A new toy. No, not THAT kind! *sigh* Perverts.

So I was frustrated by the inability for me (or anyone else, for that matter) to reply directly to comments on my posts. Therefore, I've added a new service (widget? code?) called Disqus into my page that allows exactly this. So now I can reply directly to you, and you can even have a conversation with each other! No pressure. (Dammit kids, play nice! Don't pull her hair.... And what have I told you about biting?) You can also:

• Check a box saying you "like" (or "dislike". . .) a post. At least for now. We'll see how well my self-esteem handles it.
• Note: This is an excellent opportunity for those just stopping in on their way to something better OR for my "lurkers" who read but don't comment (yes, I'm talking to you!) to let me know that it either made you smile, made you think (*stifles laughter*), or pissed you off. I've even set it to where it just shows the number who liked/disliked it rather than names. 
• Use other login names (Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Google, or OpenID) if you want to when posting so you're not having to type crap in over and over again (at least, that's how I'm hoping it will happen!)
• Flag comments for moderation. Although seriously? It's not like I'm wading tits-deep through comments at this point. So I'll probably come across inappropriate stuff fairly quickly. But just in case I miss something, there's that option available.
• Note: I really want people to be able to say whatever, since *clearly* I'm doing so myself, but don't expect blatantly disrespectful, offensive comments to go unscathed. If you give yourself the freedom to be an asshole, you should welcome my right to be an asshole right back. Along with my "legions" of readers. I'm sure if they all got together they could, I don't know, paint your living room an obnoxious color. (That doesn't take too many people, right?) 

Okay, but here's the thing... from what I've read about this (AFTER installing it, of course...) it may be a bit of a pain for people to comment the first time. There may be a need to set up a profile. However, this may be beneficial to some, since it allows you to keep track of any other comments you've made elsewhere.

I really would appreciate feedback on this. If it seriously is too much of a headache to comment, and it leads you to not wanting to do so, then please know that I'm not totally closed off to other available options. I'm also looking at CommentLuv, a similar service that is more commenter-friendly and allows people to include a link to their last blog post if they have one, which is HELLA helpful for bloggers in general. But CommentLuv is apparently less "pretty" and may take more work to allow threaded comments. But? I totally don't care, since I'm by no means invested enough in what I'm using now. (And no, they can't be used together. Thanks, though!) I'll gladly give each a shot over the next few days to see what works best. I'm wanting this blog to be able to evolve over time, becoming less freakin' basic, but I don't want craziness or difficulty commenting to be what keeps someone from coming back. So I'm just going to keep tweaking a tiny bit at a time, and let you guys tell me what's a total failure and what you like. I'll try to keep you posted on changes as they occur, or let you weigh in on whatever I'm wanting to change. Plus you'll come out of this particular situation able to casually chat about the differences between Disqus and CommentLuv. Or maybe that one's just me.