Don’t Let Your Heart Be Broken

 92 Comments on Don’t Let Your Heart Be Broken 0 959

Many of you know CommentLuv is my all time favorite plugin.

With CommentLuv a blogger gets to let those who comment share a link back to their site which often results in more traffic for both bloggers.

It’s a great reward for those who take the time to comment on our blogs; a way to thank others for sharing their thoughts.

CommentLuv definitely spreads the love.

Today’s Lesson

You may have noticed when a blog has CommentLuv enabled, at the end of the link to your blog post is a small red heart. By hovering over the heart with your cursor, it can tell more about you, your blog, where you visited last as well as more of your posts. It’s also clickable.

While going through the comments on recent posts, I noticed many of you are not using this feature. Instead, if I hover over the heart, I’m either seeing,

or,

When your CommentLuv link is labeled as a Feedburner link,  Feedburner is getting the link love, instead of you.

In other words, your CommentLuv heart is broken.

When I signed up at ComLuv.com, I wanted to make sure my heart was working. After several tweaks and the Feedburner “fix”, here’s what you will see if you hover over the heart after a link to one of my posts:

Although some of you may prefer not to have additional information about yourself and where you visit available, for those of you who are trying to get noticed in blogosphere, by using this feature, you’re giving readers a chance to learn more about you as well as what other posts you have on your blog AND they can click directly on them.

The fix for your broken CommentLuv heart is easy.

You MUST register your blog.

1) Go to ComLuv.com

2) If you have the plugin installed and want to register your site(s*), click on the gray “Register Your Sites” bar and follow the instructions. Be careful when entering your feed address. It must be accurate for the CommentLuv links to work.

3) If you do not have the plugin installed, click on the orange “Download the plugin” bar. After activating the plugin, return to ComLuv.com and register your site.

If the CommentLuv links shows your site as a feedburner link, the fix can be found on the ComLuv blog at How To Turn Off Feedburner Redirects

It’s that simple.

What say you?

Today’s Assignment

Are you taking advantage of all the CommentLuv plugin has to offer?

Do you see any disadvantages to using the plugin?

Or, is this just one too many plugins to worry about?

signature for blog post.

P.S. For more information on how CommentLuv was born, you can read my interview with the plugin author, Andy Bailey.

*For a small fee, you can register more than one URL or add static links.

92 thoughts on “Don’t Let Your Heart Be Broken”

  1. You teach me something every time I visit, Barbara. I had CommentLuv enabled and have for a short time now but I didn’t see the profile section or knew how it worked until I read this. Thank you for providing such great information.
    .-= Check out Julie Walraven | Resume Services´s awesome post: Don’t Let Your Resume Fall in the Black Hole! =-.

  2. Thanks Barbara,

    As always your information is invaluable. I completely agree with you that comment luv is an invaluable tool. When I read your blog and you highlight your visitor’s new blogs with the word AWESOME, it just makes me smile.

    I’m three months into blogging and I hope this is a feature you can use on a free wordpress theme with a mac. It should work, right? I’ll give myself a week to get this up and running.

    Last week you mentioned the dot com idea and I managed to work it out. I’m now a dot com. Yeah! julieangelos.com

    Your a great leader. I inspire to have 100 comments to my articles. For now I’ve gotten between four and 14. I can do this with help from gorgeous professionals like Barbara.

    Julie
    .-= Check out Julie Angelos´s awesome post: 12 things I wish I knew before I started a blog. =-.

    1. Update: You can now see my gravatar image and comment love description all thanks to you Barbara. You pointed me in the write I mean right direction. Thx!

      1. Thank you for your kind words Julie,

        WooHoo! Your heart is working perfectly. And…you’re a dot.com too? For someone new to blogging you’re advancing in leaps and bounds. Good job!

        1. Thanks Barbara,

          I have good teachers like you. It surprises me that you don’t have google ads considering the amount of visitors you get. Have you thought about it? I bet if I looked a little bit more on your site you’ve dedicated an entire post to it.
          : )

          Julie
          .-= Check out Julie Angelos´s awesome post: 12 things I wish I knew before I started a blog. =-.

