Disqusing a New Commenting System
Wherever we go in the industry whether it’s tea with the Queen of England or croquet with the Sheikh of Dubai, one subject is always brought up in conversation. “What’s with those commenters on your site? Do they have jobs?” After we assure them that at least 30% of our readers are gainfully employed, they admit the back and forth that goes on in our comments section is part of the spice of the Paulick Report. Comments from breeders, owners, trainers, politicians, horseplayers, racetracks, industry professionals and general fans are an important part of our culture.
We’ve researched many options and while there are several credible commenting systems, there is no doubt the Mercedes-Benz in this area is Disqus. There are some new bells and whistles with this upgrade so for those who would like to understand all the new commenting system is capable of, we’ve put together a quick rundown of the key add-ons:
Liking and Sharing – You now have the opportunity to rank your fellow readers by liking what they have to say. Now if your comment is exceptionally witty or insightful, our readers will have a chance to directly reward your handiwork.
Order Comments to Your Liking – Our comments have always been ranked from oldest to newest and we will keep that default for the time being. However, you now have the ability to rank comments by “newest to oldest”, “oldest to newest”, and popularity of the comment and commenter. We are also working on a new setting that ranks comments by who has been yelled at by Ray the most…
Direct Commenting – With our previous system, it was very cumbersome to comment on someone else’s comment or continue a discussion thread. With Direct Commenting, you will now more effectively be able to communicate directly with those you are debating.
Emailed Responses – Disqus allows commenters to opt for an email service letting them know when someone has commented on a story they have previously commented on themselves. You can even continue the conversation through email. Instant gratification!
Real-Time Updating – Currently, you have to refresh the entire page to see if a new comment has been posted on a story you may be following. With Real-Time Updating, you will be able to follow the conversation without hitting that pesky refresh button. NOTE: Be sure to have real-time updating enabled.
Single Sign-On – You can always sign on the comment as a Guest and can create any name you like from there, but to undergo the full Paulick Report experience, creating a Paulick Report account will keep your life on this site easy.
Media Embedding – Would you like to easily direct people towards a YouTube video or Flickr slide show as part of your comment? Media embedding will allow people to engage in external media with the click of a play button.
Mobile Commenting – This feature just allows for an easier mobile commenting experience. As guys with cell phones, we think this is a good idea.
