New Comments Interface

I have just upgraded the comments section to “TypePad Connect”.  The main changes are:

• Threaded Comments – supposedly makes it easier to follow discussions where one person is replying to another, by keeping all such replies in one thread. Edited to add: I have disabled this feature and gone back to a list.  I think the subject of the post is itself enough of a "thread", and that further threading confuses things.  Plus, there is clearly a bug in this as some people (eg me) can't see the "post" key with this option.
• Facility to include a picture or avatar with your comments, if you choose to create an account.  I believe this facility will work with Blogger and other blog services too (ie not just TypePad), although I haven’t tested this yet.
• Edit facility – you can edit and delete your comments after you have posted them.  Looks like you have about five minutes to edit your comment - enough time to fix your html mistakes.

Bug

Unfortunately there is a bug in this new system – clicking the comment link in the "Recent Comments” sidebar takes you to just the post, not the comment.  TypePad confirmed just now that this is a bug and that they will look into it.  If it looks like this will take too long I will probably uninstall the new comment system until it’s fixed.  I’ll update you on progress.  Edited to add: it looks like you can link to new comments made with the new system - just not comments made with the old system.

Apart from that, I’d be interested on your views on the new comment interface.  Does the threaded system work?  Do you prefer this to the old interface?  Let me know what you think.

Formatting Comments

One more thing – I just wrote a page giving some examples of how to format comments in blogs.  The permanent link is in the column on the right under “Skeptico Info”.  Its purpose is to help people do some basic formatting in comments.  Most of you will be familiar with all this already – it is meant for someone completely new to html.  Let me know if you think I missed something, or if something is unclear.

Comments

[Skeptico]

This is a test comment.

This is BOLDED AND INDENTED text for testing the edit and delete feature.

More testing

[Skeptico]

Correction:

1) Clicking the link will take you to any new comments - ones made with the new system. But not to comments made in the old system.

2) When I click "Reply", I can't see the "Post" or "Preview" buttons. Anyone else having this problem?

[Skemono]

When I click "Reply", I can't see the "Post" or "Preview" buttons. Anyone else having this problem?

No, I can see them.

[Skemono]

I do not, however, see how to edit my comment after posting it.

[Skemono]

• Testing...

[Skemono]

Okay, I see now. To edit or delete a comment you have to be signed into the TypePad account. "Anonymous" commenters don't appear able to edit their comments.

[Patrickometry]

I have Movable Type for my blog and tried TypePad Connect since it's in the same product universe. I also tried Intense Debate, which Obama uses on his Change.gov website. My verdict: I'm sticking with Intense Debate commenting. It looks better and just feels more complete. I like the widget of recent comments for my index page as well.

[Skeptico]

I just disabled the "reply to" threaded feature since (a) I can't see the post buttons and (b) I'm not sure it's such a good idea anyway. I can always change it back.

Also, if anyone is interested, I just installed the Intense Debate system that Patrick referred to above on my test site: Skeptico Test. You can play with it there if you want and let me know what you think. My initial view is that it seems less buggy.

[Jimmy_Blue]

I was trying to view the latest comments on the wheatgrass thread but, even after clicking the Show More Comments link at the end of the first page, nothing happened and I couldn't get to the second page. Is this part of the same bug Typepad are already working on? Or am I displaying my technical incompetence?

[Skeptico]

It works for me when I click Show More Comments. If it doesn't work for you then it could be another bug.

[Jimmy_Blue]

Boy am I glad I don't work as a programmer anymore.

I am viewing this through MSN Explorer version 9.6 on Windows XP.

If I left click on the 'Show More Comments...' link nothing happens. Double left click, nothing happens. However, if I right click on it, do nothing with the menu that opens or click off the menu so that it closes, then the extra comments will appear.

Open Internet Explorer 7 and view the blog through that, left clicking the 'Show more comments...' link works.

So this appears to be related to MSN Explorer as well.

[Skeptico]

Jimmy:

I will report this to TypePad. But do you think I should uninstall the new comments system? Is there any advantage to the new system?

I ask because if I uninstall it, all the comments made under the new system (ie yesterday & today) will disappear. I am happy to enter them all again manually (a 5 minute job), but don't want to have to do this, say, after another week when there might be 50 comments.

Let me know what you think. Frankly, I like the edit facility and I like the new numbering system for comments. Also the avatars might be cool if enough people used them. But otherwise I'm not that impressed.

Easy to uninstall today - what does everyone think?

[yakaru]

Thanks for the how use HTML article.

