Exclusive Interview with Andy Bailey – The man behind CommentLuv
No one will say that I don’t know CommentLuv – A WordPress plugin, if they know about WordPress. CommentLuv is one of the most popular WordPress plugin and is used in more than 150,000+ blogs right now. The man behind the development of CommentLuv is Andy Bailey and here he shares his experiences with us in an exclusive interview.
Interview
- Tell about yourself.- I’m a hobby coder, I write plugins and applications to pass the time that ‘normal’ people use for watching tv, going to the pub or playing sports (because I don’t watch tv, drink alcohol or play sports). My offline life is spent running a busy Chinese takeaway and delivery business in Lancaster in the North of England. Commentluv and the Comluv site are part of my hobby time.
- What made you to go ahead with CommentLuv?- I wrote it as a simple plugin to add to my Fiddyp.co.uk blog, it saved me time. Instead of having to trawl through every comment authors site and find interesting posts to publish and read, I made a php script to do it for me. The rest, as they say is history!
- CommentLuv is using it’s own API for retrieving the RSS feed. Why don’t you add an inbuilt API in the plugin for doing the same? - I wrote the API because a lot of the sites that wanted to use the plugin didn’t have things like cURL enabled in their hosting package and so they couldn’t use it, adding the AJAX meant I could get the visitors browser to do the fetching from my server which opened up platforms like Blogger and other non-hosted solutions where users weren’t able to upload their own plugins or execute php scripts. There was also the opportunity to collect stats on who gets the most comments and who gets the most clicks which people seem to like. Everyone loves stats right?
- How did you manage to offer free blog service in ComLuv? - The free blog service on ComLuv is relatively new, I originally designed a blog using WordPress to act as the portal for all the users to register their urls so they could receive 10 links instead of just the most recent one. Since upgrading the API and learning some things about WordPress Mu (the multi user version), I thought it would be nice to offer the people that couldn’t afford hosting or didn’t know how to use FTP to transfer a bunch of files a way to have their own blog with CommentLuv on it all without worrying about installing software, updating it or even getting their own hosting.
- Are you into blogging? If yes, share about your blog and it’s details. If not, tell us why. - I have been blogging for some years, my first one was to chronicle the things I did with a MLM company selling lottery syndicate positions. I did pretty well with the company and would always get asked questions that I would have to answer again and again. Having a blog meant I could point those people to the post I made answering their question and also have an outlet to write the things I wanted to do. That particular blog has finished now but the parent site (www.teamplaylotto.com) is still running. My blog for the past few years has been http://fiddyp.co.uk which I use to write about whatever is on my mind. It’s a way for me to journal my thoughts on lots of different subjects and I enjoy keeping it up to date with what I’m doing online.
- Are you the only person behind the development of CommentLuv? - I am the sole coder, designer, support and money man. I pay for the server and anything else with my own money. It’s my hobby and is only just starting to be an expensive one! If I didn’t spend my money on ComLuv then I’d probably learn drinking and go to the pub every day like most of my friends
- Tell some of your favorite blogs. - I see literally thousands of blogs each week but I always seem to go back to the same ones, http://psychicgeek.com and http://hotfessional.com because I get to take a peek into someones personal life, I like personal blogs because I spend so much time on technical things and on work that it’s nice to see how people with personal lives live! I visit http://www.gospelrhys.co.uk/ too because he’s a funny Welshman and one of my first regularly visited blogs. There’s a whole bunch more that I visit when I see interesting last blog posts on the sites that use the plugin too. Far too many to list here!
- How did you market CommentLuv? - I didn’t. I just wrote it and made it available for people to use. The fact that people that see it and like it is all the marketing it has had. The blogs that have the little badge on it generate so much traffic that I’ve not thought about trying to advertise it.
- The idea behind “TwitterLink Comments”? - Twitterlink comments followed the same pattern as CommentLuv, I wanted an easy way to put peoples twitter ID in with their comments. There’s a huge amount of plugins that help you promote yourself on twitter by tweeting your latest post but they’re no use to you if no one is following you so, I wanted a way to help people get followers without resorting to ‘black hat’ methods as well as encourage people to comment on posts. One way to do that is provide the follow link with their comment which lets other users see what the person is about by reading their comment and if they like what they read, they can follow them. simple.
- What’s your future plan? - My future plan is to get ComLuv.com to pay for itself and perhaps even earn me some money. It probably will, there’s enough traffic and registered users that opportunities will arise but I’m in no big hurry, I’m happy to continue to write plugins that make bloggers life easier and provide a site to make blogging easier. It’s my hobby and I enjoy it, if it gets too expensive or boring then I’ll find a new hobby (or learn to drink beer by the pint).
We had a great time talking to Andy Bailey and came to know about much about his interests and experiences. We thank Andy Bailey for giving this wonderful opportunity to share his views with our readers.
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What are you thinking right now? Share with us. Definitely yours will be wonderful than mine!
