![\"Disqus\"](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/disqus.png\")
Continue reading, or jump ahead using these links:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What is Disqus?<\/a><\/li>\n
- How Much Does it Cost?<\/a><\/li>\n
- What Do You Get?<\/a><\/li>\n
- How Does it Work?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Disqus: Reviewing Key Areas<\/a><\/li>\n
- Disqus Pros & Cons<\/a><\/li>\n
- Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What is Disqus?<\/h2>\n
Disqus\u00a0is\u00a0a free commenting system that can be installed across multiple CMS and site platforms, including WordPress. It allows a user to create and login to\u00a0a single account in order to comment\u00a0on\u00a0millions of websites that\u00a0have this service installed.<\/p>\n
The WordPress plugin was created by Disqus’\u00a0founders Daniel Ha and Jason Yan in 2007. They first met in seventh grade and began developing the service years later while attending UC, Davis, before eventually dropping out.<\/p>\n
Since then, Disqus, Inc. has grown, currently staffing 59 people and housing about 20 million comments and one billion unique visitors per month.<\/p>\n
What’s even more impressive is the\u00a0user engagement: About three billion people read comments every month and 80 million of them vote on them.<\/p>\n
How Much Does it Cost?<\/h2>\n
Disqus\u00a0is completely free to use for both you and your site’s visitors. The only cost involved is for those who wish to run non-invasive advertisements among the comments.<\/p>\n
Using the free version means you will see ads placed above comments as your site grows, but it’s a small price to pay for free commenting software.<\/p>\n
What Do You Get?<\/h2>\n
You and your users will have unlimited use of a comment box that will be placed on all your posts, replacing the standard WordPress comments feature.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Disqus-comment-box-700x295.png\")
Disqus comments look sleek and professional while also offering a lot of functionality and features.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n You will also have access to free support, including Disqus’\u00a0Knowledge Base<\/a> and community forum<\/a>, in case anything should go wrong with the service on your site. It’s also easy to get in touch\u00a0for one-on-one support\u00a0for more specific technical issues on the\u00a0plugin page<\/a>\u00a0in the WordPress Plugin Repository.<\/p>\n
Disqus Features<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Visitors can login with Facebook, Twitter and Google+<\/li>\n
- Users only need one account to comment on all Disqus-powered sites<\/li>\n
- Comments are threaded and look professional and eye-catching<\/li>\n
- Visitors need to sign in only once to enable\u00a0commenting for an extended period<\/li>\n
- Comments can be voted up or down<\/li>\n
- A discussion or a single comment can be shared via email or social media<\/li>\n
- Users can favorite and subscribe to updates of a thread<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Customizations and Settings:<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Comments can be stored off-site to help improve\u00a0your site’s\u00a0performance<\/li>\n
- You can choose between three different styles and two fonts<\/li>\n
- Automatic comment approval can be turned on or off<\/li>\n
- Comments can be flagged for review<\/li>\n
- You can choose to close comments automatically after a set\u00a0number\u00a0of days<\/li>\n
- Comments can be imported and exported<\/li>\n
- A custom login button can be uploaded<\/li>\n
- You can choose to integrate WordPress to allow site logins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For a plugin that focuses on user engagement, the features are incredibly promising, but how does\u00a0Disqus\u00a0stack up in real world applications?<\/p>\n
How Does it Work?<\/h2>\n
The setup is surprisingly easy. All you need to do is sign up for a new account and then add the site you wish to display the comments.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/adding-site-on-disqus-700x452.png\")
Your site will be linked to your Disqus account after registering and the URL you choose will be where comment moderation can be accessed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Once completed, you are then\u00a0directed\u00a0to a page where you can select from the many supported platforms. After choosing WordPress, you’re given step-by-step instructions on how to install the plugin.<\/p>\n
The first three steps involve installing the\u00a0Disqus plugin (go to\u00a0Plugins > Add New,\u00a0<\/strong>search for “Disqus,” and then install and activate the plugin). The fourth step requires you to follow the instructions provided under Comments > Disqus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
You’re then asked to upgrade your database by clicking\u00a0Upgrade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
![\"Once](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/upgrade-database-disqus-700x147.png\")
It may seem as though a task like this would take practically forever, but within a few short seconds the upgrade was complete.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Next, you’re asked to enter your Disqus username and password, and then select\u00a0the site where\u00a0you would like to add Disqus comments.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/install-disqus-comments-page-700x185.png\")
I only registered one site so it’s the only option, but you may have multiple sites listed on this screen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n You will then be sent to a confirmation page, which redirects you to a dashboard page for the plugin. This page includes a link to their site where you can manage comments and settings. There is also a settings tab in the top, right-hand corner of the page, which provides some key settings.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/disqus-plugin-settings-.png\")
