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Here's why we'd like you to register to be a commenter in our interest.co.nz community

Posted in Opinion

Since we relaunched interest.co.nz in late May we've had plenty of feedback from commenters on the site about the comment system.

Our new Drupal system is different from the 'old' Wordpress system we used. Some people liked the new system. Some people didn't. Plenty gave suggestions on how it could be improved.

Our number of comments and commenters increased dramatically. Sometimes that was good. Sometimes not.

Many said they'd like to be able to edit comments and push the vote button. Many said they they wanted to avoid the 'Captcha' spam filter thing whenever they put in links away to other sites.

Many said they wanted to reserve their own name or pseudonym so that others couldn't pretend to be them and say grumpy/nasty/incorrect things in their name.

Most were unhappy with the name 'Anonymous' being used (and abused).

Some were very unhappy with the tone of what some people were saying and the 'direction' the conversation was taking.

Some said they were going away and wouldn't come back until things improved.

We've listened and now we're ready to try something a little different.

We'd like to encourage our regular commenters and even our irregular commenters to sign up to be registered commenters on interest.co.nz. We'd love you to become a regular member of the community.

What does that mean?

Firstly, it's free and we'll never charge for it. Secondly, it doesn't mean you're about to be spammed with stuff you don't want. We don't like and it's illegal.

Thirdly, we hope it will make it easier, safer and more satisfying to be a commenter.

Registered commenters will be able to edit their comments. They will be able to include a link outside the site without having to fill out the fiddly Capthca spam filter thing. They will be able to vote on other people's comments.  This is what powers the Readers' Choice section.

Registered commenters will 'own' their name or pseudonym. No one else will be able to comment in their name.

So what do you do?

Click on the 'Register Now' box under the Comment Stream on the right hand column, just fill in your name or pseudonym and give us your email address. We'll then send you an email to verify you're at that address. You then click on the link back into our site and you're in. You can change to own password once you're back in.

We won't be sending you emails you don't want. Later on you'll be able to opt in to news and rates tables emails if you want. We're still working on these emails and other features for a 'My Interest ' feature.

But the key thing is any emails we offer will be opt in. Simply joining the community as a registered commenter won't mean you're about to be spammed.

What if you don't want to register? Can you still comment?

We're going to leave open the ability to comment anonymously without registration open for a month. We want to give people time to change and we want to avoid the risk of everything going dead from day one if only a few people are in the community of registered commenters.

But eventually everyone who comments will have to register.

That way we can avoid the 'anonymous' problem and people can 'secure' their own identities, even if they are pseudonyms.

We like to do things out in the open and listen to our community.  Our community of people discussing the economic and financial issues of the day is really important to us. We have a lot of fun watching and being involved in the debate. We always want to see how quick Wally is and what he says. We've even grown to like The Many. We want the community to grow and thrive.

We just want to do it safely and in a way people enjoy and feel comfortable with.

Come and join in. Register below.

Again, we welcome your feedback. Tell us what you think below.

Please let Wally take his own name.

But otherwise, first in first served.

We welcome your help to improve our coverage of this issue. Any examples or experiences to relate? Any links to other news, data or research to shed more light on this? Any insight or views on what might happen next or what should happen next? Any errors to correct?

We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment in the box on the right or click on the "'Register" link at the bottom of the comments. Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making these comments.

97 Comments

please please please, also

please please please, also get rid of nested replies!

sure :)

sure :)

Yes, they suck.

Yes, they suck.

I agree! Who would be dumb

I agree! Who would be dumb enough to use nested replies?

Ah, oh, me

Ah, oh, me

amalgam, please

amalgam, please

Nice improvement...although I

Nice improvement...although I couldn't post this comment after logging in. No "Save" button visible and clicking "Enter"  just goes to the next line but doesn't submit the comment. I also couldn't see an edit button. Maybe it would appear on the next screen or after the comment was posted ...if I could comment while logged in :)

Hmmm, and now I couldn't post the above with my user name because I have registered it! Let's try as Anonymous.

Elley

Can you try again

Can you try again Elley

cheers

Bernard

When I log in the "Save"

When I log in the "Save" button at the bottom of the page that I can see when I am not logged in disappears, hence I can't submit the comment. Is it a special feature just for me? (You know, if you don't want my comments you can just say so, I won't take it personnally :)).

So of course to post without being logged in I have to post as Anonymous because I can't use a username that is registered.

That was me (Elley). Hmmm,

That was me (Elley). Hmmm, definitely looks like the "no ability to save comment" is a special feature for me since some people have managed to post without being logged in. Did I say I wouldn't take it personnally?

Oh bugger, and now I can't

Oh bugger, and now I can't edit of course. I meant "while being logged in" not "without being logged in"...

