Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google News Allowing Story Participants To Comment

Posted by kdawson on from the starting-at-web-1.0 dept.

Jamie found this analysis of Google News's foray into community commentary. They are starting it off by only allowing people involved with the story to comment — and participants must first be authenticated by email. The article rounds up other bloggers' views on the game-changing nature, and the possible dangers to Google, of this new feature. Here is a sample of comments to a Google News story.

5 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. I'd like to comment by niceone · · Score: 5, Funny

    But I'm not involved in the story. So I won't.

    Copying this policy could really work for Slashdot I think.

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
  2. Re:My name is Carl Rove by eln · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think your inability to spell your own first name correctly might give you away.

  3. Re:Atypical by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Informative

    Oh, and just to head off a couple of the replies saying things like "well, they also filter based on who you are and if you're involved." What's keeping anyone from saying they are "Professor of X", where X is whatever they claim. Unless they are sending in more credentials than their email address, it's rife for abuse. Next time, RTFA.
    Not only does it specifically state that an e-mail address needs to be verified, TFA links to the Google Help page which states their policy.

    http://www.google.com/support/news/bin/answer.py?a nswer=74123&topic=12285

    The email should contain:

    Your comment
    A link to the story you are commenting on
    Your contact details: your name, title, and organization
    How we can verify your email address.
    For example, if the Tooth Fairy wanted to comment on a recent story about dental hygiene, she might sign her comment:

    "Sincerely, Tooth Fairy.
    Verify my identity by losing a tooth and placing it under your pillow. I will leave you a business card along with a small payment for your tooth. Alternately you can call 1-800-TEETH-4-ME and speak to my assistant, The Tooth Mouse, who can confirm my email address and comment." Yes, that really is the example Google uses.
    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  4. I Love this! by djrogers · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is great - we will not longer have to rely on the mass media journalists to decide what comments make it in a story, and in what context. I'm sick of seeing stories that ignore or downplay one side or the other by skewing the comments of the person that doesn't meet their agenda.

    --
    Think outside the... Hey, where'd the friggin' box go?
  5. Re:Email addresses have domains, too... by MorpheousMarty · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It is not that hard to get reasonable confirmation of this kind of thing, or quoting people would be nigh impossible. Can anyone who actually works in a news room say how they verify things normally? I'll bet a simple phone call is all most major newspapers require and it won't kill Google to have a dozen people on the phone. Personally I can't wait until someone comments something really dumb, and then claims it wasn't them. Google may become my only source of news at this point.