I've recently upgraded comments here which will allow you to do the following if you sign in:
1. Link to an existing profile (Facebook, Twitter, Google, Open ID etc.)
2. Respond directly to other people's comments
3. Delete a comment yourself
So why would you want to go through the trouble of "showing yourself"? Here are 5 reasons.
1. Faces matter
Showing a picture of yourself puts a face to the voice. Even if it's not a picture of you, a visual helps you stand out. Signing in to a profile via the Typepad page will pull in your photo from the specified profile.
2. Speed matters
Sign in once here and you shouldn't have to do it again.
3. Links matter
This is a fairly well trafficked blog, so if you say something interesting and link to your Twitter profile perhaps—it's likely the readers here who I consider to be very high quality will investigate where you link.
4. Conversations matter
The new comment system supports threaded conversations. It will be easier for us to talk to each other and more effective for those trying to make sense out of who said what to who.
5. Participation matters
Those who comment have converted their behavior from consumption of content to participation. Hopefully this small upgrade makes it easier and more enjoyable for you to participate.
I know this isn't a big deal and many other blogs have way more bells and whistles, but I have to be very efficient with the time I spend here and this is a very convenient way for me to evolve the experience here. If you make a commitment to signing in, I'll continue the commitment to do my best here with the resources I have.
