11
Jul
Should AndroidPolice Implement DISQUS Or IntenseDebate Comment System? Please Cast Your Votes

[2x Polls] Should AndroidPolice Implement DISQUS Or IntenseDebate Comment System? Please Cast Your Votes

Posted by in Off-Topic

The team here at AndroidPolice wants you, our readers, to have the best time while visiting the site, which is why we are constantly listening to your feedback.

This week we are trying to see if you would prefer a new comment system, such as IntenseDebate or DISQUS - those are the 2 biggest ones, in place of the current threaded comment system.

Please see below for more info on the options and then cast your votes in the following 2 polls.

New Comment System?

View Results

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New Comment System Effect on Participation

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Aftermarket Comment Systems

Aftermarket comment systems offer certain benefits over the default WordPress comments:

  • they offer a single sign-on across sites that use them which means less email/name/url typing.
    If you don't want to sign in, you don't have to - comments can be left without having an account as well
  • they offer alternate sign-on methods, such as Twitter and Facebook
  • they are threaded (actually, this is not really a benefit over our system, as we also have threaded comments)
  • they let you track your comments from one central location
  • they have slicker, Ajax-powered interfaces that don't require reloading the page after posting or logging in
  • they offer up/down voting, so that bad comments are buried and good ones surface to the top

There may be other benefits, but I think the ones above have the highest importance.

IntenseDebate

IntenseDebate was acquired by Automattic - the guys behind WordPress itself - and is now their recommended comment system. A prime example of IntenseDebate usage is TechCrunch, so I will use a few screenshots from TC:

IntenseDebate

IntenseDebate IntenseDebate

DISQUS

DISQUS is an independent company that, I believe, was one of the first to provide aftermarket comment services. It is very widely used, and is generally considered the best, though I had some trouble with both DISQUS and ID when I looked at them last.

I'm going to use Droid-Life.com as an example of a blog running DISQUS:

DISQUS

DISQUS DISQUS

DISQUS

Conclusion

We are asking for your opinion and your help, in order to make your experience the best, so please vote in the 2 polls above and let us know! We appreciate it very much.

Tags:
Artem Russakovskii
Artem is a die-hard Android fan, passionate tech blogger, obsessive-compulsive editor, bug hunting programmer, and the founder of Android Police.
Most of the time, you will find Artem either hacking away at code or thinking of the next 15 blog posts.

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  • http://www.AndroidPolice.com Artem Russakovskii

    Please give us your comments - you have a voice in AP's future and we value each one of them.

  • Ayanna

    Please don't implement up/down voting. What's wrong with the current comment system?

    • http://www.AndroidPolice.com Artem Russakovskii

      I think the biggest problem is that you have to log in if you've never commented or you lose a cookie. With DISQUS or ID, chances are you're already logged in by the time you come here.

      Oh, and comment voting can help bring up useful comments in the sea of not as useful ones, especially handy when there are hundreds of them (we had a few posts like that).

      • http://techmansworld.blogspot.com/ MHazell

        You can also use Guest commenting if the admin here has it enabled.

        • http://www.androidpolice.com/ Artem Russakovskii

          Yup, it's enabled.

          • http://techmansworld.blogspot.com/ MHazell

             Be aware, though, that this can potentially open the gate for spammers/spam bots.

          • http://www.androidpolice.com/ Artem Russakovskii

            I was afraid of that, but it's been great so far. Minimal spam.

          • http://techmansworld.blogspot.com/ MHazell

            That's good.

            You can also nuke the hyperlink function of Disqus usernames.

  • Haz

    Just looking at the screenshots, DISQUS looks like the better system because it allowed replies to specific parties and keeps those comments grouped together.

    BUT, if it's anything like Engadget's commenting system, it still sucks. There is no way to edit a previously posted comment. Also notification for replies seems to work haphazardly - If it is not your main post, you never get any notification. And you can't simply reply to someone's post - you have to go back to the main page, find the post you want to reply to, and then click Reply. Archaic.

    Those might be failings only from Engadget's implementation, but it is very annoying and is not helpful if a site is looking to increase view participation.

    • http://www.AndroidPolice.com Artem Russakovskii

      I'll look into what exactly ID and DISQUS look like nowadays when I get to implementing them and I'll keep your concerns in mind.

      Regarding Engadget, I am fairly sure they rolled their own commenting system with the last redesign. I'm not the biggest fan of it either.

      • http://techmansworld.blogspot.com/ MHazell

        Engadget uses Disqus, but they have made their own custom theme.

        • http://www.androidpolice.com/ Artem Russakovskii

          Ah, you're right.

          • http://techmansworld.blogspot.com/ MHazell

            Disqus is much more flexible than their old system, and imo, their new comment theme looks better than their old theme, although it is almost the same.

  • http://www.rfc1149.net/ Sam

    Note that TechCrunch seems to now use Disqus.

  • http://www.toysdiva.com PixelSlave

    So far, the Android Police comments seem to be kept under very fine controlled. But over times, it's inevitable that someone will abuse it if a check is not in place.

  • http://www.metaksan.com Metaksan

    I prefer Discuss..

  • http://techmansworld.blogspot.com/ MHazell

    I'm glad you went Disqus. I use it to power my website.