Loading Profile...
Facebook Connect.
I would be impressed if you guys implemented Facebook Connect. I that in the near future?
I’m excited
44
people like this idea
I like this idea!
Tell me when this idea gets some attention.
The more people who like this idea, the more it gets noticed.
The more people who like this idea, the more it gets noticed.
The company implemented this idea.
The best points from everyone
-
To say that it's not even on the list is quite appalling. I can understand if you've prioritized other ideas, but to not even have it on the list is absurd.
I’m frustrated
4 people think
this is one of the best points
-
Wow, Disqus have grabbed the initiative on this, according to a blog post today by Disqus CEO Daniel Ha.
Mashable have a good article, explaining why this is such an important move: Disqus to Integrate Facebook Connect.
The key points in that article:
Facebook Connect created a bit of a problem for third-party commenting plugins like Disqus. One of the original premises of their business – that having one login that worked across blogs would increase comments – is severely threatened by Facebook, who has 130+ million users already. Not to mention, when blogs utilize Facebook Connect for their comments, they are fed back into the Facebook News Feed, creating extra traffic.
Today, Disqus is wisely responding, letting its customers know that they will soon be integrating Facebook Connect.
...
Problem solved for Disqus? Maybe. The service still has lots of advantages over simply integrating Facebook Connect into your blog, like giving users their own profile to keep track of their comments, easy installation including a WordPress plugin, video integration with Seesmic, and support for trackbacks.
Svetlana Gladkova also has some interesting thoughts on the integration of Facebook Connect into commenting systems such as Intense Debate and Disqus:
The viral growth effect is very similar to what you get when you ask your visitors to bookmark your site on Delicious or vote for it on Digg - but in this case you will only have to ask users once if they want their activities on the site to be sent back to Facebook and broadcasted to all their friends on the social network via news feeds. So once the confirmation is here every time a user performs an action on the site, the site owner will get some additional free visibility - what really can be more appealing for web publishers?
We all know that an owner of any website will hardly want to avoid using an additional marketing channel to promote the website where your own visitors will help you get extra visibility for your content. And of course blogges are no exception, especially those blogging professionally and trying to get any extra monetizable traffic we can so I’d expect bloggers more than willing to support Facebook Connect program.
And it is quite understandable: after all, usually your post only has chances of appearing on Facebook when you write something particularly good that people will find interesting enough to share with their friends - but that takes a couple of extra steps, including your reader thinking about actually helping you promote your content and posting it to Facebook. But if you support Facebook Connect in commenting functionality of your blog, your readers will be able to help your content get some extra visibility every time they leave a comment using Facebook for their credentials. I expect we will see Facebook Connect plugins for popular blogging platforms launched pretty soon for every blogger to be able to implement the functionality easily on a blog.
...
So I’d expect many professional blogs adding Facebook Connect functionality in the nearest days while dedicated blog commenting services like Disqus should really think about supporting Facebook Connect themselves - at least to keep the bloggers they already work with happy with their commenting functionality instead of returning to standard commenting functionality with Facebook Connect supported.
My personal guess is that, unless ID are absolutely confident that the weight their purchase by Automattic gives them is enough to ignore the 130+ million Facebook users, they really don't have a choice, they have to integrate it.
But, again, the political considerations within Automattic are going to be the main barrier, not the technical challenge.
Personally, though, this is a MUST HAVE FEATURE before adopting ID on all of my websites.
4 people think
this is one of the best points
-
Seriously, this would be a killer feature, and would take away any competition with people wanting to just customize their native Wordpress comments with Facebook Connect because of how powerful of a feature it will be.
3 people think
this is one of the best points
Create a customer community for your own organization
Plans starting at $19/month
-
Inappropriate?Thanks for letting us know. We'll look into it.
Cheers,
Michael2 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Michael, we are all still waiting for information regarding this feature. Please update this thread in order to let us know if this is happening or not. I can't tell you how many times I consider moving away from ID until this is implemented. A little information every once in a while will go a long way. -
Don't hold your breath, Trae - it's been 3 months since Disqus implemented this feature, 3 months since Michael promised to look into it and 1 month since he casually announced, below, that "it's currently not on our dev list", a real slap in the face to all the users who have singled this feature out as an absolute must-have.
It is worth noting that this is, by far, the most active thread and the most requested feature (3x more votes than any other suggestion) but they have pretty much ignored it.
In the meantime, they have been kept themselves busy with ... prettier user profiles!
So much for "truly awesome innovations coming very soon"; we all expected great things after the Automattic acquisition but here we are, half a year later, and it's clear that the IntenseDebate team simply used it as an excuse to coast. -
Inappropriate?Seriously, this would be a killer feature, and would take away any competition with people wanting to just customize their native Wordpress comments with Facebook Connect because of how powerful of a feature it will be.
3 people think
this is one of the best points
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Seriously, I do not see how this is much of a killer-feature.
-
Inappropriate?If every comment someone left on my blog was also reflected on their facebook profile, then the ability for the conversation that occurs there to be attractional to like minded / like passion-ed people would be incredible.
2 people think
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?Sure, in theory, but we already have friendfeed getting this data and I can tell you that there's no such incredible ability. People generally don't jump in your conversations1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Well, if Friendfeed had 120 million people on it then this might be a good illustration = alas it does not. And it doesn't matter if they jump into the conversation, it matters if it does a good job promoting the site where the conversation is happening.
-
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
As I understand it, Google's Friend Connect would be pretty much impossible to integrate with ID, all you can really do with it is insert self-contained widgets that don't actually interact with the rest of your site or your database.
