OJR - Online publishers are wresting with ways to effectively create and manage online communities. At OJR 2007, participants turned to several examples on the Web to discuss content, anonymity and ways to make sure spammers don’t squat in your site’s comment section. Active user communities such as those flourishing on Bakotopia.com and Naplesnews.com illustrate that community networking elements can thrive on hyperlocal sites.OJR participant debated anonymous versus sourced reader comments, as well as ways to engage readers into joining an online community of readers.
Ask an interesting, or better yet, provactive question and you’re likely to introduce interesting user-generated content. But how do you keep your comments above board and free from spam infiltration?
Violinist.com Editor Laurie Niles maintains that integrity by requiring users to register under their own names.
“People behave when they’re using their own name,” she says.
When veteran journalist Mack Reed lauched LAVoice.org, he required names to post stories but left comments open. “It helped to keep people honest if they were posting under their real name,” he says. “The ones that ignored the rule are the ones who came there to cause trouble.”
OJR Editor Robert Niles introduced an important distinction in the degrees of anonymity, especially to guard against impersonization.
“There’s a difference between anonymity to your reader and anonymity to you as the publisher,” he says.
“One of the things I always want to make sure I’m doing on my sites if someone has a real reason to be anonymous, I want to give them a way to contact me. As publishers I want to make real sure we’re guarding against impersonation.”
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