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WordPress 2.7 Threaded Comments Works In Thesis

By 78 Comments

Regular readers of GrowMap will be happy to know that Derek turned on WP 2.7 threaded comments. For those who may be interested in using this feature here is some information on who can immediately use this particular method of allowing specific comments to be answered.

In his excellent post Seven Great Examples of Using WP 2.7 Threaded Comments Jeff Chandler at Performancing shared this:

“With the public release of WordPress 2.7, end users now have the ability to enable threaded conversations to take place on their blog. However, your theme must support this ability before you can turn them on.”

Some free and advanced themes already support this feature and many others will not. If yours doesn’t read How to Implement Threaded Comments in WordPress Themes for how to tell if your Theme supports it and what to do if it doesn’t. If you need more assistance visit the WordPress Support Forum.

This is yet another reason we installed Thesis and why I recommend serious bloggers consider doing the same. WordPress and plugins get updated all the time and every change is another potential technical issue. By using Thesis we know that our theme is supported and fixes for any issue will be provided.

Every theme can be customized and all features can have a different look. The Seven Great Examples post mentioned above shows just a few of the changes you can make. I wonder how many new bloggers realize that the look of a site is laid on top of the Theme being used so every implementation of any feature or Theme can look totally different. For example, all of these sites are built on Thesis:

  • GrowMap – The blog you’re reading now.
  • NoBogies Golf Store and Blog
  • PSP Living – Minimal design changes so far as it is brand new
  • Threaded Web

No matter which theme you are currently using as soon as you start getting a large number of comments you will wish you had threaded comments installed. If your theme does not support the new WP 2.7 version you can use a plugin, contact the theme designer and ask if they’re planning to add support, or – if you’re the do-it-yourself type – use the links we have provided in this post to add it.

If you are considering upgrading your theme we can highly recommend Thesis. Most of the major blogs about blogging that we frequent have selected it as “THE” Theme to use including these:

INTERVIEW WITH THESIS THEME DESIGNER CHRIS PEARSON:

NEGATIVE REVIEWS OF THESIS:

MORE THESIS REVIEWS:

Since we’re on the subject you might be interested in checking out all the cool blogs that are based on Thesis. Here are two galleries you can visit to see more customized Thesis themes:

[NOTE: Any blogger using Thesis probably has an affiliate link to Thesis so if decide to buy it you can support your favorite blogger by clicking on the link in their blog just before you buy. It does not cost you any more money to do this and bloggers are using it because it is that good – not because they might receive a commission. ]

UPGRADE YOUR COMMENT SECTION:

WP PLUGINS FOR THREADED COMMENTS:

CUSTOMIZING THESIS WORDPRESS THEME:

  • 4 Great Ways to Customize a Thesis Theme
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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap
Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist who mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.
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Comments

  4. I haven’t used the WordPress 2.7. But i will surely try to use it after I get to know from more you people. Is it similar to forums.

    Reply

  5. It’s like full moon in the dark night. much appreciated effort. Thanks for your efforts in putting all those set of tips together. A gud post with all i can imagine ..the day has come for people to see the truth..

    Reply

  6. I think threaded comments are a great idea. It’s just a problem that you can’t just automatically get them going in most blogs. Thesis is exceptional in functionality, but there are a lot of other good themes that it is a lot harder to install. There aren’t many good plugins for threaded comments either.
    Mike would love you to read ..AbrocketMy Profile

    Reply

  7. First, I just wanted to make a comment on threaded comments. I like to comment a lot because I think it gives a post life to have comments from people who actually read the posts. But my favorite thing is when I get to communicate with the poster or other commenters. After all, blogging is social media and is meant to be a social conversation portal.

    As for Thesis, I’m saving a few dollars at the moment to get it. Can’t wait!
    james would love you to read ..Learner Driver Car InsuranceMy Profile

    Reply

    • Hi Lisa,

      Talk to me about monitors. If you want to sell more of them what we need are blog posts answering common questions we have like these:

      1) Why using a larger monitor increases productivity.
      2) How to decide whether we need a wide or tall monitor. (Wide is better for spreadsheets but taller is better for blogging!)
      3) Are used monitors worth considering (need to research likely lifespan)
      4) Which monitors (brands in general or specific models) last the longest (I’ve noted the reviews indicate huge differences in longevity.)
      5) Rotating monitors – would we actually USE that feature)
      6) Is it worth paying a lot extra for adjustable height stands or are their alternatives or do you have a great deal on any?

