Dear Reader,
Most of you – I don’t know the exact percentage, or even the approximate percentage, or actually any percentage – never, ever read the comments under an article, whether it’s at the New York Times, on those few articles where they allow comments, or at the Wall Street Journal, where there are hardly ever any comments, at the LA Times, or at any of the other mainstream or alternative media sites that still allow comments.
A while ago, I came across a study the Guardian had done about comment readership. I can’t find the study anymore, but I remember vaguely that the number of its readers who actually read the comments is very low – 10% sticks in my mind.
If this number is correct, 90% of you never read the comments, anywhere.
You have tried a few times and have been bombarded with obnoxious, hateful, bigoted comments, with nasty useless snark, with name-calling of public figures, with brutal ad hominem attacks on other commenters or the authors of the articles. You felt like you descended into a nightmarish world of social dysfunction and anonymous aggression where only the worst and darkest sides of human nature are allowed to thrive. And so, to hang on to your sanity for a while longer, you stopped reading comments once and for all, period.
I get that.
But you’re missing out on WOLF STREET.
We try to have a civil comments section where polite disagreement is welcome, where funny is encouraged, and where every reader should feel at home. We don’t always succeed, but we always try.
You will find comments from industry insiders that add specific details to topics discussed in the article. You will find corrections of errors in the article. You’ll find comments pointing out my very dry typo-humor. You’ll see boots-on-the-ground reports supporting or contradicting data in the articles. You’ll encounter arguments from both sides, chaotically jumbled together into one big rich read. There’s some nonsense too, and you’ll get to decide. You’ll run into the silly and the crazy. You’ll see moving personal stories and tidbits. In short, you’ll plug into the experiences of our often astute commenters [I’m proud of you, and I’m happy you have chosen WS to express your views].
Sometimes the comments are the best part!
The comment section is a vibrant place to hang out and lurk – without ever writing a comment yourself. And it’s even more fun when you contribute to the discussion.
So, just to see what you’ve been missing, check out the comments below my article on self-driving cars. There were 127 comments at last count, some of them long and detailed. Many of them – maybe the majority – are lined up on the other side of the argument.
There are commenters who are just stunned by that sort of opposition. And occasionally, I’m in the thick of it, trying furiously and ineffectually to stem the tide.
Not all articles have that many comments. Some have just a few. Many articles have upward of 30, especially once they’ve been published for a few days. It takes a while for our articles to accumulate a lot of comments (so check back later).
To get a feel for what you’ve been missing, sit back and enjoy the comments under this article: Self-Driving Vehicle Revolution to Wipe Out 4 Million Jobs
Enjoy reading WOLF STREET and want to support it? You can donate. I appreciate it immensely. Click on the beer and iced-tea mug to find out how:
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As an occasional commenter I will assure you that I always read the comment section of your articles. The regulars here make this seem somewhat like a discussion forum with you Mr. Richter serving as both discussion leader and moderator. This blog is the first thing I read in the morning and I’m always glad that I stumbled upon it. Thanks!
rex
Alas I read in the IOS Reader View which eliminates adds and comments.
Why am I taking this personal? ……………….hmmmmmm,,,,,,,
Reading the comments is how I found out about sites like Wolf Street.
If your a part of the WSJ Community there are tons of comments and often times the comments are a lot more informative than the actual article.
^This^ (me too).
But i still miss Usenet. Apparently threading is not trendy anymore.
You gotta be tough to read the comments section on this and other sites with any regularity. You gotta be even tougher to stick your neck out and state an opinion. This just happens to be a relatively tame and above average intelligence comment section, unlike others I frequently visit.
You’re right, Wolf. There are some sites on which it is not worth reading the comments. However Wolf Street is not one of those.
Comments here are generally interesting, polite, and add something to the conversation. Anyone who isn’t reading them is missing out.
Never fear
To enter here
Ye who art thin of skin
We’re all polite
Never do fright
We just want to do you in
Your site is one of the few sites where I sometimes get more from the comments than I do the articles,. The discussions are excellent. Often times very interesting ideas have come from these discussions that I dont think would be practical to receive any other way.
Wolfstreet is one of my favorite blogs.
