I’ve been mentioning it for about two weeks now and today a small change to the commenting section has gone into effect.
Starting today you must be a registered and logged in user of RopeofSilicon.com to comment on the site. There are a myriad of reasons why I’ve implemented this and none of them include making things harder on you. Yes, I understand remembering one more password is a pain and yes I know your browser probably remembered your commenting credentials making it easy to post and be done, but I’m sure your browser will just as easily remember your username and password and I even have the “Remember Me” feature for those with cookies enabled and it will keep you logged in for each visit.
Of the many reasons I made the change is to avoid drive-by commenters that tend to steer comment threads into negative territory. When people are willing to go through the registration process and comment it speaks a little to their passion for the conversation, otherwise they’ll just go on without getting involved.
Secondly, the amount of spam the comment section received on a daily basis was insane and I’m talking more than 3,000 comments on some days and the fact only a couple of those ever squeaked through is amazing, but it was also starting to put a strain on the database.
As for what the future holds for registered users, well, beyond the ability to comment on virtually any page on the site, you will also get to see the full Oscar prediction charts. Visitors not registered and logged in will only be able to see the contenders I predict to be nominated and none of the contenders beyond that. In the case of Best Picture at this moment that means 31 titles are not visible if you are not logged in.
Registered users can also download the monthly movie wallpaper and I will begin updating profile pages to include your most recent comments and more.
Another new feature I am currently working on is a new box-office prediction game which I have been teasing on Facebook allowing readers to compete with Laremy directly in each Box Office Oracle article and I’ll be setting up leaderboards and crowning Box Office Kings each week, which will be designated next to your name and on your profile pages.
More features are around the corner as I am trying all of these new ideas to keep the community growing and keep it a community. The What I Watched articles each weekend show many of you are getting comfortable sharing what you’ve been watching and talking with each other about movies and simply want more of that.
As always I’m open to hear your comments and suggestions. I understand for some of you this probably bothers you more than others, but I hope you understand the reason I’ve done it.
