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Reasons To Login Before Commenting

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Do you have to log in to leave a comment?  No…at least not yet, anyway.  Trust me, though…if you intend to take the time to comment, you should take the extra 8 seconds to log in first.  No, really…you SHOULD.  Why?  Two reasons…

First, you should know that I have just installed “Social Profiles“.  It is likely one of several in a series of WordPress Plugins from Sugarrae.com due for release in the coming months.  It was developed as a result of Rae Hoffman and Joost de Valk joining forces again.  Without a doubt, it’s a great plugin! I can’t say enough about it.  And unlike some plugins I’ve tried, I’ve not had any issues with it whatsoever. 

No installation problems.  No functionality issues.  No lack of compatibility with any other plugins.  What does this mean for commenters?  It means that you can now register, input your social profile information and have links to those profiles included along with the link to your website/blog URL each time you leave a comment.  This is, however, only available to registered users that have logged in prior to commenting.  Ah…there’s always a catch!  ;)  Hey, you can’t expect just anyone to be able to take advantage this, right?  :)

Second, I recently wrote a post entitled “Why NOFOLLOW My Comments?” indicating that I had elected to remove the NOFOLLOW commands from the comment links within my blog in an attempt to improve the number of comments left, encourage discussion and build a greater sense of community in general among regular contributors.

I’m not an idiot…I didn’t JUST remove the NOFOLLOW commands.  I did so using the “NoFollow Free” WordPress plugin and have customized the settings to help avoid potential abuse by spammers.  Thus far, it’s working perfectly.  That said, the number of comments a registered and logged in user must leave is considerably less than an unregistered user must leave in order for the plugin to remove the NOFOLLOW command from your comments.  That’s one of many configuration options available with NoFollow Free.

I thought long and hard about whether or not to do it…and then long and hard again whether or not to announce it.  Because one of the primary goals of my blog is to encourage discussion, I ultimately decided that the pros outweigh the cons…especially for me at this point.  Anything I can do to encourage people to visit and/or participate in discussions is certainly worth trying!  The new plugin just released at Sugarrae is yet another step in the right direction.

I see a pattern forming in the plugins that Rae has released thus far.  The first, “Customize Your Community” (a.k.a. “CYC”), was developed to help blog owners create customized login and admin pages that flow seamlessly with the design of a site, rather than having to accept the default WordPress design for user pages.  While I’ve not tested the plugin myself (yet…sorry, Rae), I have reviewed it in all its glory having logged in to my profile at Sugarrae.  Works like a charm!  Would you expect anything less from those two?  ;)

Rae & Joost’s second collaboration is no less dedicated to promoting a blog’s sense of community.  This plugin, on the other hand, has nothing to do with design or aesthetics – it’s about taking advantage of the many popular social networking sources on the web and rewarding those who contribute to your blog’s comments with links to their individual profile pages.  On blogs with a large readership, this plugin could provide individual commenters with a great deal of potential exposure!  It will help blog owners express their dedication to helping visitors build a rapport with other users, as well.

Worried about all that link juice flowing out from your posts?  Don’t be!  If you’re concerned about that, simply select the “nofollow” option in Social Profile’s settings.  I really can’t say enough about how great I think this plugin is.  I believe it will not only create a greater sense of connection and community with commenters, but it also provides some additional exposure and lends greater credibility to the individuals taking the time to comment.  Kudos on both the concept and excecution!  This plugin has officially been added to my “Must Have WordPress Plugins For Newbies“!

About Alysson

I'm Alysson (a.k.a. "SEOAly") and I've been an active part of the search marketing industry since 2006. I offer affordable small business website design and search engine optimization services. I'm also a contributing author for several industry publications, including: Search Engine Journal, Search Engine People, Viral Conversations and Directory Journal.

Comments

  1. Rae says

    1. It might help if you had links to your registration and login pages actually somewhere on your site so I didn’t have to be uber familiar with wordpress and hand type it in… just sayin ;-)
    2. If you also used the CYC plugin, I wouldn’t be able to see that “You have 20 posts, contained within 6 categories and 33 tags. You have 103 total comments, 103 approved, 0 spam and 0 awaiting moderation.” ;-)

    Raes last blog post..Introducing the Social Profiles Plugin

    • SEOAly says

      OOPS! I forgot to do that yesterday, didn’t I?? MY BAD! I will take care of adding the login right away.

      I’ll try to get CYC installed today, too. If not today, tomorrow. I already apologized in the post for not installing it yet. ;) Thanks for calling me out as an idiot here on my very own blog! I’ll remember that. I think someone just lost her “follow” links! ;)

      Better get on it.

  3. SEOAly says

    I’ve now added Sphinn and Technorati to the social profiles you may display along with your comments. Don’t forget to login and add your corresponding usernames to your SEOAly profile. :)

  4. Chris Estes says

    Using follow is a great tool to get commenters. I know I certainly comment more on sites that use follow. I must admit I don’t login much.

    I guess the usability world would like to see the openid more widely used. I don’t use openid but see why it would be good on reasons of follow.

    Chris Estess last blog post..Tony Franklin on the Hot Seat

  6. SEOAly says

    I like to pay as much attention to my blog comments as possible, so that’s not a disadvantage to me. Perhaps as my traffic and readership grow, that will become a bit more time consuming. For now, though, it’s something that I don’t mind spending some time staying on top of.

    Thanks for commenting.

  8. Jake Jacob says

    I wrote this wonderful comment about how the web is all about sharing blah blah blah and then hit the wrong button and poof you and it was gone. I will follow you and am installing this lovely plugin on my site even as we speak. As soon as the *(&(* server load is fixed. Technology is so wonderful when it works.
    .-= Jake Jacob´s last blog ..Part One: Trends in Social Media for the Coming Year =-.

  9. Jake Jacob says

    Thanks for the heads up – I feel like an ant amongst a land of giants in this whole SEO blogging etc. etc…. world .
    Jake
    .-= Jake Jacob´s last blog ..Part One: Trends in Social Media for the Coming Year =-.

  10. Jake Jacob says

    Alysson,

    I hear you. When I think about the time and money I wasted when I had the brilliant idea to make a living online.

    We had bought property in the Turks and Caicos Islands (http://turkscaicosforsale.com) and come back to the states and my wife got injured and so I got a job here in Tucson and then a rottweiler ran out in front of my bicycle.
    Anyway, point is I feel like I have waded through the swamps of the “get rich quick schemes and dreams”. The point and click and the millions fall from the sky. And on and on it went until I arrived in HEAVEN – WordPress.

    The amazing way google loves it, the versatility but…I got that part…… and hopefully with a few thousand more hours and a few more thousand backlinks and a few great blogger friends like you – maybe, just maybe… I feel like I’ll be able to be writing you from our desert island.

    They do have internet so the plan is fish and garden by day and blog and help small businesses by night.
    .-= Jake Jacob´s last blog ..Part One: Trends in Social Media for the Coming Year =-.

    • Alysson says

      WOW! That’s some run of bad luck, Jake. I hope things are finally moving in the right direction for you.

      As for WordPress, I echo your sentiments. I’m a loyal WordPress user, not only for my own sites, but for my clients’ sites, as well. The basic framework is SEO friendly, it’s endlessly flexible thanks to the vast array of plugins available and it works great not only for blogs, but is a great CMS and total website solution for a great majority of small business owners, as well.

      Sounds like you’re finally moving in the right direction. I check out the listings at http://www.privateislandsonline.com/ from time to time myself. :) I wish you the best of luck with pursuing your dream.
      .-= Alysson´s last blog ..When Loyal Customers Feel Wronged =-.

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