Add YouTube and Polls to Comments

Some of you may have noticed we’ve been experimenting with a new feature in comments here on WordPress.com, namely that you can now embed YouTube videos and PollDaddy polls directly in a comment.

Although shortcodes are great and we’ll continue to support and encourage them for comments the simplest possible interface seemed to be just a URL.

The URL is all you’ll need to include a YouTube video or PollDaddy poll. To try it out copy and paste the permalink for a video or a poll on PollDaddy Answers and put it on its own line in a comment, like enter enter http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1598108/ enter enter. You’ll now have a poll embedded in the comment just like this:

(By the way, I have a Kindle 2 and it’s the bestest thing since sliced beer.)

Of course if someone leaves a video or poll you don’t like it’s just like them leaving something else you don’t like, you can always delete it or edit it to remove the offending link.

As you and your audience start to play with this it should spice up comments a bit, and based on your feedback we may expand this to encompass other shortcodes and embeds in the future.

For some further information, feel free to check out the feature’s official support document.

Keep commentin’. 🙂


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198 Comments

Comments are closed.

  1. Joshy Pakula

    Awesome!
    But It will be very nice if we could add a Feevy sidebar inside our blogs ^^

    Like

  2. Nita

    I think this is a great idea. Images too are something I look forward to. Perhaps images of a certain size only can be allowed.

    Like

  3. enderfish

    Do you think its worth it to get a Kindle if you aren’t traveling at all? The kindle book prices weren’t as cheap as I had hoped, but I guess that just goes to show how expensive licensing can be O.o

    Like

  4. Dori Doreau

    i don’t like this new feature, and i don’t like that i have to ban the use of youtube-links at all in my comments if i don’t want to allow videos showing on my blog. i’m fine with people posting a LINK to youtube if they want to show something, with this new system i can’t allow that anymore. that’s not what i call an improvement.

    there needs to be an option for blog owners to switch this new function on/off so they have full control what they allow in their comments.

    Like

  5. daba

    lets say i post a youtube url in a comment, and i want it to stay as a url – not present the video.

    do i have to use html to create a link or is there a easier way?

    Like

  6. inferioris

    please consider adding images that would automatically be thumbnailed (and clicking the thumbnail, the image would open in the same tab or a new window), because I have problems posting big-size images.

    Like

  7. terakki

    i think a bit absurd

    Like

  8. azhtech

    I see you, in heart for your live. brain and thinking big its solution for you,,,

    Like

  9. herbalsfromceylon

    yea i like too

    Like

  10. egomaniac

    Nice improvement!

    Like

  11. spocrep

    great idea I don’t know how you guys come up with these things…
    I would use it for sure…
    and I’m excited to see what people will use in my blog 🙂
    thanks matt 🙂

    Like

  12. Ros

    Matt, you seriously need to enable comment threading on your blog. It’s virtually impossible to tell who some of your replies are aimed at.

    Like

    • Matt

      There is threading on this blog, but only authors can use it. See how my replies are a little bit indented?

      Like

  13. awi

    Sounds cool. Can’t wait to try it out!

    Like

  14. Staff

    … just awesome wordpress… I just love ya!

    Thanks…Thanks..Thanks….

    Like

  15. _anomaly

    When are we going to be able to put a YouTube play list in a separate page? Posting each video is really a drag.

    Besides, I am an internet celebrity. Posting each video really cuts into my busy social life… yeah! 🙂

    Like

  16. art predator

    Scrolling through the comments it’s obvious how the new tools spice it up–exactly like sliced beer!

    Like

  17. art predator

    Oh and speaking of comments, I love how I can now see the comments to a post when I go in to edit it! Thanks so much for that!

    Like

  18. bigcrow

    So add images in comments with dimensions 🙂 to resize big ones 🙂
    It’ll be GREAT 🙂

    Like

  19. Andreas Pischner

    Matt said: “Because if we did that for EVERY SINGLE feature WordPress would just be a collection of hundreds of checkboxes.”

    However, in this case it is really worth it. Having to edit the comments on your blog is a lot more inconvenient than checking another box.

    I am happy with every new OPTIONAL feature you guys devise, but please be careful when altering the excellent WordPress experience with additions that may be annoying or troublesome for some bloggers.

    Like

    • Matt

      That’s what someone says for EVERY case. For every possible thing we could ever introduce, there will be at least a few people (maybe even a lot) that think there should be an option for it, or it shouldn’t exist at all. Everything! It’s just a matter of scale.So we just have to make the best decisions we can along the way about what truly merits an option and what doesn’t, otherwise you end up with bloatware. Every additional option makes it harder to test and provide a good experience for WordPress.com users, which is why we try to avoid them as much as possible.

      Like

  20. ian in hamburg

    Isn’t it already possible to insert an image into a comment? I guess it can’t be – never seen one. Wouldn’t that be a more useful feature?

    Just today I wanted to respond to a commenter with a close-up photo to explain what I was talking about…

    Like

  21. gustavolee25

    Adoro Fred Mercury, he is always the champion!

