Comments on: Allow Others to Comment… Make it as Easy as You Can http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/ The Magic of Learning through Technology. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:13:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: carla arena http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26236 carla arena Tue, 20 May 2008 20:11:18 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26236 Silvia, many times I've just given up leaving comments after being frustrated with technical glitches, popups, etc. One thing that you might consider in your own profile is adding your name to show in each of your posts. I was trying to see how I'd address you and looked for your name on the post and didn't find it. I'd have to click your about page. It's a very simple thing, but it makes it faster for commenters. Silvia, many times I’ve just given up leaving comments after being frustrated with technical glitches, popups, etc.

One thing that you might consider in your own profile is adding your name to show in each of your posts. I was trying to see how I’d address you and looked for your name on the post and didn’t find it. I’d have to click your about page. It’s a very simple thing, but it makes it faster for commenters.

]]> By: Constructive Comments http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26233 Constructive Comments Tue, 20 May 2008 15:14:35 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26233 Constructive comments can add value to the main article by way of content and idea. Good comments also help search engines to identify the blogs clearly. Constructive comments can add value to the main article by way of content and idea. Good comments also help search engines to identify the blogs clearly.

]]> By: Blog Sprinting / Day 17 Five Posts in Five Minutes | Ruminations of an Online Instructor / MD http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26211 Blog Sprinting / Day 17 Five Posts in Five Minutes | Ruminations of an Online Instructor / MD Mon, 19 May 2008 07:00:43 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26211 [...] I didn’t have the problems that Silvia had earlier in this Comment challenge and I realized that for the most part these moms were making it as easy as they could to Allow Others to Comment. [...] [...] I didn’t have the problems that Silvia had earlier in this Comment challenge and I realized that for the most part these moms were making it as easy as they could to Allow Others to Comment. [...]

]]> By: Remembering to Put Out the Welcome Mat on Day 12 | Ruminations of an Online Instructor / MD http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26149 Remembering to Put Out the Welcome Mat on Day 12 | Ruminations of an Online Instructor / MD Wed, 14 May 2008 06:05:06 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26149 [...] Silvia’s frustration with trying to post a message on my blog early in the challenge was voiced in her blog Allow Others to Comment… Make it as Easy as You Can. [...] [...] Silvia’s frustration with trying to post a message on my blog early in the challenge was voiced in her blog Allow Others to Comment… Make it as Easy as You Can. [...]

]]> By: Rob O. http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26142 Rob O. Tue, 13 May 2008 21:03:03 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26142 Like you, I've made a habit of copying the contents of my comments into the buffer before submitting. Many times, innocent web glitches that aren't specific to the site in question will cause comments not to go through. And just like you said, the "Back" button usually dumps you right back into an empty comment box. Part of what we've done to try to ease the commenting process is to avoid CAPTCHA. I know this opens our blogs up to spam, but it happens seldom enough that I'd prefer to deal with the occasional junk comment than to hassle my readers. Like you, I’ve made a habit of copying the contents of my comments into the buffer before submitting. Many times, innocent web glitches that aren’t specific to the site in question will cause comments not to go through. And just like you said, the “Back” button usually dumps you right back into an empty comment box.

Part of what we’ve done to try to ease the commenting process is to avoid CAPTCHA. I know this opens our blogs up to spam, but it happens seldom enough that I’d prefer to deal with the occasional junk comment than to hassle my readers.

]]> By: Comment Challenge Day 12: Make Sure Your Blog Technology is “Comment Friendly” « (No Longer) Alone in a Library http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26123 Comment Challenge Day 12: Make Sure Your Blog Technology is “Comment Friendly” « (No Longer) Alone in a Library Mon, 12 May 2008 23:47:59 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26123 [...] be looking at how the technology on your blog may or may not be inviting comments. Check out this post about some of the difficulties Silvia has seen in trying to leave comments at other blogs and make [...] [...] be looking at how the technology on your blog may or may not be inviting comments. Check out this post about some of the difficulties Silvia has seen in trying to leave comments at other blogs and make [...]

