Official Request Thread

[thejeff]

Wrong concept, I think. It's not that having these bookmark/tag boxes help the search engines. We're supposed to use the Bookmarks, which, by linking to Shrapnel's pages, will boost it's rankings.

I suppose as marketing concepts go, it's not too annoying. I won't use them, not out of malice, but just because I don't use that type of site. I'm not really convinced that ignoring the requests of your current users in favor of marketing concerns is really a good policy, but this is a minor issue.
It really does feel like bad design, though. Separating the reply section from the thing you're replying to with unrelated boxes. I'd probably have put them at the top. Maybe more obtrusive, but easier to get to for those who are interested and not disrupting the conversation.