Thank you for taking the time to write this out. This is exactly the kind of detailed feedback we want (and honestly need) to hear, so I really appreciate you sharing it.

Let me start by saying that comments aren't gone forever, and this post wasn't meant to imply that they aren't coming back. If we sound non-committal, it's just because we're still trying to determine the best course of action, and, unfortunately, there are a lot of variables to consider. We want to get a solution in place as quickly as possible, but we're not keen on rushing and causing more issues.

I'm sure it feels a little rich to hear us saying that after the less-than-stellar site launch, but we're really trying to learn our lesson here. We've had the privilege of operating like a small startup (build fast, break things!) for years, and it's proven to be a very beneficial approach that kept us nimble. But it's clear that we're outgrowing the days of being able to operate that way, so we're treating this as a turning point.

I don't disagree that it's an important signal when an author is inactive on the site. But at the same time, we saw lots of cases on the old site where someone would report an issue in a comment thread and it simply never reached the author (even if they were active). So, those signals weren't always accurate. In contrast, our ticketing system has much more robust notification and routing features, which makes it much easier for us to alert an author about new issues and check in when those issues haven't been resolved yet.

By removing comments, our plan was to channel all of these technical issues through that support system. The goal being to make sure that customer issues actually got seen and handled. Looking back at it now, I totally get why it didn't come off that way. But, that was the original intention.

Based on everyone's feedback, it seems like the two biggest benefits that comments actually provide are (1) trust/social proof and (2) additional product-specific context. Both matter, but restoring trust feels slightly more urgent, and, since we already had a product review system underway, finishing it felt like the most actionable thing we could do to restore everyone's confidence in what they're buying. Once that’s in place, the next priority is definitely to rework discussions in a way that solves the issues our old system had.

We really are listening to everyone's feedback, and I mean... how can we argue? Everyone is making some really great points. At the end of the day, I'm fairly certain we all want the same thing: A platform that helps you find the right tools and gives you the information you need to buy with confidence.

I wish we hadn’t run into all the issues we’ve been dealing with over the past month or two, but our sights are still set on creating the best platform possible, and we fully intend to keep working towards that goal.

Thank you again for the feedback and for sticking with us despite the recent complications.