Google is battling Facebook comments by bringing its very own Google+ comments to Blogger blogging service. Google+ comments are currently only available within Blogger blogs, but can be a very useful feature for bloggers that use Google’s platform for generating their content, opening up some interesting ways to interact with their reader base.
With Google+ comments, blog owners will not only see direct comments from readers on their blog, but also people talking about their content on Google+. So if people are publicly discussion a blog posts on Google+, that conversation will appear in the comment section of the owner’s blog. This is designed to create a more engaging place for both the content creator and readers alike.
The design is set up to allow users to control the kinds of comments they see on a blog: You can view only top comments, only comments from people in your circles, or all comments on a particular post. This gives you more control, allowing you to visit the blog on their own terms. Google claims that this new feature “not only encourages more meaningful sharing—it can lead to more blog traffic.”
Enabling the new comment system is easy for blog owners: Head over to the Google+ tab on your Blogger dashboard, and check the box labeled “Use Google+ Comments.” This will allow old comments to appear as normal, and new comments to come in using this new feature. If you’re curious what it looks like before enabling it, Google provided an example to a post using the system so you can see it in action.
Will you enable Google+ comments on your blog?