We are extremely excited to introduce WordPress.com user accounts and auto-login to IntenseDebate and open up the debate to more than 12 million commenters and bloggers.  Now WordPress.com users can comment on IntenseDebate-enabled websites anywhere on the Web without having to re-enter their account information.

While we’ve added Facebook Connect and Twitter Sign-In support, there are still too many steps and mouse clicks between you and posting a comment. We’re all about making commenting easier and more accessible to as many people as possible, and we think you’ll agree that this is a huge leap forward.  Commenting with IntenseDebate is now easier, faster, and simpler.

WordPress.com users post nearly 400,000 new comments every day, and now they are all automatically logged in to comment on your blog. And that’s not to mention the addition of over 20,000 new users every day!

So what does this mean for you?

• If you’re a WordPress.com user and you’re logged into your account, then you’ll automatically be logged into IntenseDebate as well.  All you have to do is type your comment and hit submit.
• You can login with your WordPress.com account directly from the comment section and at IntenseDebate.com.
• If you already have an IntenseDebate account then you can just keep on commenting as normal.

This means that unlike Facebook Connect and Twitter Sign-In, there are no extra clicks, and no need to remember another set of login credentials. It also means that more than 12 million WordPress.com users will be able to comment on your blog with full-fledged IntenseDebate profiles, without having to create an account or enter any details. How’s that for motivating the conversation?

Better yet, since these profiles aren’t third-party accounts, you (and all your new users) will have access to all of the awesome features that IntenseDebate is famous for: email notifications, reply-by-email, reputation scores, comment voting, comment history, Twitter integration, and more.

If you already have both IntenseDebate and WordPress.com accounts, don’t worry – we will be merging your accounts in the next phase of our integration, so keep commenting!

Commenting on your site just got a whole lot easier for millions of existing bloggers and commenters.

Welcome to the debate WordPress.com lovers!

IntenseDebate is feature packed and we’re always adding new bells and whistles. Of course, you know this by now and are likely pretty familiar with our tools. Still there might be some cool features that you never knew existed. We’re guessing that you’re familiar with our email notifications, but there’s one method of subscribing to comments that might be overlooked (I know this because I recently forgot it existed).  This post outlines three methods for commenters to opt to receive email notifications for comments posted.

Subscribe without posting a comment:
This option is located in the RSS menu in the top right of the comment section and is available to everyone: IntenseDebate users, along with commenters posting either as Guests, with Facebook Connect, Twitter Sign-In, or OpenID.  You can opt to receive email notifications for a single post or for comments on all posts.

Subscribe when posting a comment:
When you post your comment you can opt to receive email notifications for all comments or just for replies to your own.  This option is available to all commenters (IntenseDebate accounts, Facebook Connect, Twitter Sign-In, OpenID, and Guests).

Subscribe automatically (for IntenseDebate users only):
This option is enabled by default for all IntenseDebate users.  You can configure your settings at http://intensedebate.com/edit-user-account.

More tips to come!

We’re excited to introduce a new enhancement for our Facebook Connect implementation: share comments back to Facebook.  We recently rolled this out, so if you use Facebook Connect to post comments in IntenseDebate then you might have noticed this.

Our Facebook Connect integration is a cool way to let your readers post comments using their Facebook profiles. With our latest enhancement they can now opt to share their comments with their Facebook friends when they post using Facebook Connect. Just like our “tweet this” Twitter integration, this is a great way to get your friends in the debate and drive new traffic to your blog and comments.

When you’re logged into Facebook Connect you’ll notice a new “Share on Facebook” checkbox just below the comment textbox on the right. Select that when you post using your Facebook Connect account and you’ll have the option to customize the text that you post back to Facebook.

If you haven’t given IntenseDebate a try yet, now is the perfect time! Get started with IntenseDebate.

Today we’re releasing an update to our WordPress plugin that fixes a problem some of you were having where other plugins/widgets/JavaScripts were preventing IntenseDebate from loading. This is a minor update, but we recommend that everyone upgrades. It loads your comments slightly faster, and also corrects a URL that will allow us to improve the Facebook Connect functionality in the the plugin as well. This version also displays a neat little icon while the comments section is loading.

You should get an upgrade notification in your WordPress admin panel soon, or you can also go to the WordPress Plugin Directory to download it directly. If you’re not using IntenseDebate on your WordPress site yet, now is the perfect time to get started!

Facebook Connect integration for your IntenseDebate comment section is now up, running, and open for business! We’ve worked with the Facebook team to tighten up the integration and make it as slick as possible in true IntenseDebate style.

To enable Facebook Connect in your IntenseDebate comment section please visit your blog Settings page in your IntenseDebate account. Login, select the tab named after your blog, then the Settings tab – the option is located at the bottom left. Please follow the instructions and you’ll be all set!

If you haven’t given IntenseDebate a try yet, there’s no better time than now! Get started with IntenseDebate.