        2. You’re welcome Julie,

          *smiles* Yes, I used to have Google ads on this blog. At the time all they did was take up space, so I removed them and I never added it back.

          I do use Google AdSense on my other two blogs.

  3. Barbara,
    Well, what a great post to read today!! I have been using CommentLuv for a long time, although I have had the Feedburner “problem”. So, this was a great article to read…and then go ahead and make the changes to my feedburner account!

    I see CommentLuv as an excellent plugin, and one that really does help to spread the word the great stuff people are putting out there!

    1. Hi Lance,

      I hope you get your Feedburner “problem” fix soon. The next time I see your heart, I’ll check it out.

      And yes, CommentLuv is a great way to spread the word.

  5. Hi Barbara .. gosh what excellent information. I’ve just registered with them .. but use blogger and want to move my blog over to WP as soon as I can get myself organised to do so .. but this is really helpful and no doubt I’ll be back once I’ve moved over – so that I can get mine fixed before I start so to speak. Also I look forward to reading your Andy Burns interview .. thanks for that link .. Have a great Sunday – unless you like everyone else is snowed in .. it’s sunny here – cold though!! Enjoy – and thanks for a very useful bit or bits of info .. Hilary
    .-= Check out Hilary´s awesome post: Groundhog Day, Candlemas and Jannie the First … =-.

    1. You’re welcome Hilary,

      It seems I read CommentLuv also works with Blogger blogs, so you may be able to use it prior to your switchover.

      The snow missed us, but the East Coast got hit hard. Enjoy your sun!

  6. What say me? I say Barbara Swafford loves to help us be the best bloggers we can be! And I’m off to check out if I’ve got my blog registered with Comment Luv or not.

    Thank you, Barbara!

    Also, it’s my first time over here since your new design lay-out. It’s so awesome!!! I really like how your above-the-fold is now more maximized so a large part of the blogpost area is now visible, compared to how it was further down the page before. Beautiful! Just beautiful!! A joy to behold and read.
    .-= Check out Jannie Funster´s awesome post: Gratitude =-.

    1. Thank you Jannie,

      Like you, I also got a facelift. Isn’t it grand?

      I noticed you heart isn’t working yet. Hopefully we’ll see more of you and your great blog posts real soon.

  7. Hi Barbara,

    I have CommentLuv on my blog and I had no idea that there was a profile for CommentLuv to fill in. I hovered over a few commenters “heart” above and yep…, it shows the feedburner thingy. Only one, Betsey’s, shows the filled in profile information. Thanks for this information. All this time that I’ve had this CommentLuv plugin on my blog and I had no idea.
    .-= Check out Lin´s awesome post: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Book Review and Video =-.

    1. You’re welcome Lin,

      Isn’t it amazing what all this plugin has to offer? Although it does take a few additional steps to utilize all of the options, I feel it’s well worth it.

      P.S. Thank you for the link on Facebook. 🙂

  8. Lin posted a link to this post over on Facebook & I’m so glad she did! Thanks so much for the information! I hope I’ve got the problem (that I didn’t even know existed) licked.
    .-= Check out Heather Kephart´s awesome post: Flatlanders, Hawks and Chickens =-.

  9. Hi Barbara. My CommentLuv was set up a while back. I had a heck of a time getting it set up and ended up in Andy’s forum a few times before it finally worked. A few months after all that something changed; maybe when the plugin was updated? Not sure. At any rate my CommentLuv heart was broken and I’ve not been looking forward to fixing it after the rigamarole I went through before.
    .-= Check out Davina´s awesome post: Book Review for “The Narcissist: A User’s Guide” =-.

    1. Hi Davina,

      I know what you’re saying. Sometimes when we have problems we just throw our hand up in the air and say “forget it”. One thing about our blogs and their plugins and widgets, we can always go back to them when we feel like it.

  10. Great reminder! I changed domains in January and I hadn’t gotten ComLuv 100% set up. It’s one of those things that you don’t think about next to all the big ones.

    Edited to add: looks like my heart is still broken, I think Comluv operates from a cache. We’ll see.

