A Lightning-Fast Commenting System for Sites

FastComments is a reside commenting system for WordPress which goals to handle a standard grievance among the many platform’s devoted consumer base:

The failings and lackluster performance of WordPress’ in-built commenting system. 

Certainly, whereas the flexibility to make fundamental feedback on posts and pages could also be enough if you wish to supply real-time interplay whereas operating reside webinars or different on-line occasions, WordPress’ fundamental feedback simply aren’t as much as scratch. 

That’s earlier than we even point out the drain in your internet hosting server that may happen in case you have numerous feedback throughout a large-scale web site.

By specializing in velocity, efficiency, and an emphasis on real-time moderation, FastComments guarantees to unravel this drawback and an entire lot extra. 

However how nicely does it really do at conserving that promise? And is that this actually one of the best instrument for the job in relation to optimizing interplay in your WordPress web site?

It’s these questions that we’ll reply on this complete FastComments feedback overview.

FastComments is a relative newcomer to the WordPress plugins market, but in a really quick area of time, it’s already giving the likes of Thrive Feedback and Talk about a severe run for his or her cash because the best WordPress comments plugin to use in 2022. 

The primary cause for its success is that it combines the 2 issues that really separate one of the best from the remainder on the earth of plugins:

A wealth of superior options with beginner-friendly simplicity.

This mixture, coupled with reasonably priced pricing (extra of which later) implies that even small and medium web site homeowners can take pleasure in the identical form of next-level commenting techniques that was once the unique reserve of large-scale manufacturers. 

In the meantime, the addition of entry to an API, webhooks, and extensions to bolster the plugin’s core performance make it a horny possibility for severe WordPress builders. 

To this point, so good then, however that leaves one massive query:

The deal with instantaneous commenting and moderation has made FastComments a well-liked alternative for on-line communities and people trying to encourage reside discussions round webinars, occasions, and reside broadcasts.

If you happen to’re launching a brand new services or products with a reside stream, for instance, FastComments makes it simple for viewers to work together with you immediately whereas a workforce of moderators ensures that every little thing runs easily.

But that’s not the one cause to make use of it. 

The emphasis on lightning-fast efficiency additionally makes FastComments a strong alternative for main web sites who’ve hundreds of pages with very energetic communities partaking in discussions round that content material. 

And should you’re a small-scale web site proprietor? The enhancements on WordPress’ normal commenting and remark moderating options alone make it a worthwhile funding.

In comparison with different commenting instruments, FastComments is extremely feature-rich, with every little thing you would probably must construct, handle, and assist interactive communities round your content material. 

A few of these key options embrace:

• Actual-time reside conversations 
• Scalable options tailor-made to your web site
• Single sign-on (SSO) integrations to make logging in simpler in your customers
• Internet hooks
• A number of moderators and moderator teams
• Bulk moderation actions
• Quick remark migration from different platforms, together with:
• WordPress
• Disqus
• Commentor
• JustComments and others
• In-built spam safety
• Immediate notifications when a brand new remark calls for your consideration
• Code and markdown assist
• Alternative of sunshine or darkish theme to raised mix along with your web site design
• Nameless commenting possibility
• Multi-language assist
• @Mentions
• Hashtags
• In-built gif selector
• Subscriptions
• Person profiles
• Direct user-to-user messaging
• Customized awards and badges in your group
• Detailed auditing.

That’s an terrible lot of options that covers nearly each doable side of group dialogue on WordPress, however all of these options aren’t going to be value a lot if the plugin is simply too sophisticated and cumbersome to arrange. 

The excellent news is that it’s neither. Right here’s a fast, step-by-step have a look at simply how simple it’s to make use of.

1. Create an Account

First issues first, head to the FastComments web site to register an account by coming into a username, e-mail handle, and your organization identify earlier than including the URL of your web site.

The location will robotically detect that you simply’re operating WordPress (FastComments can also be out there for different platforms) and direct you to obtain and set up the plugin. 