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Article by Karthikeyan
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Editor of BlogrPro - A technology addict who did projects like an Operating System, Search Engine, Content Management Systems, etc. He is specialized in Web design, Web development, Wordpress, SEO, etc.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 8:00 PM
Wow! This is really cool, congratulations to Blogrpro for this exclusive interview. Thanks for showing some insights of Andy Bailey. I am not too much surprised that Andy don’t watch TV or play any sport. That results Commentluv plugin
I remember when I first saw the effect of this plugin and I got eager to know about the trick. Later my friend told me that this is due to Comment Luv plugin. Thanks Andy for giving us such a nice plugin.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 8:57 PM
@Himanshu,
Well. I too surprised to interview him. He spoke in a passion.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 9:58 PM
This plugins helps in getting traffic also. Thanks a lot Andy for creating such a great plugins. Is this plugin among most used plugins.
Dinesh´s last blog ..Twitter On Cloud Nine :- 5 Billion Tweets Served
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:05 PM
@Dinesh,
Yes Of course. This plugin already got 100,000+ downloads from the WordPress Plugins Repository. Meanwhile, many other people are downloading this plugin through some other resources too.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 8:24 PM
Good to know that he’s just ordinary person like us all. BTW, his plugin (CommentLuv) is still among the best plugin ever. Thanks to Andy and good job BlogrPro.
steppinout´s last blog ..October – To Do List
Oct 20, 2009 @ 8:58 PM
@steppinout,
Well said. He made innovation in WordPress community. He deserves your congrats.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 8:34 PM
Congrates ! He has done an exclusive job.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 9:00 PM
@a_usman,
Yes. Definitely.
Oct 20, 2009 @ 9:09 PM
hey good work blogrpro, yes CommentLuv is best plugin and good to know about developer.
Mostlyblog´s last blog ..Download Panda Internet Security 2010 Free on October 22 [Windows 7 launch]
Oct 20, 2009 @ 9:45 PM
@Mostlyblog,
Thanks buddy. I too prefer CommentLuv as the best one.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 12:21 AM
Wow, Now i know who is behind comment luv. I really liked the interview.
Tech Buzz´s last blog ..Steps – How To Make Beautiful Logo
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:05 PM
@Tech Buzz,
Glad to know that you actually like this interview. Thank you.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:06 AM
Andy is the one man army behind Comment Luv. Its Awesome. Hats off for him.
Agent 001´s last blog ..Twitter Realeased its Immensely Useful Spam Report and List Feature
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:06 PM
@Agent 001,
Thanks Deepak.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 2:55 AM
Andy’s a great guy, known him for years and a very talented programmer. Just now I know not to take him out for a pint when I meet him
Rhys´s last blog ..How To – Thank Commenters & Reduce Duplicate Comments On Your Wordpress Blog
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:07 PM
@Rhys,
Glad to see you here. Andy shared about your blog and that’s the reason for me to know about you and your blog. Thanks for you Rhys.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 8:11 AM
Thank you Andy for sharing your plugins for free.
Crazy blogger´s last blog ..Best Indian Job Portal Websites
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:07 PM
@Crazy blogger,
Thanks for your comment.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 8:37 AM
Great interview. Only 150,000+ blogs? I think more than that.
Jacob Yap´s last blog ..3 Google Wave Invitations Giveaway
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:08 PM
@Jacob Yap,
Thanks Jacob. Yes. Definitely, it will be more than 150,000. May be Andy has to update the info. I will ask him about this.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 10:48 AM
Wow!!! That is a nice interview. I enjoyed reading it
Ricky´s last blog ..New wordpress Theme-Redefined Goals At Techgenuine
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:09 PM
@Ricky,
Glad to hear that you actually enjoyed!
Oct 21, 2009 @ 10:55 AM
Your lucky to have the privilege of interview this rather genius man. We will learn a lot from this interview.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:10 PM
@Walter,
Of course very lucky to have him here.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 5:15 PM
Good Work..
Nice to read…
Oct 21, 2009 @ 7:20 PM
@Fasil,
Thanks Fasil.
Oct 21, 2009 @ 9:50 PM
I enjoying reading this interview.
Andy bailey is a very talented man.
Good going karthikeyan
Avi Singh´s last blog ..New Google Chrome Frame Wordpress Plugin
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:45 PM
@Avi Singh,
Thanks for your comment Avi.
Oct 22, 2009 @ 1:04 PM
Great Interview, really enjoyed reading it. CommentLUV is really superb.
Sahil Kotak´s last blog ..New theme at last!! HUH!!
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:46 PM
@Sahil Kotak,
Thanks Sahil. I too agree with you.
Oct 22, 2009 @ 5:01 PM
This interview influence me and push me to add commentLuv in my blog which I recently merged with my old blog Piyada’s World. As always I congrats Karthikeyan for this interview and hope we will get this type of interview in future.
