Link: 10 ways to improve comments

Derek Powazek offers ”10 Ways Newspapers Can Improve Comments,” in a post worth reading in full.

Here’s the quick list:
1. Require Accounts. Make people register but don’t worry about anonymity.
2. Set and Enforce Rules. Delete bad comments and promote good ones.
3. Employ a Community Manager to monitor comments, participate in discussions and remove offensive comments.
4. Sculpt the Input. Ask for more on a comment, or less.
5. Empower the Community to help monitor comments.
6. Link Stories to Comments.
7. Enable Private Communication so people can vent.
8. Participate and get your staff to participate.
9. But Don’t Feed the Trolls, learn when and how to join the fray and who to ignore.
10. Give Up Control, expect surprises.

(Thanks to Notes from a Teacher for the pointer.)