    Like

  22. Pingback: New WP comment features « Nuke’s
  23. bhavick

    hey matt ur display pic, is that taj mahal?

    Like

  24. exodians

    woo! getting betta! and betta!

    Like

  25. alyngrosu

    Supper Comentarii Sunt Uimit De Lucrurile Spuse Aici

    Like

  26. Roucky3

    Nice Idea!

    Like

  27. Splodge!

    bestest thing since sliced beer! Tee-hee! I’m going to have fun with this – thanks WordPress.

    Like

  28. e-hime

    how cool! just the url and voila!

    Like

  29. Toru

    Thats cool! I guess themes with not-so-wide-wide width for the comment area needs bit of fiddling.

    Like

  30. Father George

    Hey Matt,

    Youtube. Good. Really good!

    And then there’s gloria.tv! Really looking forward to that! VIP time!

    Lots of great work you guys are doing for us! Thanks!

    Like

  31. DaveFlash

    So this:

    will work?!

    Like

  32. cb064

    Basicly i think a link should stay a link

    if you make an embedded video out of a link
    this becomes an endorsement by german law

    this new feature of yours could cost me >2000 $
    for every single instance (an objection)

    so please at least provide a switch to turn that off!

    i am perfectly willing to except a link to youtube
    .. though i want to have more control over embedded content!

    although you should consider that perhaps
    the commenter intended to post a link
    .. not an embedded video
    (as it actually happened in one of my blogs)

    sincerely yours
    Christian Bahls

    Like

  33. Pingback: Matt announced yesterday that you now can have YouTube videos embedded into the comment field. « Teck~Line
  34. peacefulone

    Matt, I’m reminded of the energizer bunny…keep kickin out the new ideas! Nothing but love 4u!

    Like

  35. Monthly News Gazette
  36. ----HAYATCEMRESİ----

    WORDPRESS’İ KULLANMAK ZOR,YARISI TÜRKÇE ,YARISI İNGİLİZCE.

    Like

  37. Versatile
  38. SimplyLife

    WordPress rocks.

    Like

  39. margolan

    Good job! WordPress is the Champion!

    Like

  40. alejna

    Very cool.

    Since my comment in which I embedded a video didn’t get approved, I guess I can try a poll:

    http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1000076/

    Like

  41. terakki

    so crazy

    Like

  42. The Lazy Aussie

    Still just displays links for me. Just can’t seem to embed the poll.

    Like

  43. bhavick
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  46. hallyuism

    thx ^^ it’s great ^^

    Like

  47. ★Heyitsme★

    Awesome! Now I can show people YouTube videos without posting them! 😀

    Like

  48. theselfloathingfeminist

    Sweet! Maybe allowing for music files on the .com site is next? Pleeeeeease? Pretty please? 🙂

    Like

  49. alanany

    أشكرك

    Like

  50. travelguide7233

    it is fun to anwser your own polls

    Like

  51. sweet pea

    this is awsome, but still figuriing out how to use it. 🙂

    Like

  52. peachatopia

    Awesome! Now my commentors can respond in more than one way! Neato!

    Like

  53. Monkey24

    super cool deck is the best

    Like

  54. Brenda Nepomuceno

    That’s so cool! Hopefully people will get more excited about commenting after this!

    Like

  55. Felipe Castro

    Well, maybe I am a “control freak”, but I definitely want to be the ONLY person publishing polls or videos in my blog. I suppose you are aware of the stream of strange, weird, off-topic comments that your bloggers receive. This feature is going to complicate the moderation chores.
    Anyway, I see most people are enthusiastic about the new service, so consider my note just as an example of the diversity of your authors. Keep going, folks.

    Like

  56. lunakizz

    Awesome! The Best!

    Like

  57. hielasangre

    Great feature!
    By the way, I’m still looking for an eBook reader that I can pay for (here in Argentina it costs more than a half of my salary 😛 )
    May I ask if you’re planning to introduce polls in the sidebars?
    Thanks

    Like

  58. Kunal

    Contrary to popular opinion, I would not like the commentators to take over my blog with youtube videos and polls.. I think the spammers could/would consider this a goldmine 😦 ..
    off to change settings, so that I can hold the videos/polls in moderation.

    Like

  59. ashokkannan

    great job………….

    Like

  60. Daniele Fusi

    just to try

    Like

  61. christembassyonlinestore

    this is great just tell me how to include it on my blog

    Like

  62. directinprint

    Uh, like this?

    Like

  63. Yasir Imran

    This is great feature dude,thanks

    Like

  64. kumpul101

    oye!!…
    that’s nice… that’s not nice, that’s awesome!! okay, matt? when it will be available?? haha..sorry I’m just excited.. peace…

    Like

  65. rajasen

    So it works like so?

    Bravo.

    Like

  66. Artheido Arty

    Instead of directly showing the YT video in the comments, why not just show the thumbnail and direct it to the YT video page like other sites do? That way it reduces the time taken for a page to load.

    Like

  67. katyallgeyer

    You gotta love wordpress bloggers! How cool was that Queen video imbed? 🙂

    Like

  68. kumpul101

    okey… thnx… ^_^

    Like

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