WorthyTips´s last blog ..Attention Music Lover – Facebook, Google & MySpace now your legal friend
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:48 PM
@WorthyTips,
Hei Piyada! How long did I miss you here? Glad to see you back. And I too have watched your recent change in the domain name. Good luck.
And I know how well you have encouraged me for those interviews that I made it previously. Thanks buddy.
Oct 22, 2009 @ 5:17 PM
The Plugins are very effective, Informative and helpful for getting traffic too. I have seen bloggers making an Exclusive list of blogs who use Comment Luv plugin. Also, getting to know the latest article of any blog without even Visiting also is COOL in itself.
Tech-Freak Stuff´s last blog ..Learn: How to play a Video as your DeskTop Background like a Wallpaper
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:49 PM
@Tech-Freak Stuff,
That’s the best idea can be done with CommentLuv. But Andy can do that directory type very easily because of his API form approach.
Oct 22, 2009 @ 9:44 PM
brilliant idea for the plugin, it help both blogger and visitor. good interview though.
izzat aziz´s last blog ..Why I Hate to Hate Blog
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:50 PM
@izzat aziz,
Thanks for your appreciation aziz.
Oct 23, 2009 @ 11:51 AM
Nice interview. Know CommentLuv for long time but still not install at my blog yet.
Jayce´s last blog ..Free movie ticket from Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC)
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:50 PM
@Jayce,
Glad to see you here. I hope you will install it as soon as possible. Will you!
Oct 23, 2009 @ 12:35 PM
Comment luv is one among de top rated and loved by all bloggers.And by de way nice interview buddy
Sham´s last blog ..Technobuz Got Google Sitelinks
Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:51 PM
@Sham,
Hei Sham. Thanks man.
Oct 24, 2009 @ 8:34 PM
Great job Karthik, The interview is really looking cool. CommentLuv is no doubt one of the best plugin and it really deserve the popularity. Congratulations to Andy and BlogrPro.
Sanjeev´s last blog ..Post Wordpress Plugin Compatibility On Wordpress Plugin Directory
Nov 03, 2009 @ 3:13 PM
@Sanjeev,
Thanks Sanjeev. I agree with you that CommentLuv is one of the best.
Oct 25, 2009 @ 1:00 PM
Great to know something about the man behind CommentLuv. Truly genius idea and have us all benefited from the link loves on various sites. I believe passion is the key to success, and Andy proved it.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Ching Ya´s last blog ..3 Easy Ways to Share Selective Tweets on Facebook Pages
Nov 03, 2009 @ 3:16 PM
@Ching Ya,
Definitely, Passion is the way to key in the lock.
Oct 26, 2009 @ 4:32 AM
Great interview with Andy, I have been using Comment Luv Wordpress Plugin for well over a year now and honestly don’t care for commenting on blogs without it.
Extreme John´s last blog ..Best Tanning Salon in Florida
Nov 03, 2009 @ 3:20 PM
@Extreme John,
Hmm. People are almost addicted to CommentLuv installed blogs for getting more backlinks.
Nov 02, 2009 @ 3:44 PM
Congratulations on getting this exclusive interview. Commentluv is awesome and it only goes to show that the man behind it is brilliant. You have to be if you can develop this plugin.
I love this plugin so I have it installed in my sites
Mark @ Articulating Wall Mount´s last blog ..Articulating Wall Mount
Nov 03, 2009 @ 3:39 PM
@Mark @ Articulating Wall Mount,
Glad to see you here Mark. Thanks for your appreciation.
Nov 17, 2009 @ 6:52 AM
I never tried to find out the man behind the Commentluv ;(
:)
But anyways it was very nice to see you Karthikeyan interviewing him
The answers given by Andy Bailey only suggest that always have a helping nature towards everyone and one day you will get rewarded
Sunny Bhasin´s last blog ..List of Best PDF Search Engines
Nov 20, 2009 @ 10:20 PM
@Sunny Bhasin,
You surely will go to CommentLuv as no one will ignore the wonderful plugin developed by Andy.
Nov 17, 2009 @ 12:41 PM
thanks for letting us about the man behind commentluv..
Rajesh Kanuri´s last blog ..How to Send Auto Responses to New Twitter Followers
Nov 20, 2009 @ 10:25 PM
@Rajesh Kanuri,
Most welcome buddy.
Nov 18, 2009 @ 7:02 PM
Nice!! really gud dude..gr8 stuff
Nov 20, 2009 @ 10:38 PM
@neo,
Thanks buddy.
Nov 21, 2009 @ 3:42 AM
I’ve seen interviews done on Andy before and the interview obviously depends on the questions asked, and you’ve asked a lot of the right questions. This resulted in me learning that much more about Andy. Well done.
Sire´s last blog ..Three Ways To Increase Your Ad Space Earnings
Nov 25, 2009 @ 9:46 AM
@Sire,
Glad to know that you said my questions as a right one. Thanks Sire.