Have you been noticing that Disqus comments have become quite popular among bloggers? The latest post I read was from Tim Bonner on why he switched his comment system over to Disqus comments. Of course, many bloggers since have dropped blog comments altogether.
Another one was from Jens Berget and his switch to Disqus comments too. It made perfectly good sense to me to understand why he choose Disqus comments.
Table of Contents
Popular Comment Systems
I then wondered what other bloggers were doing with their own comment systems. I have been using CommentLuv premium here for years and had not had any problems with it. A few bumps along the way but Andy Bailey was always there to help.
(CommentLuv has since been sold to someone else and working once again.) I now use Thrive Comments here on Inspire To Thrive.
So would I or should you jump ship and make the switch in the near future? I’m not sure. I wanted to see what other bloggers had to say about their Disqus comments and what they use and why.
Comments Mean Community
Comments are the thread of a blog’s community. It helps bloggers get to know their readers better and thus make their blogs better too.
Many people will not leave comments on a blog if they have to go through hoops unless they are loyal readers.
It’s best to pick a comment system that is easy for others to leave you their comments on a post.
John Paul Aguiar of JohnPaulAguiar.com On Disqus Comments
“I have used Disqus comments since day one of my blog, about 4.5 years ago. Do I like it? Yes and No. Yes, because it is a full-feature comment system with social sharing built-in controls spam nicely and has a content section included.
No, because it turns off some people from commenting as you have to sign up to comment. Also if you ever decide to remove Disqus, it is VERY complicated to take all your old comments and keep them with your blog.
I will say this for Disqus, I notice MUCH less spam on my blog. I believe this is mainly because you don’t get a backlink with Disqus comments, the link you get is to your Disqus profile. No backlink equals, not interesting for spammers.
For example, on my blog. JohnPaulAguiar.com (4+ yrs old) I see maybe 5 – 10 spam comments come thru, yet on my RainyMarketer.com(6+ months old) with just threaded comments default, I am seeing 20 – 30 spam comments a day.
Choosing a comment system will come down to what is most important to you. Is it spam control? Is it social built-ins? And more importantly, is it easy to use for your readers?
Once you decide what is most important, it will make it easier to choose the right system for your blog.” – John Paul Aguiar.
Adam Connell of BloggingWizard.com
“I’ve used various commenting platforms including Disqus Comments and Comment Luv. I’m in the process of re-designing my blog where I will be removing Disqus comments temporarily to see how it impacts my comments.
A lot of bloggers have mentioned a dislike of Disqus and recently a few of my readers mentioned they don’t comment because I use Disqus comments. Anything that causes our readers to jump through more hoops is bad, but despite that, Disqus has its good points:
Decreases server load which results in faster load times (this is a big one).
It handles email notifications for you.
Out of all commenting platforms, it’s one of the most popular so plenty of people are familiar with it. I was getting 100 spam comments a day. Disqus comments brought that number down to 0.
The benefits of Disqus are there, but I want to remove steps to decrease friction with my audience.
I’ll be testing how things go, checking what my readers think, and gathering feedback before I make a final decision – I’d urge anyone else to do the same. Test CommentLuv, see how your readers find it and how it impacts your comments. Also, see how Disqus comments work for you (if spam is an issue, it works great).
What works for one, may not work for everyone else. We all blog in different niches and have different target audiences.” – Adam Connell.
Since this post first came out, Adam has turned off his comments on his blog.
Harleena Singh of Aha!Now.com
“I used Disqus comments initially when I shifted from Blogger to WordPress about 3 years ago. I had no problems, I liked it and I like it now as well.
However, presently what stops me from using Disqus comments on my blog are four things:
What Stopped Harleena From Using Disqus Comments
1) It takes time to load on the blog. I see that on various blogs that use Disqus comments and I just don’t like that. I mostly leave those blogs without commenting, if it takes too long and the comment section doesn’t load.
2) The commentators are not able to leave their own site links. So here goes a part of your traffic.
3) The comments are transferred to Disqus and you no longer have them on your blog. Though it may be good for blog speed and web space, transferring to and fro (in case you decide to leave Disqus comments) is a hassle. I’ve over 15,000 comments, and I dread to undergo this process.
4) I cannot use any other plugin in conjunction with Disqus, in case I ever want to.
What Harleena Liked About It:
But I like its certain features like voting, having the option to display the most voted comments on the top, shortening the comments with the “show more” option, collapse, flag appropriate, following the commentator, and sharing. etc.
One of the advantages of Disqus is its own community and traffic through them too.
I used CommentLuv for about 2 years and loved it. It is very good for the newbie bloggers, and the seasoned ones as well.
However, I had to deal with many broken links and since I get many comments, it became unmanageable for me. Though Andy has a great Anti backlink plugin, I didn’t like certain features in it, so I decided to drop CommentLuv for experimenting with other commenting options. I am still carrying on with my experiment and would be writing about it a little later.
Out of the two options that you’ve given, I’d choose CommentLuv. Presently, I tried and dropped Jetpack. Then I used the WordPress default commenting system, and now along with it I’m using CommentLuv, but have disabled the CommentLuv feature in it.
Instead, I’m using the other useful features that come bundled up with the CommentLuv Premium plugin.” – Harleena Singh.
Jane Sheeba of JaneSheeba.com
“Yes, I have used both Commentluv and Disqus comments. I am currently using Disqus on my site and I recently switched to Disqus (from Commentluv) on all of my blogs (your question is very timely).
Commentluv – I like it a lot. It is great for a site since it attracts a lot of comments. Since it offers incentives for commenters it is great for attracting traffic. But I had some problems with it. My website attracted a lot of spam comments. The plugin is great at controlling spam – the kind where I get hit by bots and other “auto” commenting software.
But there is also a kind of spam where people manually do leave spam comments and I started receiving an annoying number of those. The anti-backlink addon is great, but I got tired of blacklisting emails.
So I switched to Disqus – I still LOVE Commentluv a lot. I especially like it since it offers a lot of incentives for commenters thus encouraging comments 🙂 And I still proudly recommend it as an affiliate.
Disqus Comment System
Well, I like Disqus’ comments so far. Haven’t run into any issues. Spam is almost non-existent. I rarely get 1 or 2 a day. I know most commenters don’t like it since they have to log in to leave a comment.
Earlier, having a Disqus account was the only option. But now, commenters can log in via their social accounts – so that’s much better. There could still be haters, I know 🙂
But I chose to use Disqus comments just for convenience – saves time that I used to spend dealing with spam. And it also has helped increase the quality of the comments I get.
I thought I would get lesser comments on my posts after I switched, but the number is not alarming. Considering the quality of the comments I get, I’m quite happy.
Final verdict: I like BOTH Disqus and Commentluv. It is just a matter of personal preference and depends on the purpose and potential of a website (and the webmaster).” – Jane Sheeba
Mayura DeSilva of Mayura4Ever.com Loves Disqus Comments
Of course, I’m using Disqus comments on my blog and loving it. As you know, Blogger’s default comment system is unlike WordPress, readers can’t comment using name and email without disabling the Anonymous option explicitly. As readership grows, I wanted a flexible comment system that serves everyone. There’s more.
I’ve elaborated on why I switched to Disqus in a post, after comparing other popular choices for Blogger – How to Install Disqus Comment Platform on Blogger. Disqus isn’t perfect, but it’s the best comment system for my blog in my opinion.
However, I’ve never used CommentLuv on my blog but witnessed it working for my blogging friends.
Even though the IntenseDebate comment system offers CommentLuv backlinking option, it couldn’t satisfy my vital needs as a comment system for Blogger.” – Mayura DeSilva.
Using Disqus Comment System
Of course, the easiest way to use Disqus comments on your blog is to install the plugin for it. You can watch the video below to see how easy it is to install and use. You can watch the video here.
Now if you want to replace the WordPress comment system with Disqus comments you can learn how here as well.
Your Turn Using Disqus Comments:
What comment system are you using today?
Disqus comments don’t seem like a totally perfect system but it does have some advantages like less spam and making your site faster.
It really could make sense for some blogs to switch to the Disqus comments.
And of course, check out the comment rules here before you leave a comment if you haven’t before.
I’d love to hear if you are using Disqus comments or any other blog comment system today – please comment below.
She has 30+ years of experience in marketing/advertising with 11 years of experience in content marketing, social media, blogging, and SEO.
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I would always recommend any comment system that attracts traffic to your website, like commentluv. Yes, it may also attract spam comments, but the spam comments can be moderated. And sometimes, I wonder why it is so hard for some folks to just read a blog post thoroughly, and sincerely give a great comment that would give them an approved backlink? Stop saying things like “great post,” “love the post,” “like the post,” and “nice post.”People can see through this as spammy comments.
