Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Changes to Disabled Comments
Bwakfat and Clearthinker suggested that rather than simply collapsing comment links for posts with comments disabled by the author, we grey them out to avoid mistaken recommends.
I have done just that. Hopefully this is a good resolution to a rather thorny problem. Here's a screenshot of what it now looks like:
To make it clearer, I have also added a line of text to the comments area in entries with disabled comments to make it clear that closing comments was the user's decision and not a technical glitch.
I have done just that. Hopefully this is a good resolution to a rather thorny problem. Here's a screenshot of what it now looks like:
To make it clearer, I have also added a line of text to the comments area in entries with disabled comments to make it clear that closing comments was the user's decision and not a technical glitch.
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Good move. Best if it displayed on the main roll, where you added the meta data.
November 14, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. On the lists of posts, rather than saying "no comments" it would be more helpful if it said "comments disabled".
November 15, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
done.
November 17, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Great! Now can I have the numbers for tonight's Mega-Millions drawing?
Thanks in advance!
November 14, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
You guys are really on top of things now, Al! Kudos!
November 14, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, that's excellent. You guys are really on top of this stuff. Thanks for all the hard work.
November 14, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Can't you make 'em yellow to reflect the cowardly decision?
November 14, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
I mean to recommend this, but I clicked "comment" by mistake. ;)
Many thanks for the upgrade, Al.
November 14, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
FWIW I'm disinclined to recommend posts where the comments have been disabled. I won't say never, but am disinclined. Disabling comments comes across to me as an obnoxious thing to do, partly because it precludes the possibility of anyone else challenging the post's contents on factual or disagreement-of-opinion grounds.
November 14, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
That strikes me as totally legitimate. If folks want to encourage people to engage in dialogue by not recommending their posts if they choose not to allow comments, go for it!
November 14, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
ya agree
November 14, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
blah
November 14, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Disagree vehemently.
It's "bleah," never "blah."
Rec'd in the interests of furthering this long overdue debate. Now let's just see if you have the brass to keep comments open once this debate heats up, Al. Ha! BLEAH ROOLS.
November 14, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was actually just testing a bit of code on the comment submission page, but i'll go with "bleah" if it makes you happy quinn.
November 14, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
bleah
November 14, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Al ?
November 14, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent solution! Now what about the login problem? AS I move from page to page, I have to keep hitting the "login" button. Not always, but today it's happening again.
November 14, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
But you don't have to do the work of logging in; it happens automatically when you hit "log in." At least it does for me. All things considered, a minor problem. I would still like to be able to see if someone has commented on a comment I have made without having to go to the comment itself.
I really do like the # of comments appearing under the title; a real time saver!
Thanks guys!
November 15, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
bleah
November 14, 2008 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
You realize that this may be a result of continuing to offer disabling of comments?
No answer required, just pointing it out. If so, if you don't fix that recent reader archive thing, I predict you're going to see a lot of squawking about fast scrolling of blogs off the radar and a lot more pandering and bickering about recommends.
November 14, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's just shun those who disable comments. Or rag on them. It worked with truthseeker.
November 14, 2008 8:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shunning is good...
November 15, 2008 2:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Instead of graying it out, could you make the comment button do that thing where it moves out of the way every time you try to click it? I think that would be more fun.
November 14, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
the kids these days are never happy ;)
November 14, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the Disable Comments option should also share your email address with McColo.
November 14, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Genius.
November 14, 2008 10:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Al, you are eminentally commonsensical.
I am afraid I have to award you this chickens seal of approval.
(sorry)
November 14, 2008 10:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chicken of the seal?
(sorrier)
November 15, 2008 1:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why does TPM allow posters to disable comments in the first place?
It seems to me that using the forum, but not allowing others to comment on what you said, violates the spirit of an online community discussion site. It's shouting to the world, but not letting others shout back at you.
You folks are paying for the servers, the bandwidth, and bring a lot of eyeballs here. So you should be able to set a policy like this if you wanted to do so.
Now TPM might not share my view, in which case letting posters disable comments is fine. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, you're paying for this mircrophone, so if you want to open it up to people that don't want to engage in back-and-forth, that's clearly you're prerogative.
I guess I'm wondering what the use case is for letting people post while disabling comments entirely. Does that encourage additional interesting content that might not otherwise be made available?
November 15, 2008 6:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Am I correct in guessing the "disable" feature is standard Movable Type, and no one thought to eliminate it? It would be useful for front-page posts, but I don't know of other blogs that allow this for general reader posts.
November 15, 2008 2:30 PM | Reply | Permalink