Facebook Connect, however, has an API that would integrate pretty smoothly with ID on the technical level but, of course, the politics of it is quite a different thing: it would make WordPress and ID more accessible to the massive Facebook userbase but Automattic might worry that integrating in any way could harm their chances of later selling to one of the other big players.
Personally, I reckon that encouraging the Facebook masses to participate more on ID sites would actually do a lot to improve Automattic's valuation but, of course, at this stage, with so much at stake, they're probably terrified of making the wrong moves. -
Inappropriate?Wow, Disqus have grabbed the initiative on this, according to a blog post today by Disqus CEO Daniel Ha.
Mashable have a good article, explaining why this is such an important move: Disqus to Integrate Facebook Connect.
The key points in that article:
Facebook Connect created a bit of a problem for third-party commenting plugins like Disqus. One of the original premises of their business – that having one login that worked across blogs would increase comments – is severely threatened by Facebook, who has 130+ million users already. Not to mention, when blogs utilize Facebook Connect for their comments, they are fed back into the Facebook News Feed, creating extra traffic.
Today, Disqus is wisely responding, letting its customers know that they will soon be integrating Facebook Connect.
...
Problem solved for Disqus? Maybe. The service still has lots of advantages over simply integrating Facebook Connect into your blog, like giving users their own profile to keep track of their comments, easy installation including a WordPress plugin, video integration with Seesmic, and support for trackbacks.
Svetlana Gladkova also has some interesting thoughts on the integration of Facebook Connect into commenting systems such as Intense Debate and Disqus:
The viral growth effect is very similar to what you get when you ask your visitors to bookmark your site on Delicious or vote for it on Digg - but in this case you will only have to ask users once if they want their activities on the site to be sent back to Facebook and broadcasted to all their friends on the social network via news feeds. So once the confirmation is here every time a user performs an action on the site, the site owner will get some additional free visibility - what really can be more appealing for web publishers?
We all know that an owner of any website will hardly want to avoid using an additional marketing channel to promote the website where your own visitors will help you get extra visibility for your content. And of course blogges are no exception, especially those blogging professionally and trying to get any extra monetizable traffic we can so I’d expect bloggers more than willing to support Facebook Connect program.
And it is quite understandable: after all, usually your post only has chances of appearing on Facebook when you write something particularly good that people will find interesting enough to share with their friends - but that takes a couple of extra steps, including your reader thinking about actually helping you promote your content and posting it to Facebook. But if you support Facebook Connect in commenting functionality of your blog, your readers will be able to help your content get some extra visibility every time they leave a comment using Facebook for their credentials. I expect we will see Facebook Connect plugins for popular blogging platforms launched pretty soon for every blogger to be able to implement the functionality easily on a blog.
...
So I’d expect many professional blogs adding Facebook Connect functionality in the nearest days while dedicated blog commenting services like Disqus should really think about supporting Facebook Connect themselves - at least to keep the bloggers they already work with happy with their commenting functionality instead of returning to standard commenting functionality with Facebook Connect supported.
My personal guess is that, unless ID are absolutely confident that the weight their purchase by Automattic gives them is enough to ignore the 130+ million Facebook users, they really don't have a choice, they have to integrate it.
But, again, the political considerations within Automattic are going to be the main barrier, not the technical challenge.
Personally, though, this is a MUST HAVE FEATURE before adopting ID on all of my websites.
4 people think
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?This is a must have feature now. With DISQUS adding it in, this puts ID decidedly behind Disqus in this area. After switching to ID after the Automattic buyout, this is the first time that I have "looked back" so to speak...
I’m concerned
2 people think
this is one of the best points
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Hey, Jonathan, good to see a high profile ID user asking for this too!
It would be good to hear the whole issue of commenting systems discussed on the next WordPress Podcast i.e. what you gain balanced against what you lose in terms of control and ability to implement features yourself. I think this is going to be a big issue over the next year and this Facebook Connect situation illustrates it nicely. -
Inappropriate?I think you are overestimating the "visibility" one gets from facebook and appearing in the mini feed. Very rarely do people will pay attention to the stuff that's in there, especially if it's discussions they cannot see the context.
In my case facebook connect wouldn't make an inch of difference and I'd rather see other things tackled first, instead of going for the next trendy feature which 5% of the commenters are going to find useful in any way.
I'd rather see other things fixed, like making long threads more readable (by better collapsing/connecting) or improving the reputation system to something useful.
I’m unconcerned
2 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
db0, I think you're missing the point. The option to sign in using an account they already have at Facebook, into which they've already invested their time and uploaded a photo, lowers the barrier to participation for 130+ million people.
After just 12 days, 20% of Techcrunch commenters were using Facebook Connect, and that is a BIG blog that already had lots of users, most of them signed-up, regular visitors; the effect on a small blog would be far more dramatic, because you would have a larger portion of non-committed, passing traffic who have no interest in becoming members but might, just might, be willing to make a comment if it is easy enough for them and they already see their smug little face smiling out at them, appealing to their ego and letting them know that they are already signed-in.
For low-readership blogs (and the vast majority of them are), this could be the tipping point that gets them ten comments rather than none. It also means that more comments are accompanied by avatars, making the discussion more attractive and credible, making your blog stickier.
Appearing in each commenter's Facebook feed (which is an OPTION) is the most personal and, therefore, effective endorsement imaginable - the commenter is saying "Hey, look at this conversation I'm having!". Yes, it is small-scale, limited to their circle of friends, but the chances are high that they have similar interests and, therefore, will be interested in your blog.
Don't forget, the commenter will now also be addressing two audiences: your blog's readership AND their own friends, giving a deeply personal incentive to make a well-written, positive contribution. They are getting a double return on their investment of time in making the comment: joining your discussion but also adding content to their Facebook presence. Facebook integration will increase the quantity, quality and distribution of your blog's comments.
