The Bivings Group recommends nine (18) things newspapers can do to improve their Web sites.

Note that I have a superabundance of self-interest in endorsing those recommendations, which were blogged by Todd Zeigler.

Specifically, Southern Connections has long recommend all nine (and most of the others) to our clients, and has successfully implemented all of those we recommended.

The same applies to the list of 18 Zeigler eventually accumulated by adding and responding to reader suggestions.

Of those, there is one with which I mildly disagree, and about which he apparently has reservations as well. That one is the first of his "Additions:"

11. Allow Readers to Comment on Every Story [Via Micropersuasion]. I think this is a great idea although for some papers it may be unrealistic. It would take a lot of time to manage all the discussion that is generated. But if the paper can pull it off they should. It will help them build a Digg style community of users. This ties in to some good advice from Thomas Power: Become a social network.

Comment on selected stories, yes, but "every story?" That takes a lot more staff time than any of Southern Connections' clients can afford to devote to the associated tasks. For that reason, we recommend allowing user/reader comment on "selected stories."

With that caveat, this too is something online newspaper sites can actually do to make things better, although most do not.

Visionary ramblings about online newspaper Marshall Plans are not required and not constructive (unless you're Editor & Publisher, benefitting from the resulting boost in page views).

Just hard work implementing good ideas in ways that fit productively into the joy and sorrow of producing each, unique site. Cookie cutter solution peddlers need not apply.