+1
plus 20 billion
thank you mr.ritcher. honesty is deeply appreciated in this world of clintrumps.
I have never posted here, but I read the blog daily, often multiple times (thanks Wolf). I always read the comments. Most ‘alternative’ blogs have stimulating comment sections. Some sites like Zerohedge, I often only read the comment section :)
Comments are the best part, often reading a comment from a person who actually lives in the area the article refers to or has intimate knowledge of a situation can be enlightening in a way that you would never normally have access too.
Comments are a favorite part of reading articles for me. But I must admit I’m a readaholic. I always read them here. If there are a ton of comments, I’ll view some of the best, and then newest comments to get a flavor of things if they can be sorted that way. And I’d like to also chime in and say thanks Wolf for your excellent blog.
I read your blog including all comments on daily basis. Doing it from the other side of the world. Thank you for your well thought and honest reporting and discussion of the issues.
Your comments section is better than most.
I have learned much from your blog, and hold it in high regard. I read the comments, and often relish them. Sometimes, they are the “jewel in the crown”. Please carry on. Bravo!
Yes, I read most all the comments on WolfStreet, and many of them provide insight and expand on the views published in the main column, as no column can provide every aspect of the topic discussed and still be readable in reasonable time. As far as your blog itself is concerned, I read every article, and often visit more than once a day.
I don’t mind it when someone challenges my facts or opinions in my comments, and a spirited civilized comment section adds a lot of life to any website, although a few sites seem to attract vicious, superficial and downright evil comments. Happily, such is not the case with WolfStreet as the participants are witty, knowledgeable, and above all, entertaining.
…
Incidentally, whatever the motivation for the Guardian’s estimate of 10% readership of comments in the Guardian newspaper, I simply do not believe it. Rather, in discussing commenting with anyone (and it is a popular topic), it seems to me that perhaps almost everybody reads at least some of them. Perhaps the Guardian wishes to rationalize ending its comment section, as many publications have done recently, probably because the majority of commenters have been at odds with the reporting, or rather propaganda, presented in the articles. In recent years more papers are obviously failing to understand the difference between news and editorial opinion. A quick review of today’s (or any day’s) Guardian will reveal this.
As full disclosure, I have about as much respect for the Guardian as I do for the New York Times. That would be zero. I do hold my nose and take a look from time to time though …
I agree with you! The Guardian has a lot of other problems…and they don’t care about readership service. Comment sections are a reader service, just like letters to the editor in newspapers which are read by most readers. This seems part of the choking out of public opinion. It won’t work. SGTREPORT.com has devices which prevent comments, although they pretend to invite them. ZH has some excellent comments which offer great links. So does Silverdoctors. I always read comments since it’s a way to get a truly wide perspective, even if I disagree.
Thank you, Wolf, for keeping up comment sections.
Wolf, you are correct about the poor quality of most responses in comments sections. The commenters on many sites appear to be hoping to start arguments. The nastiest commenters seem to specialize in political subjects including candidates. Anonymity brings out the worst in some people. I guess it’s a sign of the times.
Then too, your subject matter doesn’t give the trolls much scope for their attacks. Serious economic discussion is just not their cup of tea.
I read you daily, but don’t post that often because someone else has already said what there is to say on a topic. Unless I strongly agree or disagree, I usually don’t say anything. But I do read.
In any case, keep doing what you are doing.
I think the comments on this site are extremely additive. I never post but love reading them. The other site that has amazing comments is Belmont Club (Richard Fernandez). I read all the comments on both sites and have learned so much! Thanks to Wolf and all his smart and informed readers.
Holly- finding another interesting site is one of my favorite things about the comment section. Thanks!
Reading the comments on sites like Zero Hedge only makes me realize how many haters there are out there hiding behind screen names. Thank goodness the comments section on this blog doesn’t have the up and down votes. That kind of voting system encourages flame wars and warring tribalism.
The avatars and the ‘haters’ are nowhere more present than on Twitter.
Most Zerohedge commenters are angry far-right crazy people who live alone in a dirty old house surrounded by guns.
