This post was requested by Sophie Alex from Books Like Wolves. She specifically asked for pros & cons of each comment system and why I chose the one I currently have. Since I’ve already discussed this topic, but all the way back in March of 2016, I’ve decided to repost it with some new information (since some things have changed for me since then).
I’m sure you have all read about how important it is to reply to comments on your blog and to comment on other people’s blogs. I’ve talked about it. Several bloggers I follow have talked about it. Your internet best friend has talked about it. Your teacher has talked about it. Your mother has talked about it.
Ok, not really, but you catch my drift. It’s a very popular topic.
What haven’t I seen talked about a lot? Commenting systems.
So, that is what this post is about. A quick Pros and Cons comparison of the 3 major comment systems out there!
DEFAULT COMMENT SYSTEM
WordPress and Blogger come with their own pre-installed commenting system. This is popular for people who don’t want the hassle of installing a new plugin/system. Commenters enjoy this one because of how easy it is to comment – simply enter in the comment, email and you’re good to go! Or if you’re already signed in to your blog, it’s even easier.
WordPress Default
PROS:
♥ Very little set-up since it is pre-installed
♥ You can choose how people can comment from requiring an email and name to having them sign into a social media account.
♥ You can choose to show back links
♥ Easy for commenter since it does not require registering for an account
CONS:
♥ Spam comment filtering is limited. For WordPress you can install Akismet, otherwise, you need to configure the settings of the comment system. This is when the ability to choose who can/how to comment comes in handy. Also, you can choose to moderate every comment that comes in.
♥ That moderation can get a bit tiresome if you receive a lot of comments
♥ Does not build good discussion because the notification system is flawed (I personally don’t like it)
COMMENTLUV
CommentLuv is a popular 3rd party system that can be used on WordPress and Blogger. I’ve noticed this one to be the most popular in our book blogging community. The reason for this is because of the back links option. It’s great for marketing your latest post, and as the owner of the site, you can easily visit the blogs of your commenters.
PROS:
♥ Allows for back links to the commenters most recent blog posts
♥ Encourages visitation to other blogs/community building
CONS:
♥ Attracts spammers
♥ Some people only self-promote
♥ Sometimes I find it annoying to have to type in my email and URL every time I comment (it seems like it picks and chooses when to save my information, even on blogs I comment on regularly)
♥ Lately CommentLuv isn’t recognizing my URL. I don’t know if this is an isolated issue or not, but it is a con for me.
DISQUS
Another 3rd party commenting system that can be used on WordPress, Wix and Blogger (here’s how to add it to WordPress/Blogger, or click here for Wix). I find this one to be the easiest in regards to engagement. Commenters will receive email notifications for replies to their comment. The blog owner can easily keep track of all conversations in the easy-to-navigate admin dashboard and reply straight from their email.
PROS:
♥ Multiple login options
♥ Commenter receives email notification with replies to their comment ONLY
♥ Easy to use dashboard
♥ Great spam filtering
♥ Can share via social media
♥ You can reply to comments from your email
♥ There is now a Disqus phone app
CONS:
♥ No back links
♥ Some people dislike having to register for an account to comment (there is an option to allow guests to comment, they will not receive email notifications. OR, they can comment as a guest, then subscribe to the conversation with their email and still receive notifications)
♥ There is now a Disqus phone app (I experience a lot of crashes and the method of following your own blog’s comments is odd)
SOCIAL MEDIA SYSTEMS
Facebook and Google+ also have their own commenting systems. I think the pros and cons of these are pretty obvious. They are simple to use, can share via social media but if the commenter does not have either a Facebook or Google+ account, then they are at a loss. Also, people may not want to link their comments on your blog to their real life. So, there is a security issue for some people.
OTHER NOTABLE MENTIONS
Two worth mentioning are LiveFyre and InstenseDebate. I have not seen either of these used by many people, especially LiveFyre. IntenseDebate is one I continually have issues with having never been able to comment on a blog with that system.
LiveFyre focuses a lot on real-time engagement and community building. They have a feature (for WordPress only) called Sidenotes in wich the commenters can leave notes within the posts’ content. They also allow tagging of other commenters, a back link option and you can see who is currently on the post or following the conversation (live listeners).
