Why Are They Bloggering Everything Up?

What on earth is Blogger playing at?   I can remember the good old days -- oh, it was about a week and a half ago, I reckon -- when a feller sitting at his keyboard could go a-strollin’ through the blog forest, reading a bit here, scrolling past something there, and leaving comments in his wake whenever the mood took him:  long, thoughtful comments sometimes, little truncated messages of encouragement or agreement at others.  No matter who you blogged with, you could comment.  We all like comments.  Comments make blogging worthwhile, especially if they have substance.  And the quid pro quo for a comment is a link.  I shall comment on your blog, and in return your blog will link back to mine.  All was as it should have been -- no matter which blogging platform you used, you could comment on any blog and the link thing would be automatic. 

Okay, yes, if you want to quibble, there were a few platforms that didn’t work that way.  Live Journal, for instance, will only link back to you if you are a Live Journal user, otherwise you have to comment anonymously.  I was tempted to ignore all Live Journal blogs but in fact one of my most fave blogs uses that platform and I enjoy reading it too much to ignore it.  Yahoo 360, however, will only let you comment if you are a member. They don’t even give you the anonymous comment option.  Sorry, but I’m not signing up to something just to leave a comment.

But apart from that, the link love between the main platforms (by which I mean Blogger, Wordpress and Typepad) was unobstructed.  One could leave comments on any blog without even taking in which platform it used.  Until the week before last.  For some reason, Blogger decided to behave in the most bloody minded manner possible.  Without making any kind of announcement to warn people, they altered the comment form format.  Gone was the “other” option in which non-Blogger people could leave their names and URLs.  They had fixed it so that now only comments from other Blogger account holders would link back.  As for the rest of us, anyone reading our comments and wanting a way to click back to our blogs was out of luck.

That was very frustrating for us non-Blogger people, and I can’t imagine that Blogger account holders were any too pleased about it.  Anything that erects barriers between bloggers is never welcome. There are ways round it, of course, but they are cumbersome and a bit of a nuisance.  You can, if you want, manually insert a hyperlink into the body of your comment every time you leave one, which will link people back to you, or you can do as I did: open a Blogger account and use it simply to redirect people to your blog when they click over to it.  All a bit of a nuisance and not nearly as convenient or easy as it used to be.

Blogger is owned by Google and I know Google want to rule the world,  but I am sure that this action of theirs, which was designed, I shouldn’t wonder, to cut their users off from other bloggers, will do little more than to bring new subscribers to Typepad and Wordpress, and to piss people off generally.

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Comments

[Vixen]

It is annoying for us non-Blogger users, but it must be terribly annoying for the Blogger users. I have found a multitude of users who are so unhappy they are considering moving to wordpress or typepad. Maybe Goggle (sp intended) will notice that instead of ruling the world they are losing it, one blogger at a time.

[samulli]

Funny, I hadn't even noticed that. But then again, I have had a gmail address and a Blogger account for ages, so I probably wouldn't have noticed any change anyway.
But you are, of course, right: everything that makes commenting harder will cost bloggers comments.
I'm still trying to figure out what reason Google might have had to change that particular thing, but so far I come up blank. Surely they are not quite addle-brained enough to think that everybody would sign up to Blogger now, only to still be able to comment on Blogger blogs, which most bloggers look down on anyway?

[Linda R. Moore]

Google has grown too big for its own boots and is now acting accordingly--like a dictatorial idiot. They want to force people to join.

Last week on TT I didn't even visit Blogger sites unless I already had a friendship with the blogger. I do have a Google account, but I'm not going to use it any more except to cancel things and for one guest blogging "gig". I have my own axe to grind with Google, of course, after they slapped me down to PR0. ;)

[Penelope Anne]

Yeah this is ticking many of us off at Blogger...just remember your visits are welcome and I still stop in here regularly.

[Melissa]

It *is* highly annoying to blogger users. I've seen a lot of my favorite sites start to move over. I'm considering it as well, once I figure out the redirect.

I'm just glad I figured out why Typepad was double-commenting me all the time!

[No Nonsense girl]

That's very annoying. Many people are switching to typepad or wordpress...

Sucks that they are controling information in such a way...

[shesawriter]

They're forcing people to get a Google account. This is all about Google's strategy to take over the internet. After that, Microsoft. LOL!

[Kerith]

so true...i would move my 2 blogger blogs but I have too much time invested

[Smiler]

I find it terrible that Google is creating these completely arbitraty boundaries between bloggers with their new comment form. It shouldn't even come into the equation between us bloggers which platform another blogger is on - it's about the message first. Do you like what this other blogger has to say and how he or she is saying it? Are you going to stop yourself from discovering great talent just because they're on the platform you love to hate?

