When I first decided to migrate the comment systems of my 2 blogs away from the built in Wordpress systems, IntenseDebate was the first option I looked at. Unfortunately, at the time they had just been sold to Automattic (the Wordpress folks) and had digressed into an invite only service temporarily while they made the transition. Because of that I decided to instead go with Disqus.

Last week, I finally received an invite code from IntenseDebate and decided to change over the comment system here to their service (As of Wednesday they are now open for everyone).

Installation on a Wordpress blog was simple, and exactly like Disqus in that once you have signed up for an account, you simply install a plugin and tweak the settings to fit your tastes. Also important with the latest incarnation of IntenseDebate is the addition of the 2 way comment syncing feature. Unlike in the previous version, IntenseDebate now allows you to import your older comments onto their servers and also places any comments placed with your IntenseDebate setup back into your Wordpress install so that if you decide to not use their service, all your comments will still be accessible. Disqus added this absolutely mandatory feature a few months ago so it is nice to see it with IntenseDebate now.

Watch a video showing some of IntenseDebates features:

One difference though will be seen starting with the soon to be released Wordpress 2.7. As I mentioned, IntenseDebate was purchased by Automattic and one results of that purchase will be the eventual integration of IntenseDebate into a standard feature of Wordpress. Version 2.7 is expected to benefit from that partnership with rumors of the integration of some of IntenseDebates features but what features that might be is still up for debate. To find out more about IntenseDebate and Wordpress they have provided the little tutorial below:

And less I forget those not using Wordpress, IntenseDebate also supports a variety of other platforms including automated installs for Blogger, Typepad and Tumblr with available Javascript code for other platforms and custom installations.

Neither this blog or my other one with Disqus installed receives many comments but I will continue to put both services to the test in the coming months and let you know if any major differences come up. And if any of you have any opinions or experiences with either service or their other competitors like SezWho and JS-Kit feel free to let us know.

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Tags: comment plugin, disqus, intensedebate, plugins

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