Hi Cindy, I agree with you on that, on the comment systems. You want people to come by and comment and that gives them something in return. Oh yes, I get a lot of those spammy comments but like you say they end up in spam and I just trash them. Takes a minute! Thanks for your feedback on this post Cindy and have a great week.
Hi Lisa, I can see that you already have it figured out, as you take the time to go through the comments to ensure that they are of value to your audience. Great job curtailing the spammers! But do you use any antispam program, like Akismet, to help with this?
Hi Cindy, yes, I do use Askimet as well to help with spam comments on the blog. Thank you, Cindy. Have a fabulous day ahead!
🙂 I am currently using WordPress’s default commenting system on my blog.
I have used Disqus comments in the past (it was on my defunct blog on Blogger) and I have to admit that it did a fantastic job of keeping the spam comments out.
I still have my Disqus account (I have no intentions of parting with it because having one allows me to comment on blogs that use Disqus for commenting purposes).
Do have yourself a fabulous week, Lisa!
Hi Renard, how do you like the default comment system? What made you change from Disqus? Thanks Renard for coming by and make it a great day and new week ahead.
🙂 Well, Lisa, it turns out that the visitors to my blog are more comfortable with the default commenting system.
Unfortunately, few people are comfortable with using Disqus; thus resulting in fewer comments.
Hi Renard, I wonder if that is because they have to sign up? But those without WordPress must sign up for your comments as well, no? Thank you!
🙂 People who are not members of WordPress can comment on my blog; all they have to do is add their email address along with their name.
In regards to Disqus, there is a setting that allows people to comment as a guest. Unfortunately, a lot of Disqus users do not enable that feature.
Thanks Renard, I didn’t realize that since I haven’t used the FREE WordPress version in years though I can log in to make comments on WordPress sites. Have a great day Renard.
Hi Lisa,
I haven’t had any issues with comment luv on my blog. I think it is great for new bloggers starting out. It makes it easier to connect with others.
I was cussing up a storm the first time I ran into Disqus on a blog I wanted to comment on. I eventually took the time to set up an account and now it isn’t an issue. I don’t know if I would ever use it on my blog though.
SharlaAnn
Hi SharlaAnn, that’s great to hear – it’s been years since I used it. I stopped when the original owner got sick and it was not updated and started to have issues. I hear it’s fine now with the new owner but I love my Thrive comment system now. Each system has its ups and downs but as long as you accept comments, I think that’s the major key. So many bloggers have shut them down 🙁 Thanks for your input on this one and have a great day SharlaAnn.
Hi Lisa,
I ended up removing comments mainly because of limitations on my time, and a huge influx of legit looking spam comments from brands aggressively spamming my comments section.
Some brands were using 20+ fake personas to troll their competitors that I mentioned in my articles and moderating them zapped all of the enjoyment out of the comments section for me.
Disqus did make it easier to spot some of them because I could see the types of comments they were leaving on other sites but the amount of time it was taking was getting unmanageable.
Since this was stopping me from enjoying being a blogger and taking so much time, it didn’t make sense to leave comments open.
So, I closed the comments. The spam stopped and I used that time to offer more support to my email subscribers, and offer more in-depth answers to their questions. As a result, I’ve developed a stronger bond with many of my subscribers.
If I was still accepting comments today, I think I’d end up using Thrive Comments like you are. It’s a fantastic plugin.
Hi Adam, thank you for coming by and for your valuable input on this one. Wow, that’s a lot of trolls! Most of mine go right into spam so I don’t have to monitor too much – thankfully! Could you have hired someone to vet the comments for you? Just a thought 🙂 I love comments because I can engage more with my readers. Did you ever use the Thrive comment system? I do like it a lot as well. Make it a great day Adam and thanks again for your input here.
Hi Lisa, my pleasure. Anytime! Makes it a lot easier when spam is so clearly spam. Thanks for the thought 🙂 I did consider outsourcing that for a time but when I priced it out, I couldn’t justify the cost. Instead, I invested more in content creation.
Thrive Comments launched after I removed comments but I have tested it a bunch of times on staging. I wish something like this was available when I had comments open. The functionality is amazing!
Thanks Lisa, have a great day as well!
Thanks for your reply Adam. Yes, having the spam clearly marked does make it a lot easier now 🙂 Have a fantastic weekend ahead.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for getting this post back up on the radar. Quite a nice debate here, I have personally never used disqus on my blog, though I do have a profile and use it for commenting on others.
CL has worked Ok for me so far, but yes, lot of spam and I have to deal with that 🙂
Hi Praveen, you are most welcome. I am just like you in that I use it to comment elsewhere. I use Thrive comments here after Andy left Comment Luv but I hear it is pretty good with the new owner. Thanks for your coming by on this one and have a great day starting with a good cup of coffee 🙂
very nice comparison . But I really love to install commentluv to my blog because its genearte more engagement . the native featur of this helps us to stop spams and the recent posts generate more engagement
I would agree with you on that Neha. I’m still using CommentLuv here 🙂 Welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Have a great rest of the week ahead.
Thanks Mitch for your feedback, hope you are enjoying the weekend and that you had a nice Thanksgiving.
Hi Lisa, I know this is an older post I thought I’d add my two cents in, late as usual. 😉 I started using CommentLuv from day one and was one of Andy’s beta testers. I’ve always been a huge fan of CommentLuv but I recently switched to Disqus on three blogs, including Hot Blog Tips.
I switched for several reasons but primarily to reduce my time wading through low quality comments and moderating spam. Spammers have gotten smarter and I kept waiting for everyone to catch onto the fact that it actually causes more harm than good. We see that with the link removal requests we receive but the spam and low quality link building comments continued to pour in.
IMPORTANT:
With that said, I was horrified after switching over to Disqus and found that almost every link from a commenter left was gone, along with their avatars. This is something bloggers need to consider before switching. Honestly, its not the end of the world but I would have found another solution had I realized over 10,000 comments would become unlinked from the people that took the time to participate other than the name they used. The only exception, I think, is if they have a Disqus acct using the same email address they used to leave the comment initially. That REALLY sucks and I just want everyone to know what to expect because I certainly didn’t know.
Hi Brian – It’s never to late 🙂 Oh wow, that is interesting to know Brian – losing all of those previous comments. Definately something other bloggers should know before they make a switch. Thank you for sharing that with us here. I do appreciate you coming by and telling us about your experience with it Brian. I am scanning my comments more and more these days as you are correct that spammers are getting smarter and more clever. Have a wonderful new week ahead as we enter in December!
The only commenting system I like is the one that comes with the WordPress software. I don’t even like commenting on WordPress.com blogs, although that was made a little easier when they bought out Gravatar. I have no fear of spam and I think I manage it pretty well. As John Paul said, it all depends on what’s more important to you. In my case, I’d rather not have anything to impede visitors from leaving comments. And if they’re lousy comments, I do what Adrienne does and just remove them.
Hi Mitch, have you tried various other comment systems? I do like how the WordPress commenting works now with Gravatar. Much better! Oh yes, I think you can spot spam pretty well Mitch as you have warned me of imposters too over the past several months. I’m starting to do that as well – if they are lousy comments and I’m not sure I delete. Excellent way to be sure Mitch. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment – I hope you are enjoying the weekend!
Lisa, I don’t have a need to try out any other systems, at least on my blog. I’ve seen them on other blogs and gave them a shot from a visitor perspective. Nope, not me!
Apart from the spamming thing, i love CommentLuv personally. The main drawback of Discus comments is that you have to log in to make a comment and me myself as a commenter don’t like it. So will go with CommentLuv, any day, any time. 🙂
BTW impressive post as here we get direct reviews of these Pro Bloggers who have tried both this commenting plug ins.
Hi Shahbaz, Me too. I also find that Disqus sometimes doesn’t work and keeps on spinning round and round as you try to leave a comment. That can be frustrating. Thanks for coming by and have a great rest of the week there!
My blog isn’t based on WordPress and actually I found out that majority of bloggers doesn’t want to comment on anything that is not based on WordPress. About commenting systems, probably CommentLuv is the top addition to native WP commenting system.
Hi Kaloyan, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. I do comment on blogger blogs as well every so often. I have to find it something of interest and something that I can add to or ask about. A great blogger blog is Mayura4Ever. You almost can’t tell it’s a blogger format. Thanks for coming by and for your input. Have a good day.
Yup… Yes I wanna know about Disqus Comments ! I don’t know about it but yes I had seen in Disqus Comments & CommentLuv too ! There is such a Big Confusion about Comment Systems ! I know most of people are confuse such like me ! Well finally with help of this post ! I came to know which one Comment Systems is useful !
Hi Lisa
I’m late to this discussion – but that means I get to read a huge round-up of comments and opinions. Big thanks to you and everyone.