      Have you considered collaborating with those of us who write about blogging and marketing? I for one know how much a larger monitor would improve my output!
      .-= growmap´s featured blog ..Support Small Businesses =-.

      Reply

  10. Really took me time to read the article and all the comments. Though i don’t try this thesis yet, but I believe this is worth a try.
    .-= Tamara @ sexy angel costumes´s featured blog ..Sexy Angel Costumes =-.

    Reply

  11. I haven’t tried the thesis theme yet but think I will now that I know it does threaded comments. Thanks.
    .-= Tyler´s featured blog ..Anxiety and Panic Attack Relief =-.

    Reply

    • Tyler – there’s no reason to go Thesis just for threaded comments. There are good plugins to work on any theme, and the new versions of WP have it built right in; again regardless of theme. 🙂
      .-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s featured blog ..Less is More – Here’s My Current To-Do List =-.

      Reply

  12. This looks like it will save alot of time. Automatic updating is worthwile in most cases as long as you are familar with the software. WordPress is fantastic and I will be looking into this more. Thanks for the heads up.
    .-= Rob @ Wolf Halloween Costume´s last blog ..Disclaimer =-.

    Reply

  13. I just want to emphasize the good work on this , has excellent views and a clear vision of what you are looking for affordable degree programs | affordable degree

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  14. Very nice Site number one topic Thanks you..
    criminal justice degree | business degree | Online Natural science degree

    Reply

  15. Thanks for the information. I’m thinking of changing my theme over to Thesis but I really don’t know CSS, and I understand that all changes are made on the style sheet.
    .-= Moomettes @ WAHM Tips´s last blog ..Alexa Toolbar Benefits =-.

    Reply

  16. wordpress just keeps on getting better and better, I’m a big fan of wordpress because of the flexibility it offers for its users. There are also lots of plugins available for wordpress that we can choose from, and that’s not all I think.. there are lots of reasons why I love wordpress but my comment may seem to be a blog entry if I write it all up here. LOL

    Reply

  17. It’s an open source software originally designed for blogging but is so powerful and popular that it is being used by many business websites.well thesis for word press 2.7 is an good idea.good job dear.keep posting.

    Reply

  19. Thesis for a WordPress 2.7 is a good ideas for they can improve the system by doing so. Great Job and continue to do the thesis and make an update of it.

    Reply

  20. Wow ! Interesting post. Thesis is a very good piece of software !

    Mihai’s last blog post..Spam Agent

    Reply

    • Hi Alex,

      One of the major reasons we use Thesis is that we know they’ll test and fix any issues new versions of WordPress or commonly used plug-ins run into. I suspect most of the time themes will work; it is those times they don’t that can turn into real headaches.

      Since our goals are primarily to keep information flowing and not to learn new ways to fix blogs we use Thesis so we don’t have to fix them ourselves.

      Internet Strategist’s last blog post..Freelancer Challenges – Logo Graphic Designers

      Reply

  23. The post is very pertinent. Thank you for sharing !

    CatalinNichita’s last blog post..Spam Agent

    Reply

    • Most bloggers like you, Dennis, and Derek may not realize how invaluable your skills are to others. You made the time and figured out how to do it yourself. Some don’t want to take that much time away from their other interests and responsibilities.

      I really need to work on a post on thinking small: offering specific tasks for a flat rate. Many need simple (to you) things like an Avatar or Favicon added, a logo created, something added to a sidebar, header or footer, maybe a divider added to their CSS that they can add to set off sections of posts, or an award or widget added.

      Those who have these skills should create a page about them, link in some examples of their work, set a price and maybe even provide a PayPal button. Make it easy for people to find and buy and they will.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Do YOUR Blogging Goals Include Monetization: Benefits Our Readers Receive

      Reply

  26. Internet Strategist, I agree that if you are business orientated you sure don’t need to have the travails of theme design and manipulation to take time away from your business. Those who can will pay for someone to do it for them, those who can’t need a Theme that is easy to use. Thanks for bringing the whole subject up.

    Sire’s last blog post..Reflections Of Sydney

    Reply

    • I appreciate your taking the time to add your thoughts. I know you have much experience and appreciate learning from your experience. There are far more people who could use a blog than there are who can install, configure and design them. I hope some with experience will consider offering their services.

      We are working on getting the system down in hopes of collaborating with businesses that want blogs or those who can generate quality content in a particular niche. They could hire Derek (Threaded Web Design) to do it for them or partner with us.

