Sharing the Luv – Comment Luv Premium

Added by on September 30, 2011
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The short review: Buy it and buy it now click our banner to the right, you have until the end of November.

The Long Review: Back in January I surveyed 100 people on why they commented on blogs.

commentluv premium

One for the Birds?

The most popular reason wasn’t to leave a link (shocking I know ;) ) but to network.

With that in mind I threw out Disqus and installed our winning combo – Comment Luv and the best anti-spam plugin in the world – G.A.S.P  both are coded by Andy Bailey. Comment Luv allows the commenter to leave a link to their last blog post under their comment. As well as building links to posts it also means someone can read a comment and determine the authority / validity of that comment at a single glance. But more importantly – it’s the only plugin that actively supports networking . Which is why people comment in the first place.

Earlier this week Comment Luv Premium was released and I purchased a copy,  immediately downloaded it  and installed it here.

And it didn’t frickin’ work.

And it didn’t work on another blog but it did work on others. We had a plugin conflict. A plugin conflict on a multi author blog is hell. Certain plugins are vital, the site would collapse without them –  if there was a plugin conflict with one of the vital plugins, then Comment Luv Premium was toast and my money wasted.

Like all conflicts, plugin conflicts can be resolved and in this case WP Subscribers had to be deactivated. No big deal here (phew!), but on my some of my other blogs WP Subscribers is a big deal.

Last night I tweeted my annoyance and @CommentLuv responded swiftly and I put in a support ticket.

Here’s where things get good, but I am going to digress a little – but it’s relevant.

When you do a product launch you are amazingly busy. Your workload quadruples, your email inbox overflows and your life is not your own. You are solely focused on promotion and customer service, dealing with queries and kicking Paypal whilst simultaneously praying that Paypal doesn’t lock up and freeze your account. It’s not an easy thing to organise; eating, sleeping, talking to family all go out of the window. You are solely focused on your launch. Your success or failure for the product rests solely on this launch. It’s make or break time for all your months of  hard work. The pressure is immense.

Last night Andy Bailey took 20 minutes out of his launch to chat to me on Skype.

The plugin conflict isn’t the fault of his plugin but he didn’t say that. No blame was passed but the offer to look into making Comment Luv Premium and my other favoured Plugin WP Subscribers “play nicely” was made, much to my astonishment. This stranger, mega busy with his launch took time to connect and then bend over backwards to make me a happy women! What can I say? I need to send my husband to Andy so he can train Kev on how to keep me happy ;)

So back to Comment Luv Premium – is it worth the price?

What you get-

  • Enhanced Comment form  with Twitter names (so commenters can increase their following) (and it’s one click)
  • Power protection from spam (G.A.S.P as mentioned earlier)
  • Keyword integration in name area (Graham will be happy)
  • The choice of  1 links from a list of 10 to leave on a comment (great for demonstrating expertise)
  • Do-Follow ability for members of the community
  • Incentives to social share the posts – Do Follow Links if you Tweet, FB share or G+ our posts
  • Top Commenters Widget for your sidebar
  • Less plugins, a faster site with far more functionality
Things to be aware of  - CommentLuv Premium is only for self hosted WordPress sites
I have to admit installing the plugin and configuring is going to be awkward for the non techie user, so Andy has created a series of easy to watch videos to show you how to use each function.
These are easily accessed from the dashboard of your WordPress site.  If it seems too much there are techies out there who will configure it for you for a small payment or you can get a Virtual Assistant who is web savvy to do it for you.
The benefits are strong – the ability to reward commenters who +1 your post is powerful  (and a boost to your SEO) and helping others to grow their Twitter followers is a lovely touch. Comment Luv Premium is well worth it if you want to reward the people who take the time to comment on your blog, if your community matters to you then show them that they are wanted. Comment Luv Premium makes that easy.

And the support is excellent.

Sarah

Please note this post contains affiliate links, if you purchase a copy we may get a small commission which goes to Our Girls in Uganda

 

About Sarah Arrow
Sarah Arrow is the managing editor of Birds on the Blog, in real life she is the communications director of a same day courier service. She is an enthusiastic UK based pro-blogger and co- author of the soon to be published Zero to Blogger
View all posts by Sarah Arrow →

18 Responses to Sharing the Luv – Comment Luv Premium

  1. I am so glad that you followed through and that Andy did the same – that is brilliant service and means that I certainly will be using the plugin and recommending it too.

