Sites such as YouTube and Huffington Post try to rein in online abuse
Real names needed, moderators employed as sites move against abuse with impunity
Mix blatant bigotry with poor spelling. Add a dash of ALL CAPS. Top it off with a violent threat. And there you have it: a recipe for the worst of online comments.
But a growing number of websites are reining in online commentary. Companies including Google and The Huffington Post are trying everything from deploying moderators to forcing people to use their real names. Some sites, such as Popular Science, are banning comments altogether.
"If it were up to me, you progressive libs destroying this country would be hanging from the gallows for treason. People are awakening though. If I were you, I'd be very afraid," wrote someone using the name "JBlaze."
Google-owned YouTube has long been home to some of the most juvenile and grammatically incorrect comments. In May, a Cheerios cereal commercial featuring an interracial family met with such a barrage of racist responses on the video site that General Mills shut down comments on it altogether.
Then last month, YouTube caused a stir when it began requiring commenters to log into Google Plus. Besides herding users to its unified network, Google says this is designed to raise the level of discourse.