Commenting

[This quote is from Blogger regarding commenting problems: "Ironically, our testing of OpenID, a feature that lets you use accounts from all over the web to comment on Blogger, made it appear that we were trying to force you into getting a Google Account. We regret this appearance, since we're strong supporters of OpenID and open web standards in general.

If you haven't set up OpenID, you can still link to your blog — or any webpage, for that matter — by using the standard link tag inside the comment form."] So hopefully this is all straightened out...

On the earlier issue of commenting problems, due to Google changing their rules, I have done some more thinking. Since links work in the comment section, if anyone does not know how to post a URL as a link, I will email them the needed letters and symbols. It's confusing to explain here as blogger keeps not saving it even with leaving spaces between. In an email it will be obvious how it works, and when you have written it a few times, it is easy to remember.

Naturally this will mean any reader will have to decide if these are safe and legitimate links as they do everywhere online. User beware is always good advice. In the Blogger help section, I read more about their reasoning. They say they have done this to stop fraudulent posting with someone using someone else's name and even URL. They say this is about a safer internet with a universal ID.

Especially in our day and age with the government already peeking into our business anywhere they choose, it's not surprising that people are leery of a universal anything (even though we know we are already easily trackable-- most especially if we have a fixed ISP). At any rate, I do understand not wanting to sign up for more systems.

In an attempt to see if it'd help, I upgraded my Blogger template to layout; something I wasn't eager to do as I was concerned it'd ruin everything I had done to make my template as I wanted it (which they told me it could override).

Doing it led to good news and bad news: On the bad side, for awhile I lost my site meter until I realized why it was gone. But in good news, I fixed that problem by myself which made me proud of 'me' since computerese is not the way I think.

The upgrade made my blog easier to change layout, and I now have special features available like slide shows [although I am still unsure if that'd be good as if someone is using an older computer, slow loading can end with having them give up before they read any words]. It's good though that now I can put up a new profile photo of me every time I can't stand the current one, since it no longer requires a URL and can come directly from my hard drive.

The upgrade made my blog roll easier to adjust. I knew some regular commenters use their name which is not the name of their blog. I updated the blog roll to add those names so readers can more easily find their blog. These links are tested by me to go to that site.

If you comment here but have not been on that roll, include your URL and I will eventually get the blog roll to reflect regular commenters' blogs. This is not a minor issue as I think we all find new blogs through reading someone's comment and wanting to know more about their thinking.

The issue of the internet and how to avoid other users coming onto a blog as supposedly us and posting a comment that we'd never post is potentially not an insignificant one. For my own blog, when I get something that I know didn't come from a legitimate commenter, I delete it; but my numbers to do this make it a minor problem. It's one that can grow.

Some months ago, I had my identity taken fraudulently at eBay when I had visited looking to get more information on a product I wanted, and one of those site programs got my password all too easily, then spammed other users with supposed compliments from me about their product. Temporarily, until it could be explained, it limited my usage of my own account and was a frustrating experience as each of those comments was forwarded to my email account before eBay got them stopped -- and me.

So it is a problem where the internet has been a kind if Wild West for the freedoms but also difficulties that go along with those who misuse freedom. We are operating in a new media and are part of both its solutions and problems.