Faster, Easier Commenting

You commented, and we listened: one of the things you like best about your blog is hearing what readers have to say via comments they leave on your posts. So, we're continuing to work on features to help make the commenting experience faster, easier and more engaging. So today we’re beginning the process of rolling out Ajax commenting natively in the TypePad application. 

To be clear -  this isn't the same as TypePad Connect, which is an optional beta commenting system you can try. We've been reading and thinking about your comments, and we want to make sure that while Connect is in beta, everyone's got the best, easiest, fastest commenting on TypePad, hands down!

You don’t need to do anything to get the new TypePad commenting experience. It's a natural improvement to the current comments, and we'll be rolling it out to everyone over the next two weeks.

Here's tour of the new features...

A new look for the commenting form

We've updated the commenting form to move the most important part -- the comment field -- to the top so commenters aren't distracted by having to enter their contact info first. We've also added intelligence so it doesn't let commenters post until they've entered a comment (and name and email if you require that too).

On-page CAPTCHA and preview

One of your most common requests has been that we host the entire commenting process directly on the post page, rather than take your commenters through multiple interstitial pages. We heard you, and we've changed the commenting flow so that everything from the comment preview to the CAPTCHA is hosted directly on your post page. This is especially helpful for those of you using Advanced Templates, as it means your commenters will no longer see the preview and CAPTCHA on a page that doesn't match your blog's design

Preview for moderated comments

We've heard from some of you that you often receive the same comment multiple times when comment moderation is turned on, because the commenter is unsure of whether it's been received. To help assure commenters that their comment has been saved and is awaiting approval, we now show them a preview of their comment on the blog, and have restyled the comment moderation message to make it more likely to be seen.

Tell us what you think

As always, we want to hear from you. Leave a comment to this post telling us what you like, what you don't like or if you found anything confusing or hard to use. Think you see a bug? Let us know in the comments, or by opening a help ticket.

Comments

[Ez]

These are all wonderful updates! Thank you so much!

One thing I'd love to see that is available in the TypepadConnect but not standard for Typepad currently, is the ability to reply to comments directly within a post. This creates a great community aspect that I feel blogs often lack. Please consider making this part of your next upgrade. Thanks again for all your hard work!

[Ginevra]

Hi Ez! Thanks for the feedback! We're working on a way to try to both be able to integrate the Connect features into TypePad (once TypePad Connect is out of Beta, of course) and how to address both users who want to reply with a comment via email, and who want to email the user directly. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[lja1228]

This is an excellent feature. Thank you! Now, please make it easier for us to reply to comments on our blogs.

Lora

[genevieve]

The moderation message and preview is a great addition and will help one of my readers particularly. Thanks for that.

[Ginevra]

Glad you like it! :)

[Ginevra]

Hey Lora - have you already tried TypePad Connect? You can reply inline, or via email. Let me know!

[Vera H.]

Since I like to respond to my commenters directly by e-mail, and not have it show in my post unless I want that, I rather go back to the old system for now. Is there any way I can do that or are there ways to respond to commenter strictly by e-mail that I'm unaware of?

[Karin H.]

Hi

What I would really, really love is an option for commentors to be notified by email the minute another comment is left on the post - I don't mean subscribing to the comment feed, but a real email.
(I do use co.mments whenever the 'inform me by email' option is not available, a little help but not as instant as email).

I know this would improve the communication flow oh so much.

Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

[lja1228]

TypePadThanks for the tip! I just installed it!

[@xannov]

I'd love to use these new features on my personal, not professional, blogs, but I'm still waiting to be upgraded to the new platform.
Supposedly it'll be before the end of the year so I might be able to try out the new commenting in the new year...

[Ginevra]

hey there - we should have everyone there soon! If you've got questions about this please let me know at ginevra@sixapart.com.

[Shula]

I have a bit of an issue with Typepad. I like the idea of public combox conversation, but I have to cross from my email into Typepad to be sure that the person I'm responding to is who I think they are (people only use first names, and I have three people named Leslie who regularly comment, for example). Also I'd really like a roving option of whether or not I want my response to them to go public, and the moment you can't have it both ways, and sometimes you want to be able to respond to that particular comment privately, which is a total hassle if you're not even sure who they are. So I'm finding the new comments, although exciting, a little on the laborious side.

Just a little feedback. Not complaining, of course, I love you guys.

[Ginevra]

hey Shula - are you finding this with TypePad, or with TypePad Connect? you can email me at ginevra@sixapart.com and we can catch up. :)

[Karen]

I'm already having a big problem with this new profile system. When I receive an email that someone has commented on my blog, I always reply via email (and sometime by posting my reply as a comment on my blog too). In the past, I would just hit "reply" to the email, and it would go to the person's email address. Now when I hit "reply," it goes back to Typepad and I get a bounce-back. So I have to go digging around to see whether I have the person's email address on file. VERY annoying.

