Great article by the Globe & Mail’s Mathew Ingram in the Nieman Journalism Lab.

Headlined Newspapers get the kind of communities they deserve, he summarizes the research and thinking he’s done since become the Globe’s first “communities editor”.

It’s interesting reading and we can all learn from what Mathew’s gleaned. Of particular interest is his discovery that “the surest way to improve the tone of the debate in forums or comments is to get involved in them. Writers who do, both at the Globe and elsewhere, uniformly say it has a significant effect on the civility of the comments they receive afterwards. On top of that, there is almost always a pleasant surprise on the part of readers that a writer is actually responding.”

In the past I’ve felt awkward about getting involved in the discussion that’s happened in the comments section of a story I’ve written. It felt like I was interfering. I’d already had my say, and I thought of the comments section as being a place where the readers could have their chance.

But Mathew’s article gives me permission to participate, and I’m glad about that.

The Internet is a discussion, after all. Right?