The plugin settings page seems to be tucked away, but skipping them could mean drastic cuts to your site’s speed and increased server load.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n On\u00a0the\u00a0settings page you can choose to to export and sync comments to your WordPress database, upload a custom log in button, add your site’s log in to the comments and choose whether comments are automatically synced from the Disqus site to your database.<\/p>\n
There are a few other options in case the plugin does not work on your site, along with a few other basic settings. On the Disqus site, there is\u00a0a whole slew of other settings and options, such as automatic comment moderation and important account settings.<\/p>\n
The most notable options I discovered\u00a0were that your display name in the comments and your username to log in were two totally different settings.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/disqus-profile-settings-700x390.png\")
On many sites across the web, your username and display name are usually the same thing by default, but not on Disqus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Instead, your username is randomly generated as shown above and unless you change it or memorize it, you may very well have difficulties logging in to comment. Luckily, you are also able to log in with your email address, which you provide on sign up.<\/p>\n
There’s also the\u00a0option to choose whether comments are automatically approved or held for review before being posted publicly. By default, comments are approved.<\/p>\n
You can also enable media attachments and automatically remove comments that are flagged as inappropriate.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/disqus-general-settings-700x271.png\")
If you’re worried about spam, there’s an option for holding comments when they contain links. You can also pre-approve URLs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Beyond the general settings are options to appoint additional moderators, blacklist users, and delete all comments permanently.<\/p>\n
It took all of three-to-five minutes to install and sett up\u00a0Disqus on my test site. I was immediately able to see the new comments area load when I refreshed\u00a0an existing post. I had no issues logging in and commenting.<\/p>\n
Disqus: Reviewing Key Areas<\/h2>\n
Learning Curve \/ Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Setting up the plugin was\u00a0an easy and\u00a0straightforward process and the settings were clearly explained.\u00a0My only issue surrounds some of the settings. If you’re not attentive, you may miss default settings that could prove to be problematic in the future. For example, all comments are set to be approved automatically. If you wish to hold comments for moderation, you need to manually adjust the settings in your account on the Disqus site.<\/p>\n
The plugin’s dashboard page displays a Go to Disqus Moderation<\/strong> button with no mention of important additional settings, which may require your attention.<\/p>\n
There are also plugin settings, which could potentially put a severe strain on your site’s resources and this isn’t made clear, either.<\/p>\n
For these reasons, I couldn’t give a perfect score for this criterion.<\/p>\n
Features<\/h3>\n
Disqus certainly isn’t short on functionality. It seamlessly integrates comments into your site and will even automatically display avatars or gravatars that are attached to the account or email used to sign in.<\/p>\n
It’s great features like this that create a smooth and hassle-free user experience. Disqus makes it so easy for users to interact with your content\u00a0and leave\u00a0comments using existing login credentials for Disqus.<\/p>\n
I first joined Disqus to comment on an article I happened upon and normally wouldn’t have bothered leaving a message in order to avoid jumping through hoops and signing up for a site I probably wouldn’t visit\u00a0again. When I saw how I could easily sign in without creating an additional account, I was sold.<\/p>\n
I even went ahead and made a Disqus account since the sign up form was quick and hassle-free.<\/p>\n
![\"Under](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/signing-up-with-disqus-700x271.png\")
With such simple sign up options that would grant me instant access to commenting, I figured I’d go for it. I didn’t even know what Disqus was at the tine or that I could comment on many sites with this one account.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Though these features are great for me, not everyone will find them appealing\u00a0them. Some concerns may arise with visitors who may be worried that their social media profile details will be available to strangers or that comments are shared in their Facebook feeds\u00a0or tweets.<\/p>\n
Since Disqus doesn’t allow anonymous comments, it may turn people away from engaging. This feature is great for filtering spam comments, but if your audience doesn’t prefer Disqus over other options, it may be time to look for another option such as our own Comments +<\/a>\u00a0plugin.<\/p>\n
All things considered, Disqus offers\u00a0numerous features\u00a0that are optimal for user engagement\u00a0in most cases. A full score is rightfully earned for these reason.<\/p>\n
Out of the box<\/h3>\n
This plugin worked very well right from the start. Integration into my test site was seamless and I didn’t run into any issues. As I’ve already touched upon\u00a0\u2013 and will continue to mention\u00a0\u2013 I did find fault in the default settings, which could potentially cause future problems.<\/p>\n
While the plugin worked great\u00a0immediately\u00a0after installation, the default settings will not be sufficient for everyone and could easily cause problems.<\/p>\n
Reliability<\/h3>\n
Disqus is a reliable service when the optimal settings are used; you are able to export copies of comments as backups and will likely not see any service disruptions.<\/p>\n
- How Much Does it Cost?<\/a><\/li>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/insensitive-comment-on-disqus-700x176.png\")
![\"NSFW:](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/horrible-comment-using-disqus-700x104.png\")