Of course, those are all advantages for ID users but not necessarily ID itself. Trust me, this is a political / strategic decision that probably has ID terrified, the technical side is trivial and not something that is going to detract resources from your pet interests - it takes 8 minutes to integrate Facebook Connect, by hand not plugin, into an individual WordPress blog, it would not take more then an hour to make the same change to the ID system, they probably already have a test version running with Facebook integrated.
Make no mistake, the big issue here is not HOW to do this but whether or not they SHOULD be getting into bed with a giant who could, quite easily, roll over and crush them - Techcrunch have written an interesting article about this,
Soon, All Your Blog Comments Will Belong To Facebook (Or Google), and the comments are worth reading too.
The key question for ID is whether whey would be undermining the incentive for commenters to sign up to ID itself, when they can simply keep using their Facebook identity. Of course, serious commenters will quickly realize that there are advantages to skipping Facebook and using an ID account instead: Facebook-Connected comments link only to your PUBLIC Facebook profile, which is pretty much useless, revealing almost nothing about you, whereas your ID profile displays your other comments AND links to your blogs, Facebook page and other social networks, Twitter etc.
Unless Facebook decide to start archiving comments themselves (and it is highly unlikely that they will change their whole model to pursue such a niche market, especially as it would kill all trust in their developer community), Disqus and ID will retain this advantage, and commenters will realize this pretty quickly once they develop the commenting habit. ID should be confident and see Facebook Connect as a way to entice newbie commenters into becoming participants, knowing that they will graduate to becoming ID members in time. This is a great way for ID and Disqus to grow piggyback on Facebook's massive userbase and peel away some of it for themselves, while keeping blog owners happy too. -
I think you're jumping to conclusions way to much on behalf of ID and Automattic. I doubt that they're scared in any way, especially automattic, as Facebook is not a competitor at all.
I would also suggest that you don't jump to conclusions as to how easy it is to integrate Facebook connect in a reasonable way. What for you looks like a 1-hour job, might just be 1 week.
And finally, I dispute the Facebook integration will increase anything related to your comments. The people that converted to Facebook Connect on Techcrunch are already techno-geeks (that's why they are there). Most people won't care and it cartainly not going to make it much more easy thatn typing a username and posting. -
Inappropriate?Dude, you don't seem to even TRY to understand what other people say, or to follow ANY of the links. If you did, you'd realize that I was referring specifically to the video that shows ordinary people how to add FC in 8 minutes by, you know, typing the code. For 8 minutes.
You'd also have noticed that Techcrunch got a 20% bump in comments - that is a cold, hard fact, one that won't disappear simply because you, personally, don't think it could or should make a difference.
I don't mind well though-out and argued criticism, but you seem to just wander around this website, shooting down everything anyone else has to contribute - I've yet to see you make a positive comment of any kind. I honestly can't imagine what world you live in if you don't think the potential of Facebook as a competitor is not a serious consideration for both ID and Automattic. Seriously, are you a bot? Did someone create you as part of a bet?
If you could just slow down and think before you shoot, you might actually pick up some new ideas.
And you probably wouldn't make dumb mistakes like duplicate posting.1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Just because it's easy to add it to a standalone wordpress installation does not mean it's easy to integrate it with a totally different system like ID.
As for your comments about me not contributing anything here just because I disagree with you, well, I let my history speak for itself mr 20 replies.
PS: You're also a liar. There is no 20% boost on Techcrunch but rather, as I said, 20% of the commenters are using it, which simply can mean that 20% of the previous commenters started using it.
Well done, in your urge to "defeat" me, you've managed to look like a dolt. -
Inappropriate?good discussion here. I think Intensedebate should offer Facebook Connect ASAP as it helps to connect to the social graph of the users. I really want this feature and since I just switched from Disqus I'd hate to switch back... -
Inappropriate?Nico,
I switched from Disqus as well. I don't want to have to switch back either. -
Inappropriate?I would like to see Facebook Connect support added as well. The sooner the better. I often click on items I find on Facebook in my mini feed.
I’m anxious
-
-
Inappropriate?Yes, this is important.
-
Inappropriate?Any word from IntenseDebate if this is coming or not? I would like to know if I have to switch. Thanks.
-
Inappropriate?Seriously, the lack of integration with Facebook Connect is the only reason I'm using JS-Kit instead of Intense Debate. Disqus is horrible. I understand why you're not doing this but it's a must for me. Please let me know if you plan on adding FB Connect in the future and I will just stick with ID b/c I really do love your commenting system.
-
Inappropriate?It's actually quite easy to implement Facebook Connect and Threaded comments on your own blog... But I agree this is a show stopper for me!
I’m unsure
-
Inappropriate?Just to give this suggestion a bit of a bump, I'd like to draw the ID team's attention to how well Facebook Connect integration has been working out for Disqus.
Disqus has been included in Mashable's 10 Great Implementations of Facebook Connect.
How it uses Facebook Connect: Disqus, the YCombinator-backed comment plug-in service, now makes it simple for your blog readers to bypass signing up a for a Disqus account and removes the need to type in a name and email before commenting. With a few clicks, readers of a Disqus-enabled blog can start commenting.
Why it is a winner: It’s simple - there are more people with Facebook accounts than Disqus accounts. Anything that makes it easier to use Disqus is a win for the company.
I'd really like to see ID catch up with Disqus on this feature, because I believe that ID is better overall but, as the owners of blogs, I have to do everything I can to encourage my visitors to comment - that is my battleground, my blogs will succeed or fail on that basis.