This should be working

This should be working now.

Cheers

*Clicks Register

*Clicks Register Now*

 

Oops! This page appears broken. HTTP 404 - File not found.

We had a teething problem.

We had a teething problem. Fixed now. Can you try again?

cheers

Bernard

Can't get in, Bernie! *

Can't get in, Bernie! * Nicholas Arrand*

"The name you used belongs to

"The name you used belongs to a registered user.", Then lockpout. N/A.

Nicholas, Elley Apologies

Nicholas, Elley

Apologies for these problems

Email bernard.hickey@interest.co.nz and amir.bashir@interest.co.nz and we'll work out what's wrong there.

cheers

Bernard

Just test

Just test

test

test

Hmmmm I see there is an

Hmmmm I see there is an option for one to include a profile picture associated to their account. I assume it will get posted with ones messages?

Lets see huh

C'mon, lets see all your ugly mugs then, esp The Man, wonder what he looks like ;)

Ok, doesn't work like that.

Ok, doesn't work like that. Probably just as well too lol
 

Bernard, Would be

Bernard,

Would be interesting if a count of current logged in users could be displayed. Perhaps a small total up by "Signed in as"

um, test.

um, test.

testing

testing 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,

yep, it's growing on me

testing 1 2 3 

testing 1 2 3 

Knock knock....

Knock knock....

who's there

who's there

hello

hello

I might be a bit thick here

I might be a bit thick here but I can't find the button to register?

this is not a drill

this is not a drill

I'd like to but it kicked me

I'd like to but it kicked me out....ie the page reset

:/

regards

    Pest Pesting 123

 

 

Pest

Pesting 123 Pesting

 

Pest

Ips nop working.

Ips nop working.

Register here to see a 4.1%

Register here to see a 4.1% housing fall.

 

Ok, got it working now.

Well I guess that means that

Well I guess that means that i give up commenting. I find it anoying that i have to register to make a comment. 

It's how they filter out lazy

It's how they filter out lazy people like property speculators.  Kind of like the sacrifice we now have to make at airports with security and all.

Yeah, I dislike email

Yeah, I dislike email harvesting which this function invariably becomes.  Not to mention the current trend to de-anonymize the internet coupled with such highlights as litigation of commentors on US financial blogsites.  Not for me.

lock and load

lock and load

I'm in  

I'm in
 

Only 30 kb for the picture

Only 30 kb for the picture Bernard? jezz, kind of tough that one

(No subject)

One thing that annoys me

One thing that annoys me Bernard is the inability to comment while listening too the video at the same time 'without' opening another web page so i can. Anything you can do about that? On HuffPo you can.

Interesting idea. We'll look

Interesting idea.

We'll look into that.

cheers

Bernard

OK....password came

OK....password came through....

yeah, well that's a crap

yeah, well that's a crap scene..i registered under my usual rob of the north pseudomyn and now when i try to post a comment under that usual name it won't let me as it says that name belongs to a registered user.

which is correctomundo...you see, it was me that registered it.

i'm starting to feel like a guinea pig here , BH...now i'm reduced to being rotn to get on..bah,bosh...no fun.

Rob of the north Hang in

Rob of the north

Hang in there. We'll work with you to get you in

cheers

Bernard

  But I do hope you are

 

But I do hope you are setting up a REGISTRATION system and not a Registeration what ever that is 

;-))

Yikes. We'll fix the

Yikes.

We'll fix the video.

cheers

Bernard

hmmm...after some

hmmm...after some transmogrification requiring me to shapeshift from being a guinea pig into a reasonable clone of tony alexander i've now managed to step out of the multi-verse and get back here as Rob of the North.

it's a viking thing ,you see?

HELP

HELP

Ditto... No Save button when

Ditto... No Save button when logged in and trying to change the picture on account doesn't work (seems to delete the old one but when new one is provided it somehow goes back to the old deleted one!). Oh well...

All good here. :-)

All good here.

:-)

Anything that can improve the

Anything that can improve the user's browsing experience has to be a good thing. And if we all arrived at the best solution first then there wouldn't be any competition, which would probably lead to less progress and higher consumer prices.

Thank's http://www.livingportugalproperty.com

change is

change is inevitable....except from a vending machine

test

test

xp browser isn,t coping

xp browser isn,t coping well...can,t post on any treads..as of today ? posting this on the 7

system...xp was alright until i registered and logged in

Sounds like my pb...

Sounds like my pb...

And welcome to the new Dog

And welcome to the new Dog  and Pony show....Hone-y.

No Mongrels, except the mob....nor  skewbalds,... just  the skewed .....for the chosen people.

 

As to houses.....

 

A little ditty.

Its the same the whole world over, its the poor what gets the blame, 

Its the rich what gets the pleasure,

Ain't it all a crying shame.

