June 21, 2010: Online commentators revealed

>> Emily: FREE SPEECH ISN'T

ALWAYS PRETTY.

AND WHEN IT COMES TO ONLINE

COMMENTS, THINGS OFTEN GET DOWN

RIGHT UGLY.

EVERY DAY NEWS SITES ARE

BOMBARDED BY COMMENTERS LOBBYING

RHETORICAL HAND GRENADES WHILE

HIDING BEHIND THE SAFETY OF AN

NONE NAME TEE.

IN "BOSTON GLOBE" SUNDAY

MAGAZINE, HE BROUGHT A FEW OF

THOSE SHADOWY COMMENTERS TO THE

LIGHT.

IF YOU READ THE COMMENTS ON

ONLINE NEWS SITES, YOU'D

PROBABLY WONDER THE SAME THING

REPORTER NEIL SWITTYTY, WHO ARE

THESE PEOPLE?

>> HOW MANY PEOPLE AGREE WITH MY

POSITION MAKES ME FEEL GOOD AND

MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'M PART OF

THE MAINSTREAM.

>> Emily: IN THIS ONLINE

VIDEO AND SUNDAY "BOSTON GLOBE"

MAGAZINE ARTICLE, SWITTY LOOKED

AT THE REAL PEOPLE BEHIND THE

RANTING.

ONE DISCOVERY, SOME STEREOTYPES

ARE TRUE, BECAUSE SOME

COMMENTERS REALLY ARE OVER

CAFFINATED LONERS WITH TOO MUCH

TIME ON THEIR HANDS.

>> DURING THE WEEK WHEN I TO GO

WORK I HAVE A POTION OF ORANGE

JUICE, MOUNTAIN DEW WITH WHICH I

TAKE MULTI-VITAMIN --

>> I GET UP AROUND 3:00 OR 4:00,

FIRE OFF A LITTLE ROCK AND ROLL

MUSIC AND SAY WHAT I GOT TO SAY

I GUESS.

>> Emily: COMMENTERS ARE HOT

TOPIC THESE DAYS AS SITES SEARCH

FOR WAYS TO SEPARATE THE GOOD

ONES FROM THE SO-CALLED TROLLS.

SOME FORMS ARE INCREASINGLY

REQUIRING REAL NAMES IN ORDER TO

DISCOURAGE RACIST AND OBSCENE

POSTING.

ONE FREQUENT COMMENTER SAID,

THAT WOULD BE JUST FINE.

>> I DON'T BELIEVE IN

ANONOYMITY.

>> Emily: MANY NEWS SITES

FEEL THAT WAY, TOO.

JOINING ME IS NEIL OF THE

"BOSTON GLOBE".

DID IT SURPRISE YOU THIS IS

EXACTLY WHAT WE WOULD HAVE

FIGURED.

>> WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS THE

NATURE OF COMMUNITY THAT A LOT

OF THESE FREQUENT COMMENTERS,

HEAVY USERS, CRAVE.

YOU SEE THE LONE WOLF ASPECT TO

PEOPLE ONLINE, THE BOMB

THROWING, YOU EXPECT I THINK

THEM TO SORT OF WANT TO GUARD

THAT SEPARATENESS.

BUT A LOT OF THESE GUYS REALLY

JUST WANT -- THEY'RE OBSESSED

WITH HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE

RECOMMENDING THEIR COMMENTS.

>> Emily: OF THIS THING

CALLED THE 90-9-1 RULE WHAT IS

THAT?

>> BASICALLY THAT WORKS, HOLDS

UP ON A LOT OF SOCIAL ONLINE

COMMUNITIES.

THAT IS ABOUT 90% OF THE PEOPLE

ARE PROBABLY LIKE MOST.

PEOPLE WATCHING, THEY LURK.

CALLED LURKERS.

THEY DON'T ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE

BUT THEY WATCH CLOSELY.

9% ARE INFREQUENT CONTRIBUTORS,

1% ARE THE HEAVY USERS WHO DO IT

ALL THE TIME.

