How many times have you read a blog and wanted to comment, only to find out that you were required to register before you could leave a comment?
Don’t make readers login to comment
I dislike it when I have to register just to leave a comment on a blog. Requiring people to register and login to your blog just to leave a comment is annoying and a pain.
Think about it for a moment. How many comments are you missing from those who would have commented on your blog if they were not required to register and login before they could comment.
For those of you that require registration, please consider doing yourself and your visitors a favor. Open your comments .
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11 responses so far ↓
Wrote: Aug 13, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Thats why I like commenting on your blog, besides the fact you have good content, its very easy to comment on.
Another thing I hate are those wacky letters that are all bendy, I never ever get it on the first try. 
Wrote: Aug 13, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I understand why we have capchas, but yes they can be a little annoying too.
Wrote: Aug 14, 2007 at 10:16 am
I HATE the word verification thing, because I too often have to redo them. I AM checking the messages before they show up, only so I can avoid the spam (although a couple spam pieces I thought were SO funny that I allowed it) .
Wrote: Aug 14, 2007 at 11:24 am
Absolutely! There have been numerous times where I have visited a site and wanted to leave a comment but was asked to register. Thanks but no thanks, I’ll pass.
In some cases, I opt to not even return to the site at all. There really is no reason to lock down comments unless you just don’t want them at all.
Wrote: Aug 14, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I would like to know why some people make you register. I have a feeling that maybe they might know a marketing secret we don’t.
There are some very popular blogs that make you register and yet have many comments. So, I don’t think everybody gets turned away from them.
Wrote: Aug 14, 2007 at 1:41 pm
This is so true Rose. It’s the thing that I hate most about Blogger blogs. There is no easy way to comment using a name other than your normal Google account.
I rarely comment on Blogger blogs because of that…
Wrote: Aug 14, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Michael with Blogger you can set comments to be open to everyone. Bloggers who have them set to those with a Google Blogger account are missing out.
Carl, maybe people feel the popular ones are worth subscribing to? I don’t know!
Derek one blogger said he did it to prevent spam.
Askmet works well. It sometimes catches non-spam comments too though. So you do need to check it.
Rog, sometimes the word verification thing is needed.
Wrote: Aug 14, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Yeah, spam is a common reason given but I think that is a rather weak rationale myself. As you mention, one can use a few different plugins to help reduce the level of spam while not requiring visitors to register in order to comment.
Wrote: Aug 15, 2007 at 8:10 am
I suppose I split the difference with this on my blog (Blogger)–open to everyone (you can comment as Anonymous) but with word verification. I haven’t had issues with spam yet, so as annoying as those squiggly letters are, mine aren’t going anywhere.
I agree, though–where I have to register, I most often don’t. I only do if I notice that I’ve wanted to comment a few times already, so perhaps on my third visit with something to say, I’ll register. Maybe.
Wrote: Aug 15, 2007 at 9:43 pm
That really annoys me!
Wrote: Aug 24, 2007 at 4:02 am
The login method is good for preventing people from pretending to be someone else.
However, I do personally prefer not having to log in or register. I think I may change my own site (the main site) to accept comments from all. It seems a much better option to get people posting.