I understand why ID let Disqus get ahead on video because, obviously, that depended on another company, Seesmic, and perhaps they would demand money or something, but Facebook Connect is completely open, ID could go ahead and implement it without waiting for anyone's permission. -
Inappropriate?Thanks everyone for the great feedback! This is what Get Satisfaction is all about!
We're open minded about Facebook Connect but it's currently not on our dev list.
We're committed to building the best comment system out there - you can be sure of that. With that in mind, we've got some truly awesome innovations coming very soon. Please stick with us and stay tuned!
Much love,
Michael
5 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
I have to say that this is very disappointing. Though I appreciate your honesty, with Disqus, JS-Kit and even standalone WP having access to FB Connect via plugins, ID has really fallen off the radar and, quite literally, become the last place comment solution in terms of the features I want.
It is a terrible shame considering that I am still very fond of much of what ID does. But to have one of the most-requested features brushed aside in favor of "truly awesome innovations coming very soon" seems a bit odd.
I sincerely hope that those features are able to draw me back. But I'm hopping into my WP panel to delete the plugin. I had deactivated shortly after this thread started, but now I don't see much reason to keep it around. I will reinstall again if these new features are compelling enough, but I have to move forward and focus on adding the features I want.
I am truly sorry about this. -
I have to agree with Jonathan's sentiments.
It is good, very good, that you are being honest about not having plans to implement a feature that so many people, in this thread and elsewhere, have made clear is a deal-breaker for them.
It is, however, alarming that ID is so complacent, so willing to blow the boost that being acquired by Automattic gave. Disqus continues to roar ahead, having integrated Facebook before Christmas, this week FriendFeed and, at this rate, I'm betting they'll have Tweetbacks months before you get around to telling us that they aren't on your dev list.
Don't get me wrong, nothing would please me more than to see ID catch up with the other commenting systems but, when you are so blasé about features that your users have asked for, features that so clearly fit the core mission of ID, features which your main competitor has so swiftly identified and executed, I have to wonder what other features could possibly be more compelling.
Again, thank you for being honest and freeing those who had expected so much to move on. Also, sorry if I have given you a hard time here over the past couple of months, I only submitted feature suggestions because I was excited by the potential ID seemed to have and dearly wanted to see user participation brought to the next level. I will certainly keep half an eye on ID's future announcements, hoping you pull something amazing out of your hat, but, for now, ID does not appear to be in sync with what we site-owners need. -
Please everyone, chime in if you too agree that this is not good news.
I have to say, I agree whole-heartedly with the above two comments. This is extremely disappointing, almost heart-breaking. I consider myself to have vision but for the life of me I cannot imagine what feature on Earth could possibly be considered more important than one of the most pivotal integration technologies, like Facebook Connect, to boost blog commenting systems, which is your mission statement I would assume. If there was some type of feature that could possibly be competitive against this I could understand this move, but there is most likely not. You are essentially ignoring the most popular social network on the planet when your competitors have embraced it. I fear this will only marginalize blogs further away from social networks. With this I see no long-tail or niche, only obscurity.
I will be switching to Disqus tonight despite my wish to stay with ID. To see someone give-up like this is truly worrisome. -
It's a mistake to ignore facebook integration. WordPress.com integrates with a facebook app so I find it strange that there wouldn't be an attempt to achieve parity with users of self-hosted WP installations. Without Facebook Connect integration, you're driving people to chose alternatives if they want to remain inclusive to their audience.
-
Not to show only negative end-of-the-world comments, allow me to say that as before, for me this feature is irrelevant and I don't think it will make much of a difference in the end. People who want to comment, will comment.
Having said that, it is apparently a popular request so it should have at least been on the schedule. -
Inappropriate?To say that it's not even on the list is quite appalling. I can understand if you've prioritized other ideas, but to not even have it on the list is absurd.
I’m frustrated
4 people think
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?Jesus, have they still not responded to my Facebook Connect question?? Wow. ID is atrocious in terms of support. Unfortunately it's the superior commenting system. SO much so that I've kicked ID to the curb twice and have come back to it full circle, twice. It's superior largely b/c it looks the best; and it's the fastest. Looks indeed are important. I felt like barfing after looking at JSKIT's ugly mug for two weeks. I mean common. Stone Age. Disqus has all the features I could hope for and more but SOOO slow. My YSlow performance score drops from an A to an F using both JSKIT and Disqus. It only drops to a C when using ID but that's b/c YSlow is retarded and seek God-perfection. What's more startling as that it takes 20 secs to upload my page first time w/Disqus, 12 seconds with JSKIT and 4 seconds with ID. With a simple AJAX commenting system, I have a YSLOW score of A and a page upload of 2.4 seconds FTR. SO obviously ID still has some work to do here. It would be nice if we could somehow store all Intense Debate comments on the Google Api Engine but since ID never responds to any of my e-mails, I guess i'll have to ask Google for help. Google gets back to me within minutes w/o fail. In fact, they mentioned that ID plans on incorporating Google Friend Connect. Is this true??? If so, this would almost be as good as FACEBOOK connect. Also, having any Google app on your page gives you a huge bump in terms of SEO friendliness. You won't ever get this in admission but trust me, it's true. As soon as I added the Google Api Libray to my page, my Google rank increased drastically w/in a week and I've never bothered to even submit my website to Google. Hmmmm? Of course, you can also hack you're own version of Facebook Connect to make it sorta work with ID but why should we even have think about doing this? I have better things to do being doing. Right? People that are using commenting systems want them for a reason: they're a) lazy and b) don't have the time to muck about with silly code. That's for the geniuses.
