If you’re like us (and millions of other people), you are no stranger to online discussions. We’re talking about forums, newsgroups, bulletin boards, etc. Yup, we love ‘em; they’re chock full of insightful information, helpful tips, profound answers, all embedded within the casual chatter of a community. But many times you just want the good stuff — filter out the spam, trolling comments, petty arguments, rambling digressions, and only keep the relevant gold.

We’ve been working on an environment just for that. Whether the topic is for research, hobbies, or everything in between, we are creating a place for smart discussion. It’s a network of communities where experts of varying topics can interact with their peers, and a source for anyone to find the right answers from the right crowd. If you’re an expert on something, come here and thrive. We aim to be the standard in which a person’s online credibility and expertise is determined, just as eBay is the oft-referenced standard in determining a person’s credibility in online transactions.

How do we so confidently dole out credibility to so-deemed experts? That’s the tricky (and best) part. It’s also our secret sauce. We’re still working out the kinks but we’re excited about where we’re heading with this. Next week, Jason and I will be heading back to Mountain View to demo our idea to seeding-stage venture firm Y Combinator. This is the next step of our startup’s long journey. It’s going to be a good one.

Oh, and the name of our smart discussion network? Why, disqus.com, of course.