I’m intrigued by Civil Comments (@HelloCivil), Christa Mrgan’s new venture, which aims to make online comments more respectful and valuable. We all love commenting, but we all hate comments – so there’s clearly scope for disruption. It’s a shame when technology has to a fix problems with how people work.
I’ve written previously (here, here, and here) about disallowing comments on this site, and my reasons. Civil discourse addresses moderation, and possibly impulsiveness. There’s still the matter of identity, but for me the biggest question is whether comments really belong in the same location as the original piece. I don’t accept the democratic argument; my place is mine, and your right of response doesn’t extend to choosing the venue. I think there’s both a dilution of the original, and a reduction in standing of the response, when on-site comments are the medium of reply.
I’ll be watching developments in the area with considerable interest. Having an invested community around your work is obviously a very positive and desirable thing. I’m open to having my mind changed on this – it just hasn’t happened yet.