I’m frustrated
-
Inappropriate?By the way...what commenting system is this at getsatisfaction??? Just AJAX or self-created? I like it. It has three features that are missing from ID. Add an Image, Smiles, and Some HTML allowed. I know it's already possible to do all of these things with ID if you try hard enough. The problem is that the average Muppet that visits my site has no clue what he's doing and certainly doesn't know how to tag an image using HTML. Common ID. That's an easy one!
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?Intense Debate have to implement not only facebook connection but also give the opportunity to add something similar to flare (of feedburner) for choose what options i want to give to the people. cause many of visitors uses an specific service like yahoo 360, facebook, or myspace. but i want to choose a few based in the stadistics, my subscriptors etc.
I’m frustrated
-
Inappropriate?I really wanted this as well - was going to start a thread until I saw this one exists ... we've integrated FaceBook connect into our forums and it's had a huge, positive impact on our site. Now I wish to do it on my blog, and find that "it's not even on the list" .. dang. Sadly, I've been hostage to ID now, since the syncing doens't work for me - when I deactivate it, I lose the majority of my comments .. .I've been promised a workaround, but have seen nothing.
I’m frustrated
-
Inappropriate?I notice that this idea has now been labeled "The company is considering this idea."
Does this mean that ID has reversed their decision not to place Facebook Connect integration on their dev list?
I hope so because, for all the talk of "building the best comment system out there", nothing much seems to be happening. People trying to decide which system to use need some sort of signal that ID are still in the game, that they haven't simply been fully absorbed up into the warm fluffy cloud that is Automattic.
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?GAME OVER
"Commenting with Facebook Connect"
"Since Facebook Connect launched, we've seen over 6,000 developers make their sites more social using Facebook Connect. One of the most common features we've seen sites add with Facebook Connect is the ability to allow users to log in with a single click and comment with their real name and profile photo from their Facebook account. Sites have seen as much as 40-50% more comments since they launched added these features.
Today, we're launching our first social widget for Facebook Connect, the Comments Box. The Comments Box is a great way for any website, blog or photo gallery to add social comments to their page in just a minute with a few lines of code. We want to help bring you social widgets that make it easier for users to communicate and share across your site and with their friends on Facebook.
With the Comments Box, Facebook users on your site can comment on your content, post those comments to their profiles, and share them with their friends on Facebook. The Comments Box allows non-Facebook users to make comments on your site as well. And via our APIs, you can access related comments made on Facebook as well to bring the conversation together." -
Inappropriate?Why is this thread marked as "Implemented" when it shows up in search results? You can test this by typing "Facebook" into the main search box on the front page of the IntenseDebate section.
As far as I know, there has been no announcement to suggest that ID has now integrated Facebook Connect, all we've had so far is the bizarre news, a month ago, that this hugely desired feature is not even on the dev list.
Marking such a popular suggestion as implemented, when you clearly have no intention of listening to your users, seems to be a pretty shabby way to sweep it under the carpet.
I’m disappointed with IntenseDebate
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?I've been using Disqus and have been quite 'satisfied'. They do implement Facebook Connect and it works with WPMU which I'm running. Also it loads fast!
I would like to use ID, but not the right fit for me right now.
I’m waiting
-
Inappropriate?I moved to ID when it was bought out thinking it will become the Wordpress standard. I have now installed Disqus on a new blog and am thinking of moving my other blogs back after getting more comments on the new blog from Facebook members.
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
-
4 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Agreed, when I saw this I could almost hear the nails going into the coffin. That's an impressive feature set, could replace and exceed even Tweetback plugins. Wow.
-
This seals it, I'm moving over to Disqus. This is awesome!
-
I don't know...Facebook is the epitome of a walled-garden. I think it's cool to give the option to use a facebook account to post a comment but that totally takes your data away from you. Think about it...you can't even export a list of your friends on Facebook! I'm worried about giving them my comments. No doubt that it's an attractive feature - we're all about the latest and greatest - but at what cost?
Check out this post - http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-facebo... . He's got some good points there. So what if Mashable added it. Big shock...they're a social network site!
Do you all really think that IntenseDebate is sitting on a beach somewhere sipping margaritas? They're part of Automattic now!!!! Look how far WordPress has come from the first version. I think Matt Mullenweg has some crazy plans for IntenseDebate. Let's not be short-sited. Give it a chance. -
Stop trolling
-
Inappropriate?Really Jacks0n? your case is, 'why should we give Facebook our comments and user data.... instead give them to Intense Debate'?? The logic is much more straightforward: if we're going to outsource comments, people want to do so where those comments have the potential to reach the greatest audience possible. That is not OpenID, Intense Debate, or even Disqus, that's Facebook, maybe Google if they do something with Friend Connect. Facebook Connect pushes user comments onto user profiles where they are seen in news feeds by millions of friends, virally promoting blogs and discussions. This debate is that simple. No one is arguing we WANT to use Facebook, its that they have 200M users (give or take?).
It doesn't matter how cool the functionality is if we're trying to reach an audience. Intense Debate looks to be shaping up to be a more sophisticated comments platform (that it until the Mashable news) making it, perhaps, more attractive to blogs that already have millions of readers. If a blog is small though, their primary objective is growth and a wiz-bang comments section on your blog does not deliver readers.
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
I agree with Paul, but also Chris Brogan's post doesn't directly deal with the piece people are wanting. His article discusses the use of FBConnect in building a social network. All we are wanting is the ability to use Facebook logins for your comments. ID would still handle your comments, as well as sync them to your WP account if you wish, but in addition...you'll also use FB profiles and have those comments sent to Facebook for syndication.
