Onto my gripes. I can’t get inline replying/threading to work.  There is very little documentation on it so far. The functions are called comment_reply_link() and get_comment_reply_link(), and there’s nothing anywhere in the codex that helps, there’s little on the internet, the only place to get any real detail is the code itself, which explains:

from wp-includes/comment-template.php starting at line 949 on WP 2.7.0

 * Retrieve HTML content for reply to comment link.
 *
 * The default arguments that can be override are 'add_below', 'respond_id',
 * 'reply_text', 'login_text', and 'depth'. The 'login_text' argument will be
 * used, if the user must log in or register first before posting a comment. The
 * 'reply_text' will be used, if they can post a reply. The 'add_below' and
 * 'respond_id' arguments are for the JavaScript moveAddCommentForm() function
 * parameters.
 *
 * @since 2.7.0
 *
 * @param array $args Optional. Override default options.
 * @param int $comment Optional. Comment being replied to.
 * @param int $post Optional. Post that the comment is going to be displayed on.
 * @return string|bool|null Link to show comment form, if successful. False, if comments are closed.

It doesn’t matter much, because it doesn’t work, period, even though I’ve followed the instruction here to a t. So I’ll have to fix that in time.

My last gripe is with the new wp_list_comments() routine. I understand this is all new, but the idea that templating comments requires a callback function as a wrapper to all comments, pings, and trackbacks is clumsy at best. The codex on wp_list_comments() have nothing to explain it to people, so while I’ve dug in and gotten things working, it’s not for the feint of heart just yet, since you need to build a PHP function in your theme in your functions.php file (or create one if it doesn’t exist, which cannot be done via the Dashboard). I’m a little sad, since the theme system is so flexible and the new plugin system is just incredible, to see the new comment loop be so manual compared to the single file approach used so successfully in the past.

I know that Scoble says WordPress 2.7 rocks, and it does. Scoble doesn’t realize the shortcomings because he hasn’t tried to play with the new features, and fortunately, it very gracefully degrades. But it’s got some work to do to be perfect, for me at least.

This is not so much a problem with Scoble as much as it is one with Facebook. Any one friend has a ridiculous amount of control over my Facebook experience, and as a result, they can water it down. Instead of focusing on what most people I know are doing, I’m overwhelmed by whatever has caught Scoble’s attention. The Facebook experience is so customizable, and yet, in this area, there is a missing piece. You should be able to ignore people altogether in your news feed. If I had this feature, this wouldn’t be a problem. Boo Facebook, boo.

So, I have no choice, I had to remove Scoble, because he is too active. His “stuff” pushes the stuff that actually is really important to me below the fold.

Robert Scoble, you may know, is a very prominent blogger with a whole hell of a lot of readers. Scoble is someone who I’ve kept up with over the last few years. He worked for Microsoft doing blogging and videos for Channel 9 then recently moved to Podtech to do video blogging. Scoble is a nice guy, he writes fairly well, and has a lot to say. But lately, reading his stuff has been putting me to sleep.

Scoble has zeroed in on a few keys things and has not been able to stop talking about them. So, while his blog has always been a reflection of his life, it was much more interesting when he did Channel 9 and visited the Live Mail team or the Windows Mail team and we learned about new things.

Lately, Scoble’s passions have centered around just a few things. First, and most notably (or most annoyingly), Facebook. Having friended Scoble on Facebook early on, it was interesting to be connected to so many people. Now it’s lame: Scoble’s headlines fill my “mini feed” page, even after I set it to specifically limit Scoble news. He boasts about how linking to him is like being linked to everyone of value in the tech world. But frankly, I find Facebook to be worthless to link to someone I don’t know who doesn’t use it as anything but a friend collector and an app demonstration ground. Facebook is for keeping up with people you know, not just a worthless MySpace clone where the goal is to amass the highest number of friends. Scoble treats Facebook like a contest and then tells us every detail of his experience. He’s made a few worthwhile observations (such as the question of whether Facebook is a viable advertising platform given it’s demographic) and lots and lots and lots of really boring ones.

Scoble is very proud of his iPhone, and hasn’t stopped talking about it. Seriously… like… at all.

Also, Scoble is a social network sucker junkie, and has carried on about Pownce, Jaiku, and Twitter for weeks. We get it. I tried Pownce. I don’t see what the hell I’m supposed to do with it that I can’t do elsewhere or in an easier manner. But reading scobleizer.com, you’d think it makes you breakfast or shines your shoes for you.

–

So, how does one blog like Scoble? All you need to do is go to Digg, find a cool buzzword or website likely to interest the bleeding edge technology people, and blog about it 5-7 times a day. Do not relent, just keep your stream coming. Join endless social networks and add as many friends as possible, whether you know them or not. Make provocative statements and then link to prominent people’s blogs; try to get them to blog about you, good or bad. Make sure you mention people like Dave Winer and Matt Cutts. Lastly, be certain to pimp targetted buzz apps like Google Reader and Adobe AIR at least twice a week.

In all seriousness, I really do enjoy Scoble’s blog. If you don’t already read it, you should really check out his feed, once he moves past his love affair with Facebook and the iPhone.