In keeping with
this blog's raisons d'etre, which includes a critique of ABC Radio National's self-removal from listener feedback, a word about RN website guestbooks.
In contrast to millions upon millions of personal websites whose owners bravely risk publishing the views of their readers, not all RN program webpages have guestbooks. For example, if you want to express to the
Breakfast show disappointment that they headline sport above the state of the nation, the state of the planet, or international crises, apparently there's no guestbook available. If there is one, I couldn't find it and I withdraw my remark.
And, apparently, those that have guestbooks, such as the
Counterpoint guestbook, there is no form field in which the commenter may type his or her own webpage or favourite site. It's a pity that ABC-RN doesn't allow this Internet convention and one can only wonder why it should be so. It seems to be just another example of the station's elitism.
Most webmasters moderate their guestbooks; that is, the webmaster usually adjusts the book's settings to require webmaster approval before a comment gets posted. This is reasonable, as it prevents the posting of spam, obscenities and very cranky or abusive feedback. Likewise, ABC-RN guestbooks filter out such posts, and it would be churlish to be critical of this practice. I have several moderated guestbooks, and reader criticism and suggestions have been invaluable to my efforts to improve the quality of my sites. (Regrettably my blog host, Blogger, does not allow a URL field in its Comments form; I refer only to my guestbooks.)
However, my own experience with several guestbook comments that I have made at RN -- polite, brief comments, although not necessarily ones that the programs wish to read (or have their readers see) -- is that they are usually filtered out.
Like the ABC Radio practice of frequently asking for listeners' emails (and here I speak of ABC generally, including News Radio, local radio as well as RN), but replying extremely rarely to such feedback emails, the ABC-RN guestbook practice verges on resembling window dressing.
My modest proposal is that all the programs have guestbooks, each with the barest minimum of moderation, and with the conventional form field in which listeners may place a URL. RN should not be afraid of letting 1,000 flowers bloom; it would brighten the place up a bit and, I believe, help ABC get back on the road to reflecting the thoughts of the Australian general public, whom it ostensibly serves. Australians who can read and write, at any rate. How the disenfranchised illiterate people might be catered for is beyond me, and up till now beyond ABC.
Tagged: abc, australia, radio, internet, radio+national
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