>> Emily: OVER AND OVER AND

OVER AGAIN.

WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT SOME OF

THE PEOPLE AGREED TO TALK TO YOU

ON CAMERA?

>> WHAT'S INTERESTING IS, I WAS

SURPRISED INITIALLY THAT SOME

DID, PROBABLY NOT SURPRISED AT

WHO DIDN'T.

>> Emily: LIKE THE TROLLS.

>> THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT

THERE --

>> Emily: REALLY HORRIBLE

PEOPLE.

>> THE HEAVY USE WE SHOWED IN

THE SEGMENT ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE

ON THE WHOLE, ARE RESPONSIBLE

MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.

THEY'RE JUST -- THIS IS A BIG

PART OF THEIR LIFE.

BUT THEY CONTRIBUTE.

THE TROLLS WERE MUM.

EVEN GIVEN A CHANCE --

>> Emily: DID THEY RESPOND AT

ALL.

>> DIDN'T EVEN RESPOND.

I SPECIFICALLY TARGETED A BUNCH

OF PEOPLE.

I HEARD FROM DOZENS OF PEOPLE

WILLING TO TALK BUT THOSE PEOPLE

WEREN'T.

>> Emily: FOR DECADES, NEWS

HAS BEEN TRYING TO BE

INTERACTIVE WITH THEIR AUDIENCE.

WHEN I WORKED AT NETWORK

TELEVISION, SORT OF

IMPOSSIBILITY, IT WASN'T THAT

LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION YET.

NOW WE HAVE IT.

NOW WE'RE THINKING, WAIT A

SECOND, WHAT HAVE WE DONE HERE?

DO I WOULD WANT THIS

INTERACTION?

>> I THINK WE DO.

WE JUST DON'T WANT THE

DOMINATION BY THE BOMB THROWER.

>> Emily: ALL OF -- 90% OF

THE E-MAILS WE GET ABOUT THIS OR

RADIO SHOW NOBODY BOTHERS --

HEY, GREAT SHOW, NICE JACKET.

THEY DON'T BOTHER WITH THAT.

>> I THINK THERE ARE GREAT GEMS

IN THERE.

THEY'RE GETTING DROWNED OUT BY

OTHER PEOPLE.

WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO

RAISE UP THE PROFILE OF THE

PEOPLE WHO ARE CONTRIBUTING IN A

POSITIVE WAY.

THEY'RE RESPECTIVE OF THEIR

POLITICS.

>> Emily: WHY DO WE MAKE IT

ANONYMOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE?

I'M SURE YOU SAW THE "BUFFALO

NEWS" WAS SAYING NO MORE

ONONONYMITY.

>> IT GREW UP WITH THE WEB.

I THINK BY THE TIME EVERYONE

REALIZED WHAT WAS GOING ON IT

WAS ALMOST TOO LATE BECAUSE THE

EXPECTATIONS THERE WAS EMBEDDED

THERE.

THE

SCREEN GAME WAS GIVEN, THAT

CREATED THE ENVIRONMENT FOR

PEOPLE TO EXPECT THAT THEY

DIDN'T HAVE TO USE THEIR REAL

NAME.

>> Emily: YOU LOOK AT THE

ENVIRONMENT, SOMETIMES I WONDER

WHETHER PEOPLE, COMMENTERS, DO

THINGS AND SAY THINGS TO PROVOKE

AN ARGUMENT OR THESE ARE PEOPLE

WHO REALLY BELIEVE WHAT NARE

SAYING?

IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SORT THAT

SOUTH?

>> THE PEOPLE I PROFILED AND

SPENT TIME WITH REALLY DO

BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY.

AND I THINK AS GOOD STANDARD

THEY WOULD SAY IT FACE TO FACE

IF THEY HAD.

TO AND I THINK THERE ARE SOME

EXAMPLES THAT PEOPLE GIVE OF

WHEN YOU WOULD HAVE AN ANONYMOUS

PERSON, WHEN THAT WOULD BE

PRODUCTIVE TO GIVE THEM THAT

ANONYMITY.

