Times Revamps Comments System

Times Online has launched a new version of its comments system and introduced some rule changes as well.

Would-be posters now have to go through a registration procedure before they can submit a comment and activate a link from an email to confirm the address.

Online editor Tom Whitwell writes that this new procedure “will enable us to highlight and reward our best commenters, and weed out our least constructive”.

He also announced that users will no longer be restricted to 300 characters as the new rules allow 2,000 characters (about 250 words) per comment.

And he added that more changes will be introduced in the coming months.

The Times receives an average of 4,000 comments a day and each is read by moderators before publication.

[HT – Journalism.co.uk]