Disqus Splits in Two to Compete in Real-Time Realm

Disqus and JS-Kit both recently made major updates to their commenting systems, bringing them into the world of realtime. Not only can you see new comments show up immediately, but both also aggregate comments from across the social web. So, what’s the difference between the two? Why would you choose either?

Disqus has actually split into two separate but complimentary services. Disqus Comments and Disqus Profile. Disqus Comments is the popular commenting solution that the company is well known for. If you’re already a Disqus user, you don’t have to do anything special to activate the latest features. Simply change to the new default theme Narcissus. Besides all the standard features your used to, comments update in realtime. Under your real comments, you’ll find the social reactions from people across the social media world who have talked about your post. The reactions are powered by uberVU.com and Backtype.com. According to their blog, the new Disqus also includes:

• New moderation panel. We started from scratch to make it the best way to moderate both large and small volumes of comments. Partially inspired by an email inbox, it was built to cut down on the amount of time spent on moderation.
• Improved automated tools, including a new spam filter and new ways to combat abusive language in comments.
• Other improved moderation tools such as multi-site moderation, multiple moderators, blacklists and whitelists.
• New theme customization options, such as the ability to set default avatar pictures for your site. These features are meant to give you better integration with your site.

Disqus Profile is a way for commentators to control their comments. The new Disqus will actually go out and find comments that may be yours so that you can claim them. Other features include:

• Vanity URLs. You can now access your public profile by going to disqus.com/{your username}
• Enable the option to automatically share your comments on Facebook, Twitter, and other services.
• Full shared control with publishers. You have the ability to edit and delete comments without impacting the site that the comment is on.

Disqus and JS-Kit are different products with different goals. While Disqus seems to be focused on the actual comments and commentators, JS-Kit seems to be more about generating buzz for the actual content creator. We here at Black Web 2.0 have chosen JS-Kit, but which system you choose depends on exactly what you’re trying to do.

What service handles your comments?

About the Author
Rahsheen has been a certified geek since before it was the thing to do. He started programming and tinkering in the 4th grade. Now, Rahsheen mostly writes on various sites about technology trends in social media and mobile. . He is also a musician, singer, rapper, writer, and producer. @rahsheen - +Rahsheen Porter - coachrah.com
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