News Sites Start Charging Readers to Comment on Articles

News publishers have such a fraught relationship with the people who comment on their articles that many websites have been removing the comments section altogether (including this one). Michael Robertson thinks he has a better idea: start charging the people who hang out there.

Robertson, an entrepreneur in San Diego best known for founding MP3.com and fighting a long legal battle with the record industry, argues that the prospect of a new revenue stream will convince a struggling industry to reconsider the value of comments. A self-proclaimed libertarian, he believes his company, SolidOpinion.com, can provide a market solution to trolling. “If we can turn this into a revenue producer, then all of a sudden publishers will want it; they can invest time in it; and we can improve comments,” he said.