Friday, August 23, 2013

Commenting Systems + 30% Off Fabric Sale

A Rosie pic for the dog people out there!
With my blog redesign well underway, a few of you have asked for a new commenting system. No one likes having to enter those ridiculous (and unintelligible) recaptcha phrases, obviously--the ones that prove you're not a robot. I experimented with not requiring a word verification, but I was seriously inundated with spam comments--like hundreds a day. That won't do, either.

A few of you have recommended switching my commenting system to Disqus. Before I jump into that head first, any thoughts? What are your experiences with Disqus, either as a commenter or a blogger?

Thanks for taking the time to weigh in. Reading your comments is one of my favorite things ever, so this is really important to me!

In other news, my remaining summer fabrics in my shop are now 30% off! Woo hoo!

59 comments:

  1. I use disqus regually as a commenter on various doctor who blogs. And find it easily to use. Also handy I already have an account. It also would allow me to keep track of my 'comments'.

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  2. Gertie, I switched to disqus through google+ and had to switch back to the blogger format because of the glitches still in the system. Switching made all of my blogger information disappear on my overview page and I had no access to comment moderation in disqus. I almost threw in the towel, closed down my blog and moved to wordpress. I'll be watching to see what you choose. I really did have a bad time but maybe they've figures out the little glitches and made things easier to figure out. Good luck!

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    1. I had some similar issues when I attempted to switch to Disqus. The main thing that bothered me was that in the default Blogger settings, when someone comments, their name also links to their blog. I couldn't figure out how to make that work on Disqus at all, which particularly bothers me when it's a commenter from a blog I'm not familiar with--since my blog doesn't have a ton of followers, I like seeing who's reading my posts and checking out their blogs, too! Hope you can figure it out!

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    2. When someone comments, I get their email address and blog in teh notification email. But if you have that turned off it may be a different matter to find that info.

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    3. I also installed on my Wordpress blog but the comment migration failed and it wasn't working properly. So I switched back. On Wordpress you have a great spam filter that catches pretty much everything. No captchas needed
      You don't need disqus to notify commenters by email of you reply. I use a plugin for that (can't remember the name right now)

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  3. I like Disqus. I'm more likely to comment with it. I don't like commenting into the void, iykwim. :) Disqus is also easy to use when commenting from my phone- another big plus.

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  4. I really like Disqus! As a WP user, when I comment on a Blogger site, I don't receive notification of replies. Disqus seems to encourage conversation, in my opinion.

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  5. I use WordPress - I like it a lot and WordPress has great spam plugins. While I do hate the captcha code that you (and tons of others have) - I'm used to it and as a blogger, I understand why it's needed!

    Btw, always love doggie pictures!

    -That's Sew Amy

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  6. I've tried to use Disqus on a friend's blog.. it doesn't work for me. (Or for him, noticing how few comments he has on his page these days compared to pre-disqus).

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  7. Discus has been very user friendly from a user side, but I haven't made the jump as a blogger. I've just found that using Askimet solves most of my spam issues, but I do have a much smaller blog than you, so I'm sure that makes a difference.

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  8. I use Disqus on my blog and I really like it. When you reply to a comment that commenter is notified by email. I think this is a really nice feature. I follow way too many blogs to remember to go back to each one I commented on to see if I got a response.
    I don't like how it's incompatible with older versions of IE. I think because of this I've lost a lot of commenters.

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  9. I like Disqus too because it cuts out that terrible captcha code. I use it on my blog and although there may be fewer comments, I don't really notice. It does encourage conversation, like gingermakes said!

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  10. Not Disqus! I cannot get Disqus to work for me (as a commenter) at all. And my twitter feed is full of people complaining that it eats their comments. There has to be a better option.

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  11. I just turned off anonymous commenting on my blog and voila! The end of Spam comments...give it a go while you're wondering whether to swap to disqus.

