14 DAY TRIAL // WordPress.com debuted an interesting new feature, it now enables users to post comments under their Twitter or Facebook identities, making it easier to authenticate themselves with their preferred method. What's more, users can switch between the identities and post comments with any of them without having to log out of the others.
"Starting today, visitors to your blog can use their Facebook or Twitter account to leave comments. This saves everyone a few steps and gives visitors control over which identity they use. It’s a win for everyone," Automattic's Scott Berkun announced.
There were already several ways of identifying yourself when making a comment on WordPress.com, including not identifying yourself depending on the individual blog settings.
Users could provide an email address and be done with it, or use their WordPress.com accounts if they wanted to, or even remain anonymous.
But the two new options add more convenience, especially since the two are emerging as the main identity providers of the web. Visitors to any WordPress.com blog will notice the new comment box, with four identity options.
The first is the regular "Guest" one, which asks for your email address, nickname and website, followed by the WordPress.com account, Twitter and Facebook. The last three all require you to log into the respective services.
The nice part is that you can be logged into any of the options and simply click on the one you want to use for a particular comment, you're not forced to use just one.
"Depending on your theme, you may notice the comment area looks different than before to make room for these new features. We also intelligently choose to use a light or dark visual style for the comment box, depending on the theme you are currently using," Automattic added.