Story comments get their own space at TheGazette.com

We have made some changes in how comments are displayed at TheGazette.com so I want to share them with you.

Comments on news stories now go to a separate page, which will serve as a public forum for commenters but which also will give people who want to experience our stories without the comments an opportunity to do so. We hear from many people who find the comments to be a less than pleasant experience. These readers are more prevalent than some of our commenters would like to believe, and they matter to us as much as those who take the time to weigh in with their thoughts.

People who want to comment on stories, or read the comments, may click the comment link and go to the forum. This approach is done at many news outlets with success.

The move only will be made with news stories. Comments on individual blogs displayed on TheGazette.com will remain on the same page as the blog posts so that writers can continue to communicate with followers. These blogs are: all of our sports and outdoors blogs, Ramblin', Homegrown, Jennifer Hemmingsen, Todd Dorman, Jeff Tecklenburg, the visuals blog and this one, Mulling it Over. We do not want to diminish the conversations individual writers are having with readers on blogs.

Comments on “On Your Mind” are displayed on the page that poses the daily question.

Comments on Letters to the Editor are displayed on the page with the letters as a way of continuing dialogue that a letter writer starts.

Even in the separate forum, comments still are being moderated under protocols established last year.

An internal committee of staffers from TheGazette.com and

KCRG.com meets on a semi-regular basis to discuss ways to make the commenting experience meaningful for an increasing number of people.