]]> By: Kevin http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-26061 Kevin Mon, 12 May 2008 12:23:53 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-26061 I was just thinking this morning that it is helpful to log off as admin of my blog and go back as I were a visitor for the first time and see what that experience is like. Walk a few miles in the visitor's shoes, so to speak. I get so used to being the admin that I forget that not everyone has that privilege. This post is a good reminder of the hurdles that one can face, and yet, some of these hurdles are there because of inappropriate spam and other bot-mail that can clog the system, right? It's not just there for no reason. That's important to keep in mind. I guess we need to evaluate our blog based on how user-friendly we want it to be. If it's mostly a one-way street (blogger, outward) and not a two-way avenue (blogger-visitor-blogger, etc), then the hurdles may not matter so much. Me? I want folks to be part of the community and so your post is helpful in looking at my blog in a new way. Thanks Kevin I was just thinking this morning that it is helpful to log off as admin of my blog and go back as I were a visitor for the first time and see what that experience is like.
Walk a few miles in the visitor’s shoes, so to speak.
I get so used to being the admin that I forget that not everyone has that privilege.

This post is a good reminder of the hurdles that one can face, and yet, some of these hurdles are there because of inappropriate spam and other bot-mail that can clog the system, right? It’s not just there for no reason. That’s important to keep in mind.

I guess we need to evaluate our blog based on how user-friendly we want it to be. If it’s mostly a one-way street (blogger, outward) and not a two-way avenue (blogger-visitor-blogger, etc), then the hurdles may not matter so much.

Me?

I want folks to be part of the community and so your post is helpful in looking at my blog in a new way.

Thanks
Kevin

]]> By: Ken Allan http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-25750 Ken Allan Tue, 06 May 2008 11:18:04 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-25750 How comforting it is to learn that it's not me, Silvia! Thanks for the confirmation. And good on you for taking steps to ensure a backup of sorts is made of your comment before attempting to submit it. This same thing has happened to me so many times and not just with one type of blog site. Since the first time I encountered this disconcerting behaviour of blog sites I have aways pasted my comment into a Notepad file that's saved on my desktop before trying to submit it. There's many a slip in the comment submit :) For instance, just before I submitted this comment the 'Submit' button on your site was entirely obscured by an advert for spurious university degrees! Ka kite from Middle-earth How comforting it is to learn that it’s not me, Silvia! Thanks for the confirmation. And good on you for taking steps to ensure a backup of sorts is made of your comment before attempting to submit it.

This same thing has happened to me so many times and not just with one type of blog site. Since the first time I encountered this disconcerting behaviour of blog sites I have aways pasted my comment into a Notepad file that’s saved on my desktop before trying to submit it.

There’s many a slip in the comment submit :)

For instance, just before I submitted this comment the ‘Submit’ button on your site was entirely obscured by an advert for spurious university degrees!

Ka kite
from Middle-earth

]]> By: Manish Mohan http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-25747 Manish Mohan Tue, 06 May 2008 10:03:18 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-25747 Hi Silvia Interesting points you bring out here about difficulties in commenting. The Blogger pop-up window actually saves your comment but doesn't change. Your comment just appears at the botton with the edit window still open. Pop-up comment window of Blogger is a cool feature, but I guess the window should close when the user submits the comment (like the del.icio.us window). I have encountered similar issues with Wordpress that you mentioned. At least Wordpress has a feature to turn off log in required for commenting. Microsoft's Spaces also does not allow you to leave a comment without logging in, that too in using the passport. I gave up my first blog on Space because of that a year ago. Not sure if they have changed that. I can relate to the difficulty Kimberley's faced in identifying the Comments link. It can be hard to find in some blogs. Hi Silvia

Interesting points you bring out here about difficulties in commenting. The Blogger pop-up window actually saves your comment but doesn’t change. Your comment just appears at the botton with the edit window still open. Pop-up comment window of Blogger is a cool feature, but I guess the window should close when the user submits the comment (like the del.icio.us window).

I have encountered similar issues with Wordpress that you mentioned. At least Wordpress has a feature to turn off log in required for commenting. Microsoft’s Spaces also does not allow you to leave a comment without logging in, that too in using the passport. I gave up my first blog on Space because of that a year ago. Not sure if they have changed that.

I can relate to the difficulty Kimberley’s faced in identifying the Comments link. It can be hard to find in some blogs.

]]> By: Langwitches http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/allow-others-to-comment-make-it-as-easy-as-you-can/comment-page-1/#comment-25709 Langwitches Mon, 05 May 2008 10:38:18 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-25709 @Sarah I have gotten in the habit of CTRL-C-ing almost everything before I save, post, submit or move things around. Too many times, I have lost something in the process, when my Internet connection went out in the middle of me posting and the Back button only returned an empty box or not included my newest edits. @Sarah
I have gotten in the habit of CTRL-C-ing almost everything before I save, post, submit or move things around. Too many times, I have lost something in the process, when my Internet connection went out in the middle of me posting and the Back button only returned an empty box or not included my newest edits.

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