Design-wise, comments are treated as an afterthought.
TheAtlantic.com pulled the plug on comments on Friday, but it’s replacing them with something that it hopes will be a major improvement for both its commenters and non-commenting readers.
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ContributeModelled after how it manages The Conversation section of the print magazine, The Atlantic will regularly publish reader feedback on TheAtlantic.com in its new Letters section. A team of staffers on the print and digital sides will read the letters, choosing the ones with the most interesting and challenging ideas. Many will be published individually and will get the same design and editorial as regular TheAtlantic.com articles, with illustrations and placement on the site’s homepage and social channels.
Adrienne LaFrance, editor of TheAtlantic.com, said that the move is designed to elevate the smartest feedback from its readers, both by incentivising more thought-out responses over knee-jerk reactions and by making it easier for others to read them (which in turn improves the overall experience of reading TheAtlantic.com). “We have such smart readers and they add so much to our journalism, whether they’re praising us, criticising us, or just adding a new perceptive. It’s all very valuable,” she said. “It’s a huge leap up from the comment section.”
This story has been republished with permission from NiemanLab. Read the original story on their website.
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