We’ve just launched a new way of leaving your comments on the M&G website, and we want to introduce you to some of the new features.
In many ways it’s like our old system — you log in, you post your comment, we moderate it and — boom! — it’s live on the internet. But the new system offers some compelling new features.
Sign in using Twitter, Facebook, Google and more
Now you can post comments using your existing Twitter, Facebook, Google and Yahoo accounts. You can also post your comment straight to Facebook or Twitter from within the commenting system.
Reply directly to another commenter
Really want to give another commenter a piece of your mind? Now you can reply directly to their comment, starting a mini conversation within the conversation. Remember, you still need to be civil.
Subscribe to a discussion via email
If you find the comments below any article particularly interesting, you can ask our new system to email you whenever there is a new comment posted. Just click on the “Subscribe by email” link at the bottom of any article.
Sort the comments the way you prefer
Now you can change the order of comments, so that you can choose to see either the most popular comments, or just the order in which they were posted.
Add images to your comments
Now you can attach images to your comments, to strengthen an argument or make a point. Remember we’re still moderating your comments. Any jokers posting porn will quickly be banned. (And this system is much better at banning troublemakers, so be warned).
Some questions you might have:
Why did you change it? I liked the old one!
We realise a lot of people had grown to love our old system, but the new one offers powerful features and convenient login options that we feel more than make up for the discomfort involved in changing systems. We want to expand our commenter community, and allowing Twitter and Facebook users to comment more easily will lead to broader, deeper and more inclusive debates.
Will my old M&G username and password work?
Yes, they will continue to work. However the way you log in has changed. Follow these steps to log in with your old account details:
1. Scroll down to the comments area and click on the “Login” link
2. A small window will appear with different login options. Click on the “Sign in with M&G” button.
3. Another small window will appear, asking you to log into the M&G. Enter your details, click “Log In” and wait a few seconds.
4. Both of the small windows will now close and your page will reload. You are now logged in as normal and can start commenting.
So how do I sign in using Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo etc?
Follow the steps above, but choose Facebook (etc) instead of Mail & Guardian Online from the tabs on the left of the login window (the one that appears in step 2 above)
What’s all this “Disqus” stuff? And isn’t that a misspelling?
Disqus is the name of the service we’re using to provide you with all of these new features. It’s an internationally renowned commenting engine that is used by websites around the globe. And yes, their name does look misspelled. That’s what happens when you let programmers make marketing decisions. The service, however, is not “mis” anything.
Umm — I’ve found a bug. How do I report it?
Email us at [email protected] and we’ll get right on it.