Websites using IntenseDebate

Okay, let s break down IntenseDebate, covering its overview, revenue (if publicly available or estimated), alternatives, pricing, and customer care.

IntenseDebate Overview

• What is it? IntenseDebate is a comment system designed to enhance and replace the standard comment systems on websites and blogs. It aims to create more engaging and interactive discussions. It was developed by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
• Key Features:
  • Threaded Comments: Allows for nested replies, making conversations easier to follow.
  • Reputation System: Users can vote comments up or down.
  • User Profiles: Connects commenters to their social media profiles and allows for profile creation on IntenseDebate.
  • Comment Moderation: Tools for moderators to manage comments, flag spam, and ban users.
  • Social Media Integration: Connect with Twitter and other social networks.
  • Email Notifications: Keeps commenters informed of replies to their comments.
  • Integration with WordPress: Seamless integration with WordPress blogs.

Revenue Information

• Publicly Available Data: Automattic is a private company, and they don t publicly disclose revenue figures for individual products like IntenseDebate.
• Likely Revenue Model (Historically): IntenseDebate was primarily a free service. While they may have explored premium features or integrations at some point, the core service was offered without direct cost to users. The value to Automattic likely came from integrating users into the broader WordPress ecosystem and collecting user data for analytics and potential product development.

Alternatives to IntenseDebate

Here are some popular alternatives to IntenseDebate, offering a range of features and price points:

• Disqus: One of the most well-known and widely used comment platforms. Offers similar features to IntenseDebate (threaded comments, moderation tools, social integration), and has a large user base.
• Facebook Comments: Allows users to comment using their Facebook accounts. Simple to implement but ties comments to the Facebook ecosystem.
• WordPress Comments (Native): The built-in comment system in WordPress. It is getting better, but it may require extensions to have the features of the others.
• Commento: A privacy-focused, open-source commenting platform. Good for those concerned about data tracking.
• Hyvor Talk: A real-time commenting platform, focusing on speed and user experience.
• GraphComment: A comment system that focuses on building a community and engagement.
• Remark42: Open source, privacy-focused.
• Coral: Open source, built for news organizations and focused on fostering healthy discussions.
• Muut: Lightweight and real-time commenting system, focusing on simplicity and speed.

Pricing

• IntenseDebate: Was primarily offered as a free service. Given its age and the lack of updates, it s unlikely there are premium paid tiers now. However, I strongly suggest checking if the service is still supported.

• Alternatives:

  • Disqus: Offers free and paid plans. The free plan includes ads. Paid plans remove ads and offer advanced features.
  • Facebook Comments: Free.
  • WordPress Comments: Free (included with WordPress). Premium plugins may add extra features.
  • Commento: Offers hosted plans (paid) and a self-hosted option (free, but requires technical setup).
  • Hyvor Talk: Offers various paid plans based on page views and features.
  • GraphComment: Paid plans based on features and usage.
  • Remark42: Free, as it s self-hosted.
  • Coral: Free, open source, but requires hosting and development resources.
  • Muut: Paid plans.

Customer Care/Support

• IntenseDebate:

  • Given its age, support is likely limited.
  • The best approach would be to search the WordPress.org forums for IntenseDebate-related questions and answers. You might find solutions or guidance from other users there.
  • Because it s an Automattic product, you might be able to get some limited assistance through the WordPress.com support channels, but that s not guaranteed.

• Alternatives:

  • Disqus: Documentation, help center, community forums, and priority support for paid plans.
  • Facebook Comments: Limited direct support; relies on Facebook s general help resources.
  • Commento: Documentation and community support. Paid plans may offer priority support.
  • Hyvor Talk: Documentation, email support, and live chat support for higher-tier plans.
  • GraphComment: Documentation, email support.
  • Remark42: Community support, Github issues.
  • Coral: Community support, documentation.

Important Considerations Before Choosing a Comment System:

• Moderation Tools: How robust are the moderation features? Can you easily manage spam and abusive comments?
• Spam Filtering: How effective is the spam filtering?
• User Experience (UX): Is the commenting interface user-friendly and easy to navigate?
• Performance: Does the comment system slow down your website?
• Privacy: How does the platform handle user data and privacy? Is it compliant with GDPR and other privacy regulations?
• Integration: How easy is it to integrate with your existing website platform (WordPress, etc.)?
• Community: Does the platform foster a positive and engaging community?
• Mobile Friendliness: Is the comment system responsive and optimized for mobile devices?
• Customization: How much can you customize the look and feel of the comment system to match your website s design?

Recommendations

• For WordPress: If you are heavily invested in the WordPress ecosystem, examine the WordPress native comment system with plugins or consider Disqus.
• Privacy Focused: Consider Commento, Remark42 or Coral.
• Feature Rich: Check out Disqus or GraphComment.

Before committing to any platform, I would suggest doing thorough research and consider the factors above to select the one that meets your requirements and budget. Also, check the support documentation and community forums to gauge the level of support available.