www.nelsonstar.com/commentfaq/