Have you noticed that Blogger has changed its comment form so that you have to either sign in with a gmail address or as anonymous? If the blog owner does not allow anonymous comments you cannot comment at all; unless you have a gmail address. A link to a gmail address not attached to a Blogger account leads to a ‘Profile Not Found’ page with the message “The Blogger Profile you requested cannot be displayed. Many Blogger users have not yet elected to publicly share their Profile“. This mistakenly assumes that all those who comment are bloggers themselves!
More significantly for bloggers:
Unless you use blogspot Blogger, your blog url is not linked to. This is in addition to the fact that blogspot default linking is set to nofollow; which means that links were not counted for pagerank purposes anyway. Google is penalizing bloggers once again, after so recently downgrading pagerank for those using paid for links. I am really peeved that my freedom in using the internet is being eroded once again and do not like to be controlled in this way.
This move goes against the basic nature of blogging, that of bloggers linking to each other in the spirit of give and take and community building. How can you build up a relationship with another blogger if you do not know where to find them. This move is bound to reduce the amount of commenting on Blogger blogs. Therefore ALL bloggers are being disadvantaged – both blogspot and non blogspot users.
What can we bloggers do about this? I have some suggestions:
- Non blogspot bloggers can leave their blog url in the nickname field of the Blogger comments form. The usual nickname could be used to sign off the comment itself. I prefer this solution to leaving the url in the body of the comment as, under normal circumstances, this is considered spammy.
- Blogspot bloggers can change their comment form message, suggesting that non blogspot users leave their url as their nickname or in the body of the message. To do this go into the Settings/Comments area of your dashboard. Add your message to the ‘Comments Form Message’ section. Example:
- Use Haloscan , which replaces the blogspot comment system. Haloscan allows external linking as well as having a trackback feature which is missing from Blogger. This is not an ideal solution as older comments are not retained by Haloscan but it is better than nothing.
- All bloggers, whether Blogger users or not, contact blogspot using their suggestion form and ask them to allow users to leave their blog url in the comments form once again.
- If like me you have left blogspot for another blogging platform, sign up for another gmail account in case you want to leave messages on blogs that do not allow anonymous comments. This will prevent your email address leaving a link back to your old bloggger blog.
- Blogspot users could move to another blogging platform. WordPress.com for example allows you to import all your posts and comments from blogspot. Either that or consider using your own domain. There are many other reasons to move away from blogspot. You can see my own reasons here Reasons I moved from blogspot Blogger.
- Set up a Blogger blog with one post which links to your non blogger blog. I am sure spammers will be doing this – is Google encouraging spam?? If you have a blogspot address that you do not want to link to, sign up for a new gmail account and new blogspot address to match. Consider using an email address such as yourwebname.dotcom@gmail.com to further publicize your blog name. You can divert any mail to this account to your email address of choice in gmail Settings/Forwarding and POP/IMAP/Forward a copy of incoming mail to .. This will save you having to login to this gmail account to retrieve your mail.
- Post about this issue yourself to register your disapproval.
If anyone is now considering a move to WordPress and need more help and information than I have given so far in this blog, please leave a comment or contact me via my comment form. I will either write posts myself or point you in the right direction to find clear instructions.
Google’s power is starting to concern me and I am going to find alternatives to their services, even though this may not be so convenient. Do you think I am overreacting here or justified in my concern?
If anyone can think of any other solutions to this recent violation of our rights as bloggers, please let me know.
Update:
Blogger users could use the Intense Debate comment system to replace Blogger’s. I have seen this in place on a couple of blogs and the option is still there to enter a blog url when leaving a comment.
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Excellent Post! I just noticed this change a few minutes ago and made a short post about it. I will include your post in it.
Thanks for the suggestions.
-Jos:)
Jos’s last blog post..Changes to Blogger Commenter Identity Options
Great Jos, the more publicity this gets the better.
Great post – very educative and well written. Good to see so many standing up for the freedom in blogshpere.
I migrated to WP half a year ago and are very pleased about it.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
PS: great to see you have the CommentLuvPlugin too – I should have to get that soon.
RennyBA’s last blog post..Brussels Fish Market
Thanks Renny
I have just added the threaded comments plugin too. I really like this feature as I can reply to comments individually. I would do this before but I think it is more friendly to have the reply attached to the comment itself:-)
It’s things like these that confirm that I made the right decision in switching ALL of my blogs that are worth anything to WordPress….