      There is much to be said for having specialists work together to create, write, and drive traffic.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..How to Create a Successful Blog Based Business Part 1

      Reply

  27. Sire, glad to hear that it worked for you. Regarding the video box, you won’t have anything in the custom.css unless you have added it in there. You can reference the style.css for the default styles that you can then customize in your custom.css file.

    As an example, if you wanted to change just the background color you could add this to your custom.css:

    .custom #video_box { background: red; }

    In terms of the video box cutting off part of the video, my initial assumption would be that the box is not resizing when the embedded video is larger than the box size.

    You are correct that to really tweak and customize the Thesis theme you need to have some ability (or have someone that does) to make these code and CSS changes.

    Hope some of the above helps you.

    Reply

    • Thanks to both Derek and Sire. Your conversation has made even more about blog design and particularly Thesis clear to me. I wonder if Thesis is not flexible enough or how it works is just more complicated than writing code yourself.

      There is more about Thesis and a discussion with Mitch about why I’m recommending Thesis in the post I’ve used in Comment Luv for this comment. It sheds even more light on why I do not believe most bloggers and business owners should be handling the technical aspects of their blogs.

      Why invest time learning something that you only need to do once now and maybe a few times in the distant future if you want a redesign? A business owner’s time is better spent focusing on their business and a writer’s time is better spent writing.

      Learning how to modify WordPress or Thesis is only necessary for those who want to be able to redesign, tweak and play with their blogs all the time and those who wish to offer their services to others.

      Internet Strategist’s last blog post..How to Create a Successful Blog Based Business Part 1

      Reply

    • Thanks Derek. The video was actually smaller than the box and so there shouldn’t be a reason for it to be chopped off like that. Apparently it is browser related as it works fine on Google Chrome. No problems with my other theme which makes me assume that Thesis has something to do with it.

      Thanks for the fix, I may use it later, but it is no longer necessary as I’ve used a bigger video box to take up the space and the black no acts as a frame, but at least I can now change the frame color.

      Thanks for all your help mate, I really appreciate it.

      Sire’s last blog post..A Twitter Service You’d Be Crazy To Miss Out On

      Reply

  28. I’m running v 1.5, and the plugin is v 1.3. I tried playing with the default thumbnail settings but to no avail. I left a topic in the forum some days ago but no-one seems to be able to help.

    Also, do you know how to change the color of the video box?

    Thanks for your help Derek.

    Sire’s last blog post..The Security Of Your Photos Is Important

    Reply

    • Sorry, I edited my comment above before I saw your response here. I’ll try to find your post in the forums and answer it there as well.

      For the color of the video box, you’ll want to define your own custom style (again in the custom.css) to alter the default look.

      Reply

      • Thanks for the assist, Derek. My regular readers know that I rely on Derek for most of the technical expertise required to run this and other blogs. Bloggers like Derek and Sire frequently help others out. We can all accomplish more when we do and they are both role models for successful blogging.

        InternetStrategist’s last blog post..How to Create a Successful Blog Based Business Part 1

        Reply

      • Thanks Derek, that worked a treat. In regards to the forum it was another issue, one to do with my smiles that disappeared after the upgrade.

        I had a look in the custom.css and couldn’t find anything to do with the video box. Suppose that means I have to do it myself. Might be easier to make the video bigger. Speaking about the video, it doesn’t always display correctly as it seems to cut off part of it.

        It’s having to now how to do all this stuff that put’s me off Thesis.

        Sire’s last blog post..A Twitter Service You’d Be Crazy To Miss Out On

        Reply

    • Sire, I believe it is most likely a result of the image/thumbnail settings within the Thesis options. Is this running the 1.5 release or one of the betas? Also, what version of the Beer plugin are you running? I am setting up a test to see if I can duplicate the issue.

      Update: After some testing I found that it was the Thesis CSS that was impacting the size of the image. There is a style that adjusts the size on the form input and the Beer plugin is a form with an image as the submit button. With some quick testing, I have the following CSS that you can add to your custom.css file to correct the size of the beer image:

      .custom .format_text input[type="image"] { width: auto; margin: 0.4em; padding: 0; border: 0; }

      Let me know if you have any questions.

      Reply

  30. Threaded comments are great for conversation / discussion style blogs and WordPress is a great blogging platform. Unfortunately I’ve been having quite a few problems with category issues in a number of my 2.7.1 WordPress blogs.

    Reply

    • Welcome. We haven’t noticed any category issues. Could you elaborate so others using WP 2.7.1 will know what to watch for? The issue you’re seeing might indicate an incompatibility between the new WP version and your Theme or plugins.