    .-= Check out Mrs. Micah´s awesome post: File Your 2009 Federal Taxes for Free =-.

    1. Thank you Mrs. Micah,

      Yes. Compared to what all we have to work on with our blogs, plugins often go by the wayside.

      Looking at the readout on your heart, it appears you may have to make an adjustment in your Feedburner account. (see above link for fix).

  11. I’m happy with the comment function on Blogger. I don’t need to add anything to make it work and I don’t think I want to trouble myself by adding this plug in to something that works just fine for me.

    I like the fact that it still seems to display my most recent post when I do submit a comment on your’s or someone else’s site though. I think this still will drive some traffic my way.

    That’s how I feel right now about it.

  12. I don’t think I want to complicate things by adding this plug in to my Blogger blog. I’m happy with how the comments work.

    I do like how this plug in shows people my latest blog post when I comment on other people’s blogs (such as yours) and I think that it may drive some traffic my way.

    For now, I think that’s good enough for me.
    .-= Check out Chase March´s awesome post: Twitter Tip – Creating a Threaded Discussion =-.

    1. Hi Chase,

      I just noticed CommentLuv didn’t pick up your first comment, but did your second. Thank you for re-commenting as it shows your link to your fabulous Twitter Tip.

  13. Wow! I had no idea. I’m going to click the heart after leaving this comment and see what it says. Great tip to post!
    .-= Check out Dot´s awesome post: Comment on It’s Really a Blizzard by Hilary =-.

  14. Hi Barbara,

    I use the CommentLuv plugin and really love it. My only gripe with it is that it does not always recognize my latest posts. Sometimes I have to reload a blog post a few times and paste in my comment until I can see the title of my post at the end. It happens every now and then which is time consuming but it always works out somehow.
    .-= Check out Nadia – Happy Lotus´s awesome post: A Different Take on Being Happy at Work =-.

    1. Hi Nadia,

      I hear you. Although CommentLuv every once in awhile acts up, the benefits far outweigh the hassle of reentering our comment (if we want our latest post to show up).

  15. First time stopping by and I’m already learning something. I had often wondered why my info didn’t show. I have made the changes and fingers are crossed I did it right!

    Thanks to Julie for showing me the way here. And I see there are some familiar faces from elsewhere as well. Definitely in the right place. 🙂
    .-= Check out Anne´s awesome post: The Beauty of Winter =-.

  16. Barbara — Thanks for this information. I always wondered about CommentLuv and now you’ve given me the incentive to take the next step.

    I think I actually signed up once, but didn’t know where to go next…thanks to you, I do now:~)

    I like it when you help us learn about new (or old but unused) blogging features. As not everyone has someone to help them with these features, it’s so nice that you share your experiences.

    Thanks for this post:~)
    .-= Check out Sara B. Healy´s awesome post: Tempering the Type A Personality =-.

    1. You’re welcome Sara,

      You know, that’s one thing I really enjoy about blogging – sharing what I find or figure out to hopefully make blogging for others easier.

      And…when I visit other blogs, I get to learn new things, as well.

    1. Hi Karen and Gerald,

      Some plugins are like that – too much of a hassle to deal with. When I run into that, I put them on the back burner – sometimes to be forgotten, sometimes to try later.

  18. Thanks Barbara, I had no idea ComLuv did all that! Plus you’ve reminded me to put ComLuv on the list of things I need to update when I change domains in a couple of weeks!
    .-= Check out Melinda | SuperWAHM´s awesome post: In Which Mel Talks About How She Lost an Entire Week =-.

  19. Hi Barbara,

    After seeing this pluggin in several blogs I wanted to include it in mine so people could be seen and their latest post be promoted, just as a fair thing if I’m receiving the same kind treatment when visiting their blogs, but didn’t know about these features.

    It seems so far it’s working fine in my case but will have to find the way to include the little description like in yours.

    Time to tinker a little more!

    Thank you Barbara for all this information and tips you always give us.

    Raul
    .-= Check out Alien Ghost´s awesome post: Blog Update =-.

