DoFollow, Gravatars and CommentLuv We have them all

Posted by Al on June 2nd, 2008 .

I was having a bit of a tinker with the comment layout here on SMM and whilst I was at it adding a few plugins and made the whole site a lot more commentator friendly (thanks guys), so we now have:

  • DoFollow Links - links left in comments are followable by the search engine (not that there will be but any comments containing spam looking links will be deleted)
  • Gravatars - There is now a nice picture next to each comment (you’ll need a free Gravatar account)
  • CommentLuv - This is the coolest IMO, if you have a blog and leave a comment we will automagically deep link to your latest blog post (again DoFollow but and moderated). This should also work with trackbacks :D
  • Formatting - There is now a bit of spacing between paragraphs (the one change I originally intended to make :) )
  • Add This - At the end of each post there is now a quick and easy way to bookmark and share your favourite posts

Comments and suggestions welcome, especially now for testing. Have fun!

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39 Comments »

Comment by Al from SMM Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 16:59:22

Testing how this comment thing works, links, etc.

Als last blog post..The Ultimate Game Chair

Comment by Scott from Scott Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 19:25:26

The CommentLuv is a really nice feature

 
 
Comment by Fatgadget from Geeky Gadget Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 17:25:33

very cool :)

The Comment Luv plugin looks great, I think I may have to give that a try out on my blogs :)

Fatgadgets last blog post..Feature - Geeky Accessories - Steampunk Cufflinks

Comment by Al from SMM
2008-06-02 18:04:14

Yeah I really like it, as it is good for both readers and bloggers/commentators. Any posts with titles that are also of interest to other readers have a good chance of a bit of traffic as well as the link.

 
 
Comment by Adam Dempsey Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 17:29:20

I’ve been meaning to have a look at the CommentLuv plugin, I’ve seen it in use on a few sites now and it looks good!

Adam Dempseys last blog post..May 2008 Earnings

 
Comment by Bjarke from BitnoCom Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 18:39:46

I really like the “give something back”-idea like dofollow. Allthough I am sick and tired of fighting spam so on my sites all outside links get a nofollow-tag attached - unfortunatly.

BTW:A side effect of your changes is that the problem with the comment-section showing up flawed in IE 7 has disappeared (Reported by Jacob at http://selfmademinds.com/200705/ask-related-search-adsense-killer-or-compliment/)

Comment by Al from Al
2008-06-02 18:54:11

Thanks Bjarke, I had a similar problem when moving things around and finally got to the bottom of it (must admit I had forgotten the problem existed before).

 
 
Comment by Patrick Altoft from blogstorm
2008-06-02 19:24:10

Nice.

Patrick Altoft’s last blog post..The Times vs Engadget who sends more traffic

 
Comment by Mally from Petition Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 19:46:26

The Comment Luv looks like a pretty good tool. I need to get a blog started!

 
Comment by Carlito from ASP.NET AJAX and SEO Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-02 19:52:09

Cool, you have inspired me to make a gravatar. I’m going to have to checkout this commentluv thing a bit more too…

 
Comment by Dan Hounshell
2008-06-02 22:09:14

This is the first I’ve heard of CommentLuv I may have to check it out. I’ve been putting off implementing the Gravatar thing for a while, too. I guess I should go ahed and look into that, too. Thanks for the tips.

Dan Hounshell’s last blog post..Things I learned this weekend

 
Comment by David@VineSites
2008-06-02 23:34:47

Looks great, I have become a fan of gravatars for sure. They enhance the color & community. I use commentluv as well and feel that it, combined with being able to receive follow up comments by email really make a comments section all it can be. You’ve now got it all!

 
Comment by Justin Cook from SEO Toronto Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-03 00:00:59

Well finally, you’ll be able to see what your top commenter looks like :) (not at all like the smiley face)

Comment by Al from Al
2008-06-03 23:05:58

I am liking this gravatar thingie, it;s good to put faces and names and sites. If I ever ass you on the street Justin I’ll now be able to thank you for being the commentator.

Comment by Justin Cook from SEO Toronto Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-04 02:24:03

Hmm, I think I’d prefer that you pass me on the street if it’s all the same to you…

(Comments wont nest below this level)
Comment by Scott from Scott Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-04 07:55:43

:) :) that typo made me laugh!!

 
 
 
 
Comment by Susan Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-03 02:17:10

I’ll have to make sure to download CommentLuv. :)

Susan’s last blog post..Starscape

 
Comment by Doug aka nullvariable from Nullvariables Blog
2008-06-03 04:44:08

so pretty cool stuff but the grammar nazi in me went crazy :D had to point out that this:

(thanks guys), so we no have:

should actually read:

(thanks guys), so we now have:

sorry :D can’t help it

oh, and it seems that somewhere the input isn’t sanitized so the that was in my original title text seemed to break things.

Doug aka nullvariable’s last blog post..How to Fix Alex King’s Popularity Plugin

 
Comment by Mike
2008-06-03 09:36:38

Not seen the Comment Luv plugin before. Nicely done chaps.

 
Comment by Daniel Harrison from PowerDosh
2008-06-03 09:39:00

I’ve been meaning to add DoFollow for a while, but my RSI has meant I have very little computer time these days. I’ve now added the Gravatar functionality to my blog but have noticed how slow it is. I’m waiting for the site that has the caching Gravatar plugin to come online again so that I can install it.