    So thank you for breaking it and then getting it mended, Sarah ;-)
    Babs I lovingly typed…“I need a blog”, you say…My Profile
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    Babs September 30, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    • Andy is just brilliant, and he established that it wasn’t either plugins in the end, but the residue of a plugin that was causing the problem. Don’t know if the problem can be cured though, it was suggested that I deactivate a plugin that doesn’t exist. and no, I’ll never let you forget that one ;)
      Sarah Arrow I lovingly typed…What is a dedicated courier?My Profile

      Sarah Arrow October 1, 2011 at 9:57 pm

  2. Thanks for this great review Sarah, I want it NOW! But I am so non techie it isn’t funny, roll on the video tutorials and switching our blog to self hosting… sigh. Is there anyone who can link me to some easy advice or help for this?
    Ruth Seba I lovingly typed…Polako, polako – my struggle to learn the Croatian language Part 1My Profile
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    Ruth Seba September 30, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    • Hi Ruth
      I’ve been dragged back here by my ear to see if I can help as this is exactly what we do at Blogmistress (thanks Sarah). I’ll be adding a load of videos this weekend but if I can help meantime, just shout :-)
      Babs I lovingly typed…How to Use Micro Niche Blogging to Grow Your BusinessMy Profile
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      Babs September 30, 2011 at 1:56 pm

      • Thanks Babs, sorry to have u dragged back! Will have another look at all over the weekend, and contact you directly for help… am sure I will need plenty!
        Ruth Seba I lovingly typed…Who’s mixing your next Mojito?My Profile
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        Ruth Seba September 30, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    • Hey Ruth, when you move to self hosted your life will change for the better :) it will be like having the run of the candy shop ;)
      Sarah Arrow I lovingly typed…But isn’t haulage what you do Sarah?My Profile

      Sarah Arrow October 1, 2011 at 9:58 pm

  3. I am interested because I don’t like disqus at all and I know how important do follow links are. I have a chrome plug in that shows me what links on a page are do follow or no follow. All the comment links left so far are nofollow ???
    Duncan I lovingly typed…Archos 5 Internet Tablet BagsMy Profile

    Duncan October 1, 2011 at 11:03 am

    • Hey Duncan – thanks for dropping by, that probably the way I have configured the plugin – I will be on the case sorting it out :)
      Sarah Arrow I lovingly typed…The difference is in the deliveryMy Profile

      Sarah Arrow October 1, 2011 at 9:59 pm

  4. Also you need to update your ‘first time commenting’ page in view of your new plugin :-)
    Duncan Edwards I lovingly typed…Using a Trabasack Car Seat TrayMy Profile

    Duncan Edwards October 1, 2011 at 11:06 am

    • Thank you :) am on the case now, I had completely forgot about that!

      Sarah Arrow October 1, 2011 at 1:29 pm

  5. Sarah–thanks!

    Once again, you’re on the leading edge of all the stuff I need to know!

    I’m about to purchase, using your ad/link.

    cheers,
    Mary
    Mary Weaver I lovingly typed…How potatoes make you fatMy Profile
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    Mary Weaver October 1, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    • Mary, I loved that potato post! You are the saviour to woman-kind :) .
      Thanks for buying through our link, when the payment comes through you will have paid for 3 months education for one of Our Girls.
      Sarah Arrow I lovingly typed…The difference is in the deliveryMy Profile

      Sarah Arrow October 1, 2011 at 10:00 pm

  6. Thanks so much for this review Sarah. I love Comment Luv and was looking at whether to purchase the premium version – you’ve now persuaded me:) btw really impressed with their customer service which is so important when you’re launching a new product
    Lilach Bullock I lovingly typed…The secrets of how to be successful in businessMy Profile
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    Lilach Bullock October 2, 2011 at 11:20 pm

  7. Hi Sarah

    I think this is another example of how most of us mere mortals using social media actually need people who make it their job to find out about, test drive and give us the heads up on new developments. And I think you can only do that if you’re either a philanthropist who has the time, interest and money to devote or that the knowledge you gain contributes to one of your main earning streams.

    Either way I sure know that I for one appreciate being on the receiving end of some of that knowledge whenever you’re in the mood to share… :-)
    Linda Mattacks I lovingly typed…Social Media, Networking and PR – Linda ‘Goes Back to School’ Day Two a.m.My Profile
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    Linda Mattacks October 3, 2011 at 10:53 am

  8. I’ve loved Comment Luv since I discovered it here, being able to leave a link and having a choice is a powerful feature, and I’m really impressed by your story about the launch and Andy’s response to you, Sarah.
    Customer service indeed, and it encourages me to go and invest in the plug in!
    Christine Miller I lovingly typed…Idea Festival InterviewMy Profile
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    Christine Miller October 4, 2011 at 7:38 am

  9. Pingback: The sands of time | On Our Bikes

  10. Hello Sarah,

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this subject.
    I have been using WordPress and I have installed the CommentLuv Premium already.

    All I can say is Wow! Truly amazing…

    Regards,

    Jasmine
    Jasmine Warner I lovingly typed…Email Marketing CourseMy Profile

    Jasmine Warner October 13, 2011 at 5:31 pm
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