When I saw Tim had moved I was slightly tempted, but having considered it I’m still firmly in the CL camp.
1) I get very little spam
2) I use a broken link checker plugin so that’s easy to keep on top of
3) I have blogs in the complementary therapy niche where readers are unlikely to have blogs, gravatars or want to login
4) I like the feature that lets me show readers favorite posts
5) I like being able to see the stats and other posts that CL shows
6) Andy has always been very responsive and helpful
I don’t (now) mind using Disqus and other “login” type systems, but before I became aware of all the ins and outs of blog commenting, I don’t think I EVER made a comment where I was required to set up an account.
And when I used Livefyre for a while I had friends email me saying they would NOT set up accounts and login.
Sorry I haven’t really added anything new to the discussion as it’s been comprehensively covered. But I appreciated seein it all put together to remind me why I like CLP so much.
Thanks, and have a good weekend. Joy
Hi Joy, it’s never to late to come by and comment – Plus you got the added benefit of reading some very informative comments. You feel like I do about CommentLuv – it works when set up correctly and Andy is always there if we need him. I’m not sure Disqus would provide that type of customer service. I don’t know if it’s a team or one person behind it. Something I’d love to know and may research on. I don’t mind logging into Disqus and the system has some nice features but it doesn’t beat CommentLuv for me either yet. Thanks for coming by and commenting Joy, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Hi Lisa,
First of all, I don’t get your newsletter anymore. Can you do me a favor? Can you please add my email address to your Email Newsletter subscription? I don’t want to reveal my email addy here but you know it when you get this comment. It seems like you created a mass army here without me knowing this post even exists until Adrienne Smith told me. We were just talking about CommentLuv vs. Disqus…then she mentioned your post.
Anyway, I am one of the great supporter of CommentLuv Premium. I LOVE IT. And I will continue to use it unless something BETTER than this. But this couldn’t be any better. Andy Bailey did all he can to PREVENT spammers from getting through here. Ever since I talked to Andy Bailey, and he recommended me to manipulate my GASP & Anti-Backlinker, I am getting ZERO spam. I mean really Z-E-R-O. The only spam that goes through are the ones with fake gravatars but still CL still catch it and they get trashed on my spam folder.
Every single ones of my comments is moderated. Including the whitelisted ones. I think this is better for me because if they are all moderated it ALERTS me that I do have NEW comments. However, this might NOT be a good idea if you have to moderate 500 of them a day, right? But who gets that much comments in the first place anyway? Unless you’re getting 10,000 unique visitors a day, I can see that happening. But so far so good.
As far as “broken links” is concerned, I’m not getting much of this. Like you, I will prolly get like 10-12 a week but then I go to that website that checks broken links and I’m okay again.
Again, I don’t see the problem of spam on CL. Like Adrienne said, they must be setting up this wrong. Coz I am not getting a spam at all. Before I used to get 70 spams a day till Andy instructed me to adjust my controls. Now I’m fine.
Also on Disqus and Google+ commenting system, I hate it when I have to sign in just to comment. Even though I know you only need to sign in once a day. But still, this is a hassle to a lot of people when all I wanted to do is LEAVE a comment and forget about this signing up business. Anyway, thanks for gathering up people’s opinions.
Have a great week.
Angela
Hi Angela, oh yes I certainly will do that for you. I send them out about monthly – not after every new post. (Unless you subscribe to feedburner then you would get that option).
Yes Andy really stands behind his product and is there to help if anyone has any issues. I think some who complained did not have their CommentLuv set up right. He gave great tips in his comments here on how to set it up right. I hoped it helped those people. I am like you with the spam and broken links. I wanted to see if many others were thinking of switching to Disqus and why they were leaving CommentLuv. It was good to learn about other options like the comment Danny Brown left on what he uses. Very interesting stuff!
You are welcome Angela and I hope you having a wonderful week there.
Backlinks, social built ins or the ease of use for your readers?
John Paul has a point. If you decide which among these three will be your reason, you can choose what commenting system you will use for your blog and for your readers.
Disqus and CommentLuv have different services and benefits to offer. It would be easier to choose between these two if you know your goal and objective.
This comment was left in kingged.com where this post was already “kingged” and shared for Internet marketers.
Hi Metz, yes, knowing your objective and goal with blogging can surely help you decide.I do prefer the CommentLuv system for ease of use by my readers and for the discussions it adds to the blog. Thanks for taking the time to comment here Metz and Kingged. Have a great rest of the week there!
Hi Lisa,
I neither use CL nor use Disqus. I use a CL like plugin called as comment juice created by me ;). Though I have not updated it as much , I plan to do that in future.
I don’t have any opinion on CL. I am sure it is a great plugin. I don’t like disqus or any other commenting system. I prefer to stick with default because if I use any other plugin that does something with my comments, I will not be able to use it all. Also I have seen that disqus causes a lot of spam. Check out sites like CNN . People there troll mercilessly. With WP comment system, it is hard to do because often you need to make hard effort to fill in the data before you can comment. Making things easy also makes it easy to troll.
Other than that I have not really analyzed how it impacts the loading speed . I believe I am more traditional in that sense and would like to stick with WP traditional commenting system 😉 lol.
Hi Ashvini, Can use Share Juice for a comment system as well? I’ve noticed that with Disqus too on other blogs with the spam issue. You gotta love those trolls huh? I wonder if people mind signing in to WP comments as much as they do with Disqus though? Interesting Ashvini. Thanks for your input here on this topic. I hope you have a great rest of the week there.
That would increase the complexity of it a lot and I would prefer it to be a separate system . I have been working on new version for SJP which has a number of features.
Next on agenda would be to convert Comment Juice into a sort of commenting system that takes full advantage of in built wordpress system because there is so much advantage ( like additional plugins ) over any external plugin system. Let me see how much time it takes 🙂
Hi Ashvini, that is good to know, thank you and best of luck with it. It will be great to see what you come up with!
Hi Lisa
You sure picked a hot topic here and loved reading the opinions. I also love how you included some opinions in your post.
I have only ever used Comment Luv and Comment Luv Premium. On the spam issue I was having a huge problem and Adrienne suggested I check a few setting and it was fixed. So it was about me not the plugin.
I am not a disqus fan because I have to sign in. Now having said that it is crazy for me as I have an Empower Network Blog and that requires people to sign in before they comment.
Interesting post and discussion Lisa. Thanks.
Sue
Hi Sue, I guess so huh? I think many did not have their settings set up properly to take care of the spam comments. I hope after reading many of the comments here they are able to go back and fix it. It can make such a big difference. I didn’t like that when the Empower Network made people sign in to comment. I really liked some of the bloggers from there and stopped visiting them after that change. It was such a pain. Thanks for your input here Susan and have a great rest of the week.
I’m using Livefyre and really like it. It loads fast and is full featured. I’m not sure why Livefyre gets overlooked, but anyone who is looking to get more functionality than Jetpack Comments (another good option) and wants a platform that does not make people wait to see the comments, then I suggest that you look at Livefyre. I’ve been using it for a while and will stick with it.
Hi Mark, that’s the same one Danny Brown mentioned that he uses. Interesting. It certainly does get overlooked. Good to know, thank you for adding that as well to the discussion here. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week.
Very informative post, Lisa and great job on getting opinion of different bloggers.
Personally, I don’t have any problem with Disqus commenting platform, in fact I think it is a useful for increasing engagement via social media. But what I don’t like about it is that it decreases the page speed and force users to signup for Disqus.
I also think using a third party plat form like Disqus, decreases the number of comments you receive on your blog posts. So I am going to stick with the default WordPress commenting system for now.
Hi Lisa,
First off, thank you for asking me about how I liked CommentLuv and Disqus, and including my opinion in this topic 🙂 Again I love that you came up with this topic, ’cause I can get more insights about my current comment system from popular readers and be concerned about the issues they are having when commenting on Disqus. I have to agree with many of your commenters, this seem to be a trending topic lately. Do you recall how blogosphere exploded when CommentLuv made their move? 🙂
While reading the opinions of blogging experts you listed here, it’s obvious that most are WordPress fans. As a Blogger fan, I think Disqus is a better alternative indeed. But you know that Google+ comments seem to be taking over.
I recollect once Adrienne asked their readers what is their favorite comment system too. When it comes to WordPress, my answer is still the same – I like WordPress native comment system better than Disqus on WordPress. However I believe that regardless of the features of a comment system, we have to try it by ourselves to decide if it works best for our blog or not.
I like the thorough and helpful insight of Harleena, and some of the drawbacks she mentioned related to Disqus. One must know about ’em prior to the switch. Some already have solutions such as to prevent slow loading, transferring comments back from Disqus and so. I know she’s been experimenting a lot with comment systems and would love to read what’s her best choice and why 🙂 Don’t you?