By the comments in Wolf Street, I think these users are simply curious people who want to understand how economy truly works.
greetings wolf, i throw the odd comment here and there but for me this is one of the few places i get to ask someone questions. most people i know do not have the same interests as myself so its hard to bounce thoughts off of. everyone seems to have their heads buried in the sand when it comes to this stuff. i find it very interesting and use some of the information for my investments. i believe in order to make money you should know what the heck is going on in the global economy. so thanks. so far its working.
i read a lot of peoples comments but certainly not all. and i ask questions when i dont know something.
Sites and blogs like this one without a comments section is like going to school listen to lectures but never allowed to talk to the other students.
Very insightful.
need to add “or ask Question’s”.
Same as the above – I regularly read the comments and post occasionally. I think the Wolfstreet commentator ‘community’ is a good one though! Not true of all blogs.
Thanks Wolf.
The reason MSM sites pulled their comments section is not because people do not use or read them — rather it is because the purpose of the MSM is to create the matrix.
And the last thing the MSM wants is for readers to question the narrative that they are pumping out i.e. regurgitated ‘truths’ passed along from the Ministry of Truth
Heaven forbid any enlightened commentators were to puncture holes in their lies and get the cattle to think
Agreed
The commentators on MSM sites that have turned off the feature weren’t just puncturing holes, often times they were outright obliterating the ramblings of an uneducated, inexperienced and unintelligent journalists that have come to dominate the media.
I disagree…sure there are some not useful or hateful posts, just like people. So what? The useful posts make up for them. I just scroll past the nasty stuff. I don’t want my reading “edited” to prevent humanity’s expression. That feels “less safe” than just seeing the truth of opinions.
‘uneducated, inexperienced and unintelligent journalists’
Ah so true!
It is not just MSM who pulls the comment section. Their is a certain Retail “Guru” consultant, who has a good website, and is a prominent keynote speaker for many retail sectors. He finally added a comments section but no one ever commented. I finally started commenting with stats and links to back it up….and low and behold all of my comments were deleted and the comments section is permanently closed. The Ivory Tower elites do not like to hear what goes against their rainbow and unicorn narrative.
I am sure that most wolfstreet readers also read the comments. A lack of comments does not translate to a lack of interest. Some people just understand that it is better to remain silent when the exchange is between subject matter experts.
I post on zerohedge , but not here. Zerohedge is more like a mosh pit, and I post against the trolls and illogical arguments in an attempt to throw them out of the ring. Wolfstreet is more like a tea party amongst friends.
“obnoxious, hateful, bigoted comments, with nasty useless snark, with name-calling of public figures, with brutal ad hominem attacks”
and
“a nightmarish world of social dysfunction and anonymous aggression where only the worst and darkest sides of human nature are allowed to thrive”?
In other words, the real world. If somebody can’t handle this they need to scramble back to their Safe Zone.
he he.
Even though this is my first comment, i enjoy reading the comments section here a lot! What a change from the usual hate, uninformed and brainless spatter!
” Sometimes the comments are the best part! ”
To me, comments are barometric to the article and Ad Hominems etc. are to be considered as dust in the eye when winds get strong and a sharp vision becomes a struggle.
Many thanks for adressing this and soooo many other subjects!
I really appreciate your dedication to the blog!
The MSM uses the excuse that it is too difficult to monitor their comments to keep out the profanity, racism, spam etc…
All it would take is one person on staff to monitor all posts on an MSM site.
If someone violates the rules — just ban them from the site…. forcing them to re-register with another email address if they want to persist.
The Matrix must not be challenged
Couldn’t agree more.
PS:
And many thanks indeed to all other contributers as well!
BTW: is this the Guardian article you are referring too?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/23/switch-nesting-system-comment-threads
Thanks. That’s an interesting article on how the Guardian was dealing with a comment-section technical issue (“nesting”), but it’s not the report I’ve been looking for and doesn’t have the percentages I’m looking for.
If you or anyone else runs into the report (any report with estimates on the percentage of readers who read the comment section), please send me the link. I’ll keep looking too. If I can get my hands on it, I might write something about it – now that I’m intrigued by the topic.
