When I started blogging in March of this year, I didn't think too much about layouts, designs, or formatting. I was pretty sure it was just going to be me typing to no one and maybe my mom would read every now and then. As time went on, I started to read more blogs, comment on more blogs, and in turn, more people started to read and comment on my blog. I soon realized that I was not in love with Bloggers comment system. Let's just say it leaves a lot to be desired. Here are a few of the issues I have noticed:
- Responding to comments is not always easy! Often, I want to send a response to someone who has left me a comment. I hit reply and I am staring at "no reply" on the screen. I can't tell you how many times I have sent an email to no reply. I could respond on my comments but I don't know if that person will come back to the blog to see the response. So I don't usually do that. If I have never responded to a comment you made it is because you haven't linked up your email, so don't think it is because I am rude or didn't appreciate the comment!
- Comments can be very static. Sometimes I see a comment made by another blogger and I really like what they said and I want to respond. That isn't really possible with Bloggers current comment system. I would like a comment system that encourages more interaction.
- There are limited ways to sign in and comment. This isn't a problem for people who have blogs because we all have Google or Wordpress sign-ins. I think non-bloggers can be a little confused on how to sign in to make a comment.
Well, since I am doing a lot of sitting around at the moment, I thought I would investigate the possibility of adding it to my Blogger blog. 10 seconds later (thank you Google) I found out that you can add Intense Debate to Blogger. Bingo!! So yesterday I launched it and did a test. I had to do a bit of adjusting, especially to get the Facebook button to work, but over all it was pretty easy.
The first time you comment with this system you have to fill out a few things and decide how you will log in. You can even use Facebook or Twitter. You will also want to put in your blog url so others can see your latest posts. Subscribe to the replies and you will get an email notifying you if anyone replies to your specific comment. That way you don't have to subscribe to ALL the comments. Then let me know what you think. Better, worse, pain in the butt to use??? Feedback good or bad on this new system is so appreciated!
On to a totally different subject....coping with my injury. Thanks to some suggestion, I have a great ideas for exercise. Bummed I can't do what I want? Totally! That I can deal with. Being a full time mom to my two small children, however, has proven to be a little more challenging! I had to upgrade to the boot which has made things a little easier, but still it is hard to keep up with them. Yesterday, my daughter (who is super 2 right now if you know what I mean) had a total breakdown coming home from preschool. This involved me running in the boot after her in the school parking lot and up and down my street. I also had to struggle to get her in and out of her seat. It was trying, there was a time-out involved, and she only managed to step on the broken toe a couple of times. Navigating motherhood with a boot seems to have a steep learning curve. I have confidence I will get it and it is also a great excuse for not vacuuming. I am going to hold on to this saying and do my best:
***If you like this system and want to add it to your blog, just let me know if you need any help!
Don't forget to enter my headband giveaway!!! It ends on Thursday!
