The following message (and accompanying photo) comes from our publisher, Jake Dobkin -- Ed. Note

Hey everyone-- you may have noticed that we've made a few small changes to our commenting and feedback systems:

1. Commenters now have profile pages with a bit of information about them, and links to their recent comments, along with comments other people have left in response. If the commenter is also a Bostonist author, the page will include a list of their recent posts. You can register here-- it's fast and painless, but does require a valid email address for confirmation. Sign in or out using the link at the top left of any Bostonist page.

2. Anonymous commenting is still allowed, but anonymous commenters can no longer make up clever names and fake email addresses (which kinda sucks, but we'll live with it) If you wish to leave anonymous comments, simply log in as Guest (there's a button for it), and fire away. And remember: you don't have to register with your real name! So even if you do register, you can still protect your privacy.

We've made these changes because the old comment system was constantly getting snarled with spam, and we wanted to give our readers a personal page here on the site. A number of other features based on the new profile system are coming soon-- expect them in the next couple of months. We appreciate your constructive feedback on the new system-- please note that it's a work in process, and the experience may be sub-optimal for a few days while we work out the kinks.

(I put a picture of a kitten on this page because it sort of looks like the kitten is saying something, and this post is about commenting. Also, I read somewhere that cute animals discourage people from being mean-- so I expect nothing but positive reactions to this post.)

[Bostonist Labs: Sign Up for an Account]