Poll: Should AVweb Allow Reader Comments? (Please Comment)

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The publication temporarily disabled its comment section due to glitches during a content management system transition.
  • All reader feedback since the shutdown has favored permanently removing comments, an idea now considered due to an observed increase in "venomous" political remarks.
  • The publication is now evaluating whether to permanently end comments, following a trend among large media sites, and is seeking reader input via a poll and temporary comments on this feature.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Last week, during a transition to our new content management system, we noticed some glitches in the commenting section and stopped allowing comments, temporarily, we assumed. Since then, the only emails we’ve received about the change have been in favor of leaving comments out permanently. We actually noticed a turn in the degree of venom in some comments (right after the debate) just before we shut them off and it alarmed us a bit.

The next few months promise to be eventful in U.S. politics and since most of the rough comments have a political undertone we wonder if it might be time to join virtually all large media sites and end comments. It’s not something we were even considering before this forced pause but it seems to be the popular move. Please vote in the two-question poll but we’ve also switched on the comments for this feature only so you can nicely and respectfully expand on your answer. This poll will inform a future decision but it won’t be the only consideration.

Note: Comments may appear with your email address rather than your username, which is the glitch we are monitoring.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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