[danso]

From the OP: "So, What Are Sponsored Comments?"

> Sponsored Comments let businesses deliver a message to the people they need to reach. A Sponsored Comment can use all types of media to get their point across, just like any other Disqus comment. But they’re not part of the discussion happening on that thread or community itself. That’s too disruptive.

So instead, they’re pinned to the top of the discussion environment where things are just getting started. It’s like movie previews.

So...why not call them by their old fashioned name: "ads"? I don't disapprove of ad-based models, but something seems a bit disingenuous to use the term "Comments" when they are not "comments" at all. Unless users are able to respond to them and not have their comments hidden.

It's hard to imagine advertisers being happy about users getting to attach negative comments onto the ads. And if those threads get to be a snark train, then that pushes all the regular discussion down even further. So either the "sponsored comment"-discussions are hidden, or advertisers AND site-users are inconvenienced.

[jlgaddis]

> Unless users are able to respond to them and not have their comments hidden.

In the screenshots, there's a "Reply" button under the ad^W"Sponsored Comment". Want to take bets on how long it'll be until that goes away? I can see exactly what you described happening.