SO, WHAT DO I USE?
I’ve gone through several comment systems. Here are my experiences thus far:
COMMENTLUV – This one is great for easily reading other people’s blogs. While that is a great feature, I got a lot of spam using CommentLuv. It got annoying, personally. So, I switched to:
DISQUS– I loved Disqus. I was able to comment back quickly and see the entire conversation (sometimes conversations would span days and I wouldn’t always remember what was said, being able to see it all was nice). I also got no spam at all using Disqus. The only con, other people don’t like it. So, now, I use:
DEFAULT WORDPRESS SYSTEM – Which is okay. It’s nice that the dashboard is within my WordPress dashboard but I don’t like the email system and I receive spam comments quite often – with some if your comments going to the spam folder. I keep it because I know people prefer not having to sign into a comment system.
What’s the verdict? They each provide different advantages, so it’s really up to you what is most important for your blog. If you like the convenience to be on your end, Disqus is probably the best. If you want it to be easier for your readers, maybe try the default system. If you want to be able to read other blogs and for bloggers to easily link to theirs, try CommentLuv.
I hope this helped some of you. If I didn’t answer your questions, please ask below!
What system do you currently use and why?
39 Comments
I was JUST thinking about this today! I’m so glad you wrote this, I think it’s a really important decision to make 🙂
Yeah! I think it’s kind of hard, too, because what is perfect for you may not be what your readers like >.<
This is a great timely post as I’ve been thinking of going to Disqus for a while. I didn’t know people hated it, so I’ll be curious to see what your other commenters say. I guess I’ve had issues a couple times with having to login,now that I think about it. Interesting…
I’ve seen IntenseDebate a few times (I think) and it looks OK. Google + is one I’m not sure about- I have a few blogs I would love to comment on but can’t because I haven’t set up a Google + account. I just heard bad things about it ( a while ago) and am being stubborn, but I’ve been wondering if I should.
They just don’t like the extra step of making ANOTHER account. That’s really the only complaint I’ve ever seen. But I’ve never had an issue with it. I made my account and signed in, I’ve never had to sign in again because I just leave it. It’s also SO much easier to keep up with conversations! Sometimes emails get lost in my inbox and I rarely respond. So it’s nice to come on ONE site and be able to follow the conversation.
I coincidently saw my first blog with IntenseDebate today! I tried to comment, it wouldn’t let me? I tried to sign in with wordpress, and it wouldn’t even let me click it. I don’t know what happened. I just left the blog. I don’t comment on any blogs that use google+ because that’s my personal email and it’s just, I don’t know, I don’t feel comfortable with it.
I didn’t really know a lot about different commenting systems, when I chose disqus. But I’m really glad about my choice because I think it’s the perfect fit for me and my blog. Great and informative post!
I love Disqus. It’s so much easier to keep track of conversations, especially on OTHER blogs (when they have it too). I don’t mind having to make an account. Once I made one and signed in, I just left myself signed in. So I’ve literally NEVER had to sign in again. It’s easy. I don’t have to enter a bunch of information every time (like commentluv).
Exactly! 🙂
I have to say my favorite commenting system is the one on WordPress.org (I think this one is best design-wise), but Disquis is also a really nice option as well (it’s easy to use and I love how you get email notifications when someone replies to your comment). Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! <3
~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage
I do like both! But I think I like Disqus more because of the reply email notification. It doesn’t spam my inbox 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
YES IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR A POST LIKE THIS <3
Disqus is love. Disqus is life. That's all I'm gonna say.
HAHA, but honestly, WordPress is a closee second 🙂
hahahah I do love Disqus! I just don’t want to piss off any readers for having Disqus. So far, no one has said anything negative about it so I don’t know….maybe it’s certain crowds that don’t like it? And one of those crowds isn’t the book community? lol
Yeah, I’ve heard one person mention they didn’t like Disqus…I asked them why, and they didn’t reply back, so idk… o_O
Well, that’s not helpful at all! lol
I’ve seriously considered adding Disqus to my site. But… then I never do. I guess I’m nervous because I wonder if switching back to my default system is possible should it not be a good fit. *sigh* So many questions. 😀
I know for WordPress you can sync your comments (depending on what current comment system you use). You should definitely look into it. I love Disqus, it’s much easier to keep track of conversations.
