New Commenting Features Allow You To Feel Like Somebody’s Watching You At All Times

noah | November 19, 2007 2:30 am
Sure, Jess and I may try to direct conversational traffic on Idolator, but we would probably be pretty bored without the contributions of our commenters, who tip us, fact-check us, enrage us, and make us laugh (even intentionally!). Today, all of Gawker Media’s blogs are rolling out some new commenter-related features that will bring all of us closer together. Details on how to follow your favorite Idolator readers’ contributions to the fray after the jump.

First, log in at the top of the page, using your commenter ID and password. (If you don’t have a commenting account already, click the “new user” to sign up.) Once you’re logged in, click on the part of the page that says “welcome, [your name]!”; you’ll be taken to your commenting homepage. Here, you can update your picture, screen name, and link to your Web site; you can also read comments you’ve left in the past, and find out what people you like–and people who like you–are up to.

How to accomplish that last part? Well, now, you can add “friends” to your commenting account. The next time you notice a comment (in a good way, or maybe even in a so-bad-it’s-good way), click the “+” button next to it; that adds the commenter in question to your roster of “friends,” and adds you to that commenter’s “followers” page.

After you have added someone to your roster of friends, links to their latest comments will be mixed into the regular string of Idolator posts in real time–so you can follow what the people whose contributions you’re interested in are talking about on all of Gawker Media’s blogs.

If you want to see who’s following you, hit your profile page. If you get sick of someone’s constant mouthing off, click the “x” button next to their commenter name. And if you want to see one commenter’s entire contribution to Gawker Media in one fell swoop, click on their commenter name to head to their profile page–where you can write a personal message, if you’re so inclined (or star-struck).

Any problems with these new features? Let us know–and note your OS and browser type–in the comments below, or at tipsATidolatorDOTcom.