Pay per comment: new business model for newspapers

It is no secret that most online publications are working on how to better handle the sections of comments to their articles. There is always something to think about. Is it possible to post anonymous comments? Should comments be moderated? The main thing is to keep a balance that would suit everyone. But the Massachusetts newspaper Sun Chronicle found an interesting and unusual solution and invites the rest to learn from their experience.

One of the readers of the publication said that Sun Chronicle had turned off the commenting system a few months ago, after the editorial staff had been upset by the actions of anonymous readers, who published several negative “inflammatory” comments.
In the absence of comments, readers began to spend much less time on the site, but it didn’t so much bother everyone to complain to the developers. However, recently, visitors were surprised to note that the commenting system was re-introduced into the system. But now, to leave a comment, you need to enter your real name, address and phone number, provide your credit card information, from which the publication will write 99 cents, after which you can express your thoughts in the comments field on the article.
But the board itself is not the most unpleasant in this case. Now each of your comments is associated with you and your place of residence, while your real name is published next to the comment itself. On the one hand, this will help to confirm that you are the one for whom you claim to be and that you left this or that comment. On the other hand, no privacy.

The newspaper’s management reports that this was a “necessary step,” but far from all readers agreed with the decision of their favorite publication. Despite the attachment to one site, the Internet is quite extensive, and anyone can always go to another place. For example, now on the Sun Chronicle website there are almost no new comments.

In our country, in the light of the latest scandalous order of Roskomnadzor to prosecute online media for readers' comments, the decision remains to be found, despite the fact that many people were skeptical about the initiative of the authorities. Perhaps, the experience of foreign media will be useful to someone, if you do not approach the issue so critically and try to take quite "symbolic amounts".
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Some experts, such as Eugene Kaspersky, a well-known supporter of Internet censorship, have long believed that universal certification of Internet users will help solve many problems. But people accustomed to anonymity in the network reacted negatively to this initiative. And while the question of responsibility for their actions in the network remains open.

A source