    1. You’re welcome Raul,

      I see you not only have CommentLuv working on your blog, but you also have most of the options working on your heart, too.

      To add a description, just go back to ComLuv.com, login, click on “register your sites” click on “edit” and fill in a “description” (then save it).

  20. thanks for the tips. I see those hearts, but never knew that you could get more info from them. I will definitely go to the site now and look at my descriptions again to be sure I’m using that space to the fullest.
    .-= Check out Michele McGraw (scrappinmichele)´s awesome post: Vote for Your Favorite Super Bowl Ad =-.

  21. Hmm.. interesting. I’m not sure I want to register with CommentLuv, but I’m going to look into it.

    You learn something new every day! Especially on this blog. 🙂
    .-= Check out vered | professional blogger´s awesome post: Post Baby Body: Stop it Already! =-.

  22. Terrific info for me, Barbara, thanks! I had NO IDEA my heart was broken. You’re a peach.

    By the way your Extreme Makeover is perfect for your blog — I can’t imagine how you’ll ever top this!
    .-= Check out Jeanne´s awesome post: Austin, Texas =-.

    1. Thank you for your kind words Jeanne,

      Hopefully you’ll have your heart fixed real soon. Or, will you wait until you arrive home to work behind the scenes of your blog?

  25. This is great advice and so thorough! I love the commentluv function. I tried to put it on my blog but I found out through WordPress that my blog would need to be self-hosted to qualify. Hopefully that has changed since I checked; it was about three months ago that I looked into it.
    .-= Check out Jodi at Joy Discovered´s awesome post: Great Expectations =-.

  26. Hi Barbara – Very good info! I did join commentluv a few weeks ago, just sort of by accident (how I seem to do most technical things). And I like that it makes my little heart more personal. But after reading your post and seeing your heart, I realize I can add even more to personalize it. So I will get on that. Thanks!
    .-= Check out Patty – Why Not Start Now?´s awesome post: Meaning Mondays: The Purposelessness Edition =-.

    1. Thank you Patty,

      Yes, that’s right. You can even personalize the Commentluv information even further. As I mentioned to Raul, it’s just a matter of editing your “description”.

  27. We’re planning to release a blog with news about our company and will surely be using CommentLuv on it. We believe that “the love must be spread” as long as comments add up to the conversation.

  28. Wow I am still trying to get my comment luv working correctly…as today it is about 3 posts behind….and today’s post is yummy!

    Hmmm…I am going to forward this post over to IT girl and see if she can help me…
    Always learn such good lessons here Thank you Barbara.

    All your comments are helpful also – what a gift
    .-= Check out Patricia´s awesome post: Making Valentines: 3 Hearts Swan =-.

    1. You’re welcome Patricia,

      If your posts are showing up “late”, I’m guessing it has something to do with Feedburner. That’s a real easy fix to make so if you have a chance, email Andy’s post to your IT girl, too.

    1. You’re welcome Jeff,

      As mentioned in the post, it’s quit easy to get the heart working. It just takes a little bit of time (which with blogging can be hard to find at times).

  30. While I don’t use the plugin myself, I see a major advantage to using it: it encourages people to comment on your blog.

    That’s interesting about clicking the heart. Personally, I wouldn’t opt to register with commentluv, though I can see why many would.

    As someone who comments, I do appreciate the feature when it’s on the blog I’m commenting on.
    .-= Check out Bamboo Forest – PunIntended´s awesome post: Our Environment Is in the Crapper. Will You Help Me? =-.

    1. Hi Bamboo,

      Yes, it does encourage comments as it gives the other readers a glimpse at what you share on your blog. That’s also when those catchy titles come in handy (like yours about there being no North Dakota. 🙂 )

  31. This is pretty cool. I accidentally discovered that the heart actually does something when I visited a friend’s blog. I’ve always meant to find out what I should do to get it to display what I want, but just never got around to actually doing that. Well, what do you know? This post ends up in my RSS inbox. Thanks. =)
    .-= Check out Kelvin Kao´s awesome post: Pili Prestige: The Dragon Warrior =-.

