Having trouble with comments seems to be a thing at present. I thought it was just me, but then Damyanti wrote a blog post asking for feedback, and I sent her quite a lot.

And then I worked out why I was having trouble writing comments to posts on my own blog.

Insecure Writers Support Group badge

This is my Insecure Writers Support Group post, in which we share our successes and failures as writers, our insecurities, in fact. Anyone can join in, just sign up at the IWSG Sign-up page, write a blog post on the first Wednesday of the month, and go back to that sign up page to link with everyone else–or a goodly sample. Our host is Alex J Cavanaugh, and cohosting this month are:

Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!

What’s been happening with comments?

I hope if you’re having trouble here (or have had), one of these issues has been your experience, as I now know how to solve it.

  1. You get asked to put in your email, name and URL every time, even when you’ve just made another comment
  2. You click the logo for your commenting account (e.g. Blogger or WordPress), but nothing happens.
  3. You do all that, and then go to a blank page, or an error page
  4. You put in your email and it won’t accept it, just goes back to the form
  5. It takes your email, and sends you to another login page (probably WordPress specific)

The good news is, items 1, 2 and 3 should now be solved on this site, because I’ve sorted out Jetpack (until they issue another release). If you have a free WordPress site, or one where you pay a little for no ads or using your own URL, but it’s still hosted by them, this may happen on your site, but you can’t do anything about it until WP upgrade Jetpack again.

If you have a WordPress site and you know about Jetpack, then check your Jetpack settings EVERY TIME IT UPGRADES. Sometimes it keeps the sharing buttons, and the Like buttons, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it keeps sharing your posts to your Facebook, Twitter etc accounts, when you publish them, and sometimes you realise after a month or two that there’s been nothing new in your Facebook page… So, if there’s a Jetpack upgrade, check Jetpack’s Sharing, Discussion, and Writing settings (separate tabs), and make sure they are set so you share posts and recognise comments etc. It’s a pain. The last upgrade wasn’t as bad. It just didn’t recognise me as a user.

comments
The Jetpack settings panel on my system – the tabs are the same in other layouts.

#4 is a bit of a mystery, but seems to be a function of the website set up. BUT there was a problem going on, which the techies were talking about, with something in WordPress disagreeing with something in Blogger. In other words, we had to put up with it. Judging from the fact that I’m now able to post comments on Rebecca’s Blogger site again, I think it’s been fixed.

If you have more than one WordPress user account, you may get #5 happening. Somehow you have not been recognised as the right WP user. You can login on the error screen, and it usually works. Two possible ways of fixing this: 1) log out of WordPress. Log out of WordPress until it no longer tells you you are logged in as another user. If you have other user accounts, log into and out of them again. If that’s too much faff (it is for me), just use the second login screen and keep your fingers crossed. 2) Enable your computer to do cross-site tracking. That has the benefit of taking your genuine login identity across to other windows on your site. The bad news is, it gives all those advertising people more chance of tracking you and sending you even more spam. Personally I’d keep it disabled. I wonder if this problem is actually caused by over-zealous virus checkers?

PS: I had a problem with zillions of spam comments coming through (caught by my system) after the last but one Jetpack upgrade. They have stopped coming through since the latest upgrade. I hate Jetpack, but it contains all the good things bloggers need to communicate effectively. When it works.

And Now for NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

IWSG Question of the Month

I never understood why they picked November for NaNoWriMo. I can’t imagine having any time to write a book in November. Mind you, I’m usually deep in final edits for whatever book I’m aiming to bring out in January or February. If I’m not, I’m busy getting ready for Christmas, and reading enough books to reach my reading challenge targets for the end of the year, or wrapping Christmas presents, or … and I don’t even have Thanksgiving to worry about, so how do you guys across the Pond manage?

I have done Camp NaNoWriMo, many times. It’s changed, though, and they don’t have cabins like they did, so the last two occasions were pretty much solo efforts. I’ve general written first drafts or done a major final draft effort on one I wrote previously in these. April or July, much more productive months, when I can go out in the garden and get some fresh air between writing bouts. I like having the daily wordcount monitor. It keeps me focused, and makes me feel I’ve achieved something.

Apparently I’ve written 693,006 words in my Camp NaNo life. Hm, they seem to have lost my wordcounts for April and July 19. No matter. Amazing the stuff they have on me on their website!

So, what am I doing this November? Well, I have three craft and gift fairs to do, starting the run up to Christmas, and then two more in December, although I’m reserve for one. I think I’ll be keeping busy enough 🙂

Hope the comment ideas help… what are you writing at NaNo?

