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Filed under: Design, Social Software, web 2.0, Web

Disqus updates blog comments plugin, user tools

Disqus

Disqus is one of a handful of third party comment systems that bloggers and web publishes can install to supercharge the comment sections of their web sites. It provides tools that are missing from many web publishing platforms, including threaded comments, rankings, and the ability for users to login with their Facebook, Twitter, or OpenID credentials.

Today Disqus rolled out version 3.0, which includes a handful of major updates. The first thing you'll notice if you visit a web site that uses Disqus is that the comments can be updated in real-time, although they can also be set to show you a notice that says "x comments were just posted" instead of auto-refreshing and rearranging the page.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Disqus 3.0 has a beefed up profile page that lets individuals track the comments they've posted across any blog using the Disqus plugin. Users were always able to track this info, but Disqus 3.0 spins off profiles into a separate product with a new look and an integrated search box that makes it easy to find comments, replies, and subscribed threads all in one place.

For web publishers, the Disqus comment moderation page has been refined, making it easier to find and filter comments. Disqus can also show reactions from FriendFeed, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, and other web sites, and version 3.0 reportedly brings these reactions in faster than the previous version of Disqus.

Another feature I noticed for the first time today (I don't know for certain if it's brand new) is the ability to import comments from JS-Kit or Intense Debate, which makes it easier for web publishers that have been using one of these competing services to switch to Disqus, or at least try it out.

[via TechCrunch]

Filed under: Blogging, Web services, Social Software, web 2.0

Intense Debate blog comment system now supports plugins


Intense Debate is a third party comment service for blogging platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and TypePad. Automattic, the company behind WordPress bought the company last year and began adding its features including threaded comments to WordPress. But you can still install Intense Debate for use with other blogging platforms. And now you can also install plugins for Intense Debate that add new features.

For instance, there are already plugins for PollDaddy and YouTube that let users embed polls or videos in blog comments. There's also a Seesmic plugin that lets you record video comments within your web brower.

There's also an API allowing developers to create their own plugins adding other features.

Intense Debate competitor Disqus has also been busy rolling out new features including the ability to tie in social networking comments from FriendFeed, Digg, Twitter, and other sources.

[via Mashable]

Filed under: Blogging

Intense Debate emerges from private beta, offers new WordPress plugin

Intense Debate
Less than two months after being acquired by WordPress's parent company Automattic, blog commenting system Intense Debate is again available to the public. The service had been in private beta for the last two months, not because the company was busy adding a ton of new features, but because it was busy scaling Intense Debate's infrastructure to handle the additional traffic that is likely to come when WordPress starts to include Intense Debate features by default.

For now, Intense Debate is rolling out a new plugin for WordPress that adds the following features to your web site:
  • Threaded comments
  • The ability to vote on comments and show comment reputations
  • Simultaneously post a comment to a blog and Twitter
  • Replly to comments and moderate comments by email
  • Commentor profiles can include links to social networking pages
  • Ability to add sidebar widgets with information on things like your top commentors
Intense Debate also works with Blogger, TypePad, and Tumblr.

Filed under: Fun, Kids, Blogging, Web services, Freeware, Web

Turn Your Name Into a Face

Turn Your Name Into a FaceDon't you just hate it when you sign up on a forum or blog comment system and everyone has cool avatars, but you don't? If you aren't too picky about it, why not just punch your name into Turn Your Name Into a Face, and let it come up with something for you out of 100,000 possible faces.

Now, granted, the options may leave a bit to be desired; they're all black pixel art on a random pale background color. But there are enough options to be somewhat entertaining. It's particularly fun to punch friends' and family members' names into it to see what they might look like, or at least what you can tease them with.

What I'd like to see is a WordPress plugin that uses this functionality to assign avatars to blog commenters that have not explicitly given themselves an avatar.

[via Google Blogoscoped]

Filed under: Internet, Blogging

Intense Debate blog comment system launches public beta

Intense Debate
And the race for complete and total dominance of the blog comment marketplace is on. OK, not really, but Disqus isn't the only blog commenting system launching today. After spending a few months in private beta, Intense Debate is launching an open beta this morning.

Both Intense Debate and Disqus offer web publishers an advanced comment system with support for threaded comments and the ability to track users' comments. Both services also offer integration options with popular blog platforms like WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, and Moveable Type.

As a reader/commenter, you can subscribe to comments via email or RSS. And both services let you create a profile allowing you to see all the conversations you're currently participating in from one user-friendly screen.

Intense Debate is doing more than emerging from private beta today. The service has also added a few new features which set it apart from Disqus:

Read more →

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