It seems last Sunday’s blog on silence coincided with the implementation of some “comment updates” from WordPress, the hosting company for this blog. I chose WordPress for its theme diversity and low cost but mainly for its ease in connecting with other social networks.
A blog that deals with Oneness and being is about connecting so hosting my blog with WordPress did and does make sense. It also makes sense that there will be missed connections, from time to time. On Monday, some readers wanting to leave a comment received this message:
No one has to register with or log in to my actual blog to comment; however, my blog has always required an email address (never revealed) and a name to accompany all comments. If I didn’t, anonymous responses could conceivably rival spam contributions so on my blog, one must create an identity to comment.
Identity seems to be at the core of the recent comment update issue, although I do not pretend to understand the technology of it so I may be completely wrong. However, it does appear that in order to leave a comment on my blog now, readers must sign in with an existing social media account (Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, etc.) or create an account with WordPress.
This is the ether so remember that updates/changes to what I just wrote are always just a breath away, if that far.
As this blog is also about one boomer being–I have an appreciation for and history of questioning authority so I do “get” why some readers are upset—I support every reader who does not want to sign in with any of their existing accounts or create an account with WordPress in order to comment.
For me, blogging is all about community and finding ways to support each other. Yes, I am nauseatingly optimistic almost all of the time but just the fact that we can have a global conversation about commenting or not commenting is a positive for all of us. Here’s an alternative way to comment on my blog:
Under Contact in the right hand column on my home page (Oneness), please click on Email me! to send your comments.
As I do with all comments, I will review, respond (if appropriate), and I will post your comment just as if you had submitted it in the comment section. Please provide a name that you like as your identity. It may even be your own.
“So rather than giving energy to…perceived misfortunes, [I look to] the Tao…inexhaustible…the ancestor of it all…living infinitely” (Wayne Dyer).
“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing,
love is knowing I am everything,
and between the two my life moves.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj
Round One of Round of Words Final Tally
The first round of Round of Words in 80 days ends tomorrow, and round two begins April 2. ROW80 helps writers bring their writing into their real lives, no more goal-gazing or sighing. ROW80 helps writers establish realistic goals that may be revised as many times as any manuscript. All one needs is a blog and a love of writing.
I was skeptical about ROW80 but if nothing else, I launched a blog, the writing of which requires way more than I anticipated. Furthermore, I saw my writing as it really is, which is not exactly how it was playing in my head or through my heart. Now, I know what is possible so thank you to the ROW80 community of writers who post their progress on Sundays and Wednesdays.
My beginning goals were modest—write at least 250 words per day, write a blog post twice a week, do something with a 17-year-old manuscript. I made it hard for me to fail, for once.
I progressed from 250 words per day to 30-minute stretches and to a daily average of 900 words. In these last few weeks, I am comfortably writing over 1,000 words per day. The type of writing includes technical, nonfiction, fiction, and blog posts but in this first round, I excluded technical and nonfiction writing from my word count. Total fiction and blog post word count is 23,639. Total technical and nonfiction word count is 14,000-18,000.
As a writer who was not writing except for an occasional spurt, I am more than pleased. What ROW80 reveals is that it does not take a great deal of time to generate words. With words come ideas and better words, clearer thought.
My manuscript is in shreds but its core, kernel idea is intact, which is more than I expected. The story is completely different as am I– seventeen years later–but the story’s idea is as fresh as always.
ROW80 Round Two on deck.
KM Huber's Blog 
That’s odd – blogger’s giving problems too; I can’t seem to add anyone to my blog roll and I might be missing all kinds of interesting posts.
Congratulations on joining round two!
LikeLike
It seems to be working itself out or maybe a more accurate statement is that people who blog are finding workarounds. I’ve always had trouble with blogger until I used Name/URL, which usually allows me to leave a comment but not always. I think the options on wordpress have always been fewer but not sure. Looking forward to round two!
Thanks for stopping by, Deniz. Don’t be a stranger.
Karen
LikeLike
Kudos on doing so well on your writing goals! And I know what you mean about an old novel. I wanted to put one up on Kindle and started rereading it, only to realize I would have to rewrite it first! Yet another thing to put on the to-do list. 🙂
See you in Round 2!
LikeLike
Hi, Ruth!
Thanks for the writing encouragement. All my life, I have set such high goals and while I may have reached most, the cost was far too high. ROW allowed me success in a way I did not know. As for the novel, oh yes! Am pretty sure this first novel will provide some back story and some exposition for the new novel but that’s about it.
Looking forward to round two!
Karen
LikeLike
Hi Karen
I do agree with you about the privacy issues and questioning of authority, both of which I support and always have done. I have not had a problem with this particular issue on WordPress as I have an account/blog and vet first comments on my blog, but I guess it does stop people commenting on my blog unless they have an account or give an email and I have resisted it on Blogger. I get a bit lost in all the technicalities I must say. However the point of all this social networking is to network and connect so you have to take the bad with the good to some extent. Being too selective could be seen as rather elitist?