GENERALLY THOSE ARE THE

EXEMPTIONS.

IF THERE IS A WAY TO I THINK

AGAIN PROMOTE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE

JOINING IN THE CONVERSATION IN A

GOOD WAY, THEN THAT MIGHT BE

BETTER FOR ALL OF US.

>> Emily: WAS THERE ANOTHER

SCARY TYPE, MEN IN THEIR 50s,

HOW MANY WOMEN?

>> IT'S INTERESTING THAT SPORTS

NUT THAT I -- THE WOMAN FROM

OHIO, EVERYONE ASSUMES WAS ASIAN

CAME TO HER DEFENSE.

TRAINING TO ME THAT HAPPENED

HERE -- BUILT HER LIFE AROUND

THIS.

FIVE HOURS A DAY WILL SPEND ON

THE DISCUSSION BOARDS.

IT'S INTERESTING.

WE FOUND THAT THE PEOPLE ON THIS

PARTICULAR SAME MESSAGE BOARD

GENERALLY ARE MORE RESPONSIBLE

THAN JUST THE GENERAL ARTICLE.

BECAUSE THERE'S A SENSE OF

COMMUNITY, A SOCIAL CONTRACT

WHERE THEY NARROWED, BEING HELD

TO ACCOUNT.

>> Emily: DO YOU HAVE ANY

IDEA HOW MANY ACTUALLY READ THE

COMMENTS?

WE WERE READING THE COMMENTS

ABOUT THE HORRIBLE ACCIDENT THAT

KILLED THE POLICE SERGEANT.

THERE WAS A COUPLE OF

INTERESTING ITEMS IN THERE ABOUT

WHETHER THE TROOPER WAS PROPERLY

LOCATED IN THE AREA, I DON'T

KNOW IF WE'LL EVER KNOW THAT.

IT RAISES INTERESTING ISSUES.

MOST OF IT WAS VITREAIAL.

>> I THINK THAT IS MY POINT THAT

YOU HAVE TO WADE THROUGH A VOTE

OF VITRIOL TO GET TO THE GEMS.

>> Emily: ANY IDEA HOW MANY

PEOPLE READ THE COMMENTS?

>> WE GET 8,000 COMMENTS A DAY

ON BOSTON.COM ALONE.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE

READ ALL OF THEM.

RIGHT NOW ON THIS ARTICLE THAT I

WROTE FOR SUNDAY THERE ARE OVER

200 COMMENTS.

>> Emily: WHAT KIND OF STUFF?

>> EXACTLY WHAT YOU EXPECT, SOME

GEMS IN THERE, SOME CRAZY

THINGS, SOME FUNNY THINGS,

CRITICISMS.

BUT A LOT OF NONSENSE, IT'S A

LOT TO WADE THROUGH.

>> Emily: HOW BIG A JOB FOR

PEOPLE AT BOSTON.COM JUST TO GET

THAT STUFF OFF BEFORE -- SOME

OFFENSIVE STUFF MUST MAKE IT ON.

>> BASICALLY HOW IT WORKS.

THESE MODERATORS ARE ABOUT ONE

OR TWO ON PER SHIFT THEY MONITOR

OTHER PEOPLE ARE REPORTING YOU.

>> Emily: IT'S UP TO THE

READERS TO REPORT THE ABUSES.

>> IT WOULD BE FINE IF EVERYONE

WAS BOY SCOUT ABOUT REPORTING

IT.

CONSERVATIVE REPORTS, BECAUSE

THEY DON'T LIKE THEIR OPINIONS

AND LIBERALS DO IT --

>> Emily: A LOT OF FALSE

POSITIVES.

I GOT A BIG PICK OUT OF READING

THAT.

THANKS FOR COMING.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Emily: WHEN WE CONTINUE

WHY FREELANCE WORKERS ARE

FINDING IT HARDER TO MAKE IT.