After Almost 70K Comments We Change It Up & Require Users To Log In To Comment

Posted on August 29, 2012

We are coming up to our 5 year anniversary of TheDomains.com.

Late last year we asked the readers if Thedomains.com should require people to use their real names to leave comments on the blog.

The 97 comments we got to that post were mixed with many in favor but others opposed it based on the internet history of allowing anonymity.

A couple of months ago we decided we would go to a blended solution to our comment section, but it wasn’t until the post by Rick Schwartz the other day that my programmer Adam got truly motivated and got the project complete.

As of this morning you need to register to make a comment.

You only need to register once and you can do so one of 4 ways.

You can register via email.

You will get a confirmation in your email with a password that will let you access the word press site and comment

Once on the Word Press interface of TheDomains.com you can change your password in the “your profile” tab or leave the password you were assigned.

You can also log in using your Facebook, Twitter or Google + Account.

Anyway method you choose, once you establish your account, you will be logged in you will remain logged in until and unless you log out.

Anyway you choose  you only have to register once.

We would urge you to use your real name in the registration process but we are not going to require it, so if you want to use a nickname or handle you can.

Your comment’s weight and effect on others has always been in part driven by who the comment came from.

Those who have stepped up to the plate and used their real name, as many commentators on this blog have always done, get more credibility, but the choice is yours.

But in either case your going to wind up commenting under the same name every time you comment and your registration will be linked to a valid email, Facebook, Twitter or Google + account.

In addition to the almost 70,000 published comments there are another 577,000 comments that were blocked by spam filters and 260,000 comments that were sent in from bots.

I anyone has any problems or questions you can reach me at Twitter Or Facebook or via email.

35 thoughts on “After Almost 70K Comments We Change It Up & Require Users To Log In To Comment”

  2. Of course you should make them use their real name for any hint of credibility. For example, you’ve allowed all kinds of moron spammers who I fired and fought with to post anonymous lies and hate repeatedly.

  5. I am the person formerly known as BrianWick.

    But Mike – sure that makes since – but how do you prove it is that person – ask for Credit Card info ?

  8. Very effective. I would like to go on record as saying I view this as a hybrid blog/information of record site; it’s very much like the newspapers of the early America’s, where the news and commentary were blended into the article. The main differences are, of course, the media used and the lack of acerbic drivel that used to pepper some articles.

    Meanwhile, nice login integration. I would also like to compliment Adam. =)

  10. Mike

    I cant run background checks on people.

    Someone can use the name Ron Johnson but how would I know if that is his real name?

  13. I prefer to go by a pseudonym, only because I know how easy it is to find out anything about about anyone by doing Google searches on their name or email address.

    I used to use my real name back in the early ’90s, but after still being able to see posts I made back then when doing searches, I prefer keeping a lower profile now. If that makes me less credible, so be it. I’m not really all that credible anyway, so why should I try and pretend otherwise. 😉

  17. You should make this a paid subscription site to be able to comment, $10/year. I’d pay it as long as the requirement were there for everyone else.

  19. Pay for the honor of creating content for someone else ? That’s interesting. When you run a blog your readers are extending their time to you, time which is more finite and more valuable than any other asset.

  23. Hello Ricky, hello Mike Mann…

    I’m Baaaack
    lol just kidding.

    don’t worry about anonymous posters, have fun will ya?

  25. Not sure why this extra step is here. People can still remain anonymous – this is just a pain in the azz.

    To remain anon:

    Step 1: get a hotmail, yahoo, gmail email acct.
    Step 2: use your new free email acct. to set up a twitter acct.
    Step 3: repeat 89 times so that you now have multiple twitter acct.’s to post here

    Somebody really overthought this extra hurdle – wasn’t necessary and will likely decrease your net readership by 10%-20% over the next 12 months.

  29. Funding

    I assume people have more productive things to do with their life then set up 90 fake email, facebook and twitter accounts just to comment on a domain blog.

    But I could be wrong

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