Thursday, October 04, 2012

By the numbers | Debate story reader comments

Here's one measure of reader engagement. The much-anticipated first presidential debate last night was covered wall-to-wall by major newspapers and broadcast outlets. Here are the number of reader comments posted* so far to main live stories at four dailies:


231


381


1,427


5,000-plus


* the NYT only allows a relative handful of readers to post comments on their own; most require editor approval first. The Post offers the most liberal policy: readers aren't required to use their real names.

How does your site use reader comments to develop ideas for stories? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
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2 comments:

  1. Jim Hopkins10/04/2012 9:52 AM

    One reason I'm watching the number of comments at USA Today is to measure the impact of the new beta site on traffic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10/06/2012 9:50 AM

    The new site sucks big time. Readers are bailing. Gelman should be fired.

    ReplyDelete

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