I actually know a decent number of book bloggers (those on Blogger, generally) who use IntenseDebate. When I was on Blogger, I tried it, and it was a MESS. It would randomly delete comments and revert back to the Blogger system- but only sometimes! I couldn’t figure out the rhyme or reason, and it drove me batty. Now, it doesn’t recognize my blog’s feed in the commentluv part (again, only on ID- I’m good elsewhere), so I have to type in my url followed by /feed. It’s crazy. BUT still somehow better than the native Blogger system hahahah.
I am fine with Disqus. I feel like it’s probably more of a pain for the blogger than the commenter? I don’t mind having a Disqus account, it generally keeps me signed in, and it’s easy. But it doesn’t show links, so I guess that would be hard for commenting back purposes.
The native WP.com one is a MESS, with all the random glitches and such.
I legitimately have no idea what my comment system is. It’s some combination of “whatever comes with Tweak Me 2” and the CommentLuv plugin. I kind of love it. Now, I know people DO have to put their name in and such- though I have a friend who doesn’t, she just puts funny random names in hahah- but when I visit sites, they’re *usually* auto-fillable, so that helps. I type in “S” and the rest pops in. The Akismet is quite good with preventing spam so far, and I can limit the number of links a person can leave to further reduce the spam. I guess there really is no PERFECT system, but I am happy with mine, knock on wood 😀 Great discussion!
IntenseDebate is the only way to get CommentLuv on Blogger, so that could be a reason a lot of Blogger users use it! I’ve personally NEVER seen it lol I don’t think it really looks that nice >.< Also, that's really weird that you've had so many issues with your commenting system!
Personally, I recommend Disqus. I find it to be the easiest to use and to keep up with conversations. For some reason, OTHER systems don't like to save my information. So I have to enter it in EVERY time and sometimes that just gets really annoying. I still do it, but it's still not fun lol
I actually had the most spam with the WP system and CommentLuv. Especially CommentLuv! Now that I use Disqus, I haven't seen ONE spam comment. So, I'll probably always have Disqus lol
Thanks for stopping by!
I used to just have the default comment system of Blogspot when I started my blog, but I didn’t like it. When I finally set up Disqus, I started receiving way more comments from my readers! I love this system and I don’t like to have to type all my info every time when I want to leave a comment on a blog that uses WordPress/CommentLuv. I’m a bit lazy, plus I usually read blogs during the evening and I haven’t so much time!
Yes! Once I switched to Disqus I started to receive not only more FIRST comments, but the conversation kept going! I don’t know about you, but I don’t really subscribe to any comment threads on other blogs. So when I comment, I have to go check to see if the blogger commented back – which I don’t always remember, because I comment a lot. Disqus allows me to continue the conversation on my own blog and if other bloggers have it I’m always super excited!
I haven’t had to sign back in since I made this account. So, that’s super convenient. I hate having to type in my email AND URL for commentluv. I do it, but it drives me nuts. Because then you have to WAIT for it to list your latest post. And it’s just ugh. I’d rather insert my own link – because I can just copy and paste it.
That’s exactly what happened to me with comments too! I recently discovered an easy way to save those blog posts where I left a comment and I’m waiting for a reply without cluttering my browser favorites. Basically I use Pocket and its Chrome extension, once I receive the reply I delete that blog post from the list 🙂
I leave tons of comments when I have some free time and it drives me crazy having to type all my info every single time!! Glad to know I’m not alone <3
Oohhhh, that’s a smart idea! So you just put it in there and go check it to see if you’ve gotten a response?
Yes, basically I click the Pocket icon that comes with the Chrome extension and it saves the article into my Pocket account (like Evernote, more or less). After a couple of days, I open all those saved pages and I check out if there is any answer to my comments. Disqus is still the best way to me, but Pocket saved me some time! Hope it helps 🙂
That is such a great method! I may have to start using that. Thanks for the great idea!