I don't think anyone here is being short sighted here as this post is nearly as old as Facebook Connect itself. As well as donnacha's point indicating ID's primary competitor has implemented this for 3 months now, and in this day of rapid innovation you can't sit on the sidelines (as ID has done with this) and expect everyone to just be happy with their service. -
Inappropriate?Jacks0n - they were acquired by Automattic half a year ago. In that time, look at all Disqus have achieved, at how responsive they have been to the changing needs of their users, to the dramatically shifting landscape.
We all wanted to see IntenseDebate do well, we all had high hopes for them, that is why we are so bitterly disappointed. It would almost be okay if they were to say "Look, we are listening, we understand what you need and it's coming real soon" but, instead, we get "Sorry, not on our dev list, not gonna happen ... now, how would you like a pretty profile instead?"
Paul and Trae point out exactly why your head-in-the-clouds attitude towards Facebook is ridiculous - with 200+ million ACTIVE users, Facebook adds more to our blogs than we add to it, and we know that making it as easily as possible for people to comment is key to sparking discussion.
Your attitude to Facebook is also hopelessly out of date, given all the massive revamp that was announced yesterday:
Facebook's Response to Twitter
Facebook is now moving with impressive agility to match it's private network functionality with new functionality as a public broadcast medium. It may not be as single-focused as Twitter but, with 200+ million active users compared to Twitter's 6 million, it will blow it out of the water in terms of critical mass. All the things that are most useful about Twitter, such as it's search facility and it's usefulness as a marketing tool, will be 30 times more useful with 30 times more users.
Essentially, we are seeing the mainstreaming of the Twitter concept and this is EXACTLY why Facebook Connect integration is so important - because this is going to be the main way in which people follow our blogs and the main way in which our readers tell their friends about us.
----
Half a year ago, when Automattic's acquisition of IntenseDebate was announced, I thought "Poor Disqus, what sort of future can they have now that the weight of WordPress is behind their main competitor?"
I was wrong. IntenseDebate decided to coast, while Disqus put their heart and souls into creating a better product and, the masterstroke, quickly moving to take advantage of the opening up of the Facebook giant.
I don't know where Automattic's magical touch has gone, I don't know if Matt is even involved in the decision-making around IntenseDebate (I mean, seriously, what decisions have even been made?), but I do know a failure when I see one. Disqus has won this one: game, set and match.
I’m amazed that no-one hasn't noticed the smell of dead company
-
Inappropriate?Cheezus this thread is is becoming like the ultimate technofreak shoutbox. I've said it before and I'll say it again, IDC does not need every latest gimmick the competition does. FB connect is trivial for most bloggers (except obviously those who just need to have the latest social media shiny) and I'm glad that IDC is working on much more solid backend stuff. I know what is coming is going to set the stage for IDC to overtake the competition in features in a true Automattic fashion and I'm glad.
And just because Mashable is gushing about it, doesn't make me impressed and nor would it make the 90% of bloggers.
So can we give this discussion a rest? Especially trollish comments such as this. We get it already. You all want FB connect. But to go from your personal preferences and suggest that IDC is lagging is wrong and simply annoying.
I’m unconcerned
3 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Ah, I wondered when db0, "the man who always gets in wrong", would pop up - I see you still have that avatar of Michael Jackson walking away from an exploding children's nursery.
As ever, you seem completely unable to process the fact that this is a thread packed with unhappy and, now, ex-users of IntenseDebate, people who wanted ID to be great but were disappointed at how little has been done to address their needs.
I'm sure everything is just fine in the particular lah-lah land you inhabit, but here in the real world people ARE impressed that all the comments made about our content, on a wide variety of other social media sites, can be collected and placed neatly below our main comments and trackbacks. If you don't think that is impressive and reflective of a service that is actually LISTENING and THINKING about it's users needs, seriously, you need to get a clue.
You should apply for a job at IntenseDebate. -
So many attempted insults, so little substance...
-
db0, IntenseDebate might have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat today, but no amount of plugins can ever prevent you being a dribbling buffoon.
-
Inappropriate?IntenseDebate just announced plugins. Maybe Facebook Connect is on the way...?
http://blog.intensedebate.com/2009/03...
I’m optimistic
3 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
You know what, this could be EXACTLY what they need.
And, if I have been wrong, I will admit that.
Let's check this out! -
Yeah, looking very tasty so far.
I've asked about the possibility of a Facebook Connect plugin, let's see if I get an answer. -
Disqus is ahead only due to Seesmic and Facebook Connect integration. Now ID is only one feature short. Go on, ID. It surely is a must now!
-
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Usually I'd agree but, for db0, I'm willing to make an exception.
Seriously, this guy haunted me in exactly the same way last time I checked in here, months ago. -
Inappropriate?Okay, so, I have some excellent news: it seems that this new plugin system will, indeed, allow us the features we feel we need to make the most of our blogs and reach out to new audiences.
Before breaking out the champagne, I had to get some answers to some technical questions, so, I made the followed comment in the announcement's comment thread:
Okay, this is pretty mind-blowing stuff because, this very day, I was finally washing my hands of IntenseDebate and, following their big announcement yesterday, preparing to move to Disqus.
I have read through all the plugin documentation but am unclear on a few things:
1. Will we pretty much be able to use plugins to adapt comments in the same way we use plugins to adapt comments in our own installations of WordPress? Will we be able to make the same range of changes?
2. Will this allow the holy grail we've all spent the last three months whining about: Facebook Connect integration? Big things are happening over there this week and I believe it is vital that we be able to hook into their new broadcast-oriented features.
3. If we submit customized plugins, will they become accessible to everyone via the public directory? Is there any way to submit a plugin, heavily adapted to our own needs, and use it just on our own blogs, saving everyone else the trouble of having to work out what it does?