      You have a very interesting WP ecommerce implementation. Any idea what Theme or plugins are required to create a store like yours? Your designer knows what they’re doing. Good use of breadcrumbs that so many stores lack. Do you have a wishlist function yet? I’m researching those for a Yahoo! store owner.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Promote Your Business Without Cash

      Reply

    • Welcome Tommy. Here’s the first thing for you to read:

      1) Get an Avatar – if you most want to promote your book use the book cover or something related to it. Then upload that Avatar to Gravatar, on Twitter, and anywhere else you travel.

      2) Whenever you comment in a blog use a link to your favorite site for checking out your book. Some blogs may delete it but those like us will not.

      3) Eventually you may want to get a blog that uses CommentLuv so that you can feature a post like those you see on this page. If you’re serious about blogging regularly contact me and I’ll advise you on how to do it.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Promote Your Business Without Cash

      Reply

      • thank you thank you thank you, Internet Strategist !!! Got a brainstorm this morning about a completely unrelated blogging idea I need to run by you… talk soon…

        Reply

        • Any time I can be of assistance just give me a shout or a Tweet. I’m happy to assist. Anyone who needs a super-blog should check in with us first. We have the process almost down to a science and will have it refined even more very soon.

          InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Do YOUR Blogging Goals Include Monetization: Benefits Our Readers Receive

          Reply

  32. Woohoo! Now I’m happy. Ya got some awesome links there too. 😉

    Dennis Edell’s last blog post..100 Marketers Give 100 Strategies – Recommended!

    Reply

    • LOL. I had no idea it was so easy to make you happy. Easy for me because Derek did all the work! [For those who aren’t regulars, Dennis was the first to request we add threaded comments here.]

      Thanks for dropping by so I could see what your latest post is about and come check it out.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..What IS a Social Media Expert?

      Reply

      • Ask and you shall receive….eventually. 😉

        Dennis Edell’s last blog post..100 Marketers Give 100 Strategies – Recommended!

        Reply

        • LOL We’re all spread pretty thin all the time. All things come to them that wait…Rome wasn’t built in a day…add your tired cliche here.

          InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Do YOUR Blogging Goals Include Monetization: Benefits Our Readers Receive

          Reply

          • You were so right about threaded comments. Now that I have them I wish my old replies were threaded too. It makes a huge difference in readability. After CommentLuv threaded comments is my favorite.

            Do you think we need to add the ability to edit comments?

            InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Watch Out for Recent WordPress Gumblar PHP Exploit

          • Yes you need to add edit comments. 🙂

            Dennis Edell’s last blog post..How Do YOU Define Success?

    • @Alex It only becomes apparent once a blog starts getting more than a few comments per post – and then it really is a necessity.

      Anyone reading this may be interested in why you don’t like Thesis. You’re welcome to share your opinion here if you wish. I did look for a post about Thesis in your blog but your search did not turn one up. The more someone knows about the pros and cons the better.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Do YOUR Blogging Goals Include Monetization: Benefits Our Readers Receive

      Reply

  34. One other bit of advice I’d like to give bloggers……is when you change WP Themes, make sure that your Comments are DO FOLLOW, and to use a Top Commenter (also called Top Commentator) widget. This will ensure returning readers, and a higher quality of comments!

    The threaded comments are a nice touch, because its gives better flow to the Comments Section— when the Replies are directly under the Commenter’s comment.

    Reply

    • Thank you for reminding me to add a Top Commentator widget to our to-do list. Do you have one you prefer over the others?

      Another advantage of threaded comments is it makes it easier for the blog author(s) to ensure they answer all comments.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Buy 1 Cheap Print Ad – Get Free Online Ads

      Reply

      • I like the ones that say “Top Commenter” instead of “Commentator”, and also they should be as high on the page as possible……LOL

        Keep up the good work….this is becoming one of my favorite bookmarked blogs!

        Reply

        • Thank you Matt. I’d love more input into your recommendations regarding Top Commenter. I agree that although probably more correct that most people are more familiar with Commenters than Commentators.

          Why do you like them high on the page? Because you feel the featured commentators get more visibility and potential clicks there? The link value will be the same regardless of where they physically show up.

          I have an idea for you. Let’s assume that most people arrive in a blog with the primary intention of reading a specific blog post. Analytics indicate that most people read that page and leave for somewhere. If that is true whatever is displayed when the finish reading the post may be most likely to be clicked on, right?