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    1. I did the same as Samantha, plus I moderate comments on posts older than 2 weeks as those seem to be the most likely to attract spam. Although recently spam has started returning to newer posts - but only one or two per post so easy to delete.

      Turning off anonymous comments means that commenters need an OpenID, but most people have one of these anyway and it's arguably less hassle than signing into Disqus. Personally I dislike Disqus, the way it looks and the usability, but I don't have a perfect alternative solution either!

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    2. tilly, awhile back i think you told me to turn on moderation for posts over 30 days old? worked like a charm. i was able to keep anonymous comments... and somehow, i think blogger learned which anons were fakes, because even on newer posts they get sent straight to spam. *fingers crossed*

      disqus is super glitchy if you're using a tablet or device, which many are... bummer because i really like the format.

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  12. I find Disqus irritating, to be honest, because I comment on multiple blogs under multiple personalities. So I generally sign in using Twitter and can't really do a Disqus account if I'm using it both professionally and non-professionally and not really needing or wanting the two to cross.

    WordPress and Akhismet would also be my suggestion. I found it fairly easy to deal with, it catches most spam, it's totally affordable, and it minimizes the need to be logged in and identified. I'd rather choose what name I want to use than have it linked to some other account.

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  13. I love me some Disqus.. it's an SSO so it keeps it all together.. I just go in from time to time and see all of the comments Ive left on blogs that support disqus and see if I have any replies and such without the hassle of having to remember everywhere I posted a comment at

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  14. I don't like it, as a commenter and reader of comments it does not link automatically to commenter's blogs, which I find very impractical!

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  15. I like to catch up on reading blogs on my phone when i'm not at my computer and have a few minutes to kill. Problem is, i can't comment on any blogs that use disqus when i'm on my phone. It just won't load =(

    I don't use disqus or recatcha's on my blog and don't have any problems with spam, blogger captures all of the spam first. i do have it set to where i have to approve each comment before it appears, which works fine for me because then it gives me an email notification so i'm sure to read (and approve) each legit comment. and if i see any spam comments come in, i can delete them first. however that may be more tedious for someone that has a very high volume of comments. happy redesigning!

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  16. I'm in the pro-Disqus camp. I don't have a blog, but prefer commenting on blogs that use it since I can track what I've commented on and also get e-mail notification instead of having to check back on the blog.

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  17. I loathe Disqus - it never seems to work well for me and I find it incredibly frustrating. I'd prefer typing in some letters and numbers to prove I'm not a robot.

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  18. I don't really care for Disqus. I always have to re-log in which is annoying if you don't use the social network type log ins which I don't like because I try to keep my personal and blogging lives separate. And I don't find the recatchas annoying at all and almost never have to do it twice because I miss read a letter.

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  19. I really hate Disqus as a commentor. I've had to sign up for it multiple times under multiple names due to older log-ins not working. I really don't get the hype around it.

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  20. I hate having to log in to be able to comment, because I often forget my login information. But knowing when your comment is answered is very nice! I admit I very often give up on commenting because I can't login on wordpress. I don't mind the captchas.

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  21. I use Akismet on Wordpress. Awesome.
    I don't mind the captchas too much if I can read the first one, but when I have to refresh twice just to get one that's legible enough to type correctly that's very annoying.

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  22. I'm not a fan of Disqus - I don't like how it keeps track of all my comments and ties all my identities together. I often don't bother commenting once I see that it's a Disqus site. But I understand the need to find something so you're not dealing with constant spamming!

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  23. I like Discus very much...for precisely the opposite reason as Rachel. I like that it keeps track of my comments, etc. And I don't have to keep logging in each time. Really professional, commercial websites use Discus, so it must to a pretty good job with the spamming.

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  24. Why not just make the switch to Wordpress, where there are great anti-spam plugins that work?

