There are many comment systems available nowadays. Whichever one you decide to use, it should have the hallmarks of a quality commenting system. At the very least, it should allow for replies to comments and to subscribe via email to follow-up comments. Having a good comment system is crucial for a number of reasons.
Got Comments? You're cool!
Comments are the main reflection of a blog's popularity and consistency with regard to producing quality content.
Take CopyBlogger, for instance. They have been around for ages, producing fantastic content on a regular basis. Compare the average number of comments they get on their posts to, errr, this blog! It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that they are a wee bit more popular than us right now. (Watch out CopyBlogger, we are hot on the trail!)
If you're wanting to have hundreds of quality comments, you need to provide readers with a quality comment interface first!
Comments = Conversation = Interest!
By having a good comment system, you can facilitate conversation on your blog. This point is absolutely crucial! If your comment interface allows you to debate a point or have an indepth to-and-fro conversation about your post, you are a million times better off than your buddy who's comment system doesn't notify people of replies to their comments. Or even worse, doesn't give the facility to reply to a comment in the first place!
Conversation stimulates interest in your blog. It is essential for bloggers to engage with their readers in the comments below each post. Strike up an interesting conversation with a commenter and you are going to see a lot more interest and more comments from other readers.
No Moderation? Say goodbye to quality commenters!
If you read a great post and decide you want to leave a comment, you scroll down to the comment section, only to find the first 3 or 4 comments are packed with links to who knows where and the text reads "sdnsfdj isdginwei vskgds" or "free anime, ebook, penis enlargement, donkey, casino..."
What was it that you were going to comment on again? Yeah. Precisely.
Unmoderated comment sections are a nightmare for blogs wanting to grow in popularity. A decent comment system is bound to be pretty adept at filtering spammy comments and presenting the "questionable" ones for you to moderate. You can always strip the link on a comment that's half and half.
After spending many hours sifting through forums and tutorials, I have finally managed to integrate DisQus with this blog. My previous comment system was an absolute nightmare, highlighting what NOT to look for in a comment system in respect of all the above points. No "reply" function. No ability to subscribe to follow-up comments. No moderation. Ugh, I shudder when thinking that I actually used that for a period of time.
I can finally say that you can all comment on our blog using the acclaimed DisQus comment system now! Apologies to those of you who's comments on previous posts have been deleted because of this move. I assure you it won't happen again!
Happy commenting! ;)
Note: If you, like me, are using K2 (in Joomla!) for content on your site and have realised that it's comment system is far from ideal, there is a fantastic guide to integrating DisQus with K2 here. It's the only resource I found that actually helped me, seeing as K2's support forums etc are actually shocking.