Daniel Harrison’s last blog post..Schoolboy Error - Check Design in all Browsers

 
Comment by Ian from Disney World Tickets
2008-06-03 12:14:57

How about a plugin that dofollows comments after the commentator has done x comments.

Ian’s last blog post..Buzz Lightyear heading into space with NASA

Comment by Al from Al
2008-06-03 23:10:36

Nice suggestion Ian, though it does seem a bit like selling links for more comments which I’d expect search engines to disapprove of. By treating every useful comment equally, deleting all spam and especially the link to latest blog posts I think we are being fair to both users and engines, it’s a tricky subject though.

 
 
Comment by Barbara Ling Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-03 19:04:30

I have to add the gravatar plugin on my site as well; it’s been on my to-do list now for several days. It works quite nicely here on your site.

And isn’t CommentLuv the greatest?

Enjoy,

Barbara

Barbara Ling’s last blog post..Define “Blossom” - Day 1 of 7 Days to Making Your Blog Blossom

 
Comment by Peter from business plan consultant
2008-06-04 08:33:52

Well done. Not many blogs these days have dofollow. It was the original method of linking and telling folks about new websites etc. Keep up the good work.

 
Comment by Georgeo from Damn I love commentluv Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-06 10:55:31

This is very very cool. Think maybe I should move my blog over to wordpress so I can use commentluv.

 
2008-06-10 09:14:31

[...] reading the post about Gravatars and DoFollow comments on SelfMadeMinds, I thought it was about time that I implemented it on my blog. I was particularly interested in the [...]

 
Comment by Daniel Harrison from PowerDosh
2008-06-11 08:20:00

Yep, I finally got this sorted for my own blog now. Had the DoFollow enabled for a while now, and I’ve not noticed any difference so far in the volume of blog posts. But having the Gravatars does improve the site a bit.

Daniel Harrison’s last blog post..Link Love: PowerDosh Goes Do-Follow

 
Comment by Rob Cubbon from Graphic Design Marketing London
2008-06-11 14:44:09

I’ve had DoFollow for almost a year and I can vouch for it. It does encourage people to comment and people usually leave good ones. I delete token comments such as “nice post” etc. I might put CommentLuv on my blog as well.

Rob Cubbon’s last blog post..Designing for the digital grapevine

 
Comment by acakadut from Acakadut
2008-06-12 07:32:19

mmm … I guess you need one more thing to add: entrecard :D
It helps me to increase my traffic.

 
Comment by CVOS the Man from SEO By The Way
2008-06-13 22:47:43

I just found comment luv as well and interested to see real live stats. Does it increase comments?

CVOS the Man’s last blog post..No Penalty Claim For Duplicate Content

Comment by Al from Al
2008-06-17 22:11:14

It looks to of improved but not by a vast amount but as we haven’t promoted it, it may pick up more over time

 
 
Comment by pachi from Arbit Blog
2008-06-17 19:56:48

there are a couple of plugins for bookmarking,
1) addthis
2) share this and
3) socialable

which one do u recommand?

Comment by Al from Al
2008-06-17 22:09:26

Hi pachi, thanks for commenting. We use AddThis which seems ok but I haven’t personally tried the other 2

 
 
Comment by Cactii from On To How...
2008-06-18 05:40:29

Wow! It all looks great but how about how to get your users to do the seemingly impossible task of signing up for a blog and posting an Avatar… Any secrets to that one?

Cactii’s last blog post..GPS Tracking Systems for Cars, Pets and People

 
Comment by seo firm from seo firm Subscribed to comments via email
2008-06-19 15:23:25

what are the benefits if any for a link building campaign. does anyone think that by using comment luv it will increase pagerank?

If it does then fantastic, i’ll be using it more often.

Lets face blogging is sometimes tediuos but if comment luv will provide a link to help increase my PR for my seo firm site, then its defo got to be worth the time

 
Comment by Zath@Technology Blog from Technology Blog Subscribed to comments via email
2008-07-05 19:12:37

Thanks for the tips Al, I’m in two minds about re-enabling dofollow on the site, but I’ve got CommentLuv enabled and the AddThis button is much better than the Sociable plugin I was using previously.

Cheers!

Zath@Technology Blog’s last blog post..Beyond Good and Evil

 
Comment by mick from The moaning blogger Subscribed to comments via email
2008-07-23 21:24:53

Hiya, i think that everybody should do dofollow, i have dofollow on my site, but i wont tolerate spam, cheers, Mick…

mick’s last blog post..Newspaper costs in europe are a total rip off

 
Comment by JS@BusbySeoChallenge from CommentLuv Subscribed to comments via email
2008-08-18 03:49:23

Interesting!
CommentLuv helps you reward your commentators by separating their name from their keywords in the link to their site. This gives them improved anchor text, which can help their site rank higher in the search engine results.
You can now leave a comment with your name as well as a keyword of your choice here and get a PR5 link back to your site! How cool is that? People pay big bucks for that and all you have to do is comment here.

JS@BusbySeoChallenge’s last blog post..Busby SEO Challenger Sphere Going for the Top Spot Again

 
Comment by Augie from Creative Real Estate Investor Subscribed to comments via email
2008-12-31 21:58:19

I keep trying to install commentluv, but for some reason, the positioning of the icon and button are all jacked up. Whenever I try to move it with that Div thing, it ends up not working. I’m about to give up on it.

Augie’s last blog post..Video: How Real Estate Investors Control Properties in This Market

 
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