Do you Use Disqus Or Other Comment Sign In App?
Do you use a plugin or application that forces users to sign in with Disqus, Blogger Profile, Google, Twitter or any other sign in? I hate these apps!
Why Do I hate Disqus?
You could be missing out on quality comments by forcing your readers to do this. There are maybe 2 out of about 100 blogs I read that I will actually sign in to some third party app to leave a comment, and I have to REALLY want to leave the comment to do it.
I still frequent the site and read the articles, but the added time it takes, plus trying to remember login information is usually just too time consuming and aggravating.
You Are Most Likely Missing Out On Commentators:
If I refuse to comment on these types of sites, how many others are you missing out on? As I have stated before, the purpose of your blog is to build community and create interaction within that community. If you are turning readers away because you are concerned with moderating some spam, then you are missing out!
Make it easy to comment on your site, pass some link love to the commentor, and you will find that the amount of comments will improve almost immediately, as well as the quality of the comments!
I have heard arguments about why Disqus or other similar apps are great, but none of them add up to getting more comments and conversation going on your own blog.
So, do you use one of these types of login apps for commenting? Do you comment on blogs that have them? Remember, first priority is supposed to be the reader, not the writer….
Tagged with: disqus
Filed under: Comments
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Hi Keith. WordPress already have a great and super convenient commenting platform. I honestly can’t say it is efficient to use third party apps.
Yesterday, I commented somewhere, and after I wrote two paragraphs of my original thoughts and hit the submit button, it forced me to sign up to the third party apps otherwise my comment wouldn’t get through. Sign up? After such annoyance? Hell no.
You know how I describe it in 2 words? Sh*t happens
I don’t have Disqus on any of my sites but I don’t mind using it.
Personally, my biggest pet peeves are captchas and blogger comments that don’t allow me to use name/URL as an option.
I too hardly comment on blogs that uses 3rd party apps for commenting, its best to make commenting simple, after all akismet and bad-behavior takes care of most of the spam anyway…
On discus though, you can comment as a guest, but it still increases a few more steps in submitting comments which makes it boring on a regular basis. no point in turning off commentators
Isaac,
I have had that happen to me before too, as well as my comment just disappearing because I wasn’t signed in. Very aggravating.
That is interesting, because I would much rather try to read a captcha then try to remember my sign on info for Disqus.
And I agree with you on the Blogger sites too!
Uttoren, thanks for stopping by and commenting, I have on occasion left comments as a guest, but I still get aggravated…..
I think I just really like simplicity – the simplicity that comes with using the Firefox easyComment plugin to auto-fill comment forms, which doesn’t work with Disqus or other third-party apps.
Hey Brandon, thanks for stopping by! I do know a few places I will go ahead and comment, but for the most part it really just gets on my nerves, kind of like pop up windows wanting me to sign up for a newsletter!
I can only echo your thoughts and those in the other comments.
Disqus makes commenting harder and as such I won’t use it.
I did try it for one day on my site and removed it after numerous complaints..
I’m not a fan of Disqus or JSKit comment apps. I hate being asked to sign in every time, and I really despise the fact that sometimes they don’t use your gravatar if you are not logged into their networks. Disqus also automatically tries to sign you up for follow up comments, which I like to do sometimes, but not all the time. So even though it is just a few extra questions, it is a bit of an annoyance.
I don’t have to log in to Discus. Any site that I’m on that uses it already has me logged into it so it’s actually faster. All I have to do is start typing.
I guess if the sites you visit that use Disqus are far and few between, you get logged out because I seem to always have to remember.
Thanks for stopping by Kristi,
I hadn’t thought of the Gravatar issue either, which I like to have the same one consistently throughout my comments.
I don’t have Disqus on any of my sites. It’s a pet peeve of mine too, however I still comment on blogs that have Disqus.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH MODERATING INBOUND COMMENTS?
THE FAULT WITH DISQUS AND INTENSEDEBATE IS THEY CAN’T BE SEEN FROM MOBILE DEVICES.
Hi, great post. I stopped using Disqus for 2 reasons.
1st reason – Almost no one uses it, accept for some of the bigger NoFollow Blog. – worthless
2nd reason – Disqus is not a DoFollow system and is not supported for commentluv yet. – worthless and waste of time.
Currently I am using intensedebate with plugins to support commentluv, openID login, and twitter login. They also offer a guest log in as well. I have thought about changing back to wordpress comment system, but from what I read intensedebate still uses WP comment system when you are not logged into intensedebate.
No. I see no point.
It only slows down users and unless your drowning in spam there is no point to it IMO.
This is one of the reasons why i bought my own domain and started blogging on a paid platform i still comment on some of these blogs because they are my friends i really like the idea of the comments hosted in the same database as my blog i do share your thoughts
I detest these systems. When I comment on a blog, it’s between me and the blogger – why on earth complicate things with an additional sign up? I can see what’s in it for those company, but not for me or the blog where I try to comment.
Nope. I did try something similar once but gave it the boot soon after.
I don’t mind it once I’m logged in and it kept me logged in, but it doesn’t always do that which is a real pain. For the life of me I don’t understand why people persist with it. There must be an advantage somewhere, but is it worth the possibility of pissing some commentators off? I would say no.
Hi Keith you have mentioned really one good point. I have installed disqus comment on my blog as blogger comment is looking odd.
I think so I am not getting too much comment on my blog.
@ARI HERZOG, Why can’t you moderate from within your admin pages?
@element321, I have commented on intense debate sites, but I can’t subscribe to replies without logging in, sometimes I like to keep the conversation going with replies and getting notified helps because I comment on so many blogs.
@Sire, I agree, the frustration of the commentator is more important to me, I want it to be easy to comment here.
