We hope this updated comment system will help on all sides, as well as ease the upcoming transition.
Update/Editor's Note: Well, while the archaic system, even with the new update, didn't exactly initiate a "true" login or registration situation, it did allow us to see which users are "registered to comment." Meaning, your email and IP address are in the system, tracked, and already approved (or not). And/or you subscribe to our newsletter, or we've interacted with you via a "real" email.
It seems the interface honors those with real emails, continued comments, newsletter subscriptions, and "real and registered email, albeit unofficially." With the being said, the vast majority of our comment base won't experience a notable change. However, if you're a new user, or someone whose comments have been moderated in the past, or someone who hasn't registered a real email for our newsletter, you may see your comments go directly to moderation or even trash until we see them and make a decision to publish (or not).
Again, thanks for your support as we try to weed out the enemies and harassers. If your comment goes into moderation accidentally, which some surely do and for no apparent reason, we'll make our best efforts to get them live and curtail the issue.
Though this change may not have worked out quite as we anticipated, it means we have increased control and accountability over users on the back end. Those who continue to harass IEV authors and users will be more easily discovered and reported to the authorities, if it accelerates to that level.
The bad good news is, InsideEVs has outgrown its current platform. We've had a multitude of successes since our site redesign over a year ago, though, as expected, there have been some issues. Fortunately, most are behind the scenes, so they don't impact users to a significant degree. With that being said, we are aware that there are still concerns on the front end, and our current platform doesn't allow us to appropriately address them. One of the biggest issues we're working to address is the comment system, which has slowed the site down in many ways.
Why is this is positive news rather than negative?
In any industry, growth is something to be proud of. For InsideEVs, it means newfound success and finally getting to move to a more up-to-date and solid platform. No worries, however, it doesn't mean we're going through another site redesign. The site, as you know it, will remain relatively unchanged. However, it will be faster, offer more developer support, and provide us the ability to fix many of your concerns, like image and graph sizing issues for starters.
It will be another month or more before we're able to complete the transition, so we'll keep you posted along the way. For now, to prepare for the new platform, we're going to initiate a pilot program for comments, which requires you to register. Again, it won't change the comment section as you know it. You'll still be able to use your current screen name and remain anonymous to other users. However, there will be some accountability on the back end, so we gain the ability to pinpoint those who are harassing and threatening us, as well as potential hackers.
This is simply a pilot program since we have no way of knowing exactly how it will play out. If it causes undue frustration and further issues on our end or yours, we'll revert back to the current setup until we transition. Once we're on the new platform, we'll have more up-to-date options related to the comment system in general.
We will set the pilot program live today (Wednesday, March 6, 2019 @ 9:30 AM ET). At that point, we'll be able to run some tests on it and figure out exactly what's involved, as there's no way to test it thoroughly ahead of launch. Yet another reason that we need to move to a more up-to-date platform.
If we need to provide you more information to make the process easier, we'll update this post accordingly. We'll also be sure to watch the comment section and read your posts so that we may engage and/or make any necessary adjustments or offer assistance.
As always, thank you all for the incredible support over the years. Everything we do is an attempt to improve the site and your overall experience.
