Can't comment on my blog?

If you don't accept third-party cookies on your browser, that might be the problem.  At least that's what Google Blogger product forum tells me.  Because of course, Google intends to know all about you and where you have been.  I've tried all sorts of options with no luck.  
My helpful Canadian reader found something called Disqus, which you can add to use for comments instead of using Blogger comments.   Unfortunately, it was too complicated for me.  It would have required my doing some fooling around with HTML, and that always scares me.  
I know Wordpress is a popular blogging platform and I tried it once, but I just didn't understand how to change a couple of things out and finally gave up.
Maybe you have figured out by now that I'm a simple person who likes everything to be easy.  It is frustrating when people cannot comment here, and also frustrating that Google insists on tracking people so closely.  Believe me, if I ever get Wordpress figured out, I'm moving.

Comments

A couple of people lately have told me they were unable to comment on my blog.  Maybe I should put word verification back in action; perhaps removing it has something to do with the problem.  Blogger did a wonderful job of stopping most of the spam, and it's nice for people to be able to comment without figuring out a long combination of stupid-looking letters.  My only other option would be to personally approve each comment before it is published, but I really don't care for that option either.  
Meanwhile, if you can't comment and you want to say something to me, my email is on my profile page.  

Just checking in

First of all, I want to thank my anonymous commenter for suggesting that I buy Dr. Scholl's shoes at Walmart.  They are very comfortable shoes, and they only cost me $30 plus tax.  
Please, anonymous commenters, give a first name when you leave a comment (like Karen, Pat, Lindie and others do), so I can get to know you.  I realize many bloggers don't like to allow anonymous comments, but if you have the word verification in place, it won't get you a lot of spam; and it will allow you to make more Internet friends.  Some of my favorite regular readers comment anonymously and simply sign a first name.     
While I'm on the subject of blogs and bloggers, I do wish the people whose blogs I read would list an email address on their profiles; sometimes I'd like to say something to them that isn't appropriate to leave in a comment.  
If you look over on the left side of this blog and scroll all the way down, just above my mother's picture you'll see "Rachel" and "Donna" listed as contributors.  Rachel is my daughter; she's only listed so that in case I croak, she can get on my blog and tell you.  I'm Donna; click on my name.  On the left-hand side of my profile you will see "contact me" followed by my email address.  This way, if you'll like to tell me something but don't want to comment publicly, you can do it.  Just put something in the subject line so I'll know it's from a reader.  
Here's an interesting item:  The last entry I did here about the logging has been shared on Facebook eighteen times.  I guess folks find the fact that we got paid for our logs an item of interest worth sharing!  
Oh, here's something:  Notice the picture at the top of my blog is smaller now?  That's because Picasa, the site that hosts pictures for Blogger, says I've reached my limit for free pictures.  However, I can use pictures smaller than a certain megapixel limit and they are allowed; hence the shrunken header picture.  For five dollars per year, I could add bigger pictures, and Cliff says to do that... I owe it to "my people", he says.  So far I'm balking because I already have a paid flickr account; Blogger should let me use that for my headers photos but it doesn't.  I can use flickr for any pictures in my blog entries, though.  

To comment on my blog

My former co-worker, Jessica, told me on Facebook how much she enjoys reading about Arkansas; she was born and raised there.  I've talked about her before:  her parents were hippies.  
Anyhow, Jessica wondered how she should go about commenting on my blog, and I thought I'd share the information here.  
Some people do not allow anonymous comments on their blogs.  I do, because many of my readers don't want to have to sign up for some account in order to comment.  With anonymous comments allowed, anybody can post.  
At the bottom of an entry, you will see "0 comments" or "4 comments", etc.  Click on that, and here's what you will see:

Select the circle to the left of "anonymous" and start typing your comment.  Now, you may have to type in a verification word, I'm not sure.  I require that because otherwise my comment section would be nothing but spam.  Also, if you leave an anonymous comment, PLEASE sign your name with it so I'll know who is commenting.  
I hope that helps.

Meet some more of my readers

Since not everybody reads the comments on my blog, I'm sharing what these readers had to say.

 Sherry said.. OK: I'm a long time reader that does not comment on blogs much, but I love to read about 50 of them, I love your style and your down home, say-it-like-it-is attitude, love the stories and I can relate to almost all of them.......hugs, Sherry  

It's good to meet you, Sherry.  Thanks for your words of encouragement.

