A new commenting platform, implemented as of this morning, is one of the more noticeable results of recent work on the site. Check it out!

It gives readers some new tools for formatting their comments, embedding links, quoting text, ordering the comments, and easily linking to or sharing comments. It also restores commenters’ ability to reply under others’ comments, a functionality which mysteriously vanished from the site a few months back.

Additionally, the new platform adds a long-requested feature: the ability to edit your comments. Once your comment is posted, a little gear-wheel icon should be visible at the bottom of it. Click on that and then the edit button appears and you can make changes to your comment. Note, though, that about 15 minutes after your comment is posted, you lose the ability to edit it. You also cannot edit comments that have been replied to. [Update, 2/22/21: I’ve turned on the comment bubble, which floats along the lower left side of the posts. Click it to comment and/or be taken to the comments.]

While we’re talking about comments, I’d encourage those who haven’t yet done so to acquaint themselves with the comments policy.

Much of the recent maintenance went to replacing out-of-date software that interfered with the ability to keep various parts of the site working smoothly and reduce site downtime. We’re still addressing some functionality issues—for example, restoring email subscriptions to posts—but we’re now in a better position to do so.

Thanks for your patience these past few months!

UPDATE (2/24/21): Someone asked how to customize the icon that appears near their name when they comment. That icon is known as a “Gravatar” and to customize it you first need to have a WordPress account (which is free). You can create a WordPress account or login into your existing one and customize your Gravatar here.