So, about that article...
January 9, 2018 1:57 PM Subscribe
A news site gave would-be commenters a quiz. Here’s what happened: NRKBeta, the technology website of Norway's public broadcaster, "first began forcing would-be commenters to take such quizzes on select stories back in February after one of its journalists, Ståle Grut, had the idea in the shower before his commute. Grut works for NRKBeta, a subsite that both focuses its coverage on technology and offers its journalists a live space to try out media innovations. Grut’s big brainstorm, aimed at improving the quality of the comments on the site, is to require visitors to prove they have read and understood a story with a quiz written by the story’s author." NRKBeta's initiative, previously: RTFA
Hva betyr NRK?
- Norsk rikskringkasting
Bra.
Hvor er Norge?
- Um... i Norden... det er i navnet...
Veldig bra!
Liker du tørrfisk?
- Nei
Beklager, du kan ikke kommentere denne diskusjonen. Ha det bra.
posted by fraula at 2:10 PM on January 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
- Norsk rikskringkasting
Bra.
Hvor er Norge?
- Um... i Norden... det er i navnet...
Veldig bra!
Liker du tørrfisk?
- Nei
Beklager, du kan ikke kommentere denne diskusjonen. Ha det bra.
posted by fraula at 2:10 PM on January 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
Are you trying to guilt me into reading this article? :-/
Well, it worked.
posted by clawsoon at 2:19 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, it worked.
posted by clawsoon at 2:19 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
on the one hand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with enforcing just a tiny speedbump to commenting - even forcing people to CTRL+F through an article needs the bare minimum of emotional regulation to complete, a basic social skill that would literally end a whole morass of horrible comment sections and toxic cultures
on the other hand, it seems like the whole frame of a buried comment section under an article is pretty much socially coded to be a cesspit. because newspapers don't want to actually create a defined community with social norms - why drive away potential readers might disagree with your norms especially when people are willing to blame other people for being terrible and not the paper itself?
and because the focus is on article and not the larger discussion. like compare the presentation of a chunk of screenspace on a traditional news site dedicated to the article and other articles with a buried comment section to MetaFilter's link building and huge comment section. the former says 'you're here to read a paper and react to this singular author and article so reduce and misinterpret away' whereas here it's 'what's the larger dialogue and also you don't really need to read the article because the comments are our biz'
stuff like this test is good but only if the ecosystem is also good and the ecosystem is good if the UI thinks this stuff through. and if the ecosystem is bad, applying the test to every single article seems like a little overkill and would turn off even well-meaning readers - similarly, their requirement that authors engage with their audience on everything they write is a level of diligence that seems laborious for everyone involved
posted by runt at 2:21 PM on January 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
on the other hand, it seems like the whole frame of a buried comment section under an article is pretty much socially coded to be a cesspit. because newspapers don't want to actually create a defined community with social norms - why drive away potential readers might disagree with your norms especially when people are willing to blame other people for being terrible and not the paper itself?
and because the focus is on article and not the larger discussion. like compare the presentation of a chunk of screenspace on a traditional news site dedicated to the article and other articles with a buried comment section to MetaFilter's link building and huge comment section. the former says 'you're here to read a paper and react to this singular author and article so reduce and misinterpret away' whereas here it's 'what's the larger dialogue and also you don't really need to read the article because the comments are our biz'
stuff like this test is good but only if the ecosystem is also good and the ecosystem is good if the UI thinks this stuff through. and if the ecosystem is bad, applying the test to every single article seems like a little overkill and would turn off even well-meaning readers - similarly, their requirement that authors engage with their audience on everything they write is a level of diligence that seems laborious for everyone involved
posted by runt at 2:21 PM on January 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
They could just charge people a $5 joining fee that allows them to comment.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2018 [23 favorites]
Sorry, I guess that should be 5 krone.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:56 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:56 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah, the $5 helps but we probably still should have a test to ensure commenters RTFA.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 3:02 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Big Al 8000 at 3:02 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not that something like this test obviously isn’t a panacea, but that response from the Gizmodo CEO seems incredibly tone deaf:
Gizmodo Media CEO Raju Narisetti was equally circumspect, tweeting a message that has since disappeared: “Because creating MORE friction in engaging increasingly time-poor & promiscuous digital audiences, who can go anywhere else, is very good.”