  32. Hands down the best plugin ever created; I’ve been in since version 1…got it all!
    .-= Check out Dennis Edell´s awesome post: Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed! =-.

  33. Very cool tip Barbara, thank you. I just fixed mine. I wonder, is it retroactive to previous comments? How long does it take to show up? I see that it hasn’t taken affect yet.
    .-= Check out Tom Volkar / Delightful Work´s awesome post: Authentic Business Building =-.

    1. Hi Tom,

      Hmmmm. Your heart isn’t working yet. Although I seem to remember a time lapse, I don’t think it was more than 12+/- hours. You might want to recheck your settings one more time.

      Retroactive? Good question. I’ll have to go back to old posts and see what happens when I hover over a heart I know is working.

  35. Another brilliantly useful post, Barbara. Thank you! (I still haven’t figured out why Comment Luv thinks my blog is a Blogger blog, but at least it sems to work most of the time!)
    .-= Check out janice´s awesome post: Caldo Verde =-.

  36. Well, looks like people recommend commentluv simply everywhere!

    Glad to see that. This plugin really deserves to be spread in masses! 🙂
    .-= Check out Allan´s awesome post: Let This Girl Survive – A Lump of Ice Fell on Her Head Right From the Roof of Multi-Floored Building – on 5th February, 2010 =-.

    1. Hi Allen,

      I agree. CommentLuv deserves all of the kudos it gets. And, the plugin author, Andy Bailey deserves even more. He’s the BEST.

      I see your heart is working too. 🙂

  37. I’m not using commentluv for the mere reason Thumper hasn’t installed it for some reason. He does all the technical stuff on my blog. I’ll ask him why he hasn’t.
    .-= Check out BunnygotBlog´s awesome post: The Clique Of Frigid Bitches Or Are They? =-.

  38. I was sorry to hear that you are not feeling well, I hope you are better soon. I also wanted to thank you for this helpful information. I don’t use WordPress and couldn’t find a way to use Comment Luv on my blog until I realized that by using Intense Debate for my comments I had access to the Comment Luv plugin.

    But I also didn’t know about registering for it, even though I hadn’t installed it directly on my blog. Now I’m registered and hopefully my links will show all my pertinent information. Thanks again, feel better!
    .-= Check out Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella´s awesome post: Another Way To Offer Blog Subscriptions – Get Yourself Some Bloglovin! =-.

    1. You’re welcome Joella,

      I see you have your heart working perfectly. Isn’t it great knowing when you leave a comment on another CommentLuv enabled blog, your recent post is showing, but so is more information about you and your blog.

      I’m happy to hear by using Intense Debate you have access to CommentLuv. I’ve heard the two are a great combination.

  39. Hi Barbara!

    Thanks for this tutorial. It couldn’t be timlier. I knew this was one of the first plug ins I wanted to start using. I’m going to go work on it right now. Wish me luck. I may be back when/if I get confused to ask you questions.
    .-= Check out Debbie Yost´s awesome post: Teachers Impact our Lives =-.

  40. Pingback: Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 2/12/10 | Heather Villa

  42. Thanks so much, Barbara, for the tips! I’m actually trying to decide if I want to use CommentLuv or KeywordLuv right now, but, I didn’t know that CommentLuv had all these extra features so I might just try it out first! 🙂
    .-= Check out Lisa Marie Mary´s awesome post: 11 Days Of Working To Get My Head In The Game =-.

    1. You’re welcome Lisa,

      From what I’ve read both CommentLuv and KeywordLuv have their advantages, however because most of the bloggers who frequent this blog choose to use their real names in comments, and not keywords, CommentLuv fits this blog best.

  43. I just started using commentluv today and am so glad I found it! Thank you for such a great blog post, I was having trouble with commentluv and your suggestion to register was a huge help! (sounds simple but since it was optional, I hadn’t done it)
    .-= Check out Comment´s awesome post: What is Paczkis Day? =-.

    1. You’re welcome Wendi,

      Because I love CommentLuv so much, I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Andy’s site. I love all of the options he offers us bloggers. Let me know if you need any help with your “heart”. 🙂

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