…sidebar. I promise it really IS left, this time.
Takes some doing to get through the hoops to comment, but drop over there and wave hello. He’s using Blogger software, which wants you to set up a Google profile, which isn’t a terribly bad thing. Spam shouldn’t follow you home from that process.
From Stephen: CJ tells me that she had trouble adding a comment on my blog until she created a Google profile for herself. I’ve never had a problem with this because I already *have* a Google profile. I know there are people who don’t trust Google (especially since they’ve tried to tear up the copyright law); I don’;t know what to tell you. Maybe you could create a fake profile by lying to them? Or will the Google-police come to your house and rip out your internet connection? I hope you’ll find a way to come visit the Ingesterie after all.
You really don’t have to tell them much: I filled out my form without giving them any folksy info in their nosy blanks, and for a get-to-know-you comment in their box for such, I put up a rant about the state of publishing, plus a commercial for Closed Circle, so it’s not hard to do.
Stephen’s blog has itty-bitty comment indicators under each segment, and you don’t see a big ‘reply’ blank until you poke one: look for them there, punch the little words that say comment, and then—if it’s your first time you get a blank to register. Or you can register by poking the Register link.
Once you start registering it wants you to fill in one of those squiggly word things to prove you’re not a Bot, then it wants you to select an entity like google or facebook—google’s an easy pick, because you really don’t have to fill in its blanks: just do your favorite rant about google, if you like, as you feel inspired, for the comment box.
Once you’ve done that, then you’ve got an account that you then punch to get another box with a squiggly word to re-prove you’re not a bot, and after that your comments will show up!
It’s complicated, but if you just keep poking it, eventually you’ve been through all the hoops and you can reach Stephen’s new blog from then on without trouble.
Go wave hi at him! I promise it’s way easier the second time—and probably no harder than coaxing Wave to give you a picture avatar! At least his will give you a nice avatar of your choice!
Did it and it was not hard. You just have to keep following the instructions, even when they feel redundant. As I’ve said (written?) before if I can do it anyone should be able to manage it. 😉
Thanks for the great tutorial, CJ. I guess you can’t stop being a teacher, after all. I hope people won’t find it too obnoxious. I seem to have gotten a nice initial surge from here. I hope I’ll make it interesting enough for people to keep showing up.