Testing Out a New WordPress Plugin Called KeywordLuv
To help out the readers on this site who use the “@” symbol in their name when leaving comments, I’ve decided to experiment with a new WordPress plugin called KeywordLuv.
What it does is translates a comment like this:
Into this:
Sue from TameBay
I pick on Sue simply because she leaves comments like that (nothing wrong with it in my opinion).
Theoretically, the plugin applies the correct weight to the keywords after the “@” symbol.
When the plugin is deactivated, everything is converted back to its “name@site” format.
There is a issue with Ajax Edit Comments, but only when editing the name portion, which hardly anybody does anyway.
Feel free to leave a comment below to try it. I’ll leave it installed for a week and see how it works out for you all.
Ronald@RA Project says...
W00t! First comment!
Ronald says...
BTW, if you don’t like the way this plugin translates the @, I can modify the plugin to change the text. Also, if you don’t like the plugin at all, please let me know as well, since I’m basing the existence of this plugin on your feedback.
Sue @ TameBay says...
Just testing…
Sue @ TameBay says...
I can’t help thinking it might have been easier just to tell me to stop using @ in my name
Ronald says...
@Sue,
Nah, then you wouldn’t be you
I guess the point of the plugin is that it applies the link to anything after the @ symbol, so that keywords show up correctly for search purposes.
Stephen Cronin@Custom WordPress Plugins says...
Hi Ronald,
Thanks for giving KeywordLuv a try.
I can’t help noticing that Sue’s name above comes out as “ue from STameBay” which is wrong! I think, but am not sure, that it may be related to the fact that Sue didn’t leave a URL. Obviously that’s something I’ll need to address.
Also, rather than using a hardcoded @ as the delimiter, I’ll make it user definable in the next version. Thanks for the idea!
I’m travelling for the next week and will only have infrequent Internet access, so it may take a little while for me to fix it.
I plan on having a look at the Ajax Edit Comments issue at some point too - many people use your plugin, so I’d like KeywordLuv to play nicely with it. Of course if you see anything I can do about that, please let me know!
Alex Dombroff@Fresno Jobs says...
Awesome. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to do this, but I’m not much of a Wordpress coder. I think it’s great that you are encouraging more commentors to your site.
Ronald Huereca says...
@Stephen,
Yes, looks like the lack of URL is causing issues.
@Sue,
Would you want this plugin disabled then? In other words, do you mind having your “@” changed into something else?
@Alex,
Thanks Alex. I try to at least provide some good incentives. But I figure people are going to comment only when they have something to add.
Ronald says...
@Stephen,
One thing you could do in your version is just remove the filter I use for the name portion. That way the name won’t be editable when people use your plugin. I don’t see an easy fix otherwise.
Tori @ MindTweaks says...
Testing, and… I guess I’m just not understanding the point, especially in terms of reader appreciation. My first thought? That I must be somehow annoying other bloggers by using the @!
I don’t really mind it I guess, but it *would* be a bit disconcerting to have my comment name changed automatically without my knowing. If I didn’t want the @, I’d enter the name differently - after all, I can type “from” with just a few more keystrokes myself
For some people, the @ may be part of what they see as their branding.
Stephen, maybe use a less commonly used character as the default trigger so that people would need to *knowingly* trigger the change?
Ronald says...
@Tori,
I’ve noticed that I’m getting flagged as spam more when I use the @ symbol in my name. It makes me wonder if bloggers are marking me as having spammy comments even though I’m leaving what I think are relevant points.
From my perspective, I don’t mind have the “@” in a commenters name. In fact, it’s how I tell one Sue (or Tori) apart from another Sue (see this example).
@All,
The thing I really like about this plugin is it doesn’t modify the original comment. Which means, if I disable the plugin, the comment name goes back to normal. By using an alternate character, when the plugin is deactivated, the commenter’s name might look a little funky.
It might be a better solution to have a checkbox (kind of like CommentLuv) where a reader can opt-in and have the name changed. Stephen, I know this sounds easier than it is to implement, so good luck if you decide to go this route.
The last thing in the world I want on this blog is to make a reader feel like their name isn’t welcome (with some exceptions). So for now, I’m going to disable the plugin.
Thank you all for helping test it out.
Tori @ MindTweaks says...
@Ronald - I haven’t gotten tagged as spam yet, but I’ve noticed comment spammers getting much more creative (I got one today that politely insulted me, and I *almost* hit approve before I noticed the “sexy doll” url.) and more and more is sneaking past Askimet. It wouldn’t surprise me if bloggers are getting suspicious of unusual naming.
I like the opt in idea. Some special characters (especially strings) wouldn’t look too odd when the plugin is turned off. Something like Tori…MindTweaks or Tori~MindTweaks. Hope that helps some, Stephen
Ronald Huereca says...
Tori,
Is that mean I can insult you without being marked as spam?
I’ll give you an example of a harsh comment policy in a post I have planned where absolutely no keywords are allowed.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Olivier @ 7 laws of attraction says...
Hi,
1) I guess you unistalled the plugin as many @ show up in the names.
(see comment above) but just an observation 
2) What’s the use of having this plugin if you do not follow though on the links? As in your case (actually, this last sentence is not an attempt to insult
Olivier.
Sasha@mlm leads says...
I JUST found out about keywordluv.. and so far it looks fabulous! Thanks for the information. I will definitely have to research it a little more!
Barry@Scottsdale Homes For Sale says...
I actually really like this plugin. I think it gives people some extra motivation to go out and explore different blogs while getting a little “linkluv” (no pun intended) when they make some sensible comments.
Thanks for installing the plugin.
Avery @ eBooks, AudioBooks, and Cybooks says...
Yeah… I’ve been quite impressed with keyword luv so far. I think it makes it easier to distinguish actual spammers from people who have well thought out comments to leave but want to promote their blogs/businesses simultaneously. Thank you for adding this!
Rob@Best CD Rates says...
I’m new to blogging, but Keywordluv seems like a great plugin to me. It encourages commenters while allowing them to both leave their name and keep the anchor text for their web site clean. Thanks for this information!