For many of us, it was a step we hoped to avoid.
But with the growth in traffic to our Web site, and especially the increased popularity of the Citizens' Say online feature that allows visitors to post comments to stories, we decided to implement a light registration system.
As of this past Tuesday, people who post comments at auburnpub.com must register and sign in. Registration is free and requires a small amount of information (most fields in the registration form are optional). The Citizen will not share this information with anyone outside the company. And whether you register, all of the site's content remains accessible.
All that said, it's understandable why some people were not pleased with this move. Many site visitors wanted to know why we decided to go this route.
A big reason is spam.
As traffic has increased to the site, it has also attracted the attention of spammers. Under the previous Citizens' Say system, posters just entered a name and comment and then clicked a button to submit. Professional spamming programs gobbled this process up.
As we were reviewing comments posted by readers, we were having to comb through and delete hundreds of spam submissions every day, many of them long lists of obscene Web sites.
The new registration cuts spam dramatically, allowing us to review online posts more efficiently.
We also needed some form of registration to cut down on user abuse.
When we receive a post, we also receive information about the computer from where it was sent - nothing identifies anyone but it does let us see if a person is making multiple submissions using different user names. Unfortunately, we have seen this on several occasions. We've also seen it with people who would make a comment using their real names, and then submit more comments using other names that purport to agree with “real” person.
When this takes place unfettered, an online poster can create a false picture of support for a stance. This takes away from the integrity of the Citizens' Say system.
The registration cannot outright prevent such abuse, but it will certainly discourage it.
There are also some potential benefits for online registrants.
We're hoping to develop some programs in the future that would enable people, if they choose, to begin receiving e-mail updates. Perhaps you'd like all breaking news stories e-mailed your way, or maybe you'd like a quick rundown of a day's news headlines. Those are services we're working to launch, and the registration system would help make it work.
Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Saturdays in
The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231
or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
As of this past Tuesday, people who post comments at auburnpub.com must register and sign in. Registration is free and requires a small amount of information (most fields in the registration form are optional). The Citizen will not share this information with anyone outside the company. And whether you register, all of the site's content remains accessible.
All that said, it's understandable why some people were not pleased with this move. Many site visitors wanted to know why we decided to go this route.
A big reason is spam.
As traffic has increased to the site, it has also attracted the attention of spammers. Under the previous Citizens' Say system, posters just entered a name and comment and then clicked a button to submit. Professional spamming programs gobbled this process up.
As we were reviewing comments posted by readers, we were having to comb through and delete hundreds of spam submissions every day, many of them long lists of obscene Web sites.
The new registration cuts spam dramatically, allowing us to review online posts more efficiently.
We also needed some form of registration to cut down on user abuse.
When we receive a post, we also receive information about the computer from where it was sent - nothing identifies anyone but it does let us see if a person is making multiple submissions using different user names. Unfortunately, we have seen this on several occasions. We've also seen it with people who would make a comment using their real names, and then submit more comments using other names that purport to agree with “real” person.
When this takes place unfettered, an online poster can create a false picture of support for a stance. This takes away from the integrity of the Citizens' Say system.
The registration cannot outright prevent such abuse, but it will certainly discourage it.
There are also some potential benefits for online registrants.
We're hoping to develop some programs in the future that would enable people, if they choose, to begin receiving e-mail updates. Perhaps you'd like all breaking news stories e-mailed your way, or maybe you'd like a quick rundown of a day's news headlines. Those are services we're working to launch, and the registration system would help make it work.
Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Saturdays in
The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231
or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
The Citizens' Say
There are 1 comment(s)
Omigosh wrote on Jun 17, 2007 8:55 PM: