I love commenting at blogs and do so several times a week. I try to write succinct, well-thought-out comments. I double-check what I’ve written for typos. When I click “Post Comment” and see the box that tells me I must log-in, I bail out.
Why not just hold up a sign that says, “Go Away”?
It happened again this morning at the blog published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ian Campbell offered helpful advice on “How to Become a Science Celeb: Tips for Being Interviewed and Writing Press Releases.”
He advised, correctly, to never ask journalists to read the story before it’s published. I added this comment:
Ian, your tips are right on the mark. I’m a publicity expert who worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for two decades.
Even though scientists should never ask to see a story before it’s published, it doesn’t hurt to ask if the writer will call you to double-check direct quotes for accuracy. Not all journalists will agree to do this, but some will. I usually did if I had the time.
Tell the writer you understand that you don’t have the right to change the quote if you don’t like the way it sounds. But you’re asking strictly to ensure accuracy.
I hit “Enter” and saw the dreaded log-in box.
If you’re forcing me to log in before commenting, tell me that before I start writing! Instead of logging in, I left in a huff, and I’m writing this.
Other Bloggers Grumble Too
This is a pet peeve, but I’m not alone.
Veterinary journalist Lorie Huston writes about her disdain for log-in boxes, those annoying captcha codes, and Livefyre.
Livefyre’s real-time apps turn your site into the hub for your community and curate live content from around the social web.
Some bloggers prefer Lifefyre and Disqus because they can add a social layer to their comments. Readers can follow conversations across multiple platforms, tag friends and alert them to the content, and accurately flag other comments as spam.
I’m a Type A. The second I see the words Disqus or Livefyre near the comments section, I’m out of there. So are those apps worth enhancing the commenting experience for your fans even though they’re driving other readers away?
What Do You Think?
Bloggers, do you force your readers to comment?
Blog readers, I hope you weight in, too, in the Comments section. Do you take the time to log in, or are you like me?
Oh, this is so frustrating! Yes, I just leave these sites. And telling you AFTER you’ve written is so annoying.
I know people who love Livefyre and Disqus, but, like you, I do not participate in the conversations there.
Alyson, I know you’re an enthusiastic blogger and that you have a huge following of artists who need help marketing their work. So I’m really glad you stopped by. Thanks.
I’m at the point where I look to see if there’s some sort of login required before I spend the time writing.
The other thing that frustrates me is no “subscribe” to comments opt in.
Looking for that takes time, too. Problem is, you don’t always know until you’re done writing. Glad you joined the conversation, Kim.
Great post, Joan! I was literally just dealing with this dilemma. What a coincidence that I would read this right after I was getting more and more frustrated with endless log ins just to post a comment. Like you said, I enjoy reading other’s blog posts and sometimes I like to weigh in on the conversation, but I get very discouraged and frustrated when I have to have an account on the blogger’s website just to say I enjoyed their post. Thank you for making light of this issue! As for me, I use a WordPress blog, and I do moderate my comments. I have just started out blogging, and I get a lot of spam in my comment section. Once I have established myself on the blogosphere more, I hope to get rid of that spam and only get the comments I want. Great insights, and I look forward to reading more from you.
Shannen, if you’re getting a lot spam comments, you will fall in love with Akismet, a WordPress plug-in that eliminates almost all the spam. I urge you to get it immediately because it’s a huge time-saver.
If you have a non-commercial site, you can get it for free, or you can make a small donation, which helps the continual development of Akismet. A commercial license starts at $5 a month. Get more info at https://akismet.com/signup/
I’ll join the chorus — I leave too if I’m asked to log in. I have no clue what all the social layering even does, but if I can’t just write what I want to say, I’m gone. And if I don’t find out until after I’ve written, I won’t be back. Captchas don’t bother me so much, if they work. I don’t mind comments being moderated, actually, and it seems to increase the chance that the blogger will actually reply to my comment.
My pet peeve: sites that don’t function well on my iPad. Blogger seems to be bad for this. You get half the comment written and the keyboard locks up. Then I’m done, and ticked, and not coming back.
Someone (Kim Bruce, I think) raised the question once as to why she gets more comments on Facebook than on the blog. This is why. I know Kim’s site is friendly, but honestly I don’t even check anymore…if the FB option is there, I use it, because for all FB’s flaws, it works.
I dislike the Captchas because half the time the letters are unrecognizable.
As for Blogger, I’ve never heard the complaint about the keyboard locking up. If others are experiencing that, too, it’s a huge problem. Thanks for weighing in, Frances.
Huge frustration. Hope this post encourages bloggers to remove the login restrictions. I can’t believe they want less comments and less readers. It’s too bad. If I’ve enjoyed their post, I feel a comment is a show of gratitude. Agree on captcha. I shouldn’t have to guess what the letters are.
A comment is, indeed, a show of gratitude. And I’m grateful you took the time to join the conversation, Kirsten. Thanks for visiting.
I agree I hate logging in to have to comment or captchas are so difficult you have to go through 3 sets before it goes through. I don’t have time for that.
I had installed Disqus on my blog for a very short time. I didn’t see any difference in commenting other than a burst of porn themed spam coming through. Thank goodness I moderate comments! I removed Disqus from my blog and have been a happier camper since 🙂
Elise, I visited your blog and see you use WordPress. Consider using Akismet, a WordPress plug-in that eliminates 99 percent of the spam. It’s at http://akismet.com/. I visited your website too. Congratulations on all those fabulous awards! Thanks for joining the conversation, and happy blogging!
🙂 Thank you! and thanks for the advice.
Thanks, Joan. I find your blog dog-gone helpful. I have a little different problem. I post a blog for Dr. Brueck. From time to time I get a comment with request for information from someone identified as “anonymous”. I haven’t figured out ow to respond to anonymous. So request goes unanswered and dies. How do you get commenters to include an address at which they can be contacted.
You can’t force them to do anything. You can, however, reply to comments and use a plug-in that lets readers subscribe by email to all comments and replies so they don’t miss anything. I can understand why Dr. Brueck, a plastic surgeon, has fans who don’t want to be identified. Another option, William, is to state someplace on the blog that people can email him, then provide an email address. Thanks for reading, and for your question.
Joan’s Web Developer (Saeler Enterprises) here, with some additional insight.
The problem you have is that you are using Blogger and they are a bit limited. Your best bet is to disable anonymous comments and require a Blogger account. While that goes against the message of this post, sometimes you have to work with what you have at hand.
I’d actually recommend migrating to a WordPress standalone (like this site); there will be much more flexibility and your SEO should improve as well.
Thanks, Jason. (Readers: Jason has been with me for more than 12 years. He knows his stuff!)
Hi Joan – I agree that having to log in to leave a comment is a pain. And nothing is more annoying that unreadable Captcha’s. Those make me crazy.
However, on my blogs, I don’t let comments be published until I’ve read them. I use Askiment but there’s still a ton of sp*m comments that I have to eliminate manually.
So there needs to be some kind of verification and vetting.
I moderate comments, too, as you do, BL. I still get the occasional reader, as you probably do, who uses he Comment box as a soapbox to promote a product that has nothing to do with my topic. (Delete.)
I love your blog, by the way. You were one of the early adopters of Twitter and blogging. You’ve taught me a lot about both, and I’m grateful to have met you.
Don’t forget that you can configure Akismet to delete Spam Comments older than a month and that WordPress provides a one click method to delete spam comments (Empty Spam).
Yes it Really Frustrates me when sites say “You must Log in to Comment”.!
or when i need to enter captcha and all that stuff,these things make user get frustrated and leave your site/Blog..That’s Why I’ve Never Used Things Like That..However I Like Disqus Commenting System.But I’ve Never Used That Because It Allows Only Few Options.
I have faced numerous frustrations with Disqus, too. Glad you stopped by to add to the conversation.
Hmm, interesting post and comments!
I don’t mind the captcha thing, don’t find the letters/numbers so hard to read most of the time. I don’t like having to log in to leave a comment though, and will leave if I see that.
I’ve been using blogger for years, and now have a new website with blog on it, but still trying to figure out how to use my website blog well.
🙂
V
I agree, those impossible-to-read numbers and letters are maddening! As for how to use your website/blog well, the best way is to produce lots of valuable content for the blog, and make sure you’re using the correct keywords so you’re pulling the kind of traffic you need. Thanks for commenting, Verna.
The better the content of the article the higher will be the rankings.
This is correct. Google can spot a quality article within a milllisecond. Gone are the days when a substandard article could get top rankings.