Now I feel bad for sometimes writing a comment that doesn’t add much to the discussion :(
One of the primary reasons I check this site daily is for the insightful, intelligent, informed comments. Sad to say, mainstream media sites, and top internet blogs have been swamped with trolls of all kinds (ie. Russian troll army), insurance bots, frothing partisan nutcases ect… I was miffed NPR recently got rid of their commenting system, as they were a community of interesting individuals as well, but again had been gradually inundated with trolls. So here’s to Hoping WS remains a relatively obscure bastion of rationality. ;)
It is the curse of popularity. Once a site becomes popular enough it becomes a target for paid shills, bots and nutcases. This starts to transform the comment section from a great source of information with good community to a big waste of time, prime example is ZeroHedge.
At this point the people are coming to read the story only, community is in general gone as people move on to new fresh sites that haven’t been overrun yet.
I check your website multiple times per day and repost many of them to my FB. Like most of your followers I’m expecting a poo storm and like you I’m trying to warn my friends.. I also appreciate how respectful most posters are with people they disagree with. I think that comes about because none of us really know how this will shake out because if we did we’d be the ones with secret offshore accounts and in no need of your articles..
Thanks for the invitation. I read you here but have never replied to anything. I’ll try to do better in the future.
I always read the comments here, but never comment. Generally the people here are pleasant, have some insight, and aren’t argumentative. The first couple years of ZH were ok (when Marla was around), but have really changed. Naked Capitalism has another good group.
Wolfstreet is in my first 5 websites that I check out first thing every day.
Thank you Wolf and writers for the informative articles and to the responders in the comments section thank you also for keeping this site intelligent.
I see this blog as today’s equivalent of yesterday’s “investment club”.
First time poster but long time follower of your site. I agree that the comments section here is informative and a good discussion/expansion on the topic highlighted. Wish more sites would engage in thoughtful discussion vs hateful responses/political rhetoric that can detract from learning about the issues/subject presented. Thanks and keep up the good work.
The comments on Wolf Street are an antidote for comments on other economic / financial sites and proof that there is intelligent life in cyberspace! Keep writing peeps!
Wolf Street is a respectful and dynamic ecosystem. Wolf (and the commenters) give detailed perspectives on a broad range of UNDERLYING economic factors and trends.
After following Wolf for a year or so I find that it gives a 3-6 month advance warning over the manipulated and distorted headline numbers reported by the main street media.
I especially like the personal stories, location, allegorical perspectives, and lifestyle strategies that commenters share.
EVERYONE please add comments at least occasionally.
Chris, great comment.
I second your sentiments entirely.
Getting to know others here through their comments, has been part of the delightful experience of wolfstreet. To the point now of becoming disappointed if some of my favorites don’t show up and comment! lol
Wolf,
Take Heart!! There are likely, far more of us than you think.
The comments are the absolute best part of this blog.
The comments and the bloggers – even the ones I disagree with – were one of the first signs, to me, that I am not alone in having the needle on my BS meter pegged to infinity when it comes to conventional politics/economics news sources.
So, when can we expect an article recommending a Debt Jubilee? /jk
:-)
+2 ;)
I thought this was a safe zone.
I used to read each article as soon as posted, but found it more rewarding to leave it for later in the day so there are more comments. Best site ever. Very informed posters make this place unique.
Don’t worry Wolf, I believe your readers percentage of reading comments are probably more like 90%
Great site, great comments – always read them, much insight and potential to learn from them.
Comment sections are just data mining “bait” to get your e-mail addresses which they then sell. Everyone wants your E-Mail address.
Not quite…. As you know, you can sign in with a fake non-functional email address. On WS, no one checks to see if your “email” is actually working.
If you want to subscribe to WOLF STREET updates, however, you need to submit a functioning email address in the box in the right sidebar near the top (it’s also at the bottom of the homepage).
:-]
I drop in several times per day and always, always look for new comments. Some of your responders deserve great respect for their insight.
I have often been curious about website culture(s). Wolfstreet often seems to bring out the best in readers, yet other sites display a culture of flippant nastiness, (like zero hedge). You have created a nuanced backdrop that is focused on ideas and issues, and not just opinion. I have spent a long time in the work world and have had many supervisors. The best managers always have this culture front and foremost in their organizations. The worst ones generate silence, or display bias and favouritism. I think it is your fairness and professionalism that has created this reading experience. The worst responses I have ever read from you are: “Did you read the article”? “I think you missed the main point, being…”. Or, you provide clarification of data and what it means.