I love that you have been so successful with your writing goals although I do not know anything about this ROW scheme other than what I read on your blog! Keep it up so we can all enjoy what we can see on the blog at least,
best wishes
Diana
LikeLike
People seem to be finding their way around the comment issue or taking some of the bad with the good as you say. And yes, I do think being too selective is elitist, and now that we are finding a way to connect with one another, elitism does seem more than out of fashion. I so appreciate your thoughts.
So far, the “scheme” of ROW has been such a catalyst for my blogging as well as for my own writing. Let’s see how I do with round two!
Thanks, Diana!
Karen
LikeLike
Hi Karen, I just switched to another email address and it went right through when the problem started. I chose to do that because it wouldn’t link up my website. I just found a way around it. 😀
Glad you are doing well.
Peace,
Morgan
LikeLike
Hey, Morgan!
Yes, changing to another email address works well; I so appreciate you making the effort. It appears to be an update that has generated glitches everywhere and not consistently so I appreciate knowing how you worked through it.
As always, thank you for stopping by.
Peace to you, my friend,
Karen
LikeLike
It’s very interesting to note, that for solitary posts (as in coming here to a single page as opposed to your main blog), it doesn’t show your contact by email piece on the right-hand side. I have to go to your main page to see that, Karen.
On the other hand, I had one instance of the gravatar.com message, but what actually had happened was my computer at home was logged into WordPress as well as my laptop. I disconnected the first session and then everything went through. I don’t think WordPress is limiting people, but there may be a problem with accounts being “logged in” to their servers that are somehow clogging the works.
I can check, by logging out and see just in case. But it seems less that WordPress is blocking people and more that there is just a glitch in the works…
I’ll post by my Google addy if everything works out in a moment.
LikeLike
Hey, Eden!
Thanks for the tip about the email widget; I thought that might be happening, and I will fix it. Also, the test comment came through just fine and really appreciate you sending it. As I’ve mentioned in other comment responses, I was a bit reluctant to publish the post but I wanted to get some conversation going. Please see Karen’s comment as well.
Like you, I don’t think WordPress is trying to limit anyone, either, and your point about clogging up the works makes a great deal of sense. Had not come across that particular point but these are some glitches, just as you say.
Generous and thoughtful person that you are, thank you for taking the time to experiment with my blog. You are so busy, and I so appreciate your time and always, your words.
Karen
LikeLike
I’m just glad when I can help someone, Karen. It seems that so many things in this world are poised to bring us down, that whenever possible, I prefer to “pick things up” so to speak.
Have a lovely day, Karen.
LikeLike
Hi Karen!
You are a kind soul! Thank you for writing about WordPress. I have figured out a wayaround it with help from Angela Peart. I was even registered with WordPress and given a password from them directly and they didn’t accept my comments. So frustrating I can assure you. So now I use a different email address and leave off my website. And voila! I’m here!
So for this last check-in for Round 1 it looks like you’re moving along with your writing which is better than I’ve been doing. I’ve fallen off the wagon. LOL!
I am making new goals for the next round and buckling down. Now more messing around.
Thanks Karen for all your support and blog love! Take care! 🙂
LikeLike
Hey, Karen, right back at ya!
Thank you, thank you for finding a way around this, which I knew there had to be, and honestly, I did not know how or where to start the conversation. I just knew between WANA and ROW80, we’d figure it out. Even from my limited knowledge, what you say makes complete sense. So glad you are here, commenting on my blog, and thank you for pursuing the issue. Truly, I had you in mind when I wrote the post and your recent determination to provide comments to other ROWers was the deciding factor in my publishing it.
As for my writing in round one, I was at zero so any writing was going to be a positive but between the Mayer workshop and ROW, the writing returned. As you say, now for some messing around….
Don’t be a stranger, and I’ll be by soon.
Karen
LikeLike
I am so glad you’ll be back for round 2. I’m a bit dismayed on the other hand to learn about the changes on WP comments. I don’t think I like what you described. This is similar to Blogger, which I fight with constantly. I don’t want to make it difficult for people to comments. I wish they had left it as it was. I will have to consider your email option – perhaps I will move towards that.
LikeLike
Hey, Lynnette!
I hesitated for more than a few hours before publishing this post as the issue is really unclear but maybe some conversation will clarify. Ultimately, I decided to provide an email option and will add a contact form somewhere on the blog before round two. Honestly, I needed to include contact information on the blog–also need to add a bio–you know the drill. Like you, I have struggled with the issue on blogger. I do not want people to have to consider their log ins when leaving a comment. I am hopeful there will be some common ground found.
Thanks for following my blog and am glad you, too, are in for round two.
Karen
LikeLike