4. How long, roughly, do you expect the plugin submission and acceptance process to take?
5. Will ID be pretty open in terms of what they take i.e. in cases where the plugin is in no way malicious or harmful, will ID reject plugin for strategic business reasons?
6. Will companies such as, say, Viddler be able to come along and offer an alternative to, say, the Seesmic plugin, or have you made exclusivity deals?
But, yeah, it looks very promising.
All we need now is a way to replicate the new "Social Media Comments" feature on Disqus and that could probably be achieved outside of IntenseDebate, using a regular WordPress plugin that hooks into the UberVu API - although, of course, it would be pretty cool if they were an integrated IntenseDebate feature :)
... and, to my surprise and delight, I received the following, very detailed reply from the lead developer, Jon Fox:
Glad to hear it!
1.) Pretty close, but not quite yet. We're working towards this goal. Right now you can apply filters to the comment text as it's being submitted or when it's output as well as a few other filters, and then hook into a wide variety of actions. We've got quite a bit now, but this will be expanding with time and the requests of developers. The idea of plugins, though, is to open it up to developers, so there's not a lot of reason for us to cripple it.
2.) I think this could probably be done w/ the current plugin API, but if not and someone wants to develop this but needs some new actions/filters please let us know and we'll do what we can.
3.) We do review the plugins that we put in the directory. This is primarily for distribution to others though. If you want to have custom plugin code on only your blog you can by using the plugin editor (available here: http://intensedebate.com/pluginEditor )
4.) This will vary, but I'm hoping to keep it pretty low. A few days is the target, but obviously this will depend on volume, the complexity of the plugin, etc.
5.) We reserve the right to reject plugins from being added to the directory. This is primarily to prevent malicious / misleading plugins. We've opened this platform up with the goal of our community expanding our platform, so we don't plan to reject plugins arbitrarily. If we do reject the plugin, however, you can always add a plugin via the plugin editor or by adding the JS to the blog directly.
6.) These plugins were provided as examples of what can be done with the plugin API. There are no exclusive deals here and we welcome alternatives.
And yes, the last item could also theoretically be done with plugins if any of you are feeling ambitious
So, that's the answer we've been looking for, it seems that we now have a basis from which we can do almost anything, IntenseDebate intend to do all they can to facilitate us and nothing to stand in our way. They've made their commenting system as open as a distributed commenting system can be and we should applaud them for that.
Oh, and, yeah, ... I take back all that nasty stuff I said when I was frustrated and, after six months, despairing of ever seeing any movement from IntenseDebate. I guess they weren't sitting on a beach, drinking Margaritas all that time!
Of course, we won't have Facebook Connect until someone writes the plugin (or converts the exiting WordPress plugin - the structure of ID plugins is pretty much the same) but the real subject of this epic, three-month thread has been what many of us saw as a lack of action, ambition and vision on the part of IntenseDebate. We were clearly wrong about that and, as far as I'm concerned, this thread can now be marked "Solved".
I’m pluggable!
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?Brilliant update donnacha you should work for Intense Debate! :)
Yay ID!
Let me suggest though that this isn't "solved" until Facebook Connect works as that is the theme of the thread
I’m hopefull
-
Inappropriate?I absolutely want Facebook Connect. I'm hanging in for the moment, but I will consider defecting to Disqus to get that functionality in the absence of even a prospective timeline on when we can expect it in ID.
I’m frustrated
-
Inappropriate?There's a post over on the the Intense Debate blog announcing integration with Facebook Connect being made available via a test build that they are making available via invite. Leave a comment on the post to get on the list:
http://blog.intensedebate.com/2009/03... -
Inappropriate?That post is quite old, I requested to be a part of the test and there has not been a word since from ID about Facebook Connect whatsoever. I have another blog which I have installed Disqus on to compare the experience. I'm open to making the switch if ID doesn't go this route in the near future. I'm willing to give it maybe 3 months. But FB Connect drives activity my way. I want it.
I’m Still frustrated
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Same here. Been waiting a while to hear some news about this.
-
Inappropriate?They've done it. Facebook Connect is finally a reality for Intense Debate http://blog.intensedebate.com/2009/07...
I’m thankful
1 person thinks
this is one of the best points
-
Inappropriate?Michael,
Just tried adding a Facebook user to admin - it failed miserably, lol. Can this be fixed or made an option?
Thanks, great work btw!
I’m pretty chuffed!
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Simon, currently comments made using Facebook Connect are treated as guest comments since they don't have an IntenseDebate account. In order to be promoted as an admin they need to have an IntenseDebate account.
Ultimately the goal is to tie your Facebook and ID accounts. We just have to figure out how to do it with the info that's made available from Facebook. That presents the main challenge at the moment. With that in mind, there's no ETA on this, but it is something that we're looking at -
Inappropriate?Blimey, that was a quick response!
Not a problem really, I fully understand. It's just that when I'm in Facebook I have to approve my own comments, lol. I'm too lazy to open a new window, and besides - I have 200 open at once and one more may just bring the Internet down completely!
I’m Cool
-
Inappropriate?"Ultimately the goal is to tie your Facebook and ID accounts." -- Micheal Koenig
I "knew" this was the reason why it wasn't implemented sooner from the moment I started looking into my options. You've just confirmed my suspicions.
Disqus is still +1 on this as well, as they simply ask for an email address but don't require registration. Disqus admin may be a bit sparse, but even after all these months they are still ahead of the game and it's the reason why I use THEM and not YOU.
Facebook Connect is INTERGRAL to my site launch as I have a large following on Facebook as it is. Stop trying to increase your own numbers ID and get with the program. Something, is better then nothing and if your going to hassle and force MY users to sign for YOUR service to use a feature we ALL want, you have another thing coming.
