You may have noticed that my comments section has gotten an upgrade recently from the basic blogger comments. If you haven’t noticed, head down to the end of this post to take a peek. Don’t worry! I’ll wait for you to get back!
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Okay, so now that we’re all on the same page, this interface is called DISQUS. DISQUS was made to host discussion and grow community on the internet. It’s great because anyone can log into their free account and keep track of different discussions on different web pages with DISQUS. Learn more on their website (linked above).
So here is why I decided to switch to DISQUS (and why you should too!):
1. I couldn’t stand any more “no-reply bloggers”. Everyone and their mom who has a blog has posted at least one post on how to change your profile so your comments can be replied to via email in Blogger. Well, I still see so many comments that I try to go and respond to, and they are still no-reply bloggers. It’s one of my blogger PET PEEVES. So guess what? Instead of changing YOU, I’m changing the way I reply! And DISQUS makes it SO easy! You can reply to any comment on any DISQUS interface. LOVE.
2. It is made to host discussion! I absolutely love that everyone can comment and reply to others comments! Your one blog post could spur on so much discussion with you and your readers, and I love that! It’s not made to promote any one person or blog, just to continue the conversation.
3. Clean, organized, and Easy Access. It is a super easy-to-read and follow, clean interface that is organized well. You can see who is commenting on your posts, who has replied to comments you have left on other DISQUS pages, etc. all from one interface. You can also follow people who you like to read and discuss with. It’s also easy to import into your blog.
4. Better protection from scammers. It’s a lot easier to prevent spam when DISQUS is set up. It is made for a community, not for the advertisers and spam of the internet. You can also see each commenter’s picture for a better way to learn about them.
Here are a couple of tips if you do decide to switch:
1. Do NOT use Internet Explorer to import! If you go to the DISQUS web page, you can get step-by-step directions on how to get the interface onto your blog. But don’t try to do it with Internet Explorer! It will redirect you and make it more difficult for you to set up DISQUS on your blog. I learned that the hard way!
2. So many cool features! There are tons of cool features on this interface. You can upvote or downvote comments, follow other commenters, etc. My tip would be to check out THIS page! It will give you all the reason to switch, and help you when you do!
3. Let your readers know you switched. It will help them when they decide to create an account for DISQUS. You can also allow anonymous comments, if you wish. Let them know how easy it is to create an account, and then they will never miss a comment/reply again! A simple paragraph in a post will do!
So I definitely encourage you to check out DISQUS. I feel like it’s just being discovered, but more and more people are switching, and now I can see why! It’s SO much easier than blogger comments, and you never have to worry about no-reply bloggers again!! Woo hoo!!
Have you switched? What do you think of the interface as a commenter? As a blogger? Any other tips I should know?
Allie Elliott
Follow @allieelliott
I'm switching, I've been putting it off because I'm lazy, but no more!
As someone who likes to comment I find it less than optimal because you need to sign up with them to comment and they basically make you sign your life away. But I had to eventually do it because a lot of blogs I read use it. Ugh…I do understand the good points for the blogger but it's not so many good points for reader..
If things related to write, discuss and implement as well as to maintain all the comments clean plus understandable then one can think of switching to discuss. Great ways to describe and publish it publicly to make the entire ideas, dialogs, blog freshness to interrelated to others topics and ideas. So all these discussions are really contemporary and good enough to switch. Thanks for sharing.