Comment Fiddlination

Folks: I’m trying out a new comment system associated with WordPress called IntenseDebate, which should offer (me at least) a little more functionality as regarding handling comments here. What this means is that over the next little while you may see some cosmetic and functionality changes with comments. It shouldn’t hamper your ability to comment, however. And if it does (or if I just don’t like the new functionality), I’ll swap things back to how they were previously. In any event, don’t be alarmed if there are changes here and there. That is all.

Comments

  1. John Scalzi says:

    DON’T PANIC, PEOPLE.

  2. Jeffrey says:

    let it begin!!

  3. jp says:

    Well, I have my towel ready.

    Just in case, you understand.

  4. MikeT says:

    I have noticed that the comment RSS feeds don’t seem to be updating, or at least not in a timely manner.

  5. Penrefe says:

    I’m terrified.

  6. Well, you know how science fiction fans take to change ….

  7. Dr. Phil says:

    Who do you think you are changing things willy-nilly? Mark Zuckerberg?

    Dr. Phil

  8. Xopher says:

    Hmm. Doesn’t look different yet. But I’m prepared to panic when it does.

    *practices chant: “When in danger, fear, or doubt, run in circles, scream and shout! Eek! Eek! Eek!”*

  9. froonium says:

    WE’RE GONNA DIE! I just KNEW I shouldn’t have worn that red shirt today….

  10. petec says:

    Wait, I was told there would be no changes. What has this become? facebook?!

  11. Doc Rocketscience says:

    Dr. Phil,

    Depends, is he going to leave what is broken alone and proceed to break everything else? If so, then yes.

  12. Tony Dye says:

    IntenseDebate has regularly and constantly failed to get openID to work with google profiles for sites that require a login. As of a month ago, they have no timeline for fixing this. It’s pretty disappointing.

  13. Susan Reader says:

    Another site I frequented used IntenseDebate for a (very) brief time. The experience was not an enjoyable one.

  14. musictheorysean says:

    @ #1 John. I think your new mediation queue is busted. It let you get away with all caps…or is that the “little more functionality” you were talking about.

  15. Elgion says:

    I just wanted to make sure that my funny little green patern icon is still the same. Because if it is not that would really RUIN my day.

  16. iain says:

    @#6 Michael Walsh: like cats when their routines are disrupted?

  17. Greg says:

    GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  18. Elgion says:

    “DON’T PANIC” – hmmm. I could have sworn I read that on a book somewhere. Maybe it was a guide or something. It will come to me I know it….

  19. htom says:

    So far, It doesn’t seem to provide preview. OpenID seems more broken than working, and for some reason I don’t think that’s OpenID’s fault.

  20. Paul says:

    It doesn’t look any different to me, yet. Another blog I used to read regularly started using Intense Debate. Note that “used to.” Intense Debate made it such a hassle to comment there, I stopped trying. Eventually, I just stopped reading. There was content I found interesting, but the virtual inability to interact killed the experience for me. I hope your experience is better here.

  21. strangefriend says:

    How do you get pictures posted with comments?

  22. Nathan says:

    I don’t know what you’ve changed but it isn’t making me sound any smarter. Seems like a bust.

  23. Carrigan says:

    It’s as though someone rebooted my favorite comic books, minus the pointlessness and unnecessary costume changes.

  24. Commenting about the comments on commenting? I feel so meta…

  25. MVS says:

    IntenseDebate?? More like Beans Die Nette, anagrmatically speaking.

  26. Greg says:

    I’m So Meta, Even This Acronym

  27. eviljwinter says:

    This is clearly a plot by [insert your favorite group or person to demonize here].

    [/crasspoliticizationofnewcommentsystem]

  28. rick says:

    I am not a fan of the word Intense. It denotes an urgency I don’t need in a comment system. I think they should change it to master which would imply release and relaxation.

  29. Judy in SATX says:

    First Facebook, now Whatever…. *sigh*

    That said I haven’t noticed anything different yet.

  30. Leslie says:

    We’ll get over it.

  31. Alan Kellogg says:

    When you’re ready to change the commenting system, be sure to let us know.

  32. Carina says:

    Ugh, I had *very* bad experiences with Intense Debate.

    “All my comments even on my own webpage are eaten by the spam filter” kind of problems. IF said comment got posted. Because intense debate developed a bad habit of just pretending to post on the ajax side, but never sending any comment to the server.

    But considering how very reliant on java/javascript/ajax whatever it was, it wouldn’t work in half of the browsers eitherway.

    Well, actually I STILL have problems with intense debate. Still can’t comment at all over at mark reads.

    Good luck, you’ll need it. Hope I’ll be still able to comment after the switch. :/ Hope nobody else gets caught in intense debates “vanish your comment” habits.

  33. htom says:

    #21 strangefriend — The graphics next to the posts are Gravatars; see Gravatar for details.

  34. John Kerr says:

    The Mallet of Loving Correction is being replaced by… the Hammered Dulcimers of Misfortune!

  35. mrmike says:

    “Hammered Dulcimers of Misfortune” is my Rasputina cover band.

  36. Stevie says:

    OK, so let’s give it a whirl…

  37. Seems to work here.,
    –ml

  38. JJ Brannon says:

    What happened to the numbering?

    On long comment threads, with individual-multiple posts, it becomes more difficult to reference an earlier comment.

    Just sayin’…

    JJB

  39. John Scalzi says:

    JJ Brannon@12:42am:

    I don’t know about that.

  40. JJ Brannon says:

    Oh, sure, John!

    Be a clock-watcher!

    :>)

    JJB

  41. John@7:16am:

    I see what you did there.

    Just the same, any chance of a button to auto-generate a quotation from another post? Or would the automatic inclusion if the entirety of another commenter’s post in any reply be too cluttersome for you.

    In other news, Look! I made up a word!

  42. JJ Brannon says:

    After long hours of suffering, I surrender to the temptation to respond…

    John @ 3:16

    :>)

    JJB

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