We’re pleased to answer your calls and release two new admin features this week. Big ups to our dev team for keeping the good stuff coming and for keepin’ it real.

Close Comments On Posts
Let’s face it sometimes debates just get too intense. Honestly, it’s a health risk – blood pressures start rising, heart rates elevate…look we don’t need anyone keeling over from a heart attack. We don’t want to have to put a disclaimer on IntenseDebate that you should have Bayer Aspirin on hand when using our product. We’re concerned about your health. IntenseDebate cares.

So we thought it would be a good idea to take some preventative measures and give blog publishers the ability to close comments on posts. This feature can be accessed in your IntenseDebate comments on your blog post under the “Admin Options” tab.

Commenter Account Stipulations
In staying with the theme of keepin’ it real, blog publishers can now set commenter account stipulations. That’s just fancy talk for saying that you can opt to require all of your commenters to create IntenseDebate accounts in order to comment on your posts. Now you can choose whether or not you want to allow anonymous comments on your posts. If you’ve had issues with spammers or repeat anonymous comment offenders, you can require them to create an account and keep the debate real. This feature is available in your blog settings page at IntenseDebate.com (login, select the tab named after your blog, followed by the “Settings” sub-tab).

As always, we’d love your feedback.

Word out,
The Fellas at IntenseDebate

Posted by Michael Koenig in features

We’re like an assembly line. Our crew here is cranking out features with the efficiency of a well oiled machine. Props to Austin for cranking out his first feature release after only working at IntenseDebate for one week! I wasn’t kidding…he’s the LeBron James of developers.

Thanks to Austin’s hard work, we’re able to release two more widely requested features. First up is Gravatar support – you asked for it, so you got it. Now you can use your Gravatar with IntenseDebate. To use your Gravatar with IntenseDebate, check out the new option in your IntenseDebate profile (screenshot below). Don’t know what a Gravatar is? Learn more here.

We’ve also released new moderation features for blog admins. Admins are now able to ban a commenter from posting on their blog by IP address or email. This is useful for those pesky spammers and self-promoters that just won’t leave your blog alone. This gives admins the ability to ban anonymous commenters who haven’t created an IntenseDebate account as well. In addition, admins can also flag posts to be held for moderation based on IP and email. These new moderation tools are available in your “Settings” panel located in your IntenseDebate account.

We love your feedback, so keep the ideas coming! Job well done Austin!

Posted by Michael Koenig in features

This has been one of the most frequently requested features, and for good reason. Now you have the option to delete comments that you’ve made on other blogs. So if you find a typo or have a change of heart, don’t worry about it – nothing is written in stone!

There’s good news for blog owners too. You no longer have to go to your account at IntenseDebate.com in order to delete comments made on your blog. You can now delete comments directly from your blog!

Here’s how you do it: To delete a comment made on a blog, click the “Delete” button found in the lower right corner of the comment box. That’s all there is to it!

Posted by Michael Koenig in features

As a part of our feature release week, we’ve also added some new features to our comment sorting functionality. In addition to what was previously offered (sorting comments by date, user rating, & last activity), Intense Debate users can now choose the default setting for sorting comments on their blog. This option is now available on the blog settings page. By default, Intense Debate comments are now sorted by date, which is the sorting most native commenting systems use.

So go ahead, indulge your inner control freak….setup your blog to sort comments by user rating as the default. Or really go crazy and have your comments sorted by last activity as the default. Your readers will still have the option to view it the way they want, but let them know that this is how your blog is really supposed to be enjoyed!

Posted by Michael Koenig in features

We’re very pleased to make this new feature available. You asked for it, so you’ve got it! Now you can designate multiple admins for any single blog with Intense Debate. We’re making easier than ever to manage your blog’s comments with this new admin feature. Intense Debate just became the perfect commenting platform for your company’s blog (internal or external). With multiple admin capabilities, you can make moderating comments on your company’s blog easier than ever.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just a great feature for companies. This is an amazing feature for anyone who needs to give another person admin access to their blog’s comments.

Think about it…managing your mom’s blog has never been easier! Helping your folks setup their answering machine and DVD player will still be a pain, but at least you’ve got blog comments covered. In fact, you owe it to yourself to set them up with Intense Debate. I mean, take a load off. You’ve got enough on your plate. Mind as well make something simple.

Blogging mom not a problem? Got an IT guy who ensures that your blog is running smoothly? Yeah? Well Intense Debate is perfect for you. Now you can give him his own login to help manage Intense Debate on your blog.

Don’t have a blogging mom or an IT guy? Multiple admins is still something for you. Do you have that special someone that has been pushing you to take things to the next level, but you’re just not ready for marriage and certainly not ready to move in together? Problem solved!

Give them the gift of making them an admin of your Intense Debate account. It’s perfect really – you’re showing them that you trust them without giving up your account info. It’s the gift that says, “I trust you and want to bring you into my life, but I’m at a point where I still need some personal space.” It’s the perfect way to say, “I’m willing to baby step it to the next level. Keep your chin up. Who knows? Marriage may be right around corner!” And remember, Intense Debate makes it easier than ever to remove an admin, just in case things don’t work out (I mean let’s face it, sometimes even the best laid plans don’t pan out).

Setting Up Multiple Admins
Here’s how you setup additional admins for your blog using your Intense Debate account. Once you login to IntenseDebate.com, select the tab that shares the same name as your blog. This tab will be to the right of the “All Blogs” tab. Once you’ve selected the tab named after your blog, you will notice the following new tabs: “Overview, Moderation, Comment History, Settings, Tools, Comment Theme, Widgets.” Select the “Settings” tab. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and on the right side of the page you’ll find “Add another blog admin.” Just enter in the email address of the person you want to add as an admin, select the “Promote User” tab to the right and you’re all set.

As always, we’d love some feedback. Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think!

Posted by Michael Koenig in features