Like there aren’t an untold number of potential commenters who nope right out due to shitty comments.
posted by juv3nal at 3:04 PM on January 9, 2018 [10 favorites]
Gizmodo Media CEO Raju Narisetti was equally circumspect, tweeting a message that has since disappeared: “Because creating MORE friction in engaging increasingly time-poor & promiscuous digital audiences, who can go anywhere else, is very good.”
Like there aren’t an untold number of potential commenters who nope right out due to shitty comments.
posted by juv3nal at 3:04 PM on January 9, 2018 [10 favorites]
well i was glad to learn that a word i've only known as part of the name a newspaper also means petty or worthless. i wonder why that newspaper was named so.
did this comment make you go read it? good!
posted by numaner at 3:08 PM on January 9, 2018
did this comment make you go read it? good!
posted by numaner at 3:08 PM on January 9, 2018
ahh it also means a coin of small value, by extension, trivial, but also how much the paper was worth in 1837
posted by numaner at 3:10 PM on January 9, 2018
posted by numaner at 3:10 PM on January 9, 2018
Did anyone else immediately check to see it there was a MetaTalk pony request yet for just this thing?
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:20 PM on January 9, 2018
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:20 PM on January 9, 2018
Sorry, I guess that should be 5 krone.
krone island
posted by thelonius at 3:21 PM on January 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
krone island
posted by thelonius at 3:21 PM on January 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
While I recognize the philosophical arguments against and I know the potential for abuse makes implementation impossible, I can't help thinking we would be better off if voters were required to demonstrate at least a half ounce of understanding of relevant issues, inc knowledge of their candidate's position on these issues.
(N.B.: in case the above isn't clear, this is nothing more than idle fantasy, i.e., it is not a desire nor am I advocating that this condition be attached to voting.)
posted by she's not there at 3:40 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
(N.B.: in case the above isn't clear, this is nothing more than idle fantasy, i.e., it is not a desire nor am I advocating that this condition be attached to voting.)
posted by she's not there at 3:40 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Related previously: internet access CAPTCHAs. Thanks, Defective Yeti for not letting that ten year old link succumb to rot!
posted by exogenous at 3:42 PM on January 9, 2018
posted by exogenous at 3:42 PM on January 9, 2018
Came here for the "I am Grut" joke. Left disappointed.
posted by seasparrow at 5:10 PM on January 9, 2018
posted by seasparrow at 5:10 PM on January 9, 2018
in case anyone here's not keen on RTFA because that's just how they roll, from the article:
Ten months on, the quizzes themselves are surprisingly popular, and the site hasn’t suffered as many off-topic flame wars. NRKBeta has gated the comments of 30 stories since February—chosen when someone suspects the discussion could turn ugly—and Grut said visitors have been able to post about 1,200 comments by passing the tests. There have been about 5,500 successful attempts to pass the quizzes and 11,000 unsuccessful attempts.
only 30 stories in ten months that warranted "gating" -- this wreaks of ... what's the word for it? Moderation, yeah, that's it. By which I mean moderation in moderation.
posted by philip-random at 5:30 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ten months on, the quizzes themselves are surprisingly popular, and the site hasn’t suffered as many off-topic flame wars. NRKBeta has gated the comments of 30 stories since February—chosen when someone suspects the discussion could turn ugly—and Grut said visitors have been able to post about 1,200 comments by passing the tests. There have been about 5,500 successful attempts to pass the quizzes and 11,000 unsuccessful attempts.
only 30 stories in ten months that warranted "gating" -- this wreaks of ... what's the word for it? Moderation, yeah, that's it. By which I mean moderation in moderation.
posted by philip-random at 5:30 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pre-emptive moderation, if you will.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:51 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:51 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I liked the fun quiz at the end of the article, but didn't feel the need to leave a comment there. I now want more articles to have fun quizzes.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:08 PM on January 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:08 PM on January 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
I want a hovercraft full of eels. Eels are tasty.
The article was about eels, right?
posted by Ignorantsavage at 8:25 PM on January 9, 2018
The article was about eels, right?
posted by Ignorantsavage at 8:25 PM on January 9, 2018
It was actually about the artful use of vacuum cleaners - a.k.a. Hoover-craft.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:53 PM on January 9, 2018
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:53 PM on January 9, 2018
Greg_Ace: "Sorry, I guess that should be 5 krone."
40.51 krone, at least at the moment.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:33 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
40.51 krone, at least at the moment.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:33 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Same as in town.
posted by medusa at 9:48 PM on January 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by medusa at 9:48 PM on January 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
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posted by hleehowon at 1:59 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]