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  25. Personally, I like using Disqus. I like that I am notified when someone comments on my blog and I like that I am notified if my comment gets a reply on someone else's blog. You wouldn't believe how many blogs I had been commenting on and getting replies from and I never knew it because I would not go back and re-read the comment feed! I have not had any spam with it yet either.

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  26. I started using Intensedebate on my blog a few months ago and I'm really happy with it. I set my comments to be moderated before appearing on the blog, but I'm thinking of stopping that because I hardly get any spam with this new system. I think I've had maybe 3 in all this time and they go straight to the spam folder anyway. You can set it to only appear on new posts, so all your old comments will still be available. It doesn't show up on the mobile site, but if you use the custom template setting, it works just fine.

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  27. Gertie, when I signed up to use Disqus to comment on a blog I was inundated with spam for days. I use an icloud email account and a mac so i never get spam. I contacted their Privacy Policy person and within two days all spam stopped. I really like Wordpress, too!

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  28. I'm pretty unlikely to leave a comment (or do most things on the internet) if I have to sign up for yet another service to do it. But I might be the weirdo in this conversation, because I actually like captcha. It's like a game to figure out what the letters are supposed to be, hahaha.

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  29. Not about the commenting choices, but I just saw the very Dior jacket and skirt Gertie did for butterick.

    It's rocketed up to the top of the queue.

    Thank You!
    Hillary

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  30. Could you do something like Anna of http://www.doorsixteen.com/ does with sites she designs, with a checkbox that says "CHECK HERE TO CONFIRM YOU ARE NOT A SPAMMER" apparently it does a good job of foiling the bots.

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  31. But using Captcha/Recaptcha help to digitize books! Here's an interesting Ted Talk all about it!

    http://www.ted.com/talks/luis_von_ahn_massive_scale_online_collaboration.html

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  32. Firstly, I saw a mode of spam-proofing a couple of years ago that would bring up six little photos -- five would be fluffy kittens and one would be a fluffy duckling (or five would be cute frogs and one would be a baby turtle, you get the idea) and it would simply say "prove you're a human: click on the duckling". Apparently it was very very effective.

    Secondly, I love the new pattern! Butterick just sent a link to their fall collection. The jacket/skirt is lovely!

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  33. Disqus is dreadful! It seems to have a really hard time remembering your log in credentials so you are constantly having to request new passwords.

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  34. I use Disqus as a blogger and as a commenter and I really like it. I think why people have issues with Disqus because they don't complete the migration process properly.

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  35. I use Disqus as a commenter and I've had no problems with it. It's easy to use.

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  36. Disqus and I do not get along. I can never comment on blogs who use it, because it tells me I am using an old browser, but I am using the latest version of IE and sometimes Google Chrome, so there is nothing I can do and when it becomes a hassle to comment I just don't :-)

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  37. I really like disqus as both a blogger and a commentator. I like how it encourages conversation and lets you know if a comment has been replied to by the blogger. In the beginning I had some problems with comments from iphones not being picked up but it was easy to migrate in and I think the problem has disappeared now.

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  38. Wow, you are so thoughtful to ask people's opinion on this. Do you have people who comment so frequently that it bothers them what you currently use??? Even if I commented every day I think I could manage putting in the robot code-thingy. I agree with one of the comments above...I will not comment if I have to sign up for something. One little comment isn't worth that effort because it seems every site has some different, long drawn out membership.
    JenL

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  39. It is kind of you to care.
    I don't comment often and if it is difficult, I just don't.

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  40. Hi gertie...I hate the captcha and removed it from my blog, then put comment moderator on and did not allow any anonymous comments....great result no spam and lots of nice comments..
    bestest daisy
    PS and loving your new blog look too!

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    1. I agree with Daisy's comment. That sounds like a good solution and besides I absolutely hate anonymous people . . . creeping around looking, taking and not contributing usually.

