The ladies at Jezebel laid it out pretty nicely, so we'll crib a bit from their explanation:

How are the threads displayed, still in chronological order?
Each conversation will be displayed in chronological order. But organization of the conversations overall will be displayed based on popularity. The most popular conversations will migrate to the top. The most recent comment that has no replies will appear on top for 15 minutes before being filtered down. If a more active conversation receives a reply within those 15 minutes, that conversation will overtake the stand-alone comment.


Where did the plus and minus go?
The plus and minus, which was used to friend or un-friend a fellow commenter, has been replaced by a heart. Friends show a red heart, and the rest are empty.

What's the deal with the star again?
Star commenters were readers who have 25 or more followers, or were designated as stars by a comments admin. With the introduction of threading, the number of followers required to attain star is increasing to 40.

Is there a way to view comments the "old-fashioned" way?
You can switch to the old style comments layout by clicking the "classic view" link in the comments bar at the top of the threads.

So, what do you think? Exciting, no?

And yes, I know change is scary. I saw how many people flipped out when Facebook changed its layout. But hey, change is fun. Give it a shot in the comments below, fiddle around with it, and let us know what you think. As long as what you think is positive, because after how much work our illustrious tech crew put into making this possible, we ain't changing it back. Enjoy!

Before we go on, if you haven't already read io9's amazing How to Be an Opinionated Commenter on io9 and Not Get Banned post we suggest you do. We at Gizmodo don't think we need to go over what being a decent commenter is all about. But if you are still unsure of which comments are appropriate please check out that io9 guide, we'll all be happier you did.

Please Keep it On-Topic
So here's the problem, the comment threads are still becoming too off-topic. We're not gonna point fingers at specific commenters; we just want everyone to understand what affect this has on the Giz community.

Let us first say that our comments are usually filled with a wealth of information, and that's why we love 'em. We here at Gizmodo—just like you readers—visit the comments section of every story wanting to learn more from each and every commenter. By engaging in on-topic discussion, the comments can provide an amazing amount of insight for any given story, such as similar products that do something as good or better than what we feature. Sadly, what is happening is that a few off-topic comments will get posted amongst all the on-topic ones and then the whole comment thread derails and turns sour. Our comment threads, which are our communal pool of knowledge, end up completely ruined because of a few horny idiots.

So we are asking all you guys again, please don't pee in our pool. It hurts all of us in the end and no one will be happy when the POOL'S CLOSED...

New Pre-Banning Feature: Disemvoweling
For those of you who continue to ruin it for the rest of us, instead of just banning you on the spot, we now have a new feature which will note your idiotic comments. It's called disemvoweling and what it does is take the comment in question and strip all the lovely vowels out of it. The comment is then left looking like a jumbled mess, and since this disemvoweling can not be reversed it will stay vowelless FOORRREEEVVVERRR! So here's a warning, if you find one of your comments disemovoweling you better straighten up before the banhammer comes knockin'. This also serves as a notification to other commenters as to what type of comments are NOT acceptable.

And if commenters keep making off-topic posts even after the disemvoweling, we will have to put them on a temporary time-out.

We wish we could take credit for this nifty disemvoweling feature but we can't. We tip our hats to Boing Boing for this one.

If you guys have any questions about the new disemvoweled feature or simply want to apologize for making off-topic comments please send all those messages to comments@gizmodo.com.

Instead of writing a sympathetic conclusion to this post, we thought it would be best to leave you with words from your own Pope John Peeps II.

Comment Email Address - For All Your Commenting Needs
We're not sure why we never had it before, but Gizmodo now has a specific email address just for comment related concerns. Emails about account approval, account problems, banning questions, thread problems and even requests for banning will all be handled through this email. So here it is, COMMENTS@GIZMODO.COM , shouldn't be too hard to remember.

Off Topic Comments
Over the past few weeks, we at Giz have been becoming unhappy with the direction some comment threads are turning. Even some commenters have let us know that they are concerned with what's going on. Long story short, some of the comment threads are getting way too off topic. Gizmodo is not high school social shit site, and we expect the commenters to be mature enough to contribute ON TOPIC conversation. Sure, we all enjoy reading some light off topic banter, but we've noticed complete mongo-tard discussions that have NO PLACE on a gadget site. So next time you're thinking of writing a comment with the word PENIS or HORNY in it, please spare us..

Why We Ban
If you didn't already know, we have an all-mighty banhammer that we can use to silence commenters. Why would we use such a weapon? Well, some commenters feel the need to speak with obscene, racists, troller, mean, spammer, stupid, or completely off topic words. These types of commenters are NOT WELCOMED, and must be banned. So if you see your account has been banned, please check your stupid ass comments before you send an email to COMMENTS@GIZMODO.COM asking why you can't comment. I'm sure you'll see why.

Other Bannable Offenses
From here on out, asking "Will It Blend?" welcoming any kind of overlord, or any other horribly tacky and cliche comment, unless used exceptionally, hilariously ironically, makes you a total banhammer target.

So I hope our little talk wasn't too harsh. We value all you commenters and enjoy the additional insight you add to Gizmodo. If you guys have any ideas or features you would like to see happen in the Giz comment world, please feel free to let us know. And don't forget COMMENTS@GIZMODO.COM is where your gonna send all that comment related junk.