Well done and thanks.
The comments sections are the best part of a blog! Sometimes I scroll straight to the comments and then read the article after I’ve read the comments.
The most entertaining and funny comments are on Zerohedge. The smartest comments are on this blog (Wolfstreet). The nicest ones are on David Haggith’s blog and the most ridiculous, idiotic comments section goes to Michael Snyder’s blogs on which I refuse to post anymore. But I still read his articles everyday.
I used to be able to go to the “full site” and read CNNs comments but I can’t anymore. Lots of good folks calling BS on the majority of CNN’s articles. Love that.
Agreed, some of the Hillary stuff on zerohedge really had me chuckling ;)
It’s where I first learned the term “Cankles”.
Lol
I though these two vids of Clinton on ZH were rather amusing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrMjAB3MzA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMM1-eD1UBI
Read the Evan McMullin piece on Zero Hedge. I busted up laughing when through the comments. Absolutely comedy gold:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-08/ex-cia-ex-goldman-anti-trump-republican-launches-independent-presidential-bid
I’m in that 10% that read the comment section and can attest to the fact that this site stands out for the quality and propriety of the comments across the board. A rarity indeed. How Wolf does it I dunno.
Some times your article is of no real interest to me so I immediately go to the comments section of the article. That’s where it is interesting. I have learned a lot from “Testosterone Pit”.
In most media cases 99% of the interesting and useful stuff is in the comments, most media I look at the first few paragraphs and jump to the comments to find out the real story.
In most mainstream media censorship is rife however too, sometimes on the Guardian there is an entire page of censored comments – other media outlets just delete the comments entirely so there is no trace.
Wolfstreet is fairly rare in the the articles are worth reading all the way through as well, but the comments here are still very interesting.
I read all the comnents, which appear to be edited carefully by Herr Richter. On other sites, comments may start well and quickly descend to Jew hatred (Israel, Zionists etc.). At that point I move on.
Yeah, Jew hatred is a weird thing. It is a sure indicator of a diseased mind.
I agree. Why bite the hand that feeds you?
As I have commented …. when the British ran things if you didn’t have the right public school tie you could forget about getting ahead…
And heaven forbid you did not have an anglo saxon surname!
At least under the central banking regime everyone gets a shot at living large.
1st time poster.
A reference to Zero Hedge I assume lmao ;p
Albeit it seems to apply to other sites (i.e. Youtube, RT, etc) that have less moderation as well.
The anti-Semitic stuff has really exploded recently on the Internet IMHO. Or at least it feels that way compared to the many years that I’ve been on the Internet.
Maybe it has something to do with the rise of the “Alt-Right” movement, hard to say.
Hallo.
I am 51 and live in Milan, Italy.
I don’t post any comment because my English is poor. Anyway i connect daily on WS and appreciate the quality of all comments.
I can’t add any useful news about my contry, but there is no need because you, DQ, and all the others know the facts very well.
Well, well, well, one day I’ll try.
As a former resident and property owner of SF living now in the Seattle area, WS keeps me up to date on what’s happening in the Bay Area. I am also a first time poster but an old time reader when it was still Testosterone Pit. The comment section is just as important as the author’s articles. I enjoy the comments from Crazy Cooter, Paolo, Petunia and the others that regularly share their opinions.
Wolf, you are a star. Keep up the good work. I hope I add a basis point on the percentage of comment readers to push it to 91%.
This is definitely my favorite blog and the comments are the best of any site. Thanks Wolf, for your patience and hard work.
yeah, it’s like this site is only for Grown Folks or something. don’t know why the comments section on this site are so different, but my initial thinking is because it’s about a different phase of existential realizations about all “this” that’s going on globally and at home.
because there’s so much dissonant bullshit and lies about what’s going on, i think most folks are still in the raging howling and ranting phase of their existential crisis, and trying to understand it and where they will fit in. how they will survive in a world that no longer makes ANY sense to ANYONE anymore.
i think the folks here are thinkers ahead of their time and are already in the phase of figuring out how to navigate the new reality instead of stuck back in raging about the injustice or absurdity of it all.
i don’t know the reason; but it IS the damndest thing how the comments are better here than ANYWHERE else. yeah, i’ll also read comments when i barely understand or care much about the original article, INITIALLY: i LEARN here.
