Blogger / Blogspot is a blogging platform by Google. It hosts free blogs for its users. But the thing about Blogger is that it is not a lot configurable. It is configurable to an extent with the help of plugins and settings available at Blogger. But since users are given only one XML template file to configure, it is bit complicated. But luckily, there is a way to add Facebook comments in Blogspot / Blogger blogs. It is a great way to extend user participation in your blog, because it seems that almost everyone has a Facebook account.
But the question arises on whether it is beneficial to use Facebook comments or Blogger native commenting system for our blog. The answer to it really depends on many factors. In this post, I try to compare Facebook commenting system with Blogger commenting system to help you decide which one(s) to use. I know that there exists other commenting system which we can use in Blogger blogs but this post just deals with these two.
Making the Comparisons
Design
Blogger: Visual layout of Blogger comment system is better. Display of the comments can also be stylized with CSS. We can also change sizes of texts, avatars etc according to our wish.
Facebook: The design of Facebook’s native commenting system is rigid. The design is Facebook’s default style. There is nothing much we can do except change the width of the comment box and comments. Honestly, the text sizes in the comments look too small for a blog.
Winner: Blogger
Commenting Convenience
Blogger: Blogger allows different open ids to allow users to comment. Users can comment using their LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM and OpenId. Users can also comment as anonymous or by entering their Name/URL. The options are many but the problem with those OpenIds is that I’ve never known anyone comment in Blogger using their WordPress account for example. I’ve seen people use their Google ids, Name/URL or comment anonymously. So the options do not come to use and I believe that it confuses/discourages users. It would be better if a simple comment form just like in WordPress commenting system was displayed but it is not. Additionally, difficult captchas are displayed.
Facebook: Facebook commenting system is really convenient. You just enter a comment and then click on comment. There is also an option to share it to Facebook, which increases visibility chances of the blog. Since, almost everyone is on Facebook these days, this system is quite convenient.
Winner: Facebook
Spam Handling
Blogger: Blogger’s comment spam handling is pretty good. The very reliable and strong captcha is used. Characters displayed in Captcha are really difficult to identify, so there is no chance of automated bots posting. Only real humans will be able to abuse the commenting system. But there is an option which when turned on, requires approval of comments before they are posted. Sadly, there isn’t an option where guests with past comments approved could have their new comments auto approved. But overall, spam handling is pretty good.
Facebook: Facebook’s comment spam is really low. Facebook has a controlled set of Blacklisted words and other spam control methods which is really successful in reducing spam in their commenting system. Facebook accounts are also opened for real people and those people really won’t spam using their name. It is possible to create a face Facebook account just for spamming in comments of other websites but I’ve never seen any instances of this happening.
Winner: Draw
Comment Sorting
Blogger: Blogger sorts comments chronologically. There is no option to display the popular comments at top. They are sorted by date. There is nothing much we can do.
Facebook: Facebook provides different comment sorting options. You can sort comments by date or by social activity. That provides us the opportunity to put the popular comments at the top. This is a plus point.
Winner: Facebook
Commenting Privacy
Blogger: If we use Blogger commenting system, our visitors can easily comment how they want to . They can use their real details or they can comment anonymously. This is helpful as not everyone wants to use their real name for commenting.
Facebook: When commenting using their Facebook, our visitors reveal their Facebook profile and name. This can be discouraging as many people won’t prefer going public on the internet. Some people just prefer to stay private but that is not available for Facebook commenting system. This can reduce the number of comments being made.
Winner: Blogger
Additional Features
Both Blogger commenting system and Facebook offers threaded commenting to a certain level, user avatars (from their respective social profiles), and subscribing /notification options. So, I am not going to compare those additional features. The above five comparing headings will have to do.
Conclusion
There is no single winner in this. It all depends on what you want. Personally, I prefer Bloggers default commenting system but I’m giving Facebook commenting system a try as well (in my other Blogger blog). I will let know if there are any additional things I find out from my experience.
I recommend giving both commenting systems a try and depending upon which one grows popular over time, you can put that one. You may even want to put them in tabbed format so that you can make use of both the commenting system at once in your Blogspot blog.
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