2. Obtain and Set up the Plugin

After downloading the plugin from the WordPress Plugins Directory, you possibly can add it through the usual plugins dashboard in your website or via FTP.

With that accomplished, click on set up after which activate. 

Subsequent, choose “FastComments” out of your dashboard menu after which click on “sure” below the heading “Do you have got a FastComments” account to sync the platform to your web site.

Clicking this brings up a brand new web page with a number of choices which might be robotically pre-checked. To get probably the most out of FastComments, we advocate conserving these chosen earlier than choosing “Begin Sync.”

4. Customise 

As soon as every little thing is synced and arrange, you’ll be offered with a number of choices for what to do subsequent. 

First, choose the “Customise” button to configure the plugin in order that it most accurately fits your web site. 

Right here, you possibly can create a brand new customization “rule” in which you’ll edit the feel and appear of your commenting system, select whether or not or to not permit avatars, and even set the maturity ranking for the Gif Picker together with different choices. 

The factor we love probably the most about that is which you could tweak and fine-tune each minute element of the way in which your commenting system appears and operates. Whereas the sheer variety of choices could also be overwhelming to some, it does imply which you could take pleasure in 100% management over how FastComments performs along with your web site. 

While you’re accomplished with that, you possibly can try any submit in your web site and discover that FastComments is already up, operating, and doing it’s factor.

Customers can create wealthy feedback with formatting choices and the flexibility to incorporate gifs and picture recordsdata. 

The entire structure is easy, neat, and well-designed and enhances the general aesthetic of your web site whereas on the similar time offering a high quality commenting expertise in your customers.

When it comes time to average these feedback, your first step is to return to the principle FastComments web page, the place you’ll discover an attractively-designed menu with giant icons, which makes it a breeze to select the options you want. 

On this case, you’ll want the average feedback characteristic.

Choose that from the menu, and as soon as once more, you’ll discover a complete wealth of choices that offer you full management over your feedback.

Right here, you possibly can:

• Filter feedback in keeping with their standing
• Overview, approve, delete, or mark feedback as spam
• Ban or shadow-ban problematic customers
• Handle your ban listing and reinstate customers
• Edit feedback
• Handle your moderation settings (equivalent to profanity detection, computerized approvals, and notifications)
• Add new moderators.

Different Options and Features

Elsewhere on the FastComments menu, you’ll be capable of combine with well-liked SSO providers like Google, Fb, and Talk about, handle your account, and entry assist.

That is all accomplished with the identical ease with which you arrange your new commenting system, which means not solely is FastComments a robust instrument in its personal proper, it additionally makes managing giant interactive communities far more environment friendly and efficient than with the usual WordPress commenting system. 

Pricing

One other factor we actually love about FastComments is the versatile pricing choices. 

Two normal plans can be found. 

The primary plan prices $5.99 for a most of 10,00 customers, 5,000 saved feedback, and 500,000 web page load restrict a month throughout three websites which is right for small-scale web site homeowners and newcomers.

On the reverse finish of the spectrum, the $399 per thirty days Professional Plan permits to be used on 15 websites with considerably elevated consumer, remark, and web page load restrictions.

If neither of these are fairly appropriate for you, FastComments affords a pay-as-you-go system the place you pay a small nominal payment in keeping with your wants, which means that irrespective of how massive or small your web site could also be, the plugin constantly proves to be cost-effective for you.

So, does FastComments hold its promise of enhancing the way in which you supply and handle interactive commentator communities in your web site?

Completely. 

Not solely does the versatile pricing make it a way more reasonably priced possibility than different remark plugins on the market, however the sheer wealth of options makes it exceptionally simple to take full management over each the front-end feedback system and the way in which you average it. 

Add that to the truth that regardless of being fairly a complicated plugin, FastComments is remarkably simple to make use of, and it’s exhausting to disclaim that, whether or not you wish to enhance reside discussions or just take pleasure in a smoother moderating expertise in your large-scale web site, this sensible plugin will do the job completely.

Try FastComments