Open comment sections sound great — until they aren’t.
“Open comments” are usually sold as a feature.
In reality, they’re a liability.
When anyone can say anything with equal weight, three things happen fast:
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The loudest voice wins
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Context disappears
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The original content loses authority
Most blogs don’t have a discussion problem — they have a structure problem.
Comments were never meant to replace the post.
They were meant to respond to it.
Without an author anchor:
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Readers assume commenters are equally credible
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Misinformation goes unchecked
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Trolls set the tone
The solution isn’t closing comments.
It’s framing them.
Give the author a visible, distinct voice — and suddenly the discussion has direction again.
