Since writing this article, I have disabled CommentLuv as a process of optimizing the website for speed. CommentLuv does not slown down the website by much, but every plugin enabled does impact loading times
CommentLuv is a unique blogging tool. The reason I call it that and not a WordPress plugin is because CommentLuv is available for WordPress and Blogger. In the end, it is in fact a plugin. I used to use CommentLuv a long time ago when it first started. Once I switched to Disqus as my commenting system, CommentLuv was removed. CommentLuv really is one of a kind for the simple fact that it doesn’t change your comment system or replace it. CommentLuv simply adds a script to your comment system that searches for the commenter’s latest blog post and inserts a link to it with the comment. CommentLuv can be customized to match your website. You can add custom CSS to your theme or use the back-end to change some settings of display.
So why is it good for photographers?
Think about this. You write a post that is very popular. Now lets say that your post is attracting 50 photographers, all with blogs, all commenting. This is where CommentLuv comes to play. As other readers visit your blog article and start to read the comments, they will see the CommentLuv links. If they see a title they like, they can hover over the CommentLuv icon to see some simple stats or just click the link to visit the commenters post.
As you can see, the hover-card shows more posts by the commenter (my friend Dave Wilson is shown), how many times the link was clicked, the persons ComLuv.com bio if he/she registered, and other websites that the persons post has appeared.
In the screenshot above, you can see that on my friend Brian‘s website, CommentLuv looks slightly different. On Mike Olbinski‘s website, CommentLuv looks different. And in the screenshot below, the same goes for Trevor Current’s website. In fact, Trevor wrote a similar post about using CommentLuv on a website. Read Trevor’s post, Everyone Needs a Little Luv and Some Free Promotion Too!
Benefits of CommentLuv on your website
- Encourages people to comment
- Helps build community
- Shows visitors that you appreciate them
- Gives visitors an opportunity to share your traffic
- It’s free and lightweight
Getting started with CommentLuv is simple. Installation is a breeze! I almost forgot to mention that if you use Insane Debate (commenting system from the people who make WordPress) on your website, CommentLuv is built in, so enable it.
If you want to see CommentLuv in action, comment below and make sure to include your website (blog) URL. Thanks for reading and happy shooting,
Scott
Thanks for the plug, Scott! :-) I’ve been using CommentLuv on my site for ages and really like it. It’s fascinating to click through the links to find out what your commenters have been doing, especially if they are folks you don’t currently follow. I’ve added quite a few feeds to my Google Reader based on CommentLuv discoveries.
I’ve done the same. CommentLuv really is a great way to give back to your readers and to find more great photography.
Only thing, and maybe I’m not understanding it’s usage completely (I haven’t looked into it much), is that it doesn’t always grab the latest post… it will repeat posts for several days. For example, My “Just one more…” was several posts ago.
That is because when CommentLuv tried to grab the most recent one your feed or site must have been down for that moment. Visit http://comluv.com/member/unban-url/ for a fix.
It’s been a plugin I always loved. I had it, keywordluv, and dofollow activated for a while in the past. the weirdos and crazies, not to mention the spammers it all attracted was out of control. I dropped it all except commentluv.
I later went to disqus so that comments posted right away and no moderating but it was kinda sterile. And I missed the commentluv aspect.
I have loved having it back. I love seeing it on other blogs too. I admit that.
I want to write something that could add a little to this post about commentluv and what’s happening on another level in our heads. It’s really just some rewording as the position is the same:
commentluv is pretty rad.
Agreed :-)
Hi Scott, thanks for the mention in your article. I’m loving CommentLuv so far. More and more people are starting to use it on our site and it’s been a great way to keep up with what our readers are writing about. Thanks for turning me on to this great little plugin.
You’re very welcome. I’m glad it has been useful for you!
Move away from CommentLuv for exactly the reasons you cite to use it. Do I really want visitors to heading off to another blog because of a “Latest blog post from ..” link? Or do I want them saying on my site?
With Disqus I get social integration (Facebook, Twitter etc). Let my users comments using whatever account they already have instead of forcing them to fill out “yet another form”. The Disqus community has a reach of over 200 million.
The only selling point of CommenLuv is that is shows a link to the last blog post of the commenter – assuming they have a blog.
Having the links to a persons blog post with each comment is a way to show that you care about what they’re doing and not just trying to keep them on your site. It’s a way to give back to your community.
I used to use Disqus and agree that it has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. For me, CommentLuv is ideal.
I agree and a way to link back to commenters who have a blog would be a welcome addition to Disqus. But I think that filling out forms adds — this one requires a name, email address and a link — is a barrier to visitors leaving comments.
Or stated another way. Perhaps the folks behind CommentLuv should add Facebook Connect and Twitter integration to the commenting plug-in.
i’d rather not have the social connection. During my 12days contest in December, I had people complaining that they had to use it. That is not good. I find that when I visit people’s websites that I’ve already commented on my name and email is already filled out. Cookies can be a useful thing sometimes.
You’ve sold it to me, think I will be installing this and giving it a go.
It made me curious how CommentLuv works. I think about to install it.
Thank you so much for the info on Comment Luv. I didn’t know how to use it until now. As the owner of a photography blog, this makes me realize how valuable Comment Luv can be.
Thanks!
You’re welcome
I have installed the plugin and have tried it out, but I am not really seeing a big difference between using Comment Luv and not using it. If I left my site’s URL in the comment section of your blog, it would still show up to users. In addition, I’m not seeing anything about my blog in your comments after my previous comment. I must be missing something.
With CommentLuv, you’re allowing your blog’s comments to automatically grab their recent articles and share them. Those links can help increase pagerank due to linking from credible websites.
I left the comluv circle and have now come back round to enjoy its benefits!
The new version has a lot of great features. Which made you return?
I’ve installed it and can’t find any negative aspects….only positive.
i think CommentLuv is a great thing – helps build up relationships between bloggers and sometimes lets you discover some really great sites
I’ve just started using it on some of my blogs- I’m impressed so far- it’s dead easy to install and I love the concept behind it… I hope it doesnt attract spam though! :)
Interesting, as a photographer I can see the potential benefits, and have signed up. Then I went on to read some negative comments on the software and was beginning to wonder. Now I’ve read you post, which supports how good it is for photographers, I am feeling more relaxed about it. I’m working with it for now to see how it goes. I’m not so sure of the traffic I will get from it, but see the benefits of the backlinks for ranking.
Great Post! I have been using CommentLuv for about 9 months now and I have not seen any adverse effects of the application. I do see some increase in traffic when I comment on other blogs, but it is not significant. As for someone heading off to a new blog due to links provided by other commenters, I find that if your content is good, I will read it all, and then go to other interesting sites. They are an accentuation, not an invitation to leave your site.
I’m just learning about CommentLuv. I think it’s great for other photographers to help their peers with seo and ranking. I’ll install it and give it a try!
Thanks that’s Great. I am also thinking using CommentLuv on my site. Some one suggest me more about CommentLuv.
i was considering using the commentluv and know got convinced,thx for the informative article and video
I’m just starting to use this on my blog and interested to see how it goes. Thanks for the article.
You are right Scott; this is one thing that creates community and you know your audience need and can interact with them.
thanks for this article
This is a very well written post. Everything is very concise and clear. Seems like comment luv is something to consider. Thanks for sharing.