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UPDATED 6/2/11 6:45 p.m.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your thoughts with us on our move to Facebook comments. We take this switch seriously and believe that the increased participation and sharing will further Civil Beat’s overall mission. The change will take place beginning early next week. We hope you try out the new commenting system and we’ll be here to answer any questions you may have along the way. Please ask questions or leave comments below – or on in our company blog. Thank you!

The team at Civil Beat is always working on creating a better experience for our readers. Our focus lately has been on making it easier for you to comment on the issues we cover.

We think the best way to do that is by switching to Facebook comments.

Why?

Until now, only subscribers have been able to comment. We did that to help build a civil dialogue, which we think has worked. But we think more of you want to participate, and we want to include as wide a range of voices on Civil Beat as possible.

By using Facebook comments and opening up the discussions to registered users (registering is easy, all you have to do is provide an email) we’ll be increasing the number of voices while maintaining the quality, civil discussions.

With Facebook, you’ll still know who’s commenting, something that’s been key to the quality of Civil Beat’s conversations.

We believe Facebook comments will improve users’ experience in a number of ways. For example, Facebook’s notification system will alert you when new comments are made in a discussion you’re participating in, something subscribers have been asking for. You will also be able to reply to specific comments and create conversation threads that are easy to follow, also things subscribers have been asking for.

How?

To participate you’ll need a subscription or a registered account. You’ll also need to be logged into Facebook to comment on the site and see what your Facebook friends are reading and sharing on Civil Beat. 

When you come to the site, you’ll find a new Facebook box that shares your friends’ activity on Civil Beat (this is custom to each user). This feature will replace the Active Discussions section on the homepage. 

Don’t worry, comments made through the current system over the past year will be saved and will still be accessible on the site. But going forward, you won’t be able to use the current commenting system.

We’ll do our best to make sure this transition is seamless, and will keep you posted on the exact timing of the switch. As always, we welcome your feedback. Please chime in below with any comments or questions.