Tinu’s last blog post..Tool Time Friday | Calling all Engineers?
I agree, this is another step way out of line from Google.
I have said goodbye to them – I have not been to a Google page in over two weeks now. I feel a lot better for it actually. The alternatives I found are excellent and in some cases much better than anything Google offered anyway.
I don’t think it is an over-reaction. I always would sign off my comments on blogger with a ahref link back to my blog. I have put an example of it here so you can “borrow” it if you like.
The majority of Blogger blogs are completely no follow when it comes to comments anyway, unless the blogger has deliberately made it do follow.
Also even if you did have a blogger blog, it doesn’t link back to you. It links to your profile. There is now no way to link to your blog other than by putting in a signature block – like this -
Cheers!
Snoskred
http://www.snoskred.org
Snoskred’s last blog post..Oh! My Plugins!
I noticed it just yesterday and didn’t like it simply for the fact that I had to log into google to participate in discussions… this is very discouraging but you know, MSN Space always had this .. you have to be logged in Live or your MSN account if you want to comment on a space blog!
great points Sue and I think most of the blogspot users need to move to some other service!
pearl’s last blog post..I am, all because of you!
This is probably one of the reasons Space accounts do not figure much in the blogging community as a whole. There is a danger this may happen to blogspot too.
hmmm
I don’t seem to be have any problems with my non blogger readers….
I put a tip in my comment box yesterday and they are displaying their names/links in the comment section
laketrees’s last blog post..Portrait of Tamika
I’ve never been a fan of the blogger comment form. If you comment with your blogger id, it links to your blogger profile and that doesn’t do anyone any good.
I haven’t seen the new form yet.
I agree RT. If I use my normal gmail address it is linked to my old blog profile too which is a nuisance. I have had to open a new gmail account.
Sueblimely’s last blog post..Warning: blockdelete.com
Hi again
here’s an update you may find interesting:
Blogger Comment identification via your own blogging platform or any OpenID
-Jos:)
Jos’s last blog post..Changes to Blogger Commenter Identity Options
Thanks for that Jos. Since reading this I have been researching OpenID in more detail. It offers a solution to some blog platforms – eg WordPress.com but the OpenID profile is not a good alternative for linking directly to a non hosted blog.
I’m glad you wrote about this. I’d already left a comment on another blog which was talking about them implementing OpenID (which isn’t a solution for everyone, imo). I will blog about it.
I already hated not being able to leave a contact email. This is just an appalling manipulation and so damaging to the way in which bloggers communicate with each other and build communities.
Grrrr.
Your list of actions we can take is great, by the way. There is going to be some noise about this, I think.
cerebralmum’s last blog post..Avoiding depression…
I am glad someone else felt like a Grrr about this. Sums up nicely how I felt about it
[...] has weighed in with a detailed analysis, and is labelling it unfair to all bloggers. Kelley has expressed her dissatisfaction in no uncertain [...]
Hello
Here is my not so merciful urgent message to the Blogspot crew. I’m also angry that we can’t seem to contact them about this or anything, no email address to Blogspot Support, as far as i’ve seen
I’ll try your tip about the comments form change
Simple Z’s last blog post..Urgent message to Blogger Support crew – link to ALL commentators again, will you?
I imagine Blogger support would be absolutely inundated and they don’t want the flood gates to open.
I totally agree. I think the new system SUCKS! My non-Blogger readers aren’t commenting like they used to because the URL field is no longer there.
I wasn’t even aware of this until today when one of my readers emailed me wondering what the heck was up. LOL, I was wondering why today’s posts didn’t have any of the normal chit-chat going on.
Guess we’ll have to see how this one plays out. But personally, I’m getting more and more fed up with Google. Seems they’ve forgotten all about their company slogan…”Don’t be evil.”
Shine on,
Aaron
Sorry to hear about your comments, maybe add a message to your comments form saying it is ok to leave blog urls in comments?
This post is ranked 5 in Google with the terms “blogger commenting”. Congratulations.
Colin Campbell’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: Reuters 100 Best Photos of 2007
Thanks for letting me know Colin. I am pleased about this considering how new this blog is and the fact I do not have any Google pagerank.
[...] of including our (non-Bl*gger) URL in the ‘Other’ section. Really. They’re just pissing people off. The assumption many bloggers seem to be making at the moment is that Google/Bl*gger are [...]
