In early September 2009 JS-Kit launched Echo, the next generation in commenting systems and created a new product category - a life stream for content. It’s a way to share content and watch the live reaction and has recently added four exciting new features.

“Echo drives new traffic through Hyper-Distribution, increases time spent on site with Real-Time conversations, and multiplies engagement by re-assembling the global conversation about your content,” according to its website. Echo connects publishers with social networks and back again.

Echo can quickly and easily be embedded on WordPress, Blogger or any website. Echo is in effect changing the conversation and announced four important new upgrades at the beginning of December:

1. Whirlpools: Turn long conversation threads and similar comments into neat clusters of activity that are more manageable and increase the visibility or unique signals.

2. Split Streams: Split the Echo stream between comments and other social reactions with complete control of the visual layout of the companion streams.

3. Social Likes: A simple and easy way for people to participate by endorsing each other’s comments in real-time. Names and faces of those who ‘like’ a comment are displayed right underneath the post.

4. Pause: An intuitive feature that will pause real-time updates when the reader is in live mode and is hovering over Echo.

Echo was also recently named one of the Top 10 RSS & Syndication Technologies of 2009 by ReadWriteWeb.com, a list that includes Facebook and Twitter.

“The service is growing fast and becoming more sophisticated every week. New features come so fast and furious that it’s overwhelming but the end result is an experience that brings the dispersed social web back together again,” said Marshall Kirkpatrick, ReadWriteWeb.com