I’ve been testing out the distributed commenting system Disqus here on the Laughing Squid blog to improve comment management and facilitate better conversations.
Features include threaded comments, email & mobile posting, the ability to track and subscribe to comments, comment ratings and just today they introduced a comment flagging feature. An API is in the works and if you ever decide to leave, you can export your comments as XML or RSS 2.0. For more info, see the Disqus tour and FAQ.
Installation was super easy using their WordPress plugin. We were fully configured and up and running in less than five minutes. Disqus comments will show up on any old post that does not have any comment as well as any new posts (like this one).
Disqus has user profiles, which include built-in social network functionality. If you create a Disqus profile your account will be verified and your comment will be automatically approved on this blog without moderation. Here’s my profile on Discus.
Special thanks to Disqus co-founder Daniel Ha who quickly added a feature request for us, as well as providing some custom CSS for the Discus blog widget.
