Personally, I will always prefer a site like FR which links to the stories since trolls are rare to nonexistent here. Like anything in widespread use on the 'net the sociopaths eventually become a problem.
Disqus has many other longstanding problems to solve, including its balky performance, failure to load properly, and a threading model that only goes 2 or 3 deep.
This also doesn't excuse lazy or nonexistent site moderators who fail to monitor content and delete spam, trolls and cul-de-sac type threads.
Speaking of spam, the spammers use random names etc. so blocking them will be mostly futile but at least you can have a go.
On the other hand, trolls who change their name manually can eventually be blocked completely especially if the user community points them out.
PS - sites that chose to use or migrate to a Facebook commenting engine have seen the comment traffic, which is also a measure of readership, plummet. They imagined that Facebook comments tied to a real person would encourage civility. The problem is, lefty fascists can and will pursue anyone for any reason. They feel completely at ease threatening, harassing and even attempting to involve someone's employer, church, friends, relatives, etc. Did I say sociopathic? Let's try psychopathic.
If I log in under Disqus I’m banned from commenting on Real Clear Politics. I have to log in under the RCP site. I’ve contacted them again and again but no help or even a response. I gave up.
Don’t forget Discus’s PCification (discontinuance) of the down-voting system a few years back. “Up” votes are publicly tallied, “Down” votes are not. Only Up votes (participation trophies) are visible. You can down vote a comment, but no numbers show up. Can’t hurt anyone’s feelings.
I deleted my disqus account (and it’s 10,000+ upvotes) a couple of months ago because the entire bumbling wreckage became (a) infested with hyper-liberals, (b) either mismoderated or unmoderated, (c) a neon “vacancy” sign to spammers (d) exhibits a nearly microscopic signal to noise ratio, and (e) because it started head-hunting anyone that spoke even semi-favorably about trump.
you get to write a sentence or two describing your reasons for leaving. mine were laced with profanity.
I hate disqus as someone just whited me out from every site using disqus tonight. SO I can’t read comments or post. Just get a page that makes all comments invisible.
I hate disqus as someone just whited me out from every site using disqus tonight. So I can’t read comments or post. Just get a page that makes all comments invisible.
If I don’t block at least one troll a day, I’m not doing my job.