Finally, what would be your move on commenting systems Lisa? 🙂 Reading your responses, sounds like you are gonna stick with ComLuv. You know what’s best for your blog.
May be I should come again and read all the comments ’cause I can tackle any other issues that readers experiencing with Disqus, so I can take action regarding ’em.
You have a wonderful week there, dear 🙂
Cheers…
Hi Mayura, of course I had to check with you as I knew you used Disqus and you are very wise in the technical field. I never noticed your site slow with it as some mentioned Disqus can slow down websites or blogs. I may use Disquss for my nature blogger blog in the future vs. the blogger comment system. (Not sure how the switch would go, good topic for your blog- hint, hint). Harleena did make some great points as she has used a few different ones as well as Brenda. You know she loves trying everything and switching things around? I’ve been pretty steady here but do like change. With the comments I will be staying with CommentLuv – I haven’t had the issues of spam or backlinks as some mentioned. I think I’ve got the settings right like Andy explained in his comment. I found the comments here to be very interesting and informative. I bet you will surely tackle those issues Mayura. I hope things are going well there and have a wonderful week.
The thing I don’t care for about Disqus is when I am forced to login to comment. I think the site owner can configure it so commenters don’t have to login to comment, but it seems like a lot of them have it set so you have to.
Now I don’t mind Disqus overall. It just seems like I don’t come across sites using it that I want to comment on that often.
I have an account, but I’ll be darned if I can locate my login/password. I’ve been searching my computer for a few days now with no luck. I’ll probably end up resetting it, but I just hate doing so. That is how often I use Disqus…almost never. I know it’s been a couple of years since I last used it or left a comment on a site using it.
Personally I like the traditional WordPress commenting system, and wouldn’t really want to go through all the trouble of switching to another system.
Hi Ray, oh yes, many are complaining about that using Disqus. I find it bothersome on my mobile and it can deter me from leaving a comment there. I didn’t realize they could change the configuration. Thanks for adding that to the discussion here. LOL, you need LastPass to help you with your passwords. I love it. What do you like about the WordPress commenting system Ray? You are the first to mention that one here I believe. Thanks for coming by.
I just think the traditional WordPress comment system is clean and easy to use. Disqus just seems more messy to me.
I can actually live with or without CommentLuv for that matter too. It’s nice to see it on a site, but I will still comment if they don’t have it.
I looked into LastPass before, but it just creeps me out to store all of that sensitive information in one online location even if it is heavily encrypted.
I also looked into an offline alternative called KeePass, but I just never got around to rounding up all my passwords and using it. I usually use the good old paper and pen method, with some stored in a plain old notepad .txt file, but for some reason I put my Disqus account details somewhere and I can’t find it. The only one at the moment that I know well enough to comment on that uses it is Tim Bonner’s site.
Hi Ray, thanks for explaining why you like the WP comment system. I know it can creep me out if I think about it too long having all passwords stores online. I had not heard of KeePass. I used to do that one too with paper and penciil and then had them all on a word document. It got to be too much when you had to change some passwords every so often. Did you just re-apply for a new password with Disqus? Thanks for the info and have a great day Ray.
Hello Lisa,
I love this post. It’s nice. You’ve distinguish between all Comment Plugins. I’m glad to know it. Basically I like to use CommentLuv Plugin and would like to recommend it to other bloggers. It’s good and easy to handle it. Lots of new bloggers are prefer to use them into their blogs.
Thanks for sharing nice article.
Hi Pritam, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. I’ve decided to stay with COmmentLuv – I do have the premium version and haven’t had issues like some other bloggers mentioned here. I think it is because of how they set it up. Andy left a very detailed comment on the ways to set it up right to avoid a lot of spam or broken links. He really stands behind his product and provides excellent customer service. Thanks for coming by Pritam and have a great day.
Hi Lisa,
Love this post and the feedback you got from these great bloggers. I never liked Disqus because of the sign up thing. I used CommentLuv Premium up until a month ago when I switched to the Jet Pack comment system. Right away I noticed the spam comments all but disappeared. It went from about 80 spam comments to about two a day…that was a drastic change.
The reason for my change was to connect with the nonblogger readers. I haven’t completely deleted the CommentLuv plugin.
Hope you’ve had a great day Lisa! It went by too fast for me :). See you in the Twitterverse my dear!
Hi Corina, thank you. I didn’t mind the sign-up on Disqus except on my mobile when I clear my cache and have to resign in. That’s when I may NOT leave a comment. I wonder if your CommentLuv wasn’t set up right. Did you see Andy’s comment on that? I only get around 2 per day now and the anti backlinker plugin really helped too with broken links. I’ve decided to stay with it. Have you noticed a difference with the nonblogger readers Corina? Interesting….My day flew by and on to Tuesday. See you back in the Twitterverse 🙂
Lisa,
This really seems to be the hot topic right now. I was actually going to write a post on the difference between the two commenting systems but have not gotten it done yet. I have read Jens post but am still getting over to Tim’s.
I use Comment Luv Premium and love it.
I have not used Disqus on a blog of my own. I have signed up so I could comment on other people’s blogs who use Disqus.
Personally I have not had a lot of trouble with comment spam using Comment Luv. You do have to set Comment Luv up right in order to reduce your spam. I do know what comment spam is because I experienced it in large volume on a blog I had in the past. It is really a pain and quite annoying.
At this time I don’t see a reason to change away from Comment Luv. I have always used it and think it works very well.
The draw back I see to Disqus is commenters have to registar in order to leave a comment. I really hate having to registar or even sign in, in order to leave a comment. I do not have very much time and doing extra steps just to leave a comment seems like a big waste of my very presious time.
Great comparison of the two products. I like how you did it though testimonials of others.
Dee Ann
Hi Dee Ann, I guess it is a hot topic of late. I didn’t realize how hot. I do too and love it as well. Andy is wonderful too with customer service if you ever need anything. I haven’t heard if Disqus offers any customer service yet. I too signed up years ago to comment on other blogs. I think you are right – the CommentLuv must be set up correctly to avoid getting spam. Andy mentioned 7 points in his comment and that was one of them. Sometimes on my mobile if I’m not signed in to Disqus I won’t have time to leave a comment, so that’s a great point Dee Ann. Thank you for coming by and have a wonderful day. Nice to see you again!
Hi Lisa,
I just love a good discussion about commenting on blogs! I’ve been using CommentLuv Premium since I was a beta tester and I can’t see myself changing any time soon. (I have never tried another commenting system on my blog.)
CommentLuv comes with its own community of bloggers. One of the things that I appreciate the most about it is that I can easily visit a blog (like yours) and get a whole day worth of commenting done by simply clicking on the CommentLuv links that are left there.
As for spam, licensed users of CommentLuv Premium have access to the Anti Backlinker plugin that Andy Bailey created.(with the caveat that you can only install it on sites you own not sites you manage). That does an amazing job of eliminating spam. Granted, it works best if you deny comments from visitors who don’t have Gravatars but I still believe that I’m missing fewer comments that way than I would be by requiring someone to logon to comment.
I believe the biggest downfall of CommentLuv is having to monitor the backlinks. It’s time consuming but IMHO it’s worth the time spent. To me, it’s a reward to loyal readers. Like many other bloggers who use the premium version, I have my CommentLuv configured to only enable the do-follow tag if someone has left ten approved comments. That’s a deterrent for spammers too.
Thanks Lisa for the great roundup here. I recognize and follow every one of the bloggers that you interviewed!
Hi Sherryl, I’ve been using CommentLuv for years here too and after reading many comments here don’t plan on changing. I love the Anti Backlinker plugin as I do have the premium version. I still think it is easy to manage spam and backlinks with it. It really doesn’t take more than a minute or two if done daily or no more than 5-10 minutes if done weekly. I like the configurations we can do with CommentLuv to make it better as well. Andy made excellent points in his comment on how one should have it set up to get less spam. (Andy provides excellent customer service too if anyone has a question) I don’t believe everyone has had there CommentLuv configurations set up properly. I hope this helps them. Thanks for your input on this Sherryl and have a wonderful day.
The thing I find with Disqus is it tends to have more server issues than other third-party comment systems. I used to use it, but got tired of the little spinning wheel showing Disqus trying to load (especially on mobile). I switched to Livefyre and haven’t looked back in almost three years of using it. Little to zero spam, great social media integraton, and a backlink feature similar to CommentLuv. Definitely my go-to comments choice.
Hi Danny, welcome to Inspire to Thrive! Thank you for adding your input to this discussion on CommentLuv vs. Disqus and other comment systems. What made you go with Lifefyre vs. a CommentLuv? Livefyre is a comment system we do not hear a lot about. I have seen it on many blogs and it is easy to comment on. I wonder what percentage of blogs use it. (You got me thinking…..) Thanks again for coming by Danny.