I love comments as much as the next blogger, but I would rather forgo a few comments here and there and have new readers come visit my site. Especially when there are ways to get around this problem as Nicholas pointed out although they do require a few more clicks of the mouse.

I get worried when I hear alarming comments like the one Linda R. Moore is making. It's preposterous to write off an entire community of bloggers just because you have it in for the company. It's like saying you won't watch your favorite TV show of all time because you don't like the network it's on. Or that you won't read a book by an author who's work you admire because because you don't approve of his choice of publishers.

Ok. I have to stop. I'm getting myself worked up for no good reason. Bloggers, unite!

Peace out.

Nicholas, pleasure as always.

[Wylie Kinson]

The Bastards.
I had no idea. My head is in the sand, as usual.
But I'm certainly not going to let some format gods dictate whom I visit.
I'll come find you, Nicholas, where ever you are :P

[Titania]

Hi Nicholas,
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Google I suspect is the "Prime Evil Doer" in this mess. They are getting a bit big for their britches if you ask me. This has me thinking. Maybe I should look into transferring my blog elsewhere. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Take care,

T.

[Ev Nucci]

They're going the Open ID route. Are you familiar with it?

Ah, I just noticed you use IMDB as well. It's a great resource isn't it?

Well my friend, since the world likes to tag me on memes, I thought I'd pass it along to you Nicholas!

http://wackymom.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-award-memes-memories-and.html

By the way I was in a meeting yesterday and the gentleman bought a home on the west Coast of Ireland. He told me around Ryan Air...are you familiar with it?

[PJ]

I started off on blogger and kept my account even after I moved to wordpress, so I haven't been affected much by this change, but it still sucks like a hoover.

By the way, you've been infected! Check out my blog for more info.

[Rachel]

This was brilliantly written and not a ridiculous temper tantrum type diatribe like some I've read.
It frightens me that some people are writing off all Blogger Blogs... that's not fair. I'm still new to the game and have just gotten my whole blog set up and done the way I want it with new traffic coming in, I'd hate to have to change it.. but alack and alas *sigh* if they don't remove their heads from their nether regions... I fear I may have to.
I loved you TT! Thank you so much for coming and visiting mine! I also love your gentlemen's domain placeholder! Briliant!
I will definitely return and hope you do the same :-)

[Monica]

Hi there! I found you through Titania's blogroll and thought I'd leave a comment! Oh looooookie, I can do it without a gmail account! Thank you thank you thank you!

I thought something ka-flookie was up when I went to comment on her site, then I went to another then another! Oh fer cryin out loud!

I personally use Squarespace. At least until I get my Wordpress up and REALLY runnin' on my own server. Luckilly I have my own domain name and such and the IT hubbie for the server.

I feel bad for the Blogger folks.

My work around was to create a stationary page (http://sourcesoflight.blogspot.com/), but that's NOT okay 'cause now new folks I comment on are confused.

Anyway, enough gabbering for my first comment to your site. ;) Thanks for allowing me to comment btw.

Have an awesome week and stop by my blog if you'd like. I'll surely be back by here... great blog!

Monica

[Shoshana]

I find it in poor taste actually. They did these right after they re-wrote their googling system. I guess they want to be in their own little world.

[Norma]

I hadn't noticed it--I always have had problems leaving comments at non-blogger sites, and have often given up. But I have seen on my site meter some attempts with no comments. That might be why. Thanks for the tip.

[Norma]

Continued: Your comment window asks for double verification and then takes a while to complete. Since you don't comment at your own site, you probably don't notice. It takes a patient reader, one who loves books.

[maggie]

They fixed it. Does it seem better? I can't tell, since I'm on blogger anyway.

[Rasmenia]

I've been pretty aggravated with this lately, too.

I've found that I'm not as prone to leave comments & have only been reading a few select blogs on Blogger because of it.

I'm thinking of your tactic of setting up an account & routing people over to my blog, but if I do that, it will be with resentment while cursing Google with a chain of unheard expletives.

[AuthorMomWithDogs]

Google blew it big time on this one. Though they say they do care, their actions clearly say they don't.

[Laura]

I'm not sure what you mean. My comments still show an 'other' option and the nickname' option. Also the openid thing which anyone can sign up for and use on various sites not controlled by google.

[Laura]

The only annoying thing about comments, as far as I'm concerned, is the verifying thing that I had to fill out twice to leave a comment here. I can never read the damned things.

[Sheryl]

I hate the changes too! I do think they are trying to force people to get google accounts...and I,for one, refuse. ;p