I have a standard built in commenting system for Blogger, and I always find it hard to go and read commenters posts! That’s why I like CommentLuv so much, it’s easy to find and reply to other people’s blogs. Also, if more than one person comments, then they can check out the other commenters blog. It helps get exposure to other bloggers, and I can easily go and comment back on different blogs. I would switch over to a different commenting system if I could, but if it’s too hard I will usually just give up. I’m not the best at coding, and I would rather get out before I cause a lot of damage!
I’ve actually seen IntenseDebate in book blog’s. I personally don’t like this one. I tried setting it up and after a few days, I couldn’t deal with it so I switched back to WP comments. But lately that’s been crashing a lot! So I finally moved to Disqus and I have to say I love love love it! I do wish it had back links, though.
I don’t like Intense Debate for the sole reason that I can’t comment on ANY blogs with it. I don’t know why. I’ve tried different computers, different browsers. It just doesn’t like me CLICK anything. I can type, but then I can’t sign into wordpress, intense debate, I can’t even sign in as a guest to comment. UGH.
I love Disqus. It’s just easiest to me. I like the emails and I like the dashboard for replying. I also use the “liking” comments system to keep track of what comments I have replied to and which ones I haven’t yet. So it’s useful haha
There’s a trick to that. Go to a blog that uses Intense Debate. Then go to intensedebate.com and log off. Then refresh the blog’s page and you’ll be able to comment. It’s really frustrating so it’s why I stopped commenting on those blogs.
That is a pain….. I’ll have to try it though.
I’ve been using disqus for quite sometime and I’m totally love it, despite many people said that, it is hard for them to comment on my blog because they need to register. But I am really comfortable using it and I didn’t receive any spam comments at all! That’s makes me super happy with it.
I have to say that when I saw someone using google+ for their comment system. I don’t like it. Because it’s uncomfortable to see my comments appear in their social media. Really comfortable.
Honestly, I love the system too, and I kind of miss using it. But the default WP one is fine as well. Disqus IS great for spam though! I never got any.
YES! I hate having to type my email every single time I comment! I adore Disqus, but I know that everyone has their preference. I’ve never had anyone say they didn’t like it. :/ I can’t imagine it’s any different than having to type your name and email for every comment but oh well! Great post!
Tracy @ Cornerfolds
Honestly, that’s what I thought too. That it wouldn’t be a negative? But I’ve seen a lot of people dislike it so…I don’t know. I think it’s the best one! But the default WP one is great too
I loved this post so much! Thank you for answering to my request. I would really love to be able to try Comment Luv for a while to be able to have other people promoting their posts and making it easy for me to read their blogs. I cannot, however, because I don’t use WordPress, which is truly a downfall.
I currently have Disqus, and I really love it too!! I think that I understand what you mentioned in its cons, though. People dislike signing into it.
But its pros for me outweigh the cons at this time because I enjoy generating discussions and that my commenters get notified when I respond. I HATED the Wix default system because it didn’t notify readers at all. I was even more upset with it because I THOUGHT that it did send an email when I answered. I fumed for a while and then immediately switched.
Great post! Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome! What blogging platform do you use?
And oh my! That is frustrating. I would be pissed too!
I use Wix, but I would really LOVE to have all the wordpress plugins. I tried using it and starting with a premade, free format but I hated it. I don’t know if I should investigate a bit more and try again. Then find a way to move all of my content. I do like Wix for the most part, though!!!
Well if you like Wix there’s no reason to move! I just don’t know all that much about Wix itself. I always used WordPress haha.
I use CommentLuv with Akismet. And I couldn’t possibly tell you why I dislike Disqus. Maybe cause I need to log in. Maybe cause it keeps sending those stupid emails that nobody needs (I mean “top conversations on Disqus” about comment replies I’ve already seen. It’s spam is what it is…) and probably the fact that it seems completely unconnected to my blog. I like using CommentLuv, but it also sometimes doesn’t register my URL.
OK YES. I don’t like the top conversation emails either … I think you can disable those? But I don’t actually remember. I don’t hate CommentLuv, I just got so much spam with it that it got annoying >.< haha
I just read your post about comment systems and I have to say, it was an eye-opener. I never really gave much thought to how important the comment section is for creating engagement and building a community, but now I see its true value. Your tips for using comment systems effectively were really helpful and I can’t wait to implement them on my own blog. Thanks for sharing your insights and expertise on this topic!