This is nothing short of giving yourselves and Automattic a bad name.
[CLICK]
I’m frustrated
4 Comments Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
No offense intended to StewBrennand but I would like to make it clear to Team ID that his ungrateful and insulting behavior towards you, the innovators behind a free and rapidly evolving service, is simply not representative of how your users feel about IntenseDebate.
The competition between Disqus and IntenseDebate, both excellent teams, has helped to drive us forward at high speed towards the dream of unified commenting. Disqus would not be as good as it is without IntenseDebate, and vice versa.
As is evidenced by my posts in this thread last year, I myself was disillusioned by the apparent lack of progress from ID but, then, you announced your plugin system which has such incredible potential. Disqus may seem to be ahead at the moment but plugins could change the whole game.
Either way, it is an exciting time to be a blogger and we are privileged to be the beneficiaries of all this innovation.
Keep up the good work! -
No offense taken where non is given Donnacha. I'm just trying to figure out if your the same Donnacha I ran into a few years while WPMU was in it's infancy. Regardless, I've assumed respect for you in name alone.
I still hold promise for this service and I do feel it's superior in many ways, except for the one feature I personally need the most and thats Facebook Connect. there is no point in me even trying it out much less test driving it for size when it doesn't have what I need
Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the amount of work that goes into this and many other projects around the web that have revolutionized the way we communicate and share content.
I also agree it's an exciting time to be blogger on the web and I have waited 10 years for developments to reach a point where I feel comfortable in doing so myself. I'm sorry if I came off a little brash, I was simply airing my own confirmation (and frustration) of why this feature wasn't implemented quicker in the first place. I'm not going to sit around and wait for ID to produce something that I can produce myself. (If only I had the time) The plugin information is clearly made available to all.
Facebook Connect is quite simple to work with on it's own however it hasn't really matured enough or penetrated the blogosphere much yet either. I could of course create my own widget and so can anyone else. That was my first instinctive thought when I found the new addition, but so can anyone else for that matter.
I didn't mean to outright knock Mr. Koenig and company personaly or as hardworking people as well. I meant merely to mock the mentality of "if it doesn't benefit us, we don't do it" which was the clear impression I got long before making my post after much research into which tools I would like to use. It is nice to see some movement on the feature. It will be huge!
Yes, I found ID's product first. Yes, I think it's better then Disqus in many many ways. However, it doesn't suit my working environment,goals or needs because of one serious missing feature that has yet to be released. Maybe I'm impatient and don't have a whole lot of time to develop much anymore as my priorities mount but I do look forward to using this rather then Disqus, honestly!
Cheers and good luck to all. -
@StewBrennand
No, I am not Donncha, the Lead Developer behind WPMU, all we have in common are similar names ( Donncha / Donnacha) and the fact that we are both incredibly handsome and virile young Irishmen.
I am glad that you have stated that you appreciate the work that goes into services like ID but I disagree that you were merely airing your frustration - you specifically said that they were giving Automattic a bad name and that was a pretty low blow, hitting them where they work, precisely the sort of attack that causes people to wonder why they even bother.
A very, very important thing to remember is that coding is hard, running a service and dealing with user issues is hard, the whole thing is a grind with very few "up" moments to balance out all the downs. What keeps any developer going is the ambition to produce something that users love and which allows them to do things that were not possible before, but getting to that point takes a long time.
In recent years, an increasing number of users, of both Open Source software and related services such as ID, seem to have no concept of WHY developers devote so much time and passion into what they do. They don't do it because they desperately want to become your bitch, they don't do it so you can throw a hissy fit when they don't magically produce the features you want on exactly the schedule that you "need" them.
Now, again, I'm not saying any of this with the intention of insulting you personally, but it does have to be pointed out that drive-by tantrums like this are not appropriate and they certainly don't motivate anyone to address the issues you are concerned about. If you want to get things done, post feature suggestions but stay positive and explain politely why you thing they would be good.
Trust that developers WANT their product not to suck, they want their service to be successful but, at the end of the day, they are the ones who are investing their time, their lives and they must do their best to strike a balance that will suit the most users overall.
If an application or service does not suit your needs, accept that life sometimes disappoints. If you feel particularly strongly that a service is getting it wrong and that you have the understanding and taste necessary to see what they are missing, you should, absolutely, learn how to code and invest a few years into your dream because, if you are right, you will be very successful and the world will benefit from your insight. I'm not even joking, this is how mankind progresses. -
I agree, 100%. I don't need a life lesson on the topic, trust me. Fair enough, you feel what you feel and I feel what I feel when it comes to what I said about Automatic.
Drive by tantrum. hehe, yeah I guess since you put it that way, it was wasn't it? Anyway, I apologize for offending such a staunch supporter of a great product. I want to see every good product get better just like everyone else. I wouldn't have been in my field more then decade if I felt otherwise. Like I said, I agree 100% with what you just said and thanks for the egregious amount of time spent in your replies.
Cheers and best of luck to you. -
Inappropriate?Before commenting, I thought it only fair that I install Disqus on one of my many websites to make a fair comparison.
The results are now in...
IntenseDebate: 8/10
Disqus: 5/10
Furthermore, SteveBreward must be mad, stark raving mad! Intense Debate is far superior by a long shot!
I’m Sweet as a Nut!
-
Inappropriate?"Disqus admin may be a bit sparse"...
A bit "SPARSE" ?... The word you are looking for is "SKELETAL".
I’m happy as Larry!
-
Inappropriate?Mods: You should really mark this topic as implemented to get it out of the frontpage of GSFN
1 Comment Add a comment
This is one of the best points
-
Good point. Thanks.
-
Inappropriate?Facebook Connect has been implemented!
EMPLOYEE
