The Ugly Side of the Facebook Comments Plugin

In an increasing world of online social connectivity, almost every website now features a way for users to leave their own comments. Everything from news articles to blog entries can receive comments; some websites have become well-known for their outrageous user responses. People love to share their opinions, and the internet provides a level of anonymity which leaves many users emboldened. While this could lead to discussion of the many pros and cons of online commenting, over time the discussion itself might be moot. What could cause this? None other than our old friend Facebook

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Earlier this year Facebook introduced their Comments Plugin. It enabled users to log in with their Facebook user name to leave comments on a website. In prior years Facebook commenting on outside websites (for instance, your local news provider) could only be enabled with Facebook Connect. The introduction of the Comments Plugin brought simple code and free commenting to masses of eager websites. For Facebook users, this is extremely convenient. Unfortunately, this prevents anyone not using Facebook from leaving comments.

Supposed benefits of the plugin for users are easy access to commenting on their favorite websites, and immediate sharing of their comments on Facebook as well. For those who wish to communicate their every thought with the world, the Comments plugin will be their best friend. Anyone who prefers to keep their Facebook account and online commenting separate must make sure to uncheck a certain box before they submit their comment. If they leave the box that says “Post Comment to my Facebook Profile” checked, their comment will indeed be submitted to their profile. Users have to be careful not to inadvertently share too much information with their friends on Facebook.

Perhaps more disturbing, however, is the enforced limitation on user participation. Not everyone who uses the internet wants to use Facebook. It’s a huge website that’s become bloated beyond its initial intent; many people are either prior users who became disenchanted with the site, and others were never interested in it at all. Simply put, websites using the Comments plugin are advertising for Facebook in exchange for a free comments platform. If they let you leave comments by logging in using some method as well (for instance, using an e-mail or MySpace log in), it would be much fairer. Most other commenting platforms allow this; for instance, Pluck’s commenting system registers you with an e-mail address. The key point here is you can use an e-mail from any provider, such as a Gmail account or a work e-mail . They’re not insisting you sign up for an account with one specific company.

This puts users in a difficult spot. They might have something insightful or informative to share after an article, but unless they sign up for Facebook they can’t do so. One of the amazing things about the internet has been the freedom of discussion it provides. The widespread acceptance of the Facebook Comments Plugin will both disrupt this and practically compel usage of Facebook. Like it or not, Facebook is taking over the internet – one comment at a time.

Sources:

Facebook Developers, “Comments”, http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/comments/

Demand Media, “Pluck Comments”, http://www.pluck.com/products/comments.html

Vadim Lavrusik for Mashable, “Facebook Releases Robust Updates to Its Comments Plugin”, http://mashable.com/2011/03/01/facebook-comments-plugin/

WWMT, “New Commenting System for wwmt.com”, http://www.wwmt.com/articles/commenting-1395583-new-system.html


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