Comments: Disqus Coming

Well, this has been a while in coming, but for a variety of reasons I am switching to Disqus comments on this site.  Essentially this means commenters will have to register, though I feel like the registration is pretty un-intrusive as Internet things go.  Active commenters in the blogosphere likely already have a Disqus account.   And there are some definite benefits in terms of comment ranking and such that I hope will offset any hassle.  I have been testing Disqus on Climate Skeptic, along with the security updates I have been slowly porting over here, and I am pretty happy with the result.

What this means is that for several days, comments will disappear here as Disqus imports them.   Though they they promise a day turnaround, on Climate Skeptic it took them nearly a week.  With all the comments on this site, it may take a while.  New comments will still work, but the old ones will go away, and then magically return a few days later.  Hopefully.

By the way, this is a mild illustration of what started the security lockdowns at the climate blog.  These are actually minor spikes compared to some in the past, and so far I have seen no similar patterns at any of the other blogs I run.  A number of folks active in the climate debate have been hacked of late.

207 Comments

  1. John:

    I don't know how much you care, probably not at all... but I never comment or even read comments on sites which use Disqus, and mostly I don't read them at all. I've been an RSS subscriber to your blog for years, but if it works here like it works elsewhere, I'll have to drop.

    The problem is that Disqus is very, very, fat. It uses a lot of bandwidth and is very slow. (I've never looked into why this is) I guess in the world of always on unlimited usage broadband that is less of a problem, but for me and my slow connection (lately a little faster but with a bandwidth cap) it makes the site unusable.

    You can't make policy for me, and I don't know if any other readers have trouble with it, but I had to chip in my 2 cents.

  2. me:

    Ugh. Goodbye from me, too. I hate Disqus with a passion (login requirement, many bad experiences due to their shoddy implementation and infrastructure). I'll keep reading, but I'll miss the great debates here. Thanks to you for excellent writing, and to the blog audience for a few years of great discussions!

  3. Smock Puppet, 10th Dan Snark Master:

    }}}} Disqus Coming

    That anything like "Barkis is willing?"

  4. Duracomm:

    Does Disqus have an option for non registered commenting? That would be good, comments here have for the most part been reasonable and informative under an open system.

  5. pegr:

    Sad day. I want to maintain my anonymity. I will not comment on any blog that requires login.

  6. Mark2:

    So it seems per your graph that the bots were blocked. What does Disqus provide in additional security that the current system does not? I am a bit confused about this issue.

    I believe Disqus accounts are blocked at my work, they won't let me authenticate through them, facebook, or gmail, so I'll have to be out too, unless I post in the evenings.

  7. Mark2:

    So I can still add entries over on climate change with just my pseudo name and an email. So I am not sure what this Disqus is suppose to do that is all that different, if I can still post the old fashioned way.

  8. mahtso:

    I am reminded about the blogger's gripe with facebook (he didn't like the way a free service works) -- I like others don't like disqus, but becuase this blog is free, who am I to complain

  9. obloodyhell:

    >>>>> but becuase this blog is free, who am I to complain

    Everyone can complain. Warren is not obligated to pay attention.

    A subtle distinction, but an important one.

  10. obloodyhell:

    >>>> I will not comment on any blog that requires login.

    LOL, it's not like they can track you any closer than before. You can create a yahoo mail account, associate it with a discus account, and then do things no differently than before. Creating a separate account for each blog you go to will put you in the exact position you were in before.

    I don't like the fixed-name thing (it was fun being able to post up using "timely" names on occasion) but it's doable.

  11. dr kill:

    I'm complaining too.

  12. skhpcola:

    I don't mind Disqus and the service is a helluva lot better than the Facebook commenting plug-in, with its "Load ___ more comments" button that loads three comments at a time, even if there are dozens. It's a small annoyance, but one that disproportionately irks me. Too, Disqus keeps track of replies and makes re-finding your stuff easier.

  13. A friend:

    Warren, a wise man once said "If something is free, you are the product". Last comment from me.

  14. Sam P:

    The best website commenting system I've seen is the one from voxmedia. Too bad it isn't open source or even available for licensing. It regularly handles hundreds of comments per post, with live updates, and it remembers which comments you've seen, and you can press a key to skip to the next unread comment. it's almost like using a barebones threaded Usenet reader.

  15. John David Galt:

    The big problem with systems like Disqus is that they prevent anonymity. I can't help but wonder if the spikes on your graph represent deliberate DOS attacks by people like the opponents of WikiLeaks who want to rid the internet of anonymous forums.

  16. mark2:

    I wasn't really complaining down there, just wondering how Disqus is perceived to solve the problem, esp when we can still do things the old fashioned way.

  17. mesaeconoguy:

    Testes...testes...1..2..3

  18. billtuss1:

    I just recently signed a lease with a property management company in vancouver. They were so kind and helpful!

  19. CandleForex:

    If it is of any use, we can show you a few tricks using htaccess to block bots (and other annoying things like the lib-perl spammer) . You save bandwidth and reduce the possibility of being hacked.

  20. tyler:

    i can't figure out why when i attempt to comment on my disqus as a guest ( with the name and email ) a notification pops up saying "You must be authenticated to perform this action" any help? please tyler@creativityler.com

  21. Theodore Fournier:

    test

  22. Jun Oshima:

    rtrt

  23. TheAbsurdity:

    I am having the same issue.

  24. BishkieSimpkins:

    same

  25. D1gitus1mpudicus:

    bump

  26. GGaia:

    I am not sure whats going on yet. I have googled it, but can't find the issue. IF I find out the fix I will re-post here.

  27. GGaia:

    bump? What do you mean?

  28. D1gitus1mpudicus:

    I think someone on CNN broke Disqus

  29. GGaia:

    Could be. :) They may not like my views.. LOL

  30. D1gitus1mpudicus:

    more post on this issue it is an old forum trick to move something up

  31. GGaia:

    Ok... but what the trick. I am not following your meaning (moving something up) Thanks!

  32. tatanka:

    Just started here, too. Google search of the error sent me here, and the guy who owns this blog is probably gonna be pi$$ed!

  33. GGaia:

    Yes, you are right! the only thing he/she can do is delete us. I was also directed here.

  34. Falkor the Luckdragon:

    Who broke CNN and where am I?

  35. Falkor the Luckdragon:

    icles

  36. D1gitus1mpudicus:

    Disqus limbo

  37. D1gitus1mpudicus:

    ah, if you sort by Best or most comments.

  38. D1gitus1mpudicus:

    1...2...

  39. TheAbsurdity:

    So is Disqus broken or have I been banned from CNN for sharing my views on what is going on in Syria?

  40. Falkor Pod Luckdragon:

    I think it's CNN.