Hi Lisa,
I already explained my reasons for switching from DISQUS to CommentLuv like Harleena. I have been on CommentLuv for about 2 years now and I have no plans to use DISQUS ever again. It’s not a reader friendly commenting system and I wouldn’t want to go back there again although some good people use this commenting system.
If I ever decide to go without CommentLuv, I will only remove the “LUV” part of it. Rest is wonderful and I will keep it since I don’t see any reason for changing things around when everything is working just fine.
Thanks,
Kumar
Hi Kumar. Interesting – your experience with Disqus and how you went from it to CommentLuv. I didn’t realize it can make some sites slower until getting comments from other bloggers here. I do plan on staying with CommentLuv myself here. It really seems best for my readers and I don’t have the problems with many spam or broken links. I believe Andy took care of those with the anti backlink checker. Plus the settings I have set like he mentioned in his comments which many folks haven’t done. Thanks for coming by Kumar and adding your input as a user of both. Have a wonderful day.
Hi Lisa,
I used Disqus for years, and changed to ComLuv for years. I only received like, thousands and thousands and thousands of comments via ComLuv, versus Disqus 😉
ComLuv wins by a landslide because hooking up your readers makes them come back to comment. Spam is a downside, but if you’re serious about building a community of well-known bloggers, and want to add 90 or 100 pieces of content to your posts – aka comments – or even, 20 or 30 pieces of content, go with ComLuv.
As for spam, use a plug in to catch some comments, check in a few times daily to keep comments under control…..and….here’s the secret; you’ll need to empty some spam comments that may be legit to stay sane, when the numbers increase. That’s life; having the sweetness of ComLuv requires you to delete some folk’s legit comments. Hey; you can’t make everybody happy.
That’s the issue; whether we choose CL or Disqus, we all want to make everybody happy and it just won’t happen. I’ve received like 10K comments on my old blog and new, and 9K were through ComLuv, 1K through Disqus, and I had Disqus for 3 to 4 years, CL for like 1-2. Were the 100 legit comments I dumped from spam worth keeping CL?
Oh yes.
Think big picture.
Each blogger has weighed in with some keen insights. Disqus rocks on many levels, but just because it makes a blogger’s job easier, sure doesn’t make it the better commenting system for drawing in feedback and building a sense of continuity around your blog.
Sometimes, bloggers need to make sacrifices to make things easier for their readers, and they’ll also need to release on some commentors, for the greater good, for the whole of their commentors.
Great debate here; I’ll tweet in a bit Lisa.
Thanks again for sharing and for your continued support of me 🙂 You rock.
Signing off from Savusavu, Fiji.
Ryan
Hi Ryan, Thank you for your input, I didn’t realize you had used Disqus prior to CommentLuv. I love your tip to empty some spam even if they may be legit, it leaves YOU in control of your comments. I used to check in more often on my comments with their mobile app. I may have to start doing that again as well to stay ahead and not be behind on responding to comments which really can keep a blog going. I am happy with CommentLuv and do not plan to change now. I can see it is better for my readers too. Thanks for taking time to weigh in on this one Ryan. Enjoy your week there in Fiji 🙂
Hi Lisa,
Disqus and CommentLuv both are good to use as a commenting system but I like CommentLuv.:)
Disqus takes much time to upload and sometimes doesn’t upload in slow internet connection where as CommentLuv doesn’t take time in upload.
CommentLuv has the key feature to add last posted article for commenters and drive traffic to blog.
There are some benefits of Disqus as it doesn’t allow to comment those who don’t sign in. This may consider as plus point or may be minus point because many people get irritated and don’t comment at the blog which have enabled Disqus.
Great post Lisa.
Hope you have a great week.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi, I didn’t realize til I wrote this post and saw comments that Disqus takes longer to load. I will have to start to pay attention to those blogs with it installed. I think that CommentLuv key feature does give something back to our readers for leaving a comment. Thanks for sharing your insights on the 2 comment systems and have a great week too there Ravi.
Hi Lisa!
I’m glad you started the conversation about blog commenting here on Inspire to Thrive. I just found out about Chris Brogan turning off comments and Jay Bear is thinking about doing it also.
I’m surprised that out of the bloggers listed in this post, I’m the only one who mentioned using Google+ comments. I use it selectively and only on a few posts here and there at Basic Blog Tips. I’d love to find a version that allows me to delete all of the spam comments but sometimes I get the “remove” option and other times I don’t.
As far as my Blogger blog is concerned, I really love using Google+ comments because I get the delete option every time. Most of the time Google flags the comment before I even see it.
Thanks for giving me the chance to speak my mind about this topic.
Chat soon!
Hi Ilene, me too. It’s been very interesting between the contributors and the comments here. Yes, many of those big time bloggers are turning off comments completely. I’m not so sure such a good idea but time will tell, right? Yes, me too. I have come across a few other bloggers who have used Google+ comments like yourself. That’s nice that it gets flagged before you see it, I was NOT aware of that. The only thing that would worry me is that Google owns the comments and not you. I don’t mind commenting on those type of posts as I do have a Google+ account. Have you noticed any difference since changing over Ileane with your comments? Thanks for sharing with us in the post and in the comments. Hope you enjoyed the weekend!
Lisa, the biggest difference that I noticed since removing the LUV is that I don’t spend an hour (or more) moderating comments every day. That is actually what I was going for, so I’m pleased with the result.
Thanks Ileane for explaining your “why.” That makes sense but do you find you have lost engagement on the blog? Has it changed how many visits you get as well or not? You got me curious this morning.
I’m not sure about the engagement in terms of comments because people are STILL coming to the blog looking for CommentLuv (thanks to all of those outdated posts that have my blog listed as a place to get nofollow links). So we have to ask ourselves this question – Do we really want people coming to our blogs who are just looking for backlinks? The answer for me is no. Because most of those “people” are freelancers that are being paid to leave comments. Real bloggers can easily see that I no longer offer CommentLuv and they can make an informed decision as to rather they want to comment or not.
Maybe there will come a day when I’ll be able to look at my traffic referrals without seeing traffic coming from those “dofollow link” blog posts. Unfortunately that day hasn’t arrived.
Hi Ileane, that’s very interesting. I would say no too, coming for only getting backlinks is not a good thing. I think if your traffic is the same then it was a very wise decision for you to switch as you did. I think the best would be they come for your content to solve a problem. I appreciate your taking the time to answer here and have a great new week Ileane.
Hi Lisa,
I started off on Disqus and was finding problems to get people to comment on my blog. The fact that they would have to sign up is one that really deterred alot of people. I switched from that to CommentLuv probably 3 months ago and I like CL so far. Really have no complaints nor alot of spam.
I’ve been seeing other bloggers testing other commenting platforms as well and it may be something that I might do because I chose CL and Disqus because everybody was on it. This is a great round up here with alot of varied opinions. I think ultimately it’s up to the blogger to decide what’s best for them.
Both of those platforms have pros and cons and I’m sure we all have our own reasons for why we’re using that specific commenting platform.
Great discussion here and I’m glad you wrote about this topic. Hope you have a great rest of the weekend.
– Andrew
Hi Andrew, Welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Interesting that you were not getting folks to comment on your blog with Disqus. I don’t like having to sign up for new things either anymore though I have signed up for Disqus way back as several bloggers were using it. I think too it’s best to make it easier on our readers – for them to leave comments and read more posts. I agree that Disqus does have some pro’s as well as con’s. I’ve been happy with CommentLuv for years now and wondered why several bloggers have made the switch to Disqus. Interesting discussion here on it the two comment systems for sure. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Hi Lisa,
I recently added CommentLuv premium to my site and so far so good. I have noticed an increase in both “real” and spam type comments. But for now the volume is manageable.
I have not tried Disqus but as a reader I know that I often will forgo leaving a comment on a Disqus platform.
I find the sign in process tedious especially from a mobile device.
Hi Neena, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Are you using the Anti-Backlinker plugin with it as well? Also check Andy’s comment with 7 rules – you may find that helpful too for the spam. I agree on the process for Disqus on a mobile phone can be quite tedious. Thanks for that input and reminder. Another reason I’ll stick with CommentLuv Neena. Have a wonderful day and hope to see you back here again.
Hello Madam Lisa,
Can I say this? When the gurus in this blogosphere speaks, what some of us here could is to simply pick up the lessons. It is a great thing with all these gurus having their own experience with Disqus and Commentluv but commentluv seem to be the favourite at least to me.
I really find it hard to understand as why I need to Register before I can make my views heard. I for instance see blogs using Disqus as an ….
Please let me swallow my words before I sparkle some flames here.
Do have a great weekend.
