Announcing New Comment Features!
As a commenter on Consumerist.com, you now have some awesome new powers. Let's check 'em out!
The features have been implemented and functional for a few weeks now, but we just let people discover them on their own. Now it's time for an official breakdown of how they function.
First, these features will only work if you're reading us from our front page at Consumerist.com (sorry, RSS readers), and you must be logged in to your comments account. (Need a commenter account? Here's how to get one). You can log in at the top of any page.
Or under the comments section on any post.
Now that we're logged in, let's start checking out the new tools. We'll use the comments in "Who Should And Shouldn't Buy A Mac" as an example. Right click on that post link and open the post in a new tab or window to follow along.
To the right of CRNK's name are a row of three buttons. What do they mean?
Left turn arrow: reply to this comment.
Exclamation point: report an inappropriate comment to the moderator for possible punitive action.
Plus sign: "follow" this person's comments. This is where the new fun starts. Let's explore this feature further.
After "following" someone, whenever they make a comment, and you are logged in, there will be a little announcement on the front page of Consumerist.com. You can click the post title in the announcement and go to the post that they commented on.
You will also see when they start following other commenters.
Clicking on a commenter's name takes you to their profile.
There you will see a list of all their comments, who they're following, and who is following them. You can also leave them feedback.
A shortcut for going to any commenter's profile, including your own is:
http://consumerist.com/commenter/commentername.
If you want to stop seeing someone's comments on your web page, go to your own profile and click on the X next to their name. You are now no longer following them.
See who is following you by going to your profile page and clicking on "Followers more >>"
Lastly, by clicking "friends," you get to see just the comments the people you follow are making!
Give the new features a whirl and let us know what you think.
Post a comment
Comments:
They should post this across all of Gawker. I also continuously follow Kotaku but have never seen any sort of primer. Unless I skimmed over it (which does happen).
This is stalkerific!
Hasn't this been here for a while now? these buttons have been there for at least a couple months now.
Groovy, but can we get nested comments back please? That was a really good feature that hasn't worked for me [Firefox on OS X] in months, and was never reliable before that.
Commenting on commenting. How meta!
STOP WATCHING ME!
I'd rather have a feature that alerts me when someone replies to *my* comments.
that's a wonderful tutorial you put together. I think it will help a lo of people old and new alike.
So, is the long-awaited* strikeout format available now?
* Well, long-awaited by me, at least.
Also, haven't these features been around for weeks now? I like that they're now explained. Probably time for a refresher on comment formatting, too.
I can haz strikeout?
I hate nested comments! Please don't bring them back.
@toolverine: Nested comments are cool. When you make a snarky remark, everyone can see what you were being snarky about.
well this is just great.
we should have more profile features. consumerist could become a sort of amateur, elitist, economically focused myspace.
and just to be a jackass, here's a third post in a row. :|
I've been waiting for the directions. :) Thanks!
To quote one of my favourite old TV ads from Quiznos...
"I fear change. I'm going to stick with my bushes."
@homerjay: i was just going to say the same thing. i was expecting some new features, but these appear to be stuff i've seen for at least a few weeks.
BRILLIANT!
@krunk4ever: Agreed. It keeps telling me whenever I have a comment up...
Seriously though...can we find out if people are following us? Just wondering...
@JPropaganda: Yes, by going to your profile page and clicking "followers" in the bottom right hand corner. I'll make sure to add that to the tutorial.
@nardo218:
I agree - I'd like a function such as is available on Livejournal where you can be notified if someone replies to your comment.
Uh, gee, thanks Ben.
Now how about shaming health insurance companies into disappearing off the face of the earth.
When you have the time, of course.
@toolverine: I like them. But this should be an individual user choice that you set in your preferences.
That said, the screenshots show nested comments. But they are not nesting for me.
Why not?
@ColoradoShark: If you want nested comments, you can employ this third-party Greasemonkey script made by YogurtEarl. It does mess up all the buttons, however.
I'm with the same thought as NARDO218 and ELIZABETHD. I would love a feature that alerts me to who makes a reply to my comments. It seems like a natural thing everybody would want.
Tracking who replied to your comments tracking is a great idea! While we don't currently offer it on the site, you can do it with Commentful or with Yahoo! Pipes.
@sleze69:
Totally beat me to the punch.
What I WAS going to say was, "Well, this sucks. I don't have any stalke--er, followers!"
And now I've said it. :)
This is the prettiest post we've ever done.
"Friends' activity
You have no friends"
:( what a downer
@Ben Popken: I've got the greasemonkey script so the nested comments work nicely for me but your comment does explain the weird buttons.
Wow, but still no button to
"quote"from a comment to reply to it. I'd much rather have that than some "stalk this commenter" feature. That and basic formatting buttons like I, B, and Link so we don't have to manually write out the HTML every time we want to format some text...
Color me unimpressed.
A shortcut for going to any commenter's profile, including your own is:
http ://consumerist.com/commenter/commentername.
This is false. The reality is this:
A shortcut for going to any commenter's profile, including your own is:
http ://consumerist.com/commenter/commenters_FRIGGIN_LOGIN_not_their screen_name.
Perhaps you should change that??????
OMG, I'm now following Skeptic!
BY GIBBERSOME AT 03:33 AM
OMG, I'm now following Skeptic!
Ahhhhh!
Yay, another step towards Socialnetworkerist!
Hooray!
Hey everybody---follow me, naked twister at Fleshbot!
Wow, look at me, right not top of Carey's friends list. I think you're pretty special too, hun. :)
Oh now I feel awkward. Lol.
I have no followers, no one with which to hide in a Russian cave.
Are we supposed to comment on the new comment features? I don't know if I have a sanguine comment.