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Given the overall popularity of sites like FaceBook and MySpace, and the tools of online social networking in general--blogs, comment threads, social bookmarking, video, music and photo sharing platforms, citizen journalism, and on and on--it surprises me how little direct interaction there is between ncpr.org and its visitors. The two bright spots are our Photo of the Day feature, which has attracted since its inception more quality submissions than we can ever use, and the Community Calendar, where a substantial number of each day's events are contributed by visitors online.
Our general listener comment page has, on the other hand, attracted three comments in June, and one each in the months of July, August, and September. Brian Mann, in his new blog Ballot Box, has posted thoughtful and timely essays on North Country politics and the rural divide 19 times in the last ten days. He has received three comments total from the hundreds who have read the posts. Actually he has received five, including two abusive comments from the same writer trying to look like one person responding to another. Those didn't get posted. If the rude and nasty tenor of many political sites is keeping you away, we moderate comments--each is read before posting and will be rejected if it transgresses the bounds of civil public conversation.
We plan to go ahead with such features as the ability to comment on individual NCPR news stories, and to participate on NPR's soon-to-be-released social media platform. But it may be that our audience still does its networking the old-fashioned way: talking in the supermarket aisle and the ice cream stand queue and the at the pancake breakfast. Or perhaps it's just our laconic nature as rural folk. If you have anything to say about that, you can post a comment here.
posted by Dale Hobson @ 11:59 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I love your editorial comments - they are well-written, witty, well-thought out. I live in VT - where I often receive NCPR more clearly than VPR - but we have a camp in Keeseville (where we receive VPR better than NCPR). Keep on writing - we're reading and enjoying, even if we don't always say so.
Dale you ask "Why aren't listeners commenting more?" Maybe they are too busy listening to the radio to post email comments. :-)
We also read and appreciate; we listen, and tend not to email comments to this or any other favorite websites.
In Champlain, we have the privilege
of getting a signal with varying clarity from NCPR, WAMC, and VPR, and tend to dance around the dial, but your weekly musings are our favorite.
in fairness, i think the blogs need to be better publicized on the main NCPR page. i wasn't aware of this one or brian mann's until mentioned in an e-newsletter.
hi all,
Ron Wanamaker here, from Wanamaker restoration in Burlington VT.
i don't comment on a regular basis (ever) but i do want you to know that i listen and donate because you are a breath of - pardon the pun - "fresh air".
thanks for all you do,
Ron
maybe more PRI?
Dale,
I read your comments with awe. Your writing has a perfectly grand cynical edge to it and I say that in a good way. I'm not familiar with blogging, I don't know how an i-pod works, I use my computer as a word processor, to e-mail my 86 year old mother (who understands the modern cyberspace reality better than I do), and to delete junk mail. As your last commenter said, I didn't know there was a place to click on and comment.
Maybe I talk about you at the Farmer's Market or at Monday nights at Cinema 10, but believe me I do mention you and your columns, just not on-line.
Helen Condon (last week's winner of Radio Bob's CD from Northern Music)
Parishville NY
Folks may be reluctant to comment because of the genuine fear that accompanies putting oneself in print. It puts you "out there" for posterity--not to be retracted, restated, or conveniently forgotten as can a purely spoken response. I think the social networks are more akin to folks speaking with one another than they are thought to be written media.
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