 Rural Rambler said...Good Morning Donna! I am a regular reader here. I am not always silent :) I enjoy reading about you and your husband's plans to retire and your bike trips. Oh and I just enjoy all your posts really. I found YOU through MY sitemeter. And your right, embarq has us living some places I have never heard of!
I am conflicted about sitemeter. It kinda creeps me out and actually keeps me from going to some blogs. Not just sitemeter but all the counters and locators. No privacy if I want to come back here a hundred times in one hour or stay here for three.
I have a Nook and I love it. Still like library books and buying books but it sure is convenient out here in the boonies!  

Sitemeter needn't keep you from visiting certain blogs.  If you want to remain anonymous, instead of clicking on the link to the blog, right-click and choose the option "open link in incognito window".  It will still tell your operating system and your IPS, but location and other information will be "unknown".

 Lucy said...I am not new but have not been coming in until a few months ago. I like your entries so I keep coming back. 

Yes Lucy, I visit your blog occasionally, and I have it listed on my sidebar.

Nancy said...I read regularly and have for a long time. I normally leave comments as nerves05 but my name is Nancy, I speak every now and then. I enjoy reading your blog and is one of the first i open everyday. I don't remember how i stumbled upon your blog but i read it once and been coming back every since. I live in Florida. Never been up north ever. But i'm a country girl. Most folks don't think florida is country. but it is. It's not all beaches, bikinis and fast lifestyles and transplants. I'm a true floridian born and raised who lives in and loves the woods. Which is why i love your blog. Your simple easy going life style appeals to me. Believe me when i say that it's a true complement.
I love animals. I have hogs, chickens, dogs so your stories are interesting to me. I love food and gardening so i like hearing about that as well. And i love to hear about you and Cliff, just hearing about how you guys, enjoy each others company is just wonderful.
I'm 37 i'd like to think myself and my hubby will be the same way in another 20 years.
So thats my introduction and how and why i hang around :-)  

Nancy, I remember you from way back, but now I know where you live and something about your lifestyle.  Thanks for this.  Cliff and I visited Florida once to go to a tractor show!  The state is a little sandy for our tastes, but I've found that when you are born and raised in a certain part of the country, it's home sweet home.

Forty Pound Sack said...Hi Donna - I visit your blog often but this is my first comment to you. I honestly can't remember how I found you the first time but I, too read your mother's story and loved it. It made me think of my own mother, who is busy trying to untangle the roots of her family tree. I'm pretty good at snooping on the net, so once in a while I get to help her search someone out. I have a 99% success rate, so far, so hopefully she's let me continue helping.
I love your stories!

I have a cousin who is doing genealogy on both hers and her husband's families.  It exhausts me to see how much research she has done.  I don't have the patience, but I certainly enjoy seeing the fruits of her labors.  I'm sure my mother would be thrilled to know how many people are enjoying her story.  She was a great story-teller, and as a child I loved to hear about how things were "in the olden days".  

If anyone else wants to step up and share, feel free; I love hearing from all of you, and I imagine my other readers do too.

Blog stuff and spammers

I notice the spammers are going to the trouble of using real people instead of "bots" to leave their junk in our comment sections, because I have word verification in place and still had an oriental spam comment this morning. This is the first time that's happened to me; I've been very happy with the word verification solution, although I wish I didn't have to use any methods that make it harder for people to comment. I also notice that some of the spammers are getting downright sneaky, leaving comments that, at first glance, appear legit. Then I'll see there's a link included in the comment, and that link is not one I would like to have here.

Here's something that has happened to me a lot, lately: I click to comment on someone else's blog and my comment does not go through the first time; I get a message in red that says, "Your request could not be processed; please try again." I click to post the comment again and sometimes it goes through, sometimes it does not. If it fails to post the second time, I am presented with word verification (which wasn't there at the beginning of my valiant effort to comment), type in the word, and my comment finally appears.

This happens several times a day. I always persist until my little blurb is officially added, but I think this might be discouraging to some folks. There are certain blogs where it always occurs. Ora's is one.

Just another of those things that make me go "Hmmm".

On a different subject, I'm trying to figure out a way to put my music system in the computer room ( spare bedroom now that I have the daybed). I spend a huge amount of time in here, and I know I'd get a lot more use from it in this room. I have it in the bedroom now, because I thought I'd turn it on at bedtime, to lull me to sleep; I've found I prefer my Grace Internet Radio for that purpose, though. The time of day when I really want to listen to the radio/CD player is in the morning; right now it's in the bedroom where Cliff is sleeping, and he doesn't get up until at least 10 A.M., thanks to the wacky shift he's working at his job.

This is such a small room, though, that I'll need a not-too-big table of some sort on which to place the radio. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for such a table. Garage sales will be starting up in a couple of months.

