Do you Have a Disqus Account?

I keep debating whether or not I should replace my comments section with Disqus. But the biggest thing holding me back is that people need a Disqus account. However, I’m pretty sure that most commenters already have a Disqus account, so here’s quick poll.

Just reply “yes” or “no” in the comments section depending on whether or not you have a Disqus account. Also, if you have any thoughts about whether I should keep my current comments section or replace it with Disqus. If you don’t know what Disqus is, that’s an automatic “no” on your part, so mention that too if you can!

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20 thoughts on “Do you Have a Disqus Account?”

  1. Yes I do have a Disqus account. But one need not have a Disqus account to comment on a blog that uses Disqus. It also allows to comment using FB, Twitter or G+ and even anonymously (if you allow that on your blog). And no doubt Disqus is the best commenting system.

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  2. Yes. :P :D I was wondering why you haven’t switched over. Is it because you wanna provide more opportunities for people to comment?

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    • In reply to RenKiss

      Yeah – Disqus makes it slightly more difficult for anonymous commenting and doesn’t allow people to leave a link to their blog automatically. You think Disqus would be a good idea on my site?

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      • In reply to bhagwad

        It could cut down on the amount of trolling, even though you could simply delete or block comments, you may not have to do it as much. :) But I do get the personal touch aspect of it.

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  3. No. Not only don’t I have a Disqus account, I think that Disqus is bad for the web. I don’t comment (OK, I rarely comment here anyway) anywhere that has Disqus. I rarely even read the comments (as I block JavaScript, and particularly third party JavaScript, by default) is a site uses Disqus or similar.

    Disqus is bad for the web for a few different reasons. Here’s two (in no particular order):
    * It is a centralised system, which reduces the ability of website owners to control their own content (in this case, comments).
    * It is a tracking system, it tracks users across different websites, reducing the privacy of everyone, even if they don’t comment or have an account. (With a small (.05%?) exception for people like me who block them.) It is bad for anonymity on the web. (You may as well require a FaceBook or Google account to post!)

    It has the additional disadvantages for you:
    * It will slow down your website for most visitors.

    There are other reasons that I would suggest not using an external system to host comments. Please do a further search and think further on this before you switch, if at all.

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    • In reply to Michael.

      Thanks for the feedback Michael. Actually, Disqus makes a copy of every comment in your local CMS database. So even if I decide to stop using Disqus sometime later (assuming I implement it in the first place), I won’t be any worse off.

      As far as tracking goes, that’s happening anyway. You may not realize it, but you’re also being tracked everytime you even visit a site that has a Facebook “Like” button, which is far more ubiquitous that Disqus!

      When it comes to slowing down the site, I guess that depends on my implementation. I can opt for deferred rendering, which means my users can start reading while Disqus loads in the background aysynchronously…

      I’m eager to learn more about the disadvantages of Disqus if you’re willing to help me out with them…

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      • In reply to bhagwad

        I’m not being tracked by Facebook (I use RequestPolicy and NoScript), but yes, most other people might be. But why add another company into the mix? (And it’s possible to have FaceBook like and similar buttons that don’t track your visitors.)

        As for controlling your comments, it’s not so bad so long as you can keep a copy of them (and so can just do away with Disqus any time you like).

        But, for me, what it comes down to is what is more important for you. Is making it easy for your visitors to comment, and read comments easily more important? Or is managing your comments more important? Apparently Disqus is good for that later one. But for the visitor, anything that makes it harder to comment, means you’ll end up with fewer comments.

        (For things like spam: You can deal with spam and robots, with, without making it harder for your visitors to comment. Whether that is using Disqus or a CAPTCHA, neither is necessary; there are better options.)

        Ultimately, I see these sorts of services as a plague upon the ‘net, but it’s your choice.

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      • In reply to Michael.

        My only concern is for the users. I don’t really care about comment management features. I’ve blown hot and cold with Disqus for years now. For starters, users can comment without the page reloading – which can be a big deal. Who wants to wait for a page to load? Plus Disqus automatically contracts long threads with an option to expand them. And the real time notification of new comments etc.

        All these seem to me to be benefits to users. My problem with Disqus is that it might be a bit too impersonal. And it doesn’t allow guest commenters to leave a URL like you’re doing right now with http://next-nexus.info/ .

        Aaaah…difficult decision!

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    • In reply to Makk

      I thought it might be difficult to post a comment since you have to write your Name/Email/URL, and also wait for a page reload before the comment gets posted.

      But don’t worry – I think I’m going to stick with it :)

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  4. Yes.
    But, Disqus is notorious for ‘losing’ comments or not allowing you to login.
    If you are looking for a good commenting system, I would recommend Commentluv.

    Reply

    • In reply to Roshni

      I’ve tried CommentLuv before. Readers get a nice “last posted” link. I think the native WordPress comments are pretty good for that though – just like your name here is linked to your blog.

      Or are you referring to the paid version of CommentLuv for $69?

      Reply

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