Try Commenting on PeekYou!

07/12/2015 by Matt Q Comments

We have been rolling out some new and exciting features on the site; as well as refining and improving some of the old ones.

With this entry we’re going to discuss one such site functionality — which is one part revision and two parts new — that has us particularly excited; profile commenting.

What is it?

As you may have already guessed, it’s a public comments section attached to each and every PeekYou profile. A public bulletin board for everything from greetings, to shout-outs, to kudos, and all manner of related discussions pertaining to the indexed individual.

How does it work?

Like every other aspect of PeekYou, it could not be easier to use.

The quick and clean version is this:

1. Search for a name on PeekYou’s homepage.
2. From the search results, locate the PeekYou profile of the person you’re seeking.
3. When at the appropriate profile, scroll to the bottom where you’ll see a comment box.
4. Type up your comment in the box and hit ‘post.’
5. When prompted, log in to our comments section, using your Facebook, Twitter, or any one of many other social networking accounts.
6. Enjoy your posted comment.

Could you walk me through it?

As it so often does with us, it all starts with a search. Go to our homepage and enter the name, and if you’d like the location, of the person you’re seeking.

Almost immediately after you send your query you will be greeted by a list of the PeekYou profiles for all indexed individuals who share the name about which you’re inquiring.

If the results are too voluminous, you can always narrow things down by clicking the green “search tools” button. From there you can easily narrow down the profiles through which you’re sifting by location and age.

Before too long you should be at the correct PeekYou profile for the individual being sought.

Long time users of PeekYou will, of course, be away ahead of us so far. This here, however, is where things get new.

First off, if you look just to the right of the name on the profile you will see a cartoon speech bubble type graphic. Contained within that graphic is a number. That is the number of comments attached to that profile (in the case of this example, zero).

From there, if you scroll down to the bottom of the profile, beyond the list of links, you will see a comment window.

From here, if you’ve got something you’d like to say, type it into the window. If you’re a first time user, you don’t have to worry about logging in at this stage if you don’t want.

If you’re happy with what you’ve entered, you can now click post. First time users will be greeted by an extensive drop-down menu providing numerous options in terms how you can log in, and with which of your social media accounts you’d like to associate your comment.

You will then be prompted for permission to proceed, with the conditions of your doing so explained.

And finally, your comment will be posted.

The existence of your comment will be reflected by the number in the cartoon speech bubble graphic at the top of the profile (in this example, now one).

Voilà, simple as that.

Seems straightforward enough, but what exactly is it for?

Whatever you’d like it to be for. While moderated to ensure that no one is libeled or unfairly disparaged, these spaces are there for the members of the PeekYou community to make their own.

One obvious suggestion, though, is that we hope these spaces will allow our users a way to leave thoughts, messages, and a means of responding for individuals whose PeekYou profiles contain no links to social profiles, or other free roads to direct contact. But as we say, you can use them however you wish, including as a space for initiating discussions on your own PeekYou profiles.

How do I know that the person I left a comment for will ever see it?

There are, of course, no guarantees. But in addition to those who regularly keep tabs on their PeekYou profiles — ranks who grow every day — PeekYou profiles are indexed by Google and all other major search engines and do come up in such searches.

Many individuals (or friends and loved ones of those folks) will come upon their PeekYou profile at some point in their Web travels. When they do, they will find your comment and/or comments awaiting them.

Okay, so they’ve seen my comment, but how will they get in touch with me?

The commenting functionality is powered by Gigya comment moderation. In order to leave a comment, you have to register with them or sign in using one of your social media accounts. When anyone responds to your comment, you will be notified.

While you can leave personal contact info in your comment if you’d like, if you are to go that route we’d suggest posting links to your PeekYou or social media profiles, as opposed to phone numbers or email addresses. Comments are, after all, 100% public.

Give it a try and be sure to let us know what you think. Also, if your comments result in a connection, reunion, or other desired contact being made, please share with us your stories. We’d love to hear them.

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