Jayne: Little Kaylee here just wishes you was a gynaecologist.
Mal: Jayne, you will keep a civil tongue in that mouth, or I will sew it shut. Is there an understanding between us?
Jayne: You don’t pay me to talk pretty. Just because Kaylee gets lubed up over some big-city dandy doesn’t mean…
Mal: Walk away from this table. Right now.

Simon: What do you pay him for?
Mal: What?
Simon: I was just wondering what his job is - on the ship.
Mal: Public relations.

Firefly - Serenity

The ‘social web‘ has brought many things to us, but possibly the most pervasive thing it’s brought is the ability to (and the general assumption that you should) comment on just about any piece of information published. Blogs offer this as a matter of course, but many news organisations are introducing the ability to comment on their articles.

By and large this is a good thing, people want to have their say. Also, for companies, engaging with your customers can be a sure-fire way of getting repeat business.  The wide-ranging discussions on the web, as they flow from site to site (see TechMeme) can be a great way to get a lot of different perspectives on a topic.

However, there can be a downside to allowing comments on your site & I’m not just talking about the usual gripes of spam & trolls.

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