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Letters
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 12:00 AM

The readers strike back

Massive online feedback has rocked writers and changed journalism forever. This brave new world is filled with beautiful minds and nasty Calibans and everything in between. Its benefits are undeniable. But do they outweigh its insidious effects?

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  • Monday, January 29, 2007 06:44 PM

    Comparison to Usenet

    The predessor of the Internet was usenet, which allowed anyone to post a message or a story, and also allowed formation of specialized groups. When it started, I found it to be a valuabel source of debate on topical issues. However, as it grew, it became dominated by rants and raves which were vulgar, incorrect, and sometimes abusive. Finally, it became so hard to fnd subgroups of interest, or rational discussion, that it effectived died. The wild use raised the need for moderators, which never was initiated. I fear that the internet is going the same way. At some point, moderators are desperately needed. This involves sifting the posts, as you are doing. How do we get all postings to go through this intermediate step and not destroy the posting of opposing opinions, in the name of democracy?

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