Facebook Comments Box, Ownership

I’ve been looking into the Facebook Comments Box, which launched in February.

Photo by suburbanslice

It’s a perfect example of what I’m seeing as a growing trend, in which various “social widgets” actually replace functionality which should be built into the platform hosting the site. Bundling together the ability to use your Facebook identity with the actual management of comments themselves looks like progress but I think it’s really a step backwards.
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Type Pad (dis)Connect – All UR comments are belong to US

In some ways it is exciting to see the launch of Type Pad Connect but in others it seems a Faustian bargain.

You get some spiffy features, including the ability of other bloggers to leave comments (which appear to be) on your site using OpenID, with threading, and with avatars; but in the process you put all your comments (and your relationship with your blog readers) in someone else’s hands.

It also seems like the real benefits of using TypePad Connect come from network effects – once everyone has a TypePad Profile and every blog uses it for comments, the benefits will be great. But what about when only some of your users have TypePad profiles, or want TypePad profiles? What about letting people comment with identities they already have rather than creating yet another profile / lifestream?

Ok, so maybe the title’s a bit strongly worded, and if you’re already using a hosted blog, or using TypePad for blogging, maybe it doesn’t where your comments actually live. But I don’t think it will work for me.

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Code Monkey Go To Job

This summer Tara Hunt of HorsePigCow interviewed Jonathan Coulton. As a fan of both, I downloaded the podcast for later listening and then forgot all about. Finally got around to that “to listen to later” folder this morning, and would encourage you to check it out.
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