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  41. Two sites I use daily use Disqus and at first I was annoyed that I had to have ANOTHER account somewhere, but ultimately I very much appreciate being able to comment without having to use my obviously real-life-Me-Facebook account. (I have a public-facing job and need to keep a semblance of separation between my fashion-website-blithering and my professional self).

    Sometimes Disqus hangs up in my browser (I use Firefox with several add-ons, including a lot of privacy ones) and I have to reload, but otherwise, I find it works nicely.

    But ANYTHING is better than CAPTCHA.

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  42. i often have trouble getting disqus to load properly when i'm viewing blogs which means I can't see comments or leave one of my own. even with captcha on my tiny blog i still end up with lots of spam (live ppl spam not robots maybe?), so idk if there is anything that will really truly cut it out. I do however, like the ones where they say "click this box to prove you're not a robot" since captcha can be a pain. You know we'll all be cool with whatever you end up choosing to do. :)

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  43. I have nothing to say about different commenting systems, since I turned the captcha off and disallowed anonymous commenters, then finally set any post that's over 7 days old to have comment moderation. I get a little spam but not that much but I'm sure I don't attract as many visitors as you do!

    I really just wanted to tell you that your blog redo is fantastic!

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  44. I have a question regarding stretch fabric that I'm hoping you might be able to answer. I'm working with some mildly stretch cotton (only has give in one direction)and am having trouble with the curves. My presser foot seems to want to hang onto the fabric and not let me make them smoothly (bunching up)and I need smooth seams. Any suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Michelle @ funkefragmentz.wordpress.com

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  45. Oh my gosh, where is your bed linen (assuming Rosie is on your bed) from?! It's amazing!!

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    1. my thoughts too - can see a dress coming from that!! :)

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  46. I LOVE disqus! I feel like it really helps facilitate conversation, and I love that I can actually see when someone replies to a comment without having to go back and check. I use it on my blog, and I haven't had any problems with it yet.

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  47. As some before has pointed out, if it is too troublesome to comment, I don't. And I loathe Disqus. It insists on being logged on all the time, even when I think I am out. As some others here, I distinguish strongly between idintities (work, hobby, blogging, leader of a group and so on), so if I have to use Disqus, well, I just don't.

    Don't mind captchas though.

    (AND I like the concept of contributing to the digitizing, but that's a minor reason.)

    Åse Randi (Ase Randi)
    Norway

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  48. Hi Gertie,
    Long time no see! What I can tell about Disqus is that I've been using it scarcely in the past - only a few times.

    I love to choose between several options although I'm a member of a community which seems to be *hm* a little bit isolated in the blog world. For that reason I've tried my luck with wordpress although I haven't written there anything so far.

    Cheers
    Ulrike

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  49. I am totally lazy and did not read the comments so this type of system may have been mentioned. I like The Actor's Diet blog's comment system where you just check that you are a human. She has a pretty large following and is tech savvy so I think she probably put quite a bit of research into the best one.

    I love your sixties phase!

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  50. Blog is looking so good! I really like Disqus as a blogger and commenter :) I like it because you can easily respond to comments and receive responses without having to check back to the post. Another thing I like is that when you are reading blogs through bloglovin', commenting with disqus doesn't take you out of the bloglovin' reading frame, whereas google does. It's just a small convenience, but overall I really like it! :)

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  51. Sorry late comment...I can't comment on iPad on disqus and iPhones often have the same problem. I have stopped trying now. I know of at least one blogger who lost many comments with disqus so I would say don't do it!!

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  52. I would recommend intense debate over disqus any day. It's more like a wordpress comment system and people can add their blog link as well if they want to. A reader doesn't have to join and it remembers them next time they come in. I hate disqus and the stupid blogger word verification - they are so unfriendly for commenting. Intense debate talks you through the process and I managed it even though I have no computer skills. also you can respond by email or on the blog and either way the original commenter sees the reply. It's a shame blogger doesn't just sort it out wordpress system is so much better

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Thanks for your comments; I read each and every one! xo Gertie

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