It all looks good to me & works fine with Opera.

My personal preferecne would be without avatars - though maybe that's not option. The content is more important than who is posting, and sooner or later poeple start uploading all kinds of fancy avatars. It distracts from the content when you get dozens on a page, and makes the comments look like tedious grandstanding.

Check out Dawkins' site. I find it hard to read the comments there because everyone has these eye catching avatars of cool looking wolf-like thingys, or their cat tapdancing, or sycophantic stuff like Dawkins transforming into a woman, or people advertising their sexual appetite.

It's like the late 90s when every amatuer website had all kinds of flashing lights and purple text on pink backgrounds.

[yakaru]

Also, the preview function doesn't work.

It deleted my corrections and the text I added.

[Skeptico]

yakaru:

I can turn the avatars off. I guess I could see how it goes and if people don't like them I can always turn them off later.

Funny thing - when I look at Dawkins’ blog I don't see any avatars. Am I looking at the wrong place?

[Skeptico]

yakaru:

Also, the preview function doesn't work.
It deleted my corrections and the text I added.

Really? It works for me. Did you click “Edit” after “Preview” and before "Post"?

[Jimmy_Blue]

Overall I think I might stay with this system, I like the edit facility because it will shut up those idiots like Stef who liked to focus on spelling mistakes rather than what you say - now I can quickly edit those out leaving those maroons with nothing else to complain about!

I also like the numbered comments and the reply button, and now I know how to get around the bug in the 'Show more comments' link that's not a problem for me at least.

Overall, once the bugs are worked out (and speaking from experience there are always bugs to start with) I think I like this new comment system.

One thing I did notice about using preview was that there is a time limit on editing the preview as well, apparently. Otherwise it still worked fine for me - the only problem I encountered was when my connection speed suddenly nosedived - and that's no fault of the comment system here.

[yakaru]

The avatars on Dawkins site appear on the pages for individual articles, like http://richarddawkins.net/article,3361,Single-Celled-Giant-Upends-Early-Evolution,Discovery>here.

Maybe others see it differently, and maybe it would never be a problem here.

Last time I clicked preview, it displayed the text in exactly the same as for writing - in this little box you need to scroll through. Then I clicked edit, and it let me scroll through the little box exactly as if I was just re-reading it without previewing.

I will see what happens this time:

[yakaru]

Yes, again, the text I added after clicking preview, then edit has disappeared.

[TechSkeptic]

1) I like the new interface
2) thank you for losing the threaded aspect of it. I like being able to easily find the new comments. I can thread them myself in my head.
3) I like a lot that I can edit my own posts. Then I dont have to make a new post apologizing for my crappy typing and then apologize for the crappy typing i did in the apology post.(I just used this feature)
4) keep it. The bugs will get worked out eventually.

[Tom Foss]

One thing I've noticed is that the comment threads rarely load when I'm viewing the site on Safari on my iPhone. I realize this is a little like complaining about an eyelash in my caviar, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Are there similar issues with users of non-handheld Apple devices?

[TechSkeptic]

I use firefox on my computer. I dont have trouble with it not loading, but there is a significant delay before the comments arrive.

[Tom Foss]

Yeah, I've noticed that in Firefox as well--the comments always load, but they're the last thing that does. I've also noticed in iPhone Safari that this comment-typing window tends to stretch across the screen; I suspect that the same thing is causing both symptoms.

Though, naturally, I won't believe it without evidence :).

[Tom Foss]

Well, I checked it out on Safari on a desktop, and it had the same problem--comments wouldn't load. Looks like the site may not be particularly Safari-friendly.

[Skeptico]

Tom, when you say "comments wouldn't load", do you mean not at all? Or that the link wouldn't take you to the comment? Because I just posted this in Safari. But clicking the link just took me to the top of the post.

[Tom Foss]

No, when I click on a link to an individual post, the post loads, but the entire comment thread refuses to load, and the comment box itself is usually extended either to the vertical line separating the sidebar, or in front of and beyond it.

Of course, now that I've gone to check more thoroughly, it seems to be working fine. The first link I clicked in Safari (in the sidebar, to this post) brought me to this page sans comment thread. The next link I clicked (the title of the Golden Woos in the main post) brought me to the full post, comment thread included. Subsequent tests haven't repeated the problem in the last few minutes, anyway. Either it's cleared up or it's doing that obnoxious variable reinforcement thing that'll eventually lead me to all sorts of irrational conclusions about what's causing the occasional rewards.

[ltg]

Cool ;)
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