This article was written by Josh, applying for an SEO Job at Higherclick
In the Internet marketing game, building
interest in your website or blog is all about offering premium content that
includes the right commenting system. After all, people want to express their
opinions freely after reading your work, and they don’t want to go through a
longwinded process in order to be able to share their sometimes-impulsive
remarks and thoughts. Therefore, it’s crucial to implement a commenting system
that is familiar to those who frequent the Web for their daily dose of news,
informative blog posts, and other topical content; without the right system in
place, your attempts to build an audience may fizzle fast...
Today, many people “bounce” out of websites
that aren’t equipped with the usual rainbow-riot of “sharing buttons” (for
Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, et al), as well as a host of familiar commenting
options; after all, for some, reading comments, weighing in with their own two
cents, and then sharing posts on their social networking platforms is one of
the most enjoyable parts of staying informed online. So, it’s vital to choose
carefully when you are shopping around for the perfect comment system…
Here are some things to consider before
choosing a commenting system for your blog:
Should You “Go Native”?
If you have no huge ambitions for your blog,
and you just want to do what’s simplest, you may wish to stick with the
“native” commenting system that is part and parcel of your free blogging
platform. Every major blogging service offers a built-in comment system that is
functional, if occasionally uninspiring. Users may leave a comment, which is
moderated by you before being posted to your blog; if you wish, you can usually
disable moderation, allowing people to post whatever…bear in mind that this
opens you up to all sorts of nasty personal attacks, creepy spamming, and
general unpleasant negativity. But that’s the Internet for you!
However, there are limitations with most
native commenting systems; for example, they won’t usually give you the appealing
interactivity and style of non-native systems, such as Disqus or Livefyre. If
you want to go with a native system, you will enjoy better speed…comments tend
to load more quickly when you don’t bring 3rd-party comment
interfaces into the mix. This streamlined load time will matter if you get
plenty of comments; however, load time issues won’t be such a big deal if you
generally receive just a few comments on each post. Basically, scale your needs
to the current growth rate of your blog…then, balance style and speed options
to create a short list of viable comment programs (whether native or
non-native). It’s always possible to switch systems later on, for whatever
reason, so you’re never locked in for life…
If you need to, you can make your native
system a little bolder and brighter by coding in changes, or adding on plug-ins
(including CommentLuv) that change the way your blog comments look online. If
you choose the right plug-in (or do the coding all by yourself), you may be
able to create an attractive comment area that rivals the styles of the best
third-party commenting systems; however, you’ll never be able to access the
same integration features.
Another benefit of going native is that
people who leave comments on your site using your native commenting system may
appreciate that they don’t need to hand over any private information or social
media data in order to post. Most native blog comment platforms still allow
anonymous comments, which are increasingly rare these days, due to the
proliferation of third-party commenting interfaces…
As you can see, “going native” does have
advantages, and it isn’t nearly as dull or uninspired as you may have been led
to believe…
Benefits of Non-Native, Third-party Comment Systems -
Of course, there would likely be no
third-party comment systems at all, unless there was a need for them…so why do
they exist? Well, the bottom line is that people often want others to know who
they are…or, at the least, what their online “tag” and “avatar” look like!
For people who enjoy boosting their own
online identities while commenting on blogs, there are third-party comment
systems that allow them to log in via their existing Facebook, Twitter, or
Google Plus accounts (or other social media accounts). Native comment systems
just don’t have the power to give people this many options when they choose to
leave a comment, and that’s the main reason why programmers have created these
3rd-party systems. Once someone posts a comment for the first time,
they’ll have completed a fast registration process that leaves them with a
login ID that they can access whenever they want to post under the same
identity elsewhere on the Internet; lots of people really appreciate this
feature, and they leave comments more freely and more often when it’s in place
for them to use.
The best third-party systems for blog
comments offer superior integration between different websites, blogs, and
social media hubs – they turn your blog into another link in a very strong,
very long chain. If you want to participate in a global network of Web users,
you can access them more easily with a popular integration tool, such as
Disqus. Feature-rich and available to 60 million users and counting, Disqus is
probably the wisest choice for building your online reputation through your
blog comment system. However, many other types of similar systems do exist to
help bloggers meet new people and form stronger connections on the Internet.
Now and then, Disqus, Livefyre, and other
related interfaces do “bug out” – they may freeze, slow down, or cause other
snafus that irritate you and annoy blog visitors. However, each free comment
platform does offer technical support, online communities for discussing
performance-related issues, and other ways of learning how to deal with
problems and to get the most out of these integrative systems.
As you can see, there are pros and cons to
every native and non-native commenting system; learning the ropes and making
the right decision for you and your blog will be easier when you’re aware of
the positives and the pitfalls. Whatever you choose, always bear in mind that
content is king; if your words and images are strong enough and appealing
enough, visitors will probably come, and they will likely leave comments when
they do…
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