> I remember the same sort of arguments being made about how web sites could not possibly ever accept user comments or submissions The heyday of comments secti

> I remember the same sort of arguments being made about how web sites could not possibly ever accept user comments or submissions The heyday of comments sections on news websites is now in the past. Not long ago, Lonely Planet took down its renowned Thorn Tree forums, which had been a big part of the travel internet since the 1990s. Friends who run a major website for a particular hobby told me that they canceled their plans to launch a forum, since their site is advertising-supported and a forum could damage their relationships with advertisers. Reliable moderation costs money, and if you don’t moderate heavily enough, you’re going to get user comments that tarnish your brand (or at least scare execs into thinking that the brand will be tarnished).