@Anne @ b6s.net, thanks for stopping by Anne and commenting, it seems that the comments here reflect the same opinion and the majority seem to think these 3rd party comment apps aren’t worth the time.
@Keith, Why can’t I moderate what? I don’t use those.
I don’t like third party comment systems and when I move my remaining blogs over to Wordpress all will be right with the world, but I do have Disqus on my Blogger blogs as it at least allows me to moderate without having to approve all comments prior to them posting [like traditional Blogger comments]. I know, I know, you hate Blogger, too. I don’t mind Blogger, just not too fond of the comment form.
@ARI HERZOG, Guess I misunderstood your statement “WHAT’S WRONG WITH MODERATING INBOUND COMMENTS?” (which might have been because you were SHOUTING it
, and thought you were saying using Disqus helped you to moderate comments…. sorry.
@Keith, No, I use Wp to moderate comments. I said that Disqus and Intendebate don’t work from mobile devices, or Blackberries at least.
Sorry for the caps. Getting accustomed to a new keyboard.
Keith,
I really enjoyed this article and you made me realize the importance of engaging you community with your comments and it even comes down to the design and usability of the commenting system.
To be honest I use both the Wordpress commenting system and Disqus on my two blogs. Here are my reasons:
I use Wordpress with CommentLuv for my blog offering blogging tips (UtterMag.com) and I use Disqus for my blog that attracts a very diverse crowd. Additionally, I went with Disqus because it has the opportunity for users to connect with others on many different levels, but it also allows a simple guest to make a post (like wordpress).
And before having my own blog I have been using the commenting system and the sites I go to comment on to promote LifeNotion use this commenting system.
I do agree that the wordpress commenting system allows to fit it into your overall blog design (comfort).
Best Regards.
@Derek Jensen, Thanks for stopping by and commenting Derek. I do realize that some people that comment actually do like and use Disqus and other apps. I really want to attract people that may not have ever commented on a blog, and making it too difficult may turn them off. I think that is the hardest part for me to get past.
Funny you mentioned “community”, I had just finished my latest article on why I think comments build community (link in my commentluv below), so I would love you to check it out and voice your opinion on that one!
Thanks again for the comment!
I let guests comment on my blog…
But I am a HUGE fan of services like Disqus and Intense Debate.
-Cory
@Cory Levy, I went to your site, it looks like you don’t get many comments for a site as mature (old) as yours. Have you thought that maybe Disqus discourages comments? I would love for you to elaborate on why you like it….
I couldn’t agree more. I don’t find Disqus too annoying; sign-up only took a minute, and now it recognizes me on any Disqus-enabled blog. But the bigger picture, here, is just how many third-party apps do I want to sign up with and keep track of? Not many! (Granted, if my browser didn’t do autocomplete, just filling in name, email, and URL at every blog would get pretty old, pretty quick, too.) I don’t much like to know that my comments are hosted on a third-party site – either as a blogger or a commenter.
About two years ago, I had some fellow bloggers do an informal “usability study” and review of my blog design, and one of the things that came out of that was disabling captcha codes and the like. A good number of my visitors are older or have some degree of vision impairment. They had strong preferences: no moderation (since the lag leads to disjointed conversations), no silly codes or math problems to enter (too difficult to see/hear/type correctly – major pain in the butt), and switch to dark text on a light background (stop trying to be cool and trendy – go for “easy to read”). These same people seem reasonably happy with my blog today, but occasionally give me feedback on colors or features they find to be stumbling blocks. Stuff that requires another login would be high on their list, guaranteed.
@Keith, Of course you do, because the easier it is the more likely people will leave a comment. Anything less is crazy.
@Holly Jahangiri, I agree Holly, too many stumbling blocks and you will loose readers and commentators.
Also I really don’t like light text on dark backgrounds (still testing here and may darken background, but only slightly) and have heard that studies show light background on dark text is better on the eyes and people tend to stay longer. Not sure how true that is, but hey someone actually studied that!
Thanks for dropping by!
Hi Keith, I can not stand Disqus.
My problem is that we use different names & email with differnt blog links. So if I have been out on Dog blogs posting as my dog & then decide to post as myself…I am in a mess. Trust me when I say that I have written comments & signed my dogs name to it & then have it post under my Disqus account. I’m sure people really wonder about me & my multiple personalities. LOL!
Don’t even get me started on Blogger.
Keith, I’ve installed IntenseDebate (which I used to dislike, actually); I’ve set it so that commenters do NOT need to log in to IntenseDebate to leave a comment, so it shouldn’t be any more of a hassle than leaving comments anywhere else. Let me know, though, if you disagree. I really installed it to test it out for people who’d been asking about it (since it works on Blogspot and CommentLuv is integrated with it).
Holly, Really I am unfamiliar with it, so after you have had time to use it (I will be there to comment I am sure
) an update on your findings would be great.
One question from me would be, if you don’t sign in, then what does it do?
BOL!! In dog speak that is Bark Out Loud.
My dog normally post under Zed..he doesn’t always agree with what I say so, he tries to make sure our opinions are completely separate.
Have you considered installing the db-cache plugin ? It will help your site load faster.
I just installed it, have been tweaking this theme I installed yesterday, so wanted to see changes right away….
I hadnt realized how many of the disqus comment sections had signin required. I use IntenseDebate and I have mandatory-signin turned off. Most people still use their true credentials though to get commentluv and the rest… well.. thats what spam filtering and moderation are for.
You can use commentluv plugin to get more traffic to your blog.
From the Dashboard, select Settings/Discussion. Under “Other comment settings,” uncheck the box for “Users must be registered and logged in to comment.”
Hi all, I hate Disqus with a passion, however a lot the forums I read on I am really keen in commenting on, I have a disqus account but every page I go on it doesnt allow me to submit any comments, only type them without a submit button? Does anyone know why this is? Many thanks, Jake