Hi Emmanuel, I’m starting to think that too after reading the comments to date. It appears it’s best for the readers and those leaving the comments. LOL – go ahead and spark the flames. I had signed up for Disqus a while back to leave comments so I don’t mind it but if I have to sign into one more thing that would be it for me. It will be interesting to see how those that made the switch will do in a few months from now. Thanks for coming by and have a great weekend.
nice round up!, and it’s good to see what other people think but like Adrienne says, I don’t see the spam problem and can’t understand why people do, on comluv.com which gets a huge amount of traffic my anti backlinker and GASP premium take care of so much that I can still run the blog when my condition gets bad and I can’t barely make it to the computer.
I have configured anti backlinker properly (and strictly) and the only bad comments are the kind you get on any blog by any new and naive blogger who read somewhere that getting comment links gets you noticed (it does but for the wrong reasons), I am sorry that people receive spam and I can’t agree that it is commentluvs fault, it’s the fault of having a blog and there being humans on the planet with sites they want to promote.
crossing the road doesn’t get you run over, crossing the road and not looking does. and if you cross the road more often (get more comments) you increase the risk of getting run over, so you would need to take even more care or perhaps take measures to help you like use a crossing guard (anti backlinker on strict settings). ok, a bit metaphorical but I imagine you understand! 🙂
if you have comments, you will have spam and that’s true whether you use commentluv, or even wordpress, or not. you need to take control and not accept spam in any form, it’s not about deleting them when you get them, it’s about preventing them so you don’t have to delete them or have them deleted for you. don’t set commentluv to send suspicious comments to moderation, send them straight to hell and spam them. readers will get the idea when their weak comments don’t show up or they’ll leave your blog and go and spam someone else, an easier target.
on quite a few occasions I’ve received tickets from people who say they’re being spammed too much only to log in to their site and see that they have NO restrictions whatsoever on their comments and no measures to help prevent them or they send everything to moderation and it’s the time it takes to go through all the comments in moderation that gets them down.
this is my 7 mantras rule sheet
1. do not accept comments from strangers without moderating them first, always always always require moderation on first comments. (anti backlinker can be set to moderation up to 10 first comments before it lets links in, I use 3)
2. make a note of how many spammers are not using gravatars and prevent comments from people without a gravatar if you see that number is high (it doesn’t have to be forever). (this killed my spam immediately)
3. Never accept comments that don’t use a real name, don’t even read the comment! just spam it
4. Don’t accept comments with URL’s that are not the root domain (/blog/ is ok and is allowed by anti backlinker) because they’re after ‘juice’ and unless it’s a really good comment then it’s for the reason of taking and not giving, don’t accept them
5. Never accept ‘great post thanks’ or other ass-kissey comments about promising to share the article and come back
6. if you don’t comment on other peoples blogs and just passively wait for comments, you will get spammers. Unless you have a high traffic blog, you wont get decent comments on your articles without spammers.
7. connect with quality bloggers by reciprocating good comments. if someone takes the time to leave a quality comment then consider doing the same to them, and make it a GOOD comment. You will get good people coming to your site instead .
—
a good quote, “people will behave in the manner in which they perceive their community to behave”
so if you have non real names, deep links, worthless praise or spun comments then you will get more of the same.
why should people take the time to leave a good comment if they’re surrounded by crappy ones? they might as well leave a crappy one and get the link anyway
stand up for your blog and don’t accept any crappy comments and people will get the idea. it may take a little while but it’s better than the alternative and once you have it under control, it doesn’t take much effort to keep it that way
users have complained that “I only get a few comments, I don’t want to delete them” or similar (many times!) seriously? spam comments is not better than no comments, good comments promote good comments.
also, some people are claiming that they’re getting flooded with spam even with measures like GASP and anti backlinker in place. the few blogs where I’ve found this to be true have been gold mines for spammers with limitless dofollow with no rules or measures to restrict it and themes and plugins with vulnerabilities. Anti backlinker can be configured to not even let spam get to the spam bin, it can deny completely so if comments got in, they got in through a vulnerability. that’s the only way they can get in, through a back door.
that being said, it is a personal choice and if you get enough traffic and comments already then maybe you don’t need to entice people with a way to get their titled article links front and center but even without the link that commentluv gives, it is useful in many other ways even if you switch off the luv link part (as is said by a few people above)
commentluv is about rewarding your readers and making connections, and not letting them see spam is another way to get people to enjoy returning to your site, if their comments are seen and not drowned out by useless, “great post” type comments then they’ll come back and get more attention. rinse and repeat.
look at this post, all comments are quality! isn’t it better this way? 😀
great job Lisa
Andy, thank you so much for coming by and explaining to my readers about CommentLuv. I love your 7 point rule sheet. It’s so good to know that we can just spam those that don’t use the root domain or their own name. I also like to moderate the first time someone comes to your site and leaves a comment. I believe I have that set to the first 2 times. I haven’t had any problems since you set up the antibackliner plug-in. I may get a handful of spam a week now. I never thought about people not leaving comments if you have crappy ones all around your blog. That is definately more food for thought Andy.
Several of the readers here did point out that CommentLuv does reward readers and makes it easier for them to leave quality comments. That makes me think it’s the #1 reason for folks to use CommentLuv.
You are welcome Andy.
Thank you for always providing the best customer service whenever we need a hand with sites plugin and for the updates you have provided to us over the years. I’m sticking with it Andy!
Thanks so much for flying the flag for commentluv!
I can see from your readers that you have worked hard to get a decent readership and everyone here seems to be quite positive and realising that it is about rewarding the readers and that’s what it is really.
it’s not about SEO or backlinks, it’s about looking after the people that matter most to your blog and that’s the people that read and comment on it
Keep on keeping on and setting the example 🙂
Hi Lisa,
Nice topic you have brought us here. I think comment should be easy because people like to say what’s in their opinion toward things. But in term of blogging, spammers are another thing. I have used commentluv on my blog because I like to reward those who comment with something (link to their post).
Thanks for the enlightening post, wish you have a great weekend
Hi Okto – glad to hear you are another CommentLuv lover. It does make it easier for folks coming to your blog to comment. I think that is a big point I’ve read here from many commenting on this post. Thanks for your input and have a great weekend too.
Hi Lisa,
Well as you know I use the WordPress commenting system and CommentLuv Premium. I’m still a huge supporter of Andy and this fabulous wonderful plugin.
It really breaks my heart as I’ve listened to the people who ventured away from CommentLuv Premium because of the spam. I guess I’m just totally confused as to why they seem to be having a huge issue with it while I’m not. I’ll get the occasional crappy comment that people haven’t put a lot of thought into or a few trying to slip some one liners in but in all honesty I bet that might be like five a week and we both know how many comments I get on my blog. I really don’t have what you would call serious spam. Andy took care of that with the Anti Backlinker plugin. I’m just thrilled.
I honestly do not like Disqus and of course my main pet peeve is having to log into anything in order to leave a comment on someone’s blog. If I refused to do that I would be losing a lot of friendships because of that. I hate how slow it loads too. Almost every blog I visit that has it takes forever for it to load. I’ll go comment on someone elses post still waiting for that one to load. That’s just bad!
I also don’t know that they replied because I don’t get any type of notice. They can’t expect me to learn how to use their commenting system that I don’t personally use so that makes me sad that I never see their responses.
So those are my issues with that system and I’m sticking with old faithful myself.
Thanks for sharing this and I’m glad everyone is happy with it. They have to do what’s best for them.
Enjoy your weekend.
~Adrienne
HI Adrienne, I don’t have a lot of spam either with my CommentLuv premium, I wonder if they are setting it up right? or if they are using the Anti Backlinker plugin. I see Andy stopped by here so I’m sure he has a lot more information on that too. I haven’t noticed the loading time with blogs on Disqus, I will have to pay more attention to that one Adrienne. I do see the responses from Disqus, I get them via an email.
I am sticking with CommentLuv for now myself Adrienne. I really wanted to hear why others were going with Disqus and if it was an option to take a look at.
I hope you have a great weekend too and get some rest – I saw your tweet about how long you were up working, yikes!
Hey Lisa,
They are definitely not setting it up right or they don’t mind some of those comments coming through. I’m not really sure but if you’re really serious about only accepting good comments then you need to have some serious settings in place. To blame their spam issue on CommentLuv just gets my blood to boiling. Oh and I read Andy’s comment too and he’s right! He’s done everything he possibly can to prevent this from happening so the reason it still is isn’t because of his plugin but what people are allowing.
I know that the broken link issue is another one but then again, if you stay on top of that then maybe from time to time you might get hit with a lot like I have when several people just abandoned their blogs but to me it’s still worth my time and I’ll continue to support Andy and what he’s done for the blogging community!
Great job Lisa, thanks!
