This morning, I was reading a load of reviews of last night's Arsenal -v- Celtic match, in particular the furore around the Eduardo dive* which led to the penalty. The Telegraph, the Times and the Mail all had articles which asked for Your Comments but then required you to 1) register your details, 2) wait an unspecified time for an email from them with a confirmation link, 3) click the link, 4) re-enter your now approved login, 5) continue back to the original page to add your comment, 5) wait an unspecified time for it to be moderated and then eventually 6) see it posted -- by which time someone else has probably already made all the salient points you were so keen to express.
I didn't bother.
Now I fully realise the need to moderate comments on a national newspaper site. I also understand about comment spam and email address confirmation. But it doesn't feel much like the 'conversation' they so desperately claim to crave with their readers. It just feels slooooooooow.
1-0 to Twitter (at least)
UPDATE: I have since signed up for the Times to test how long it actually takes to get a comment published, more later...
UPDATE 2: It took three hours from start (clicking the Register button) to finish (seeing the comment at the bottom of the article). Sheesh.
* yes, he dived and yes, I am disappointed in that from such an apparently genuine guy.
Allegedly the mail are switching / have switched to post published moderaton because it was taking such a long time for comments to appear.
ReplyDeleteHe did dive, and in the end all he managed to do was tarnish the victory - you would have beaten us fair and square anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhat for me is interesting is that although I had no hopes of Celtic turning the result around last night, I was still furious when he got the penalty. Even in an (effectively) meaningless fixture, cheating can still provoke an emotional reaction.
I had a lot of sympathy for the guy before for having to come back from that appalling injury from that disgraceful tackle by that brute in Birmingham. He's lost that somewhat.
Couldn't agree more Thumper. I'd even go so far as to suggest he should have got up, turned to the ref and said "No penalty, I fell over". He'd have had the back pages applauding an act of genuine sportsmanship. Shame.
ReplyDelete