SOUNDING OFF:Venom, anonymity in online forum

Last week Tony Dodero, from his new position on the throne as director of news and online for this fine newspaper, wrote about the overwhelming acceptance of the new comments capability in the online version of the Daily Pilot. As a regular reader of the online version I must agree — this feature is a rousing success.

For those few of you still not online savvy, this feature permits comments of 100 words or fewer to be posted at the end of most articles, columns, commentaries and editorials. In recent weeks some articles have provoked upwards of 60 comments, which were cumulative and resulted in some interesting “conversation threads” before the articles were rotated into the Daily Pilot archives, retrievable for a price.

As a frequent participant in this feature, I’d like to offer some observations. First, I agree that this is an excellent tool for communication in the community. Unlike years past, when it might take most of a week for a letter to the editor commenting on an article to find its way onto these pages, the online comments are almost real-time, delayed only by the time it takes an editor to review it for language before the comment appears at the tail of the appropriate article.

However, as this feature is evolving, the postings seem to have taken on an urgency, almost a frenzy, in a rush to post a retort to the article or another comment. That urgency, and the enforced brevity of each posted comment, has resulted in some very curt, sometimes vicious, entries. The editors won’t post anything libelous, nor will they post bad language. That notwithstanding, some of the comments posted have more than a small degree of venom in them. As you read some of the comment threads, it can be like reading a schoolyard shouting match between children.

Exacerbating that problem is the fact that although the editors require identification to publish print letters and commentaries, they seem willing to post online comments without knowing who is submitting them. Although they don’t publish comments identified as “anonymous,” the creative online names used provide de facto anonymity, which seem to evoke some comments that likely wouldn’t be submitted if real names were attached. Reading those comments is akin to hearing anonymous shouts from a mob. There is a coarseness to some of the comment threads that detracts from some otherwise useful opinions.

Reading these various comment threads can be amusing too. For example, one particularly prolific poster seems to have perpetually gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. As I read her tirades, I find myself hoping she renews her Prozac prescription soon.

Another longtime activist and prolific poster has gone schizophrenic on us. Within the same comment thread he posts under his real name and his chosen online name too. It might not be too long before he begins having online conversations with himself.

I’ve especially enjoyed the postings by one particular elected official — a man who fancies himself the repository of all wisdom and purveyor of humor to us all. Unfortunately, he lacks the skill in either area to pull this off and frequently comes across looking like the arrogant hack politician we’ve grown to know.

The Daily Pilot’s management has found a way to regurgitate some of these comment threads for their regular print readers to mull over, as witnessed in last Sunday’s edition. This is particularly important in light of the fact that the frequency of print letters to the editor and commentaries seem to have been significantly diminished in recent months. I imagine the online version reaches a few hundred readers each day, while the print edition reaches thousands. I certainly hope they continue with the comments feature.

I recently added the capability to make comments on my blog, www.abubblingcauldron.com, so I know first-hand how much the publishing of well-conceived opposing viewpoints enhances my presentations online.

So, thanks to the editors of the Daily Pilot for making these opportunities for comment available to us all.

I think this feature might help us get a better feel for the pulse of our community, even though sometimes — based on the tone of some of the comments — it seems like we, collectively, are about to have a stroke.

lives in Costa Mesa.