You probably haven't noticed, but I modified a few things here and there on this blog. Web design is a dynamic process, and I tweak my code a few times a week. (I'm still working out why the Facebook like box isn't showing up in the sidebar on Chrome.) Below are some of the new things on this blog.

Commentluv 

I was dissatisfied with Blogger's native commenting system because it didn't offer much in the way of email notifications. I hate it when, as a reader of another blog, I have to check back on a comment I posted just to see if it received a reply. Often, I don't check back anymore! (That also translates to fewer page views for that blog.) But I didn't want to install Disqus because it loads slowly and unreliably. Luckily I remembered Commentluv.

Originally developed for Wordpress, Commentluv is an alternative commenting system that can be installed on Blogger and other blogging formats via the service IntenseDebate. (Here's the tutorial I followed: How to Get CommentLuv on Blogger.) It allows non-Blogger users to subscribe to replies and includes a link to the commenter's chosen recent post. Not only does this help me discover new blogs, but it also increases click-throughs (page views) for the commenter. Try it below!

NuffnangX 

Basically: Facebook meets Bloglovin gone mobile. It's an interesting concept with a simple interface. If I didn't already have my Google Reader on the elegantly designed Flipboard, this would be my go-to app for following blogs. Besides being an RSS aggregator, some of its notable features are:

1. Blog discovery. Recommends blogs similar to the ones you already follow.


2. Conversations. The app shows comments as conversation threads, which is nothing new. But being mobile, you get a notifications on your phone whenever someone leaves a comment on your blog. Commenting then becomes akin to texting or chatting. The problem I have with this is that it only displays the commenter's name, no URL. And as I've mentioned, I love looking at commenters' blogs. It's how I usually find the most interesting blogs to follow.


3. "Elevator pitch." The nickname of an algorithm that will crawl through an entire post and pick the one most interesting line of the entry to display as a tagline on the app. I think this is still in development because the chosen lines aren't exactly on pitch (hrrrrr) with the main topic of the post.

Watch the video on the website for a better idea of the app. You can follow me on NuffnangX by searching for "eula sleeps" and clicking the green FOLLOW button.

What are other blogging tools do you recommend?