Found the page. Blogger Help Wishlist
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and write something like:
“Immediately insert the old kind of comments form where ALL commentators could leave their url:s!”
Simple z’s last blog post..Varför jul?
Try and href-html-link your BloggURL when commenting in Blogspot.
Put the href-line somewhere in the comment field.
I’m trying to write this very short code to my readers but unfortunately, it self-deploys!
so that they can’t see the code
Does anybody know how to disable these little fellows?
Simple z’s last blog post..frrrrrr…. self-deploying…..
[...] blog site with your OpenID account so that the links to your non Blogger blogs , lost by the recent Blogger comment form changes, are re-established. I will post about this separately. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “What is an [...]
Thanks for the info.
I was wondering if my eyes had a problem when I noticed the new form recently.
Anyway, this really sucks. *Sigh*…
Angie Tan’s last blog post..‘Tis The Season To Get Fattyyyy…
It looks as if you have found the solution to writing code in the body of your post? Thanks for the tip about including url’s in comments. I have never tried before – has not been a need. I have now got my blog linked to my OpenID so my comment name links to my blog though.
Sueblimely’s last blog post..Warning: blockdelete.com
Hi Angie, good to see you here. I agree, it does suck. I hope you not finding the number of comments on your blog decreasing.
Sueblimely’s last blog post..Warning: blockdelete.com
hi there…
I believe due to this new form, one of the features has been removed – notification of comments.
I didn’t know I had some comments for my post until I decided to just check in yesterday.
Hmmmm… Seems that when they introduced this new “feature”, some stuff was broken.
Angie Tan’s last blog post..‘Tis The Season To Get Fattyyyy…
ALL BLOGGING PEOPLE can be linked to when commenting on Blogspot!
Just write the below code line somewhere in your comment (but remove all spaces, accept the one between ‘a’ and ‘href’: ‘a href’ :
Your Signature
Example of result: my signature
I have written this (in Swedish) on my blog’s comments sheet, for every reader to see.
simple z’s last blog post..Sänkta priser => inga köttberg vid stängningsdags
Thanks for the information. I guess its time for me to break away from the big G. WordPress here I come!!!
Clement’s last blog post..Zimbabwe’s first biodiesel plant! Will it be an economic lifeline for Zim?
I actually noticed this a long time ago and I expected Google to do some new evil against bloggers. Why is that not a surprise?
There are not many things we can do. As long as we use blogger, we use free software and free web space from Google and they are entitled to do whatever they do with the sites, software etc. they own.
We cannot fight this. We can protest, sure, but it will do no good. Google remains evil.
Mig’s last blog post..Body Language: The Truth Is In Your Hands
We could find alternatives to Google, not just in blogging platform but in replacing other Google services with different applications – eg search, calendar, chat, online photo storage, widgets, desktop search, RSS reader. I know they are good but there are others as good. Google makes it easy to use their services by packaging them so nicely together, having one account to access all, toolbar etc. But we could use a bit more effort and use the others.
I knew something happened but not the details until I find your blog stating the problem and the associated magnitue. I’m really happy to find this post. Thanks and now I’m on my way to explore other alternatives…
ColourfulWorld’s last blog post..Perodua Viva: 1st Service
I am glad you found this of some use. I have heard that blogspot users are getting less comment because of the changes.
This could be unfair in the first place, but i see also their reason of why they restrict and put some filters and that is, just to avoid spam commenting. Although it limits the the chances of having a wide spread of open communication from web design and development.
I have a Blogger username from when someone needed me to test it for them. And use it to leave comments.
You don’t need a Gmail address to leave a message, just a Google account (linked to whatever email address you want:) ). Though this does not fix the link to the wrong blog problem. And links in comments having ‘nofollow’.
The OpenID option look promising, but needs time to look into it.
Leefe’s last blog post..Playground for little kids or big kids?
It must’ve taken you a bit of time, so thanks for taking the time to do so, I appreciate it, This post is just great, I’ll read the rest of your blog…
Great post – very educative and well written. Good to see so many standing up for the freedom in blogshpere.
An excellent comprehensive post. One thing that annoyed me was that the change to the comment form was not announced and blogspot users had to find out from other sources. Some were puzzled as to why their comments had tailed off. I made my move away from blogspot a few weeks ago for so many reasons – I reckon this will be the final straw for many and they will do the same.