OMNINOGGIN

Q: What is SezWho?
A: ‘SezWho enables contributors to build portable reputation. Without SezWho user reputations are confined to a single site. With SezWho participants carry their reputation with them across the web.’

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve taken the initiative to integrate SezWho 2.0 into this blog. The screenshot above is what you will see if you hover over the “Check me out!” link next to every comment and post author on this blog. In this post I will tell you why I decided to integrate SezWho into this blog.

Joining a new community (blogs, social networks, social media sites, forums, etc) is like starting a new character in World Of Warcraft. If you are a contributor to a community, then you know that unless you have a good track record in that community, your contributions are close to worthless. For example, if you were to go and comment on some blog post on some site that you’ve never visited before, your comment will most likely be held for moderation. Because the post author does not know who you are, he/she might discard your comment on conflicting opinions. I believe that SezWho and its competitors (Intense Debate, Tangler, DISQUS) are hidden jewels in the recent list of killer tech startups that tries to solve this community disconnect problem.

The concept of portable online reputation is brilliant. Imagine having your reputation shared by all of the communities you participate in and let’s say that you are one of the prominent figures in your communities. When you join a new community that is SezWho enabled, you do not have to spend time building rapport on that community because your authoritative track record is clearly visible in this new community. You can immediately start contributing and continue to develop your online reputation. It’s like showing your own custom business card to people whenever you comment on a blog.

In short, I’ve integrated SezWho into this blog because I believe that my visitors deserve to have a portable reputation that they can take with them anywhere else on the net. I picked SezWho over its competitors because of the following reasons:

1. The developers at SezWho is very responsive to questions
2. SezWho does not try to take over my comment system and wrap them up into yet another social network
3. It can be integrated easily via a WordPress plugin (just activate).
4. It doesn’t require my users to register for a SezWho account to comment, but rather tracks their comments base on their email address.
5. Unregistered users’ avatar defaults to the user’s Gravatar.
6. In addition to comments I make, it keeps track of any blog I post.
7. It works in various platforms such as forums, social networks, and wikis (though I haven’t came across any SezWho enabled social network or wiki yet).
8. An analytics page is provided for me to fine out which posts & comments are the most effective.

I would like to encourage every blog (or forum) owner to integrate SezWho into their site. Once you do, please let me know, as I like to comment on people’s blog all the time.

Lastly, do you guys think I made the wrong choice? Do you think Intense Debate, Tangler, or DISQUS does a better job? Please feel share your comments below.