Oh, thanks to all the comments on my "hoarding" entry. Dee from Tennessee, I believe I'll do as you did and buy a CD "storage thingie"; perhaps an album-type one. I'll toss the jewel cases. Problem solved. "Pudge450" shared some wisdom: Katrina taught her that all that "stuff" isn't so important after all. (I do hope I'm right about saying "her"; the profile doesn't tell me much.)

Right now I'm considering the bookcase I have in my bedroom. I love each and every book therein, but how long has it been since I've read a single one of them? Trust me, it's been ages. Maybe I need to have a few book giveaways here on my blog.

Silly comment troubles

Well, I found out I didn't enjoy having to approve every single comment. Now I've changed the settings so that only comments made on posts over three days old will be moderated. Here's what's pathetic: It wasn't five minutes after I opened up comments again before I got a spam comment! It was on an older one, and of course I rejected it. I think this will work better for me, and it should still be problem-free for my readers.

I give up

Because my son YELLED AT ME (using all caps on Facebook), I'm turning on comments again. After all, who would want her son yelling at her on Facebook? Still, please don't ever feel you have to comment. I found out I blog the same way whether I have comments or not, so it was a worthwhile experiment.

If only I had the backbone to take off that silly Sitemeter; that wouldn't affect anybody but me!

My son tells me he still can't comment, so I don't know what's up with that. Maybe if we all sleep on it, tomorrow everything will work?

A treefrog... and a brief explanation

This little fellow, about an inch long, is crawling around in the rain on the window in my computer room. I love the way tree frogs have little suction-cups on their toes.

I closed comments for myself, no other reason; I found myself worrying way too much about them... wondering why nobody comments, wondering why the same three wonderful ladies always comment (thanks, pals). That's it, pure and simple. Some day if I really feel brave, I'll take my Sitemeter off, although I'm pretty addicted to watching my traffic go up and down. I like seeing the Google searches that lead folks here. After all, that's how I found out about Swagbucks. Lately I've been using my Swagbucks to download music (free) from Itunes.

You'll know I've finally developed a backbone when you see me remove my Sitemeter.

About comments

I read a lot of blogs; I don't read every post on each one, but I do keep a watch on them all.

In doing so, I've come to realize that sometimes there's a popularity contest going on. Seriously!

It's as if those who get the most comments are special.

Folks, over the years I've tried not to be a game-player. I dropped out of competition back around the fourth grade, because I didn't want to conform to the ideas of others, and I realized I didn't fit in.

There is a great gulf between me and most of the general population, and I'm really not that comfortable with most people.

I don't want to dress a certain way just because everybody else does. That's just me. I don't intend to wear only white shoes after Memorial Day. Who made up that stupid rule? While we're at it, I don't think people ought to have to dress up to worship God.

I'm really glad I'm not a big-time blogger, by the way. One of my favorite, very popular, bloggers has a person who spends most of her time on her own blog criticizing this lady: She says this person is photo-shopping her pictures to make her look better; that she is making money from her blog; that she is posting unhealthy recipes when she ought to be encouraging people to lose weight. On and on this embittered person goes.

This negative-talking female has scores of ladies who comment to express their agreement. And don't you DARE suggest that they're jealous, because they insist they're not.

I appreciate everyone who has supported me in my comment section, but I want you to know it isn't necessary. Although if my husband ever goes into the hospital again, or if my dog gets run over, I will open my comments. Because at times like that, the things my readers say mean so very much!

I hope you all understand where I'm coming from.

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing

Seriously! A lot of the people whose blogs I used to follow have vanished into thin air. Or migrated to facebook and twitter.

I get about one-third of the comments I used to receive. Perhaps I comment one-third as much on others' blogs, because I read most blogs VIA Google Reader.

So, am I going to stop my aimless drivel here?

Nope.

Because every once in awhile I get an email from somebody who never comments, telling me, "I love your blog". Or, "You brighten my day."

Yesterday I received such an email from a lady in Independence. She sent me a recipe for butternut squash fries, having read about my abundance of squash.

She told me, "I've been reading your blog for several months and thoroughly enjoy it! I live in Independence, MO, so I like reading about places close to home. Thanks for the enjoyable reading that you provide on your blog! Nancy

You see, I realize it isn't all about comments and "hits". There are folks reading this nonsense who have never once left a comment, and that's just fine with me.

Besides, I have few relatives who make their way here from time to time, and several long-time Internet friends. As long as I have at least two readers, I shall forge on.

Oh, and to my cousin Carolyn: I shall see you at the reunion tomorrow.