Actually … the greatest thinkers of our time are gathered on the Finite World blog… there are about a dozen or so who truly understand the nature of the problem we are facing and they have found their way to that site
If you want to expand your intellectual horizons I suggest you read the last 2 years of articles posted by the blog’s author Gail Tverberg.
The articles on Wolf St are frequently excellent — however they are identifying symptoms… not the disease.
Mr MALTHUS:
my best friend/roommate, James, reads Gail’s “finite world” blog all the time!
however, i disagree about this blog only being about the “symptom” and i hear a tinge of demotion which i don’t think is accurate here. i’m not sucking up to pet Mr Wolf on the head or anything with this, but i think this site is about SPECIFICITY. the “math” if you will, behind the actual fuck ups that seem so vague, scary, and EMORPHOUS. it puts much-need “lines” around the policies and actions that seem eternal and make me feel…insane, confused, enervated, and POWERLESS.
i think it’s engineered that way. and specificity is DANGEROUS because then we’re hip to what’s going on and can catch it before the snow jobs done to confuse us.
i think the “symptoms” and “disease” are a constant back-and-forth dance to be aware of. it’s not like you realize the sickness then the symptoms are clear. the symptoms of all this go deep down into our DNA now, and are in how we love each other, ourselves, and the planet, and colors our vision of the future.
i was blackballed in the gay community (as a writer), even though my gay card was punched looong ago as a baby with all the hippy Quaker free love i grew up with, and my mom’s bisexual and i tried to be bisexual but found women exhausting to understand (still do, actually, except for real women like Miss Petunia. she’s beyond the circuitous “game” us chicks are taught) and now i have a deep, deep love admiration and love of men and how THEY (you all) communicate in ways that have been put down. i find men in general much more mystical or romantic than i EVER imagined, or was TOLD you all were. i am angry at that. and i feel like men are cartoonized so much so that the only people who GET to be “men” fully are women.
that’s this culture, though, right? the commodification of everything and buying identity off a shelf or fixing it with a knife. i would’ve like to see people be their complicated male-female selves instead of choosing a “side.” i have a problem with the binary nature of everything now. hillary/trump as well. i’m voting THIRD party but i know of only one other colored person who thinks trump in office would be GOOD because things would finally snap instead of prolonging this interminable cliff hanger any longer.
i have a problem with the transgender stuff because i don’t think the knife is much of a solution regarding self love whether you’re old or fat or hate your nose. and i feel like the hatred of one’s own self as born is a SYMPTOM of all this self-hate and even have a problem with FEMINISM in practice (“theory” is always cute in anything), as i feel feminism IN PRACTICE turned out to just be about affluent women wanted equal rights to rape and pillage and plunder equally and was never about the emancipation of EVERYONE, including poor white men.
i feel like war’s been waged on men and masculinity as well. my own aggressive, direct sides as well! i lose, too! so i feel like whenever we try to “solve” problems, we’re using the same consciousness to “fix” things and end up suppressing SOMEONE or KILLING something in this Death Machine.
man. i can’t write ANYTHING on this site without it turning into an essay!
(smile)
anyhow, Mr Malthus- i shall check out Gail’s site for myself as i continue the dance between understanding diseases and pointing out the symptoms. thank you very much for that tip.
sorry i’m so verbose. even James says i’m in a mood today. talking too much. i love when you men do your “please be quiet” thing.
x
He uses “Fast Eddy” on Our Finite World and Thomas Malthus here.
It could be a problem with WordPress. I can use my real name here but on WordPress sites my real name was blocked so I use ejhr etc. a new moniker it accepted.
Ask yourself this … why would the central bankers blow up the world?
What do they fear?
Enjoy your time on Finite World — I suggest you read the archived articles.