More later....

 

This is just a sense of humour...and a test.

 

Long time no see....said the blind man.

test

test

Can't register Bernard -

Can't register Bernard - Captcha thingmy won't show for me, and sound option won't go either.

In a month's time you can say goodbye to comments from TTT!

I'm in :-)

I'm in :-)

Excellent, hopefully next

Excellent, hopefully next month most of the crazies will be gone.

adrian n

adrian n

Test

Test

Thanks - Registered :)

Thanks - Registered :)

sorted

sorted

Where's the link to

Where's the link to register.

You say see below, and there's nothign there bernard.

B I know I'm old and a

B

I know I'm old and a little dense - BUT I can't find where to register either  ?

Register? Qui magister?

Register? Qui magister?

Aha! Just scroll back up and

Aha! Just scroll back up and look right!

test test test test

test test test test test

 

thats enough testies for today ;-)

I can't see a register link! 

I can't see a register link!  Maybe it's just firefox, or perhaps I just can't see past all the work that I don't have...

Whoops!  Found it :)

Whoops!  Found it :)

Quote: Our new Drupal system

Quote:

Our new Drupal system is different from the 'old' Wordpress system we used. Some people liked the new system. Some people didn't. Plenty gave suggestions on how it could be improved.

Unquote

 

LOL. That's what I suggested, and the reply was "it doesn't fit our business model".

It appears you've taken my advice after all :)

Drupal offers great flexibility. This system could be way better. See mine as an example.

http://www.neuralnetwriter.cylo42.com/

I guess I'll register.

Steve, Many thanks. It's

Steve,

Many thanks. It's been a rocky road with Drupal. In the end we thought it would work. There's been many a day when I'd wished we had stayed with Wordpress.

I welcome your thoughts on how we can improve our implementation of Drupal.

cheers

Bernard

Testing testing

Testing testing

Here I am.

Here I am.

Good idea

Good idea

Yep seems fine.... Cant use

Yep seems fine....

Cant use (  )  in the name thu..shame.

Edit works

Testing, testing, 3, 1,

Testing, testing, 3, 1, 2.

Alan.

Hi Bernard, Oops, I still

Hi Bernard,
Oops, I still haven't registered!

I think access to content is one of the critical issues. I've found that people are very varied, and they they like to do things in many varied, and surprising, ways. So typically never will everyone be happy.

But, what I've tried to do (in the limited time I've put into it), is offer more ways to access the content. For example some people who visit my website aren't interested in the economics stuff, whereas some aren't interested in anything but the economcs stuff! Go figure!

I've used "views" to offer filtered results. In my case everything is published in a "forum", and so in "views" I can filter according to where it was published. I think there are almost as many ways to do it as there are people. You could use tags instead.

I'd like to have the ability to see just a list of articles with author and date included, so I could access that article I saw "last week" without going through too much content.

I thought allowing users to configure their main page for what they are interested in would be neat, but I never got round to doing that.

I've not looked around much at what's available, so it may already be there. I'd like to be able to get a list of the articles I've posted a comment to, as I often forget where I made a comment, and find it difficult to get back to it.

I love the flexibility of Drupal, but it can obviously be a lot more work, like all those security upgrades!

Just a few thoughts.
Steve
 

Testing ability to comment

Testing ability to comment for Wolly

and me

and me

Ahhh, that's better

Ahhh, that's better :)

Registration and login worked seamlessly. It's nice to have a little personal configuration.

And editing my own post works too :) Excellent :)

Uh, Bernard - I think I found

Uh, Bernard - I think I found a problem. (Comment not from the Bernard Hickey).

  Feeling unwanted.... but

 

Feeling unwanted.... but had grown fond of the pseudonym.

Keeps telling me the capcha is wrong!

Probably thinks I'm spam.

 

 

Odd... straight in from

Odd... straight in from another machine... no problems at all this time.

 

 

Odd... straight in from

Odd... straight in from another machine... no problems at all this time.

 

 

Hi Bernard, when I am at the

Hi Bernard, when I am at the create user account page, why is it that I am unable to see a button that says "create" or similar to finish off the process?

 

Cheers

you can register more than

you can register more than once you know?

you never need to feel alone again here on interest.co.nz wonderland?!

Now why on earth would you

Now why on earth would you wanna do that DonnyMac.........?

some may feel the need to do

some may feel the need to do this as they may consider themselves,s not to be in the best position

you never know

you never know Christ-stove...it's like david garrett with his backup passport.

when the currency collapses and there's famine in the streets i'll be able to set up a futures market trading in my various pseudonyms..

eventually there'll be a pseudonym bubble and  bernard will be able to do commentary on midnight at midnight on the nuclear clock.