A few of the Gawker Media blogs (I’m not linking to them), have implemented commenting by invitation-only. I wish they’d make their entire website invitation-only, so I wouldn’t click something and end up there. Here’s what they have to say:
2. Why are comments by invitation only?
Most online communities, like hip bars, are quickly overrun. Not that we’ll be any exception. But we’re going to try to put off that moment for as long as possible.
I wonder what prompted this decision. Hopefully, their traffic is moving on somewhere else, prompting them to take some steps to keep people coming back. After all, everyone likes to be heard. One good thing about blogs versus traditional media is that blogs seem to lack the longevity. It’s a very competitive environment out there where anyone can become a curator of links and Internet junk. That’s why I like sites like Digg and Metafilter. Unlike popular sites like BoingBoing and Gawker where the curators are perpetual self-promoters, the users curate the content and determine what shows up on the front page.