There is great wisdom over there….
and see, Miss Petunia? i’m not the only one who looks for you and your words and insight. i wrote back on the other post how you’re the opposite of “failure” to me. you were in the thick of the b.s. and yet you TRIUMPHED beyond it; never took it seriously even as it was the game you were in. i love that.
people FOLLOW people like you.
KL,
Thanks for all your kind words. I did see your post.
Educating each other on how to fight the good fight is the goal. Don’t lose heart, you are not alone. Put yourself into what you love and you will always feel successful.
Hi. I read the main portion. But I enjoy reading the comments more. Unlike other blogs there are more information and substance. Comments are the value add-ons in your blog providing richer and diverse views of the subject of discussion. Many thanks to all who care to take the time.
I pretty much read every article, even the ones I don’t understand. My husband (Financial Industry) recently commented about how much I’ve become interested in the economy and he’s impressed with how much I now know. I attribute this to all I’ve learned on Wolfstreet in the past year. I read ALL the comments but usually only comment in reference to SF real estate because that immediately effects me and I can give my own insight. Great website for me, a novice in many of the topics!
As I previously mentioned,i have been a professional trader for decades.
Every business morning while listening to Cnbc and Bloomberg Tv,i check out the precious metal prices ,the oil futures and bond and stock prices.I then peruse through the WSJ,Nytimes and Ft.com
Depending on the volatility of the opening in specific markets.i then read those articles, which interest me on Zerohedge, Clusterstock and The AutomaticEarth .I then go to this site and Mish’s read the articles and leave comments if i have time.Unlike the comments at Zerohedge there are very very few ad-hominen attacks at either Mish’s or this site .The comments in total add considerably to the discussion .
During the day I read Dollar Collapase , Oilprice.com ,Calculated risk and Nakedcapitalism and Mr Krugman’s editorials at the NYtimes. Interestingly enough there is a good deal of disagreement among those commenting on Mr Krugman’s opinions.
I understand that websites that allow free commenting with a community vetting scheme are the way of a free press. I also notice that governed press does not allow comments or filters comments. The ABC in Australia is such an organisation. Try commenting there and posting something of a politically incorrect nature!
This website should be visited every day.
“never, ever read the comments under an article”
i must be weird……i hit the comments after the first paragraph and i do that to find out if i should even bother reading the rest…..
Vichy Chicago
September 16, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Reading the comments is how I found out about sites like Wolf Street.
–> Me Too !
I often hate the comment section because it is where the idiots live. But I find quite the opposite here, I find all the regular and one timer comments here to be AWESOME ! Very smart, smarter than me, good writers, and I not only found this site by reading the comments, but the links on Wolfstreet comment section to be supportive of the story, and also full of very very useful information, and from very good sites that I have not found yet !
So Thank you to Wolfstreet, and to the many commenters that live here !
.
Just one more happy comment reader–sometimes I’ll skip down here first to learn what I don’t have time to read above. The civility and intelligence of this community almost gives me hope for humanity, and I agree that Wolf’s congeniality deserves much credit. Naked Capitalism also has a fine comments section. What Hillary said about Trumpsters last week applies better to Zero Hedge commenters.
I love both the articles and comments on here Wolf. It is clear you do a fine job of making people think. ^,..,^
What with the Terrierists trying to blow up Chelsea Clinton and the garbage from the dumpster that Chelsea was looking for votes for Hillary in, I just don’t know where this country is headed.
No matter that the Terriers seem to be gittin’ the upper hand, Us Real Murikans has got to do somethin’!!! An attack on a Dumpster is an Attack on the Homeland!
Please contact your Congressional Representative IMMEDIATELY to implore their support for the DUMPSTER ACT (Don’t Underestimate Massive Problems Stemming from Those Evil Russians)!! Only by Standing Tall at this moment of National Tragedy can we fight off the nefarious land and sea Invasion of Evil Swarthy Slavs trying to undermine Our Democracy! The DUMPSTER ACT will remind us all each and every September 17, of this horror perpetrated on the peace-loving people of America who are only trying to take out the trash!
We must all unite around our dumpsters, a True Symbol of American Exceptionalism, and our right to dump our trash in Safety and Security!! If we can’t be safe near our dumpsters, where can we be safe?? You can do your part by insuring that each and every dumpster in America proudly boasts an American Flag sticker, just like our garbage trucks!
