My name is William Jackson, but I go by my middle name, Luke. I'm a junior journalism major mainly interested in becoming involved in a branch of sports journalism – probably some sort of online format (although I'm also intrigued by radio). I've been interested in journalism since high school and I am currently a part of WMUC Sports, and I enjoy that very much.
One of the things that are obviously of interest to journalists in the relatively new age of online journalism is the audiences that read stories that are published by credible news outlets online. One result of these online audiences is the reader comment sections after stories; the comments can range anywhere from thought-provoking to completely ridiculous. Sometimes the comments actually add to the conversation intelligently and other times it may make readers not want to return to that particular website.
My question is: How far is too far with certain comments? Part of the nature of the Internet is that people can log onto completely anonymous accounts in these settings and post whatever they please. What they post can be hurtful to others reading it and derail the entire piece for some folks, but there’s nothing to stop them. Commenting also makes for plausible scenarios where people could cite a usually reliable news source in connection with what someone wrote in the comment section. To some it may seem that the news site is affiliated with that comment, no matter how bizarre the comment may be.
I’d like to learn about the effect that user comments can have on a particular site. Can it drive readers away from the site, henceforth lowering the amount of traffic? Or does the ability to leave comments and converse usually keep people coming to the site?
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