Some research I'd like someone else to do

[andrewducker]

I'd like someone to look at all the different commenting systems out there, and work out why some of them have a decent proportion of interesting discussion, while some of them are full of pond scum.

And then write up the findings, along with a nice simple checklist for "How to manage the comments on your site if you want good discussion".

Because, frankly, on 95% of the sites out there I avoid reading the comments, because I know it's just not good for my blood pressure.

Comments

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

I seem not to have problems with my blood-pressure when reading those toxic comments, but do need to be careful lest it trigger an attack of Clinical Depression when contemplating the possibility that those writers may be, after all, typical human beings.

Anything on the InterNet can attract the occasional jerk, of course, but I find that topics with any whiff of Politics (including "Political Correctness", Racism/Sexism, & Economics subsets) or Religion tend to be worst, with others such as Gardening and Cooking being generally civil. (Not that no-one ever goes off on a wild tirade, but when it happens, often as not, the others (mostly Regulars) just give a "X is Ranting about that Pet Peeve again" shrug.)