UPDATE: We want to personally apologize to carmen-whatever her new name is, for singling her out. We understand that it wasn't cool, and we're sorry.

Before we explain more let us get one detail straight—this moderator position is for comment-related work only. So if you are interested in any other type of work, we suggest you check our other announcements.

We are looking for someone who can handle our comment management system, which usually takes an hour or less a day. You will be reading through all new member comments, determining if the commenter has what it takes to be approved for Gizmodo.

The work isn't necessarily hard but it is extremely important. We need a responsible person that is able to manage this every day and will not flake out on the responsibility.

Doesn't matter where you're located, how old you are, or what you look like, we just need a level-headed, dependable person who enjoys reading Gizmodo and would be able to determine a good comment.

You will be paid $100 a month to start, and if you do well we will give you slightly more responsibility and double the pay.

So if you're still interested please send an email to tips@gizmodo.com with "Comment THOR" in the subject line explaining a bit about yourself, and why you would be perfect for this internship.

BY STRIDER_MT2K AT 09:08 AM
Holy Milton Berle that thing's huge!

BY RIPFIRE4 AT 07:29 PM
@morganlh85: "I haven't been able to find a decent watch that doesn't weigh my arm down or look ridiculous and/or homely."
What's your arm made of? Spaghetti?

This is awarded comment of the day status for very different reasons than previous winners. Before, the comments won for thought-out ideas and proper deliveries; sadly this comment does not contain these elements.
The comment wins simply because it produces a funny thought. The idea that morganlh85 has spaghetti for arms; yes that's right, the image of a man with spaghetti arms; with no hands, just long single strands of spaghetti. Then the thought of this spaghetti arm man trying on various watches in a jewelry story and after testing a dozen or so he states in a frustrated tone to his wife, "See what I mean, this watch, it's just too big, it's way too heavy... sheesh, I can never find a watch that fits.."

So there you go, the explanation to why RIPFIRE4 is awarded the comment of the day.
[Comment]

BY NUTBASTARD AT 09:56 AM
NOTICE: Not Compatible With Hindu(R) Third Eye(TM)

BY OMG!!! PONIES!!! AT 11:10 AM Of course, if Apple sold Mexican beer, it would be Miller Chill. Apple would claim to have revolutionized beer by combining fruit and beer, criticized anyone else for fruiting beer, and also charged extra for the privilege of pre-fruited beer. Yes, the beer would have a slightly higher alcohol content, but you'd still be able to get a better buzz for less money by buying Corona, the Windows of Mexican beer (tastes okay, not great, but okay). Meanwhile, stoners would scoff at you as you came out of the bodega for not doing the Linux-alternative by huffing paint with them in parking lot.

BY SANGARTS2 AT 06:38 PM
I HATE this show... I hate music used as comedy.
-
BY ADAM FRUCCI AT 06:41 PM
@sangarts2: Comedy hates you right back.

BY DUSTYBUTT AT 02:32 PM
Clear start motor one...
Good indication of start on one, ready clear start motor two..
Start motor two... tach, temp, torque, all in green...
Clear chute... toast chamber start...
ready 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
release toasted goodness...
Mmmmm.

To use these new features you must first log in at the top of the page with your comment ID and password. If you do not already have a commenting account, simple click the "new user" link to sign up. After you have logged in, your commenting ID will be displayed at the top the page, click it, and it will take you to your very own commenting home/profile page. From this home page you will be able to keep track of your commenting buddies and also view your comments, edit your avatar, email and AIM.

To make a friend, simply find a comment that you liked and to the right of it you will see a small + button. Click that + button and you will now be following that user just like your friends in real life. Not only are you able to view your newly added friend's comments, but you are also able to view who is following you.

To view your newly added friend's comments, there is a "friends" link at the top of the page where you logged in earlier. If you change your mind and decide you no longer enjoy reading a friend's stupid banter, you can remove them from your friends list by clicking the x button under the friends section of your personal home page.

You not only have the ability to follow and remove friends but also the ability to leave friend's a personal message on their profile page. Clicking a friend's commenter name will take you to their profile page, from there you can view all of their comments and leave that special personal message.

We hope you enjoy your early present and if you encounter any problems while using these new features please let us know in the comments below or at tips@gizmodo.com, and be sure to note your OS and browser type. Happy Commenting!!!

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I read the website and I still don't know what's made them so good. I hear the Valentine Ones are upgrade capable, but there's only so much that software can do. And is it really the case that no one from Cobra or Bel or Passport can catch up? Couldn't they make a slimmer one or something? And how did they test these things in the first place? That's one gadget assignment I wouldn't take. How does anyone really know it's good? Are we playing into an urban legend? Aren't you just screwed anyhow if the supertroopers pick you off with a controlled blip of a radar or laser gun? I don't know, but I feel like my insurance is going up just thinking about this stuff. UPDATE: Patent on 360 degree detection? Really? Wait, no.[How to Comment and Valentine1]

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The above quotes are not actual quotes.

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p.s. Crecente smells and sucks at video games!

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I'm not a stalker

On another note, here's our Question of the Day for today.

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Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

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Yah, but computing is no longer a game for pussies. It's a full-contact, balls-out, game for Spartans only. My computer cools itself by pumping my own blood through it's hottest zones. And I cool myself down by DRINKING FREON, MOTHERFUCKERS.

Congrats PJP. Hug it out.

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[Flickr]

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