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, yes – Andy certainly addressed that with his 7 points here. Andy said “always always always require moderation on first comments. (anti backlinker can be set to moderation up to 10 first comments before it lets links in, I use 3”. That could be the reason Adrienne. I don’t get many broken links anymore, maybe a dozen a week or so. Spam is about 1-2 per day. It also seems important to readers to have an easy way to leave comments and CommentLuv does provide that. I’m so glad Andy did respond and like I said he’s always there for us! You are welcome Adrienne. I hope your weekend is going well.
Hi Lisa,
It all depends on what works for the particular blogger. The best comment systems are those that control spams and help visitors to leave comments with ease.
I would say that using Disqus or CommentLuv is a matter of preference. However, I never like any system that pose difficult during uninstallaltion. This is my take!
This post was “kingged” or upvoted in kingged.com where it was shared for bloggers,social marketers,and online marketers.
Hi,
Commenting system has it’s drawbacks. One needs to understand their requirement. Disqus is the by far the best in catching and filtering spam comments. Though commentluv comment system is much more attractive than other.
Eventually it all comes down to the requirement of the moment. As a matter of fact, Disqus allows to store the previous comments in a blog, not sure what is the procedure if one needs to leave the system. That might get some problem.
My vote to commentluv one, the premium one so one has multiple features.
Hi Rohan, That’s a good question, you can save the CommentLuv via Disqus but could you do vice versa? I’m not sure. I’m sticking with CommentLuv for now as well. Not an easy decision as Disqus does offer some good options. Thanks for coming by Rohan.
Hi Lisa
A perfectly developed Expert Roundup and amazing on a comparison of two products. That’s an amazing idea.
I want to ask that for whom we do blogging.
I think first for people and then for search engines to be indexed and get more organic traffic.
The same strategy we should adopt while using any blogging product. We must follow a commenting system first be most convenient to our readers and then equally good to search engines happy.
I think both have their own pros and cons. Overall those who want to focus more on readers engagement should go for CommentLuv while those who want maximum convenience should go for Discuss.
Yes mainstream bloggers should think twice before adopting Discus because one who want to get online a remedy for his back ache may not have a disqus account or don’t want to share his email account. Nor he has much time to pick one of the available option to register himself.
That is why readers convience can be best upheld with CommentLuv.
All the experts here gave a mixed response on both of them it does endorses your viewpoint that it depends upon blogging objectives and community of a blog to adopt which one.
Thanks a lot for sharing a post on very popular topic that is very trendy nowadays.
Hi Mi – thank you. That is a good question. I’d agree people first before the search engines that change like the wind nowadays. Yes, we should strive for a system our readers want and can use easily. That should be #1. It is nice to know of the other options though I’m sticking with CommentLuv for now. Thanks for your input on this post Mi, some great insights have been added. Have a great weekend there.
Hi Lisa,
I’ve seen this all over the place lately and lots of my blogging buddies are changing over to Disqus. So much so, that I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I currently use CommentLuv Premium and like it. When there were bugs it was fixed immediately. Heck, any system is going to have some bumps along the way. So I would say I’m a satisfied customer.
I usually get turned off with Disqus when I’m commenting on a blog post because they want me to sign in. I just get an insecure feeling about that, so I sign in with Twitter. That being said, I’ll probably stick to CommentLuv.
Thanks for addressing this issue Lisa because it’s been boggling my mind lately.
-Donna
Hi Donna, me too. That’s why I did this post on it and asked several bloggers their opinions on them. I think Andy has done a great job fixing things along the way and providing excellent customer service. I’m sticking with CommentLuv for now too. It’s nice to know other option too. You are welcome and have a wonderful weekend Donna.
The reason that some are questioning using CommentLuv is that the spammers are winning. If Andy does not choose to find a way to stop the flood of spam, what is now 300 a day on GrowMap will end up being 1000s a day. If I installed my own plugins I would have already tried others.
I wish someone who Andy liked would ask him if he has any plans to fix the spam issue again or not. He did a miraculous job for us for many years, but today it isn’t working any more. (I have CommentLuv Premium installed – not the standalone version of the GrowMap anti-spambot plugin (GASP).)
Even if we stop using CommentLuv we will still be inundated with spam. Disqus isn’t too painful to use because I already have an account that usually logs in fine – but if I didn’t I would be very unlikely to sign up just to comment. It does have an up side in that you can tell if someone responded to you. I usually see that months later because I don’t comment on Disqus using blogs very often – but if I did I would see it more often and could have a better conversation.
IMHO, Andy never really understood why we loved CommentLuv. If he doesn’t fix the spam issue it may go by the wayside which would be sad. I’ve used it since 2008 and plan to continue using it, but must find a way to defeat the spammers again.
Hi Gail, Wow, that’s a lot Gail. I have no where near that many. Did you let him know? He’s very good at getting back to people on stuff like that. I like that about Disqus too but for those that don’t have it to have to log in to another place is a pain for sure! I will have to check and see what I did to get rid of a lot of spam here a few months ago. There was something. And I get less than a handful now. Thanks for your input on this Gail. I hope you do have a great weekend.
Count me in the group that dislikes disque.
I use wordpress comments with comment luv/ google plus comments/facebook comments through one plugin so my readers have multiple options to leave a comment.
I do get a number of comment that are only for the commentluv back. But I think its worth it to offer for the valid comments I do get.
Hi Jason, another CommentLuv lover. I’m sticking with it so far after reading all the comments on the difference between the two. Wow, you do leave many options available on your blog. That makes it easier for those to comment, nice! Thanks for your input and have a great weekend.
Hi Lisa,
Interesting topic, if any.
Well, to start with I would say that nothing is going to be 100% perfect, so Commentluv might have its ups and down, such as dealing with broken links, but I feel that Andy worked very hard to help us get rid of spams. I used to get up to 100+ spam comments back few months ago, but after doing what I was told to do in order to fix this I do not get a single one anymore.
As a commentor, I do NOT like Disqus because it doesn’t even work on all browsers and I can’t always comment on blogs from my own computer at home. Like right now, if you had Disqus I wouldn’t be able to comment now 🙂 It’s tough enough for me to comment as much as I should or would like to on blogs so if you don’t help me with that, well I may not comment at all. See what I mean?
My personal thought on this is that Disqus serves the blogger more as Commentluv serves the commentor more. These are the two main differences between the two in my book.
Excellent post and well needed.
Hi Sylviane, that is true on the 100% perfection. I didn’t realize Disqus didn’t work on all browsers. Great point, about which comment system serves who. I don’t have much spam anymore either. Andy is a great support too when things do go astray. It gets right back to us quickly with a fix. For now I am staying with CommentLuv but liked the option of Disqus for possibly another blog. It’s interesting to read everyone’s take on it. I appreciate your feedback Sylviane. Have a nice weekend!
Hi Lisa and thanks for the shout out!
I keep reading more and more about Disqus comments. There are good and bad as everyone mentions. So what’s the bottom line? For me, if someone really wants to add a valuable comment to a post, they will register for Disqus and leave the comment. That’s just my 2 cents. Will I be switching to Disqus? No. I did a test on MGP between the standard comment system w/CommentLuv and using Jetpacks comments. Again, there was good and bad. I did end up reverting back because I do love the option of CommentLuv. Someone had told me previously that I was making it hard on my blog to receive valuable comments because I didn’t allow links in my comments. However, they don’t understand all the “behind the scenes” maintenance of broken links and spammer links. It’s just too much.
So to all the bloggers out there, I say do what works for YOU. YOU are the one doing all the maintenance on your site. If your readers truly value your content, they will reply with a comment no matter what commenting system you have.
Again, thanks for the shoutout Lisa. TGIF!
fi Brenda, me too. I bet you have used more comment systems than anyone Brenda. I don’t mind the broken links, it doesn’t take long to go through them daily. Most of the spam ends up in spam now if set up correctly too. You make a great point though Bren, if your readers want to comment on your blog they will no matter what system you may have in place. Maybe not as often but they will from time to time. I do like CommentLuv so far the best. Thanks for your input in the post and in the comments Bren. Have a great weekend!
Hey Lisa,
It’s interesting to read these different opinions and experiences
I have been using CommentLuv from the very first day I got into blogging; Though there is that problem of spam and broken links, I think it’s not something to worry so much about. Both problems have solutions.
Tim raised a point in his article. I want to fully be in possession of all my comments. When Tim pointed out that sync of comments between Disqus and WordPress becomes an issue if you are using a CDN, it rank a bell in my mind. I’m not ready to go through those hard steps yet.
