This may seem to be an odd position for me to take...

Pete OHanlon

You may, or may not agree with me, but I do feel that the decision of Popular Science to shut off comments[^] is the right one to take. Thoughts/comments?

Chill _Maxxx_
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

OriginalGriff

I think I disagree: I can see what they are saying, but the lack of adverse comments - or pointing out an alternative - strikes me as against the whole idea of science. OK, you get morons who post abuse, but WTF: moderate them as we do to reduce or remove their impact and dump them off the site. Shutting down all discussion is pretty much what some of the morons want, I suspect...

The only instant messaging I do involves my middle finger.

lewax00

Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

Thoughts/comments?

I have thoughts, but commenting on them isn't allowed anymore.:~ But really, it sounds like the problem could be solved with better moderation instead of silencing everyone.

Lost User

..and Science takes another lumbering step towards becoming the Catholic Church. While I agree the owners of the site are free to do whatever they want with comments I think they may have over estimated their impact on the public discourse. There isn't a policy that is going to trot through the public marketplace of ideas without getting smeared. For example: the global warming debate hasn't become an international poop storm because of comments on that journal's website.

Lost User

Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

Thoughts/comments?

Isn't this vaguely ironic? Anyway, most comments I've seen were completely useless. Even this one.

S Houghtelin

From Article:

...commenters are shrill, boorish specimens of the lower internet phyla.

Sounds remarkably like my time spent at a popular Apple forum trying to work around an iOS7 bug this morning. I saw a discussion rapidly deteriorate into complete mayhem over the use of the term "bricked". The poor poster was insulted and jeered mercilessly and never once had a member of the site offer anything remotely useful to solve his issue. (No, it wasn't me.) After seeing that reminds me that Code Project is a great place to be.

It was broke, so I fixed it.

Kenneth Haugland

It dosnt look like they are completely shutting it off (last paragraph):

Quote:

There are plenty of other ways to talk back to us, and to each other: through Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, livechats, email, and more. We also plan to open the comments section on select articles that lend themselves to vigorous and intelligent discussion. We hope you'll chime in with your brightest thoughts. Don't do it for us. Do it for science.

So im not quite sure about this, but I know that some of the Norwegian news sites have partially shut down comments on potensially "harmful" articles.

Maximilien

Is the comment section of a web site the best place for a civil and unlighted debate on scientific issues ? Even trivial scientific/technology discussions turn into a cesspool of spambot, trolls, bullies and stupid and insulting comments.

I'd rather be phishing!

Corporal Agarn

Thought you might be talking about[^] :)

Maximilien

"We also plan to open the comments section on select articles that lend themselves to vigorous and intelligent discussion. We hope you'll chime in with your brightest thoughts. " They still keep the door open to enable comments for select articles/topics.

I'd rather be phishing!

Mike Hankey

I think it is the right decision, most the time people don't want to debate or discuss intellectual issues they just want to throw up BS that isn't germane (yeah I know a big word for me) to the issue. Unless it's a forum where there are mostly regulars and can be self moderated like the lounge it just doesn't work. I say self moderated because I'm sure they don't have the resources to moderate and baby sit. It's a shame though that someone with a real issue of insightful (yeah another $5 word) bit of knowledge is now silenced because of the 5% that think the internet is the place to be a child.

VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.1 ToDo Manager Extension The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. -Steven Wright

OriginalGriff

So moderate it. If you have to, do what some sites do and moderate all messages before publication. Burning all letters unopened because you don't want your wife to see the credit card bill is hardly the ideal solution! :laugh:

The only instant messaging I do involves my middle finger.

Pete OHanlon

harold aptroot wrote:

Isn't this vaguely ironic?

Precisely the effect I was aiming for.

Chill _Maxxx_
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

W Balboos GHB

Admittedly comments get crazy on the internet, but Yahoo! has articles with no comments. When any of these are scientific in general, and chemistry-based in particular, I often want to scream at their stupidity. A good way to gain confidence is to never be questioned or corrected - for the simpleminded, at least.

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

Richard Andrew x64

It's tough to swallow, but I grow weary of every article on anthropology or evolution turning into a debate on creationism v. evolution.

The difficult we do right away... ...the impossible takes slightly longer.

Lost User

I tend to agree; just go to the comments section of any contentious, or sometimes not, "news" article on the UK news sites and see some of the moronic drivel that gets posted. Norman Tebbit often comments about this on DT when people make vile personal attacks on him, in response to some article he has written, while ignoring the content of the article.

Veni, vidi, abiit domum

GuyThiebaut

I tend towards thinking that when it comes to the internet it is best to allow comments. My perception is that comments tend to be self policing in that really ridiculous comments tend to get the ridicule they deserve. There again when it comes to science the vast majority of people do not fully understand what the scientific method is and may confuse comments with peer review. That said I would rather see the controversy through comments than have to read peer review articles as I am lazy...

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

― Christopher Hitchens

RedDk

Thought: "Nature" way above informative, not necessarily on-line and commentable. "Popular Science", as lamentable a rag as "Scientific American".

Lost User

Who will moderate the moderators?

MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

Lost User

The idiots have won.

Peter Wasser Art is making something out of nothing and selling it. Frank Zappa