On Comments and NaNoWriMo | #IWSG
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18 thoughts on “On Comments and NaNoWriMo | #IWSG

  • 2 November, 2022 at 8:20 am
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    Thanks for the blog post, Jemima. Very useful. I’ve definitely had the re-log in for each comment issue before and the posting to facebook (I hadn’t realised that was jetback so disconnected the accounts and reconnected them all). Thanks for sharing. KL <3

  • 2 November, 2022 at 9:40 am
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    Sorry about your comments being glitchy. This year is my first nano. I don’t know how the camp works. I have two WIPs to close out, and semester exams are at the beginning of January, so I’m very invested in Nano. This November is definitely world cup month but for me it’s Nanowrimo month. I started on 31st, waking up at 4am and writing till 7am. I have managed 2000words per day for these 3days, a couple of days the muse is hyperactive and I’m tempted to write more but I’m being disciplined at closing the session at 7am, 2000words are a very comfortable targets for those early 3hrs and it allows me to work during day and take evening classes, as well as squeeze in an afternoon hour of exercise. Im so determined as I took all October off the WIPs. 2k words a day for 30days should be enough to comfortably finish the first draft of my sequel novel and also edit the poetry book that will also come out next year. As next year is my final grad year of study, I want to finish the bulk of the two planned releases for 2023 this Nano month.

    • 2 November, 2022 at 11:00 am
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      Well done. The key is the planning, I think. I would write between 2 and 3 thousand words in a session, but I maybe only posted my target on the NaNo counter… saving up some for days when I wasn’t writing for some reason!

  • 2 November, 2022 at 11:03 am
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    Wow Jemima, for the numbers. You’ve written a lot. Thank you for this post as well. You’ve given us a good insight. I haven’t paid attention to the comments on my blog, assuming fewer people visit me now.

  • 2 November, 2022 at 11:09 am
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    I agree that November isn’t a great month for NaNo. I’m too busy then too. Glad the NaNo camps worked for you. I’ve never participated.

  • 2 November, 2022 at 11:49 am
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    Hi,
    Thanks for sharing the solution you discovered about comments not being accepted.
    I’m quite sure that was a lot of work.
    Take care.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

    • 2 November, 2022 at 12:39 pm
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      Sorry your comment went into spam, Pat – I was doing an upgrade, so that might have been why 🙂

  • 2 November, 2022 at 1:27 pm
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    Sorry WordPress gives you so many commenting challenges. Although Blogger gets hung up on wanting you to sign into Google and sometimes that doesn’t work either.
    Good luck with all of your shows!

    • 2 November, 2022 at 2:03 pm
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      Don’t talk to me about Google. It insists on returning me to my jemima pett identity regardless of whether I’ve switched into another. Plays hell with managing the art club’s website!

  • 2 November, 2022 at 4:13 pm
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    Thanks for the update on the commenting issues, though I don’t use a WP account. I’m glad you are able to comment on my Blogger page, though! I did notice that it is better, though today seems to be requiring me to select my Google identity instead of posting anonymously. Not sure what’s up with that.

    When I comment here (or any WP site) I do have to enter my info, but as soon as I put in my email it automatically fills the rest of the form, so it’s not too bad. Though I am then often asked to enter my password for WP, which is getting old in a hurry.

    • 2 November, 2022 at 4:14 pm
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      P.S. Clicking the “Save my name etc.” button does seem to keep me logged in, at least for another comment on the same page.

      • 2 November, 2022 at 5:25 pm
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        I wish it did that for me. Unless I’m actually signed in to post stuff, it won’t recognise me.

  • 2 November, 2022 at 6:23 pm
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    Hi Jemima!
    Thanks for the Jetpack tips. I’ve never tried NaNo. Having just learned of CampNaNo (today), I might try that since it seems a lot less pressure. You and I aren’t the only ones wondering how November was ever chosen to present the biggest writing event of the year 😉

  • 2 November, 2022 at 9:04 pm
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    It seems all the blogging sites are having problems. I removed a profile picture earlier this week and now Blogger won’t let me upload a new one. Keeps telling me file error. Ugh!

  • 3 November, 2022 at 1:43 pm
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    That was nice of you to includel all the tips! Never have done NaNo…don’t want the stress, and yes, November! Often we’d have 35 people for Thanksgiving. Prep started weeks earlier. That has all changed now, but nevertheless it never occurred to me to even think about doing NaNo this year. Never say never, but often say “unlikely!”

  • 3 November, 2022 at 9:24 pm
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    I’ve had issues with WordPress as well. Just got it fixed recently. I understand the disappointment. Also, wow, 693,006 words, is no joke! Kudos, Jemima 🙂

  • 5 November, 2022 at 11:20 am
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    The weather sucks in November in San Francisco. That’s the official answer to why it’s in November.

    I’ve got a book to finish. I’m actually going pretty well thus far. 🤞🏽

    “I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of.” —Joss Whedon

    J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Reference& Speculative Fiction Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge

    • 5 November, 2022 at 9:42 pm
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      Those are two good reasons, J. I’m looking forward to reading Fractions of Existence. It’s getting nearer the top of my TBR 🙂

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