          Perhaps we should put the comments on a separate page (as some advanced bloggers do) and use a plug-in to show popular posts and Top Commentators at the BOTTOM of the current post?

          You’ve reminded me that I need to get an answer from some analytics types about what analytics shows if someone opens links on a page in a new tab and keeps the existing page open. Does analytics think that person has “left” that page or does it think they are now on both pages?

          InternetStrategist’s last blog post..We Miss The Golden Days of the Internet – Pay Per Click Advertising Circa 2003

          Reply

  35. Thank you very much for including my link on your post. I feel happy that the post is helpful for others!

    Nihar’s last blog post..Download Kaspersky Anti Virus 2010 Beta 9.0.0.313 & Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 Beta

    Reply

    • Welcome to GrowMap Nihar. When you leave your Twitter ID leave out the period and the link will take people directly to your Twitter account.

      GrowMap is intended to be a reference site and a place where any business or blogger can get answers about the best ways to do common tasks and increase conversions. Older posts are updated periodically with new information.

      There is far too much to figure out and most requires at least some background. We do the research and offer our best recommendations so our readers don’t have to.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Promote Your Business Without Cash

      Reply

    • Testing how cool threaded comments in WP look like. 😀

      And yeah, I love the whole “Big Ass Save Button” thingy. LOL. Thesis is really blazing a trail of its own.

      Reply

      • We installed the latest Thesis version first and then turned on the threaded comments function that comes in WP 2.7. I don’t know whether the earlier versions of Thesis would have worked with it or not. One of the main reasons we went with Thesis is that it IS supported and they DO fix whatever needs fixing.

        With so many major bloggers using it now it should continue to be one of the safest themes to build a huge site on.

        InternetStrategist’s last blog post..What IS a Social Media Expert?

        Reply

        • Reckon I will have to update my Thesis Blog., although I get a little confused when doing that as their instructions last time were not that clear. Am I supposed to overwrite the files or do I upload to a new directory?

          BTW, the theme I am currently using also has support.

          Reply

          • Hi Sire. Do you mean you have multiple blogs, one using Thesis and one using another Theme? I haven’t heard of many that officially claim to support them. If you don’t mind sharing which Theme is it?

            Check out the links I provided in this post before you do any upgrading as there are many there that seem very promising regarding understanding how Thesis hooks and other upscale features work.

            I don’t actually do any of the technical work here. Sammy Russo of http://SearchFriendlyWebDesign.com provided the original Theme, and installed and hosted WP for us. Derek Semmler of http://DerekSemmler.com installed and modified Thesis and has installed plugins for us.

            If you don’t have the answer to overwriting or uploading perhaps someone will answer here and if not ask me and I’ll find out if Derek knows. He has multiple Thesis-based blogs.

            InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Do YOUR Blogging Goals Include Monetization: Benefits Our Readers Receive

          • You do want to overwrite the files; however you need to backup a copy of your “custom” folder before you upload the new version. Once you upload the new version, you copy your backup of the “custom” folder back to the site.

            The new downloads page has a pretty straight-forward set of instructions on how to upgrade. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to give me a shout though.

          • Thanks for answering him Derek. You know I didn’t have that answer.

            InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Why You Can NOT Rely Solely on Organic Search Listings for Traffic and Revenue

          • Well when were you going to share where those other blogs are? How can I drive traffic to them if I don’t know?

            InternetStrategist’s last blog post..Why You Can NOT Rely Solely on Organic Search Listings for Traffic and Revenue

          • IG, It’s all in my about page. Unfortunately, because of time constraints I haven’t been able to update those others as much as I would like.

            Sire’s last blog post..Using Comments To Double Your Exposure

          • Thanks. I’ll look there for them when time allows.

            Internet Strategist’s last blog post..We Miss The Golden Days of the Internet – Pay Per Click Advertising Circa 2003

  37. The information above is really nice and informative. WordPress really a
    class software for website development and its version 2.7 also have superb
    features. I would definitely told of my friends about it..

    Reply

    • Welcome Sam, We recommend WP as THE content management system (CRM) for all but the most specialized of Web sites. We’re working on getting the entire process for creating a top blog together from platform to Theme to plugins.

      Your friends are fortunate that you have shared your experience and knowledge with them. We hope you’ll subscribe and become a regular reader and tell your friends. There is already much content here to benefit any Web designer, business owner or blogger with more added regularly.

      InternetStrategist’s last blog post..What IS a Social Media Expert?

      Reply

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