From the visitor’s stand point, Commentluv on native WP commenting system is the way to go. No one is required to login or signup. So it’s just that simple
Thanks for gathering the opinions of all these great bloggers
Hi Enstine, I agree – I don’t mind the little cleanup of spam and broken links. The same bell went off for me too Enstine – I would be afraid of losing a lot there. If I start another blog I may go the route of Disqus as it’s not a bad option. For now I’m sticking with CommentLuv here though. Thanks for your input Enstine and have a great weekend!
Hi Lisa
Thank you for linking to my post.
I agree completely with what John Paul says that you have to decide what’s important to you. I’d had enough of spam comments and broken links and decided it was time to switch. CLP just wasn’t working for me anymore, pretty much the same as Jens.
I’ve also seen an increase overall in the quality of comments, just like Jane mentions, although that could be coincidence as I’ve only just installed it! You do get quality comments with CLP too but from my experience, you also get a lot that are just left for the link. I guess it’s up to you as the moderator whether you let them through or not but I just couldn’t always decide which were genuine and which weren’t. That’s more about my failings though and I still think that CLP is a great way to build a blogging community.
I know Disqus won’t be for everyone but for me it’s so far been a breath of fresh air. It makes comments into conversations.
Hi Tim, you are most welcome. Thank you for inspiring me to do this post and opening our eyes to other comment systems out there. Sometimes it is hard to moderate those comments and lately if in question I put them in spam. I’d rather be safe than sorry most days 🙂 I don’t plan on switching yet but if I do another blog I may use Disqus. It’s good to know there is another great option available. Thanks for sharing Tim and have a wonderful weekend.
Hi Lisa,
I think that the decision regarding the usage of a commenting system depends on the “price” each blogger is willing to pay for a comment.
For example… if you don’t value the comments, or if you think that the comments have a minor impact on your business, or if you have a significant number of loyal fans, or if your audience isn’t an internet marketing one, or… etc, then you can afford to pay a very low price… In such cases, actually you can afford not to use a commenting system at all. Or you can afford to use a name/emailaddress commenting system or the Disqus system.
Hi Adrian, that’s a good point, we always get what we pay for right? I’m sticking with CommentLuv premium for now but wasn’t aware of the benefits of Disqus too – I like how you can view all your comments from their site and have followers, etc. It’s like another blogging community within itself. But I know with CommentLuv we have Andy Bailey behind us if anything goes wrong and he is always right there. Thanks for your input Adrian and I hope you are feeling better and enjoy the upcoming weekend.
Hi Lisa,
This is perfect timing for your blog post. And, thank you for linking to my post about the reason I switched to Disqus. It’s a hard decision to make the switch, especially if things are working good for you. It wasn’t for me, so that’s why I did it. On the other hand, like several said, one huge reason to keep your system or switch is to create conversations and engagement among your readers. If people will stop commenting because you’re using a specific system, it might be time to switch.
Jens
Hi Jens, you are welcome. I am finding it hard to decide too. My comments have been down of late but I believe it’s because I haven’t been online as much and commenting at other blogs like I used to. Between writing posts, answering comments here, social media and a full time day job, the hours in a day are not enough sometimes to do it all. I’d love to know how your new Disqus comments work in the next month or so. Thanks for your input and have a great weekend coming up!
Hi Lisa; Interesting article. I’ve been using CommentLuv Premium since switching to self-hosted WordPress in Jan. 2013 and still do like it, although, as others have mentioned the human spam and broken links can be a bit of an inconvenience. Since several of my subscribers aren’t bloggers, I toyed with the idea of switching to Jetpack comments, because it’s easy and convenient for them, plus it looks good. Google comments was another option, but, you need to have a Google account and not everyone has one or is willing to get one. I don’t want to lose the other related features of CommentLuv, like “Reply Me”, so I decided to stick with it. Disqus was never in consideration, although I do have an account there and think it’s pretty cool to be able to view all of your comments, no matter which site they’re on. Many people don’t want to open an account just to comment and that’s the biggest hurdle. People using Blogger already complain that they have to fill out name, email, etc., on WordPress, nevermind registering an account. Good to see all the pros and cons for different commenting systems. Sticking with CommentLuv at present.
Hi Debbie, Me too I’ve been with them since at least 2012. I don’t mind the broken links and spam most days. I like how you can view all of the comments on the Disqus platform. It’s like another blogging community to be a part of. I think after reading everything I will be sticking with CommentLuv for now but if I do start another blog I may go for Disqus. There sure are some advantages of it. Thanks for your input here Debbie and have yourself a wonderful weekend ahead.
Hi Lisa – I used Disqus for many years on Blogger and my self-hosted blog. Importing Disqus comments from Blogger to WordPress was a hassle and I lost many comments in the process. About a year after upgrading my blog, I switched to CommentLuv because Disqus took too long to load and periodically I had problems with it being down. CommentLuv isn’t perfect because of all the spam it attracts. I think Disqus is great for keeping a conversation going and from time-to-time think about installing it again on my blog…perhaps when I start blogging again.
Hi Lauren, very interesting stuff you have shared here. I didn’t know Disqus has gone down? That sounds like a pain. I do like how Disqus’s website has all your comments and that you can follow others, etc. It’s like another community. Are you on a blog break Lauren? I hope all is well and that you have a nice weekend there!
Hi Lisa,
What a lovely roundup about the comparison between Discus and CommentLuv 🙂
I liked that you got 8 of us to share our opinions about what we use and our preferences (thanks for adding mine here too!). It’s good to read what everyone has to say too. I knew of Bren and John, using Discus, and even Jane as she switched recently. Mayura of course, has been on Discus from day one. Oh yes…I read what Tim and Jens had to say too and I am glad both of them are liking Discus as well.
It can be a little tough to get used to Discus, if you have been on CommentLuv, except for the spam!! The Antibacklinker is good, but it’s cumbersome to blacklist and whitelist people, especially if you get lots of comments. Presently, I am just LOVING getting no broken links, and no spam.
Even though I am not using Discus as yet, and I don’t think I will try that as it’s a long process to transfer the comments to and fro (having used it in the past and losing comments in the transfer too). Perhaps I might stick to the default WP and use the CommentLuv features (except the Commentluv part), something like Ileane mentioned – I am already trying this part of it, and would soon write about my finding in a future post.
I guess it all comes down to the choices we make and what suits us best, isn’t it? We are no one to judge anyone, to each his or her own – anything that works for your blog, you should go for it. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, well – thank you very much for adding to the conversation here and contributing a wealth of info to this post on Disqus comments and other comment systems. After reading everything to date I’m staying with CommentLuv premium for now. But I can see how Disqus could be another option in the future or if I start another blog. I don’t find the spam too bad – it usually goes to the spam filter and I just have to delete them. Some days more than others. I do get about a dozen or so broken links a day but that’s another minute to clean up.
It will be interesting to see how all these comment systems evolve over time, won’t it?
Look forward to your upcoming post on it and have yourself a great weekend Harleena.
Harleena, I just read your “quote” comment on Lisa’s post twice.
So you’re back using CommentLuv Premium except you disabled some of the features there, like the “backlinks” for instance, right? That’s one of the good way of preventing SPAM backlinkers as well. Hmmmm. I have never thought of that. So far, I continue to use CLP because I don’t get spam at all. I mean, ZERO SPAM.
The only drawback for me on “moderating” all of my comments (including whitelisted ones) is…the nonblogger who didn’t have a blog but mainly just purely searching Google *cannot* comment on my blog. Including my family, because they DO NOT have a blog and some of them don’t even use Gmail.
Angela
Hi Angela,
It’s great to know that you get no spam on because of CommentLuv plugin on your blog. Well, mine was a complete opposite case, perhaps of the huge number of comments I get on my blog! More so, people are not careful when they close their blogs or give up blogging – that’s how so many broken links come up, and you cannot take care of all these things, all the time. Presently, I have none, so that’s one major advantage 🙂
Not only that, after disabling the backlinks, I discovered who my real blog visitors and well wishers are. CommentLuv creates a link dropping culture which is okay while you are a newbie blogger but then after sometime you want real relationships and not just because of some insignificant links. I hope you agree with me on this. I’m sure you’ve the right people coming to your blog even when you’ve CommentLuv, and most of my commenters were very loyal and still are, but many stopped coming to my blog and I’m glad I took that step to differentiate between the loyal blog readers and the link droppers.
Now that I’ve the plain native WP commenting system, anybody can comment on my blog and I moderate all the comments – there are no whitelisted commentators. 🙂
Oh absolutely, I completely agree with you. When you don’t have that “backlinks” enable, you really see who your friends are and those who want to keep relationship with you. For me, I’m big on RELATIONSHIP. I don’t hold much about backlinks nowadays. If a blogger give LUV, fine. Bless their heart. But if not, it’s fine with me too. For me, it is the CONNECTION to that person that is more important to me. So yes, I couldn’t agree more with you.
Angela