Billie lives in the small town at the end of the story


Aunt Bee and OpieNewspapers managers do a lot of hand wringing about user comments. They are so … distasteful and base. It’s such an issue, it’s becoming a popular seminar topic.

And reader comments threads at the bottom of stories at knoxnews often aren’t for the faint of heart and can be far from uplifting. Granted my view may be a bit tainted. I can spend a good chunk of my day reviewing the ones users have found objectionable.

But then again, there is something going on in user comments that has nothing to with discussing the issue at hand or solving world problems – or even local problems. There’s an organic community evolving that operates much like a small town. It’s not a everything-always-ends-sunny Mayberry, but then again Mayberry was a mythical TV place. No, I’m talking about a “real” small town.

People “know” each other by their user names and “know of” many more. Just like a small town, it can be painfully gossipy and catty and sometimes down right mean. But the characters and voices are rich.

Beyond the end of the story may be the best reads of the day.

Here ItFrom.Us thought so on Monday, blogging:

Billie is amazing.  If the KNS could find space to give Billie his/her own column, or at least a blog, I would be eternally grateful.

If you like to laugh until you cry, it’s a must read.

“Billie” is a commenter that is in a mere 67 comments is developing a fan following of sorts on knoxnews.

A couple recent comments:

Posted on April 21 at 7:42 a.m.

A dolphins the smartest animal in the world. They have slippers instead of fingers. They can swim and bite. i would like to adopt a eagle. If a eagle had a fight with a snake it would win and I would not get a snae bite. I would call my eagle a good name but I cant think of one to name it yet. It would be a girl eagle like me. maybe i can adopt it from somebody who sells them to you.

On Young-Williams Animal Center looks to public for help

Posted on April 21 at 7:25 a.m.

One time i did bite somebody. At leat a dog cant shoot you. A monkey could shoot you. That is the only animal who can do it because of the fingers they have on them. If they had a gun with a different way of shoting a dog could shoot it. If the gum was like a gun for only dogs. i never saw one.

On Young-Williams Animal Center looks to public for help.

You can see all of Billie’s comments here.

Does Billie need a blog? I think Billie has a blog, just some of us think it’s a news site. Would we be smart at knoxnews to give Billie a blog or a column? Now, that’s a question to kick around on the bench outside the general store.

What do you think?

Photo is of Aunt Bee and Opie (Frances Bavier, Ron Howard) from “The Andy Griffith Show” set in the mythical land of Mayberry somewhere near Mount Pilot..