We know how much you guys love the Captcha commenting system. Who doesn't enjoy struggling to read nonsensical phrases and sharing the odd combinations it generates to prove that you aren't an evil, spam-happy robot?
Sad to say, but the Captcha is getting laid to rest. The Riverfront Times' blogs are switching to Disqus to make commenting, interacting with our writers and other readers, and building community on the blogs much easier.
We'll give you a minute to soak up the good news.
Disqus is the same system used on many Tumblr blogs, as well as CNN.com, TechCrunch, FoxNews.com and more. We've decided to make the switch because Disqus offers some really cool features, including:
Instant gratification
Comments go live as soon as you hit send, which means bantering back-and-forth on a story's points or merits will be more like an online chat and less like, well, waiting for your comment to be approved by an archaic spam filter. Disqus also lets you comment via your smartphone for added convenience.
Threaded conversations and props
No more confusion about who you're responding to. In addition to commenting on a post, you can comment on other readers' comments, in a neat little thread. You'll also be able to share your clever statements on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, as well as "like" comments generated by others.
Get comments via email
You can subscribe to comments on any blog post and also be notified when anyone replies to your comments, instantly, via email. You might never get any real work done again.
Commenter profiles
Be as anonymous or as open as you want to be. Disqus allows you to create a profile for yourself, or log in through Facebook, Twitter or other sites you already use. Profiles also allow you be a part of various Disqus communities.
So, please play around with the system, comment on some stories -- and let us know what you think.