[Ginevra]

Hi Karen - are you seeing this with TypePad Connect installed, or just on TypePad? We're working on this right now, but if you can email me (...I know!) at ginevra@sixapart.com, and file a trouble ticket with support, we can take a look.

[Karen]

I'm noticing this in regular old Typepad. Another problem is that people can no longer leave comments under just their first name, or under a pseudonym -- the Typekey thing just automatically gives out everyone's full name.
Thanks,
Karen

[UH2L]

I would like to have this feature as well. When I comment on other blogs, this feature keeps me coming back and it would drive more traffic back to each of our sites.

Thanks!
Atul
http://www.thingsivenoticed.com

[Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed.]

I want this feature too. and I don't want to have to use an advanced template to do it. i want this so bad I'm seriously consider leaving for Wordpress. Im' working right now on a new blog...and I'm learning Wordpress. I'm really tired of waiting 3 years to be able to allow commenters to subscribe and get an email when their comment is replied to.

Is there a date when this is coming? If not, I'm gone in January.

[Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed.]

Great points by everyone! I'm so tired of paying to have far fewer features to keep people coming back. when will we have what other bloggers have?

[Kate]

Hi. For the most part, I really like the new comments (both Typepad Connect and the improvements to the old system); however I find that putting the comment box first has reduced the comments on my blog. People see the "sign in" link, then the comment box. And most of the time they have to scroll to find where to enter their deets. A lot of folks don't want to register to leave a comment - so they skip it (even if they don't HAVE to register, it's a perception).

I'm sure you guys did usability testing on this - so my readers are likely in a minority - but I did want to share an alternate view.

Maybe you could improve the labeling on the sign in line to indicate that you don't have to? Just a thought.

Thanks! Kate

[Ginevra]

Let me find out more about this for y'all, and I'll let you know!

[Ginevra]

Hi Kate - I'm going to share this feedback with my team, and I'd love to hear more about your experience. You can email me anytime at ginevra@sixapart.com. :)

[creativechaos]

Why do I have to keep putting in all my info everytime I want to comment. I ask it to remember my info but still need reenter everything.

Also folks who try to comment to me are saying the same thing plus typepad is timing out the comments therefor they are unable to comment. Most people don't want to have to work that hard to say something.

I'm not getting all my emails for the comments on my blog.

Is this a glitch or something that is being worked on. Otherwise I liked the old comment system better.

[skbell1]

Although it says comments are held for moderation, posts to my blog are showing up immediately. I don't like that. Sometimes posters put in personal info (e.g., they think if they give me their SS# I can help with a tax problem). Other times they report people they believe are tax cheats. I don't want that info going up immediately. It shouldn't go up at all and unless I have a chance to redact it or not post the comment at all, it will and I don't want to be held responsible for that. I want the old albeit more tedious posting way back! Please!

[Ginevra]

hi skbell1 - have you already filed a help ticket on this? if your comments are set to be moderated, they should most certainly not be appearing until you've approved them. are these comments in TypePad Connect, or regular TypePad? please email me at ginevra@sixapart.com for more.

[Ginevra]

hi creativechaos: do you have a ticket already open on this, or would you like me to open one for you? this sounds like something we can definitely fix. email me at ginevra@sixapart.com if you want to...

[skbell1]

I did send in a help ticket. Kymberlie tested it and has forwarded it to
engineers. Fingers crossed they can fix the bug ASAP!

ThanksQ

[Robin Laws]

i have been getting e-mails from friends who say they are not able to comment. i don't know what the problem is. and also i have had multiple duplicate comments posted from several visitors yesterday and today. also i haven't been receiving notification of my comments by e-mail. all of this started yesterday. i do not use comment moderation and i haven't changed anything. what do you think? is this related to the changes you are referring to here?

[Robin Laws]

i just tested commenting on my own blog. once i clicked post the little spinning thingy went on and on and never seemed to end.... so it looks like it isn't working which i assume is leading people to try again and again. anyone else having this issue? i will send a support ticket.

[Ginevra]

hey Robin - thanks for your email, too! we should have this up and working again shortly - you can always follow our status on Twitter, too, at http://twitter.com/sixapart. :)

[Ginevra]

Hey everyone - I found out a bit more about this, as promised. It's definitely on the roadmap, but won't be happening immediately. it's a pretty complex feature, but we'll definitely have it.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Ginevra