Google News Adds Barely 100 Comments in 30 Days

A month ago Google News started to allow any person mentioned in a news story that they index to email in their comments for posting. They now have a page and a feed that lists the stories that have approved feedback attached.

Over the last 30 days or so, Google has posted a grand total of 104 comments. I am sure the demand is far higher and they can't keep up.

As I suggested when it launched, I have no idea why Google is making this all a manual process managed by humans. It should be a mix of technology and humans. Let everyone comment, but highlight who the official sources are. Although the context is different, Mahalo does this nicely with these little icons

Comments

[Wayan]

Looking at the comments, I now see where Google is going with this.

It seems that anyone employed in a related field to the article can spin his organization's view as a Google-approved comment, kinda like a loose Op-Ed page of a newspaper.

But when was the last time you read the Op-Ed page?

[Rachel Clarke]

Reading the comments is not much fun. They all read as spun formal statements, press releases to give different points of views. Not found any that add value to me yet.

[Jeff Beringer]

This is a lost opportunity -- especially for professional communicators who find their organizations or their clients appearing within the aggregated news results. Hopefully we'll see more people jump on this.

Personally, I like the fact that Google takes the time to "screen" comments to ensure they're related to the source piece and are from those who have some stake in each individual story. Will root out useless bitching and give us (the readers) a small degree of filtering -- which, increasingly, I think end consumers appreciate.

Without a doubt, you'll see instances of people (read: companies and their agencies) simply posting over-spun messaging points here instead of really addressing the source piece and their own position, but when done properly, I think this holds great potential for offering balance.

It's particularly attractive to news junkies seeking contrasting viewpoints to make up their mind about an issue. These news seekers are the sorts of folks who tend to be tastemakers in their own social groups, so the potential upside is huge for those who articulate their position effectively.

With more mediated and unmediated choices to choose from, aggregators like GN will become more popular, and this is a terrific venue for debate if anyone pays attention to it, posts quickly and really RESPONDS to the source article.

[The China Tattler]

This new Google Feature will really take off once some Hot Shot celebrity handlers and PR Type Spin Doctors realise the tool is available.

Give it a few more months. The Google people are probably just building a database of names of legitimate and reliable contacts within PR circles. Once that is done, Google will probably automate the process for submissions so that approved Hacks can post at will.