How to Install Intense Debate and Enable CommentLuv On Blogger (Blogspot)

CommentLuv is a commenting system that encourages visitor to comment, by displaying the visitor's latest post link in the comment- which is a good exposure for the visitor's website/blog- that's why people like to comment at the CommentLuv enabled website and blog, therefore brings more traffic for the site.


Then how to install CommentLuv on Blogger (Blogspot.com)?

One of the largest online commenting system Intense Debate provides CommentLuv as a feature, so we can install Intense Debate on Blogger, then enable CommentLuv feature.

Here's a step by step guide on how to install  Intense Debate and enable CommentLuv on Blogger (Blogspot.com)

Brief introduction of the CommentLuv installation process

In order to install Intense Debate, it will add some HTML/JavaScript codes into your Blogger template codes, in several different places, which technically is little bit difficult for many non-techie bloggers to do manually.

Therefore, Intense Debate asks you download your Blogger template to computer, then upload it to Intense Debate. Intense Debate instantly adds all its codes into the uploaded-template, and provides the updated template code back to you, in seconds. You can copy the updated codes, paste back to your blog template to overwrite the original codes. Once you save the template, Intense Debate will be showing under your posts !

Then, you can go into the Intense Debate account to enable CommentLuv. That's it.

The logo of CommentLuv is a red heart, as showing at the left.

 Now let's install Intense Debate / CommentLuv on Blogger Step by Step.


First stage: Create a  Intense Debate account

Create an account at Intense Debate is easy, it only asks for a Username, a password and a email address.

Here's the details:

A. Go to Intense Debate website: http://intensedebate.com/
B. Click on the big Sign Up button on the front page
C. You will see the "Join the Debate" page pop up (screenshot below)

 Type in:
- Username (Account user name you'd like to use to login to Intense Debate in the future)
- email address (to retrieve password in the future)
- Password (Accounjt password you'd like to use for the account)
- confirm the password ( type in the password again)
- (important) select "I want to install IntenseDebate on my blog or website"

Then click on the green 'Sign up' button. 

D. You will see a new window with message asking you to check your email. 
 Now open a new browser window, login to your email account, open the latest email received from Intense Debate, click on the verification page link inside the email.

E. A new window now popup says "Verification Successful!" , as in following screenshot.

Click on the link at the page bottom says Continue with your installation. It will continue with the installation process.

Please move on...

Second stage: Install Intense Debate on your Blogger blog

Now we come to the second stage.You will see following "Install IntenseDebate" page.

F. Type in your blog web address, and click on "next step" button.

For example, the blog address I'm using is Http://start-a-free-blog.blogspot.com.

G: If you are using a custom domain name for your blog, you will be asked to choose what blog platform you are using, choose "Blogger" and go next;

If you are like me, using the default blogspot.com as blog address, Intense Debate knows it's on Blogger, it will bring you directly to next step;.

H: You come to following screen,  which have 5 steps to follow, please read carefully and do it one by one.

Explanation for above screen:

• Step 1: Choose any of the two options on the screen.
• Step 2: In your browser, open a new window. From the new window, login to your Blogger account, go to your blog's Template option
• Step 3: At that page's top-right side, click on Back/Restore button
• Step 4: In the pop-up window, click on Download Full Template to download your blog template to your computer,  you can save it on computer Desktop. Make sure to remember the file name.
• Step 5: Switch the browser window back to Intense Debate, (at step #5 on the above screenshot) click on the 'Browse...' button (to upload the template file you just saved). In the pop-up window,  browse to your computer Desktop,  choose the file name you just saved, click on Open to add the template. 
• You will see the template file name shows up in front of the "browse" button in above screenshot.
• Now, click on the green "upload file and continue" button (at the bottom of above screenshot) !

Your template has been uploaded to Intense Debate !

I: You will immediately see the following screen:

In following screenshot's step 3, it shows you the updated template codes for your blog- with Intense Debate codes added, and that's the codes you need to copy and paste into your template to overwrite the original codes.

Explanation for above screen:

• Step 1: Switch the browser window back to your Blogger. If you see any pop-up window in the front, close them. From blog dashboard go to Template option.
• Step 2: Click on "Edit HTML", then click on "proceed" in the pop-up window, you will see the blog template HTML codes showing in front of you.
• Step 3: Switch the browser window to Intense Debate, at step 3 in the screenshot, right-click on the HTML codes, and select 'copy' in the pop-up window.
• Setp 4: Switch the browser window back to your Blogger, on the template HTML window,  press CTRL and A keys on the keyboard at same time, you will see all the template codes be highlighted. Now right-click on the high-lighted codes, select 'Paste' in the pop-up menu - your template codes now been replaced. 
• Step 5: click on 'Save Template', you done !

Till now, you have successfully installed Intense debate on your blog ! But, not finish yet, please move on to enable commentLuv....

Third stage: Enable CommentLuv in Intense Debate

J. Now, switch your browser window back to Intense Debate website, click on the link at the bottom of the page "configure this IntenseDebate account" (as in above screenshot).

You will see following screen:

K. Click on Plugins at the left sidebar, the you will see a list of plugins, as in following screen. Scroll down, till you see CommnetLuv.

L. Click on 'Activate' in front of the CommentLuv, You done !

Till now, you have enabled CommentLuv on your blogger blog !

Verify

Let's verify what has happened to your blog.

Go to any of your blog post, take a look at the comments area under the post, do you see the lovely CommentLuv icon?

Summary

We can install CommentLuv on Blogger (blogspot) by installing Intense Debate at first, then enable the CommentLuv feature.

How do you encourage people to leave comments on your blog? What's your experience with CommentLuv? Share your experience and insights in the comments box below.