Reader comments enrich the paper

For anyone who has ever read a story from a magazine, newspaper or other publication and thought — well, anything — the Internet has provided the perfect outlet.

As journalism makes the sometimes rocky transition to the online world, plenty of things have come up that were impossible before.

Sure there are drawbacks to online publications, such as the inability to lug one's computer on commutes or access the Internet from airplanes, not to mention the drastic difference in replacement costs if you spill your morning java on the front page versus the keyboard of your Mac. Besides, you can't line the litter box with yesterday's Web page.

But with the drawbacks have come improvements, like the ability to offer breaking news and multimedia content and video. Though the Eagle's relatively modest means prevent us from offering live video coverage of Bigfork, they do allow our Web site to feature the ability to host reader comments.

At the bottom of each story at www.bigforkeagle.com, you'll find a section where readers can post comments about a story. All it takes is a username and a valid e-mail address and your thoughts on anything from development on Flathead Lake to the Vikes' last game can be posted right below the story.

Many publications' comment boards are overflowing with feedback, with commenters sometimes getting into debates amongst themselves as the thread takes on a life of its own. This is the new generation of journalism: a conversation.

Readers can respond to a story with their opinions in a way that they could only do with spouses or co-workers before. It allows readers to interact with one another on issues and provides insight for reporters and editors about how their stories are being received. If comments indicate that part of a story was unclear or confusing, we know we have to do better the next time.

Of course, comments have their dark side as well. Protected by the anonymity of the Web, some commenters can be mean-spirited or downright cruel to everyone from the reporter who wrote the story, to the source they interviewed, to other commenters weighing in. This behavior is frowned upon and, like most publications, the Eagle will remove any such malicious comments.

As the Web continues to reshape the face of our industry, new features like reader comments will continue to emerge and hopefully enrich the exchange for all parties involved. The more information and debate we can have on issues, the better off we all are.

So log on, sign up and chime in.

—Alex Strickland