Hey everyone! We’ve been studiously working on a new version of our WordPress plugin, v2.4. This latest version contains a lot of changes, and a few new features that will be extra-handy if you’re just getting started. Given all of the changes, we’d love your help beta testing to make sure it’s all smooth sailing.
So, what’s new?
Lots of optimizations on when/where to load ID resources (CSS/JS) to improve page load times
Switched to inline JS/CSS in the admin to prevent loading the WP engine again
Now loading ID comment UI via the script object method, rather than direct <script> inclusion
Removed some unnecessary options and just used smart defaults
Changed so that there is no backup comments template — your theme MUST have something available, even if it’s very simple
Made the option to reset the plugin available before import was completed
Added the ability to reset your import any time during the installation process if you’re having problems
Standardized on no-www for URLs
Reversed the order of comment imports (starts oldest first now)
Added Ping/Pong function for network diagnostics
Cleaned up translatable strings and now shipping with a POT file for translations (translations will be ONLY for the plugin admin interface, not for anything on intensedebate.com or on the comments themselves, yet)
Improved comment count links within wp-admin
Updated some screenshots
Now using a stable tag, rather than trunk, in the wp.org plugins directory
Feel free to check the Changelog for past versions of the plugin.
You may notice that a few changes have come directly from community requests/suggestions, and we love that so keep the feedback coming. We’re really excited about this release – there are some solid improvements to the whole experience, and it allows us to continue focusing on the IntenseDebate service from our end, including new features and functionality.
If you’re interested in getting in on the beta (that means actually telling us if there are any problems!), then please email us at labs@intensedebate.com, and make sure you include the URL to the website where you’re planning on installing this beta version. We’ll email you back with the plugin and some extra information to get you started. Thanks in advance!
When you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll! We’ve got two new admin features to introduce today: Ban Users & View Deleted Comments.
Banning Users
This just got a whole lot easier. If you recall, before you could only ban users from the moderation page when their comments were flagged. Take a look at your blog Settings page in your IntenseDebate profile. At the bottom right there’s a brand new section where you can input a username to ban that user from commenting. We think you’ll agree: this is a big improvement from having to either ban the user by email, IP, or add their username as a keyword.
View Deleted Comments
Until now deleted comments were gone forever! Now you can view all comments that have been deleted from your blog. This will come in handy if you’ve got an itchy trigger finger and tend to delete comments by accident. Now you can undelete them! Check out your Moderation page and you’ll see a shiny new Deleted Comments tab. This tab includes all comments that hit your blacklists in addition to comments that you deleted.
We’ve got some more cool projects in the works, so if you haven’t given IntenseDebate a try yet, there’s no better time than now! Get started with IntenseDebate.
Last Saturday we introduced Twitter Sign-In to IntenseDebate, and within a couple of hours it was activated on a massive number of sites! We decided that with that kind of adoption we had better build the next step for Twitter integration: Tweet This for Twitter Sign-In users.
Back in June, 2008 we introduced Tweet This for IntenseDebate users, and we received plenty of requests to add this for Twitter Sign-In users. Well, ask and you shall receive! Commenters using their Twitter account can now opt to send a simultaneous tweet when they post a comment by selecting the Tweet This checkbox when they post a comment. You can enable Twitter Sign-in in your Blog Settings page at http://intensedebate.com/edit-site-comments. Facebook Connect is also available through your Blog Settings page. Please see http://wp.me/plsX6-go for more details about Facebook Connect.
Next up we’d like to introduce a new admin moderation feature: Auto-approve commenters by reputation score. By setting a minimum reputation score for commenters, you can ensure that comments submitted by your regular readers will always be approved and not flagged for moderation. This is an excellent way to make sure that the debate doesn’t get interrupted by moderation. This feature is located on the left in your blog settings page of your IntenseDebate account. To enable it just type in a minimum reputation score and any user with that score or higher will be able to comment freely.
Last up, we’ve rolled out a bug fix for the email notification issue that some of you may have encountered. We received reports of instances where email notifications for new comments were not being received. We have since identified and corrected the problem, so this shouldn’t be an issue anymore. However, if you do encounter this please let us know by emailing support.
The Pipeline
We are continuing to work on a couple of niche bug fixes, and should have the remaining issues squashed out soon. In addition, we’re working on a few projects that are coming soon…
Admin comment editing – the top requested admin feature in our last poll
Version 2.4 of our WordPress plugin (details coming soon)
Additional performance optimizations
As always, if you haven’t given IntenseDebate a try yet, there’s no better time than now! Get started with IntenseDebate.
A little while ago we asked for your feedback on what you like about IntenseDebate and what you’d like to see moving forward. Of the survey results we received, Twitter Sign-in is the most requested feature with 52.3% of the vote. Localization came in second with 30.9% and Google Friend Connect in third with 16.8%.
With that in mind, we’re excited to introduce Twitter Sign-in integration with IntenseDebate! Now when you enable Twitter Sign-in, your readers will have the option to leave a comment using their Twitter login info. This feature is located in your Blog Settings tab in your IntenseDebate account.
To enable Twitter Sign-in login > select the tab named after your site > select the Settings tab > Twitter Sign-in is located just above Facebook Connect at the bottom left.
We received some excellent feedback on other ways to improve IntenseDebate (aside from localization and Google Friend Connect). Below are the top 3 additional admin feature requests we received. While we’re currently setting our sights on finishing up some other projects, we’re interested in what you think about these ideas. Your input is greatly appreciated. Please take a moment and choose the feature that you think would be most useful. Thanks!
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 at http://intensedebate.com/edit-site-comments. Please follow the instructions and you’ll be all set!
We have also added the option to share your comments on Facebook. Please see http://wp.me/plsX6-qD for more details. And don’t forget to check out Twitter Sign-in for your comments.
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.
IntenseDebate - Official Blog 