“He who refuses to trade his liberty and independence for safety around his dumpster deserves to have the trash truck pass him by.”
––Benjamin Franklin
It is the comment section where I am able to find both the left hand and right hand and it provisions me to see the greatest gift I can give myself which is ‘another point of view’.
I do read the articles, but I think I spend more time reading the comments section.
While there is often much wheat to be separated from chaff, much noise to be filtered from signal, the comments (or Letters to the Editor) section can turn a speech or lecture into a discussion. In most cases, the comments add much value to the original piece.
Yes, I always read the comments here. As an introvert, I rarely comment on any website, but the general civility and intelligence of the discussion here have enabled me to overcome my commentariat aversion and venture to post few on occasion. Thanks, Wolf, for such informative and thoughtful articles that prompt so many interesting discussions here!
I always read comments because many of them give even better insight on posted topic. My favorite: Paulo, Chris, Outlookingin, Petunia etc.
Great work, keep it up Wolf.
I read comments everyday on several web sites… time pending I will also respond. Thanks for your interest.
Wow, I have been gone for a few weeks and Wolf is missing me. J/k
Actually, I have been busy studying for my universal air conditioning test and now am reading the National Electrical Code. All this so I can upgrade my home A/C unit.
I try to get to this site and read everyday but life has a way of throwing curved balls at me.
I have noticed that weekly the site is picking up new people who are contributing to the comments section.
Keep up the good work Wolf.
I discoverd WS via Michael Snyder’s economic collapse. Ever since I read WS first and only MS occasionally. The comments on MS site are a turn off for me for 2 reasons. First, they require signup/login vua discus and I don’t want to have to go via an intermediary. Second, most of the comments are bible quoters without any explanation of their text.
Whereas on WS there is no intermediary or registration: I simply comment. Which in my opinion is how it should be.
As for the content on WS I think it is second to none. Ocassionally I click on a link suggested by a commentator but hardly ever do I read much of where the link takes me. I’d much rather read what each commentator has to say for her/himself.
I live in UK. Throughout my life I have never been much interested in politics, current affairs, sport, the arts, etc. But I thrive on business issues. And since I know little of what goes on in other countries my limited knowledge of what is going on in USA, Spain, Italy, China I owe mostly to WS.
As more the comments themselves, I read every one. Some resonate, others do not. Some are above my head, some I see simmilarities befween my own field (retailing and retail property) and what is happening in other parts of the world.
I write extensively, a typical week around 20,000-30,000 words. Writing is my means of self-expression. i exceeded the limit of my know-how years ago so for inspiration and knowLedge I am more dependent than before on sources of informed information.
For me the combination of WS and the comments section are my daily fix. Thank you all so much.
I always read the comments on articles I read, time permitting. The more mainstream the article the more I look for them. I actually think they’re doing away with comments for that reason: the natives are getting restless with the conventional narratives, which are getting harder to prop up even with careful editing….
Might I suggest… that everyone anyone visits WS that they click all the banners….
WS would be getting cash from every click….
Thanks! Nice thought… But well, our lives are run by Google algos. Once they figure out – in like a picosecond – that these are false clicks (“click fraud”), they’ll deduct them. They deduct clicks even when they’re legit.
If one clicks the banners then clicks to another page on the advertisers site rather than bouncing on the first page – does that help matters?
I understand that click fraud involves a very high bounce rate i.e. the bot clicks the banner then bounces off the site.
Funny – it seems Facebook’s entire business model is based on click fraud.
They really don’t care where a click comes from and are very happy to charge you for it.
I guess that is the difference between facebook and google
Click fraud is huge. But there is so much other fraud and murkiness in advertising.
I’ve caught two ad agencies doing it to me.
Once in the early 1990s as an advertiser. Back then, there was a paper trail as to what media buys I’d paid them to buy (on the invoice) and what they actually bought (I requested the printout from the TV and radio stations). I sat down and spent hours comparing the two and I nailed them.
Then it happened again, this time as the publisher of this site. That’s when I went back to Google. Google is the cleanest dirty shirt out there.