Tutorial - Get new Blogger commenting features & a quick explanation of OpenID
Recently us poor Blogspot bloggers have been hit with a problem whereby commenter’s either have to log in to Google or use a nickname / anonymous with no option for their URL.
I ranted about it in my post “What are the big G up to now? Punishing their own?” and Kathy just posted one way around the problem in her post “Google’s Being a Poopy Head, Too”, by putting a link in the comment.
However it does seem that Google are trying something out and may not be trying to limit us. In an attempt to stop comment fraud Google are updating the commenting system to allow people comment using their Open ID.
This new commenting system is available now and as you can see from the screen shot below it should make it secure and easy for most users to comment.
So what is Open ID?
OpenID.net explains:
OpenID eliminates the need for multiple usernames across different websites, simplifying your online experience.
You get to choose the OpenID Provider that best meets your needs and most importantly that you trust. At the same time, your OpenID can stay with you, no matter which Provider you move to. And best of all, the OpenID technology is not proprietary and is completely free.
If you already have one of the following accounts then luck will have it…. you already have an OpenID:
AOL- openid.aol.com/screenname
LiveDoor
- profile.livedoor.com/username
LiveJournal
- username.livejournal.com
Orange (France Telecom)
- http://openid.orange.fr/
SmugMug- username.smugmug.com
Technorati
- technorati.com/people/technorati/username
Vox- member.vox.com
WordPress.com
If not then you can go to the OpenID site to learn more or log into commenting using your Google account/Nickname or Anonymous.
Ok, More importantly. How do I enable the new OpenID comment options on my blogspot blog?
Google have a new draft version of blogger so basically all you have to do is log into your blogger blog through this and enable the new commenting options.
- Goto draft.blogger.com and log into your dashboard as normal.
- Click on ‘Settings’ for the blog you want to update
- Click on the ‘Comments’ tab
Here are your new commenting options. The important thing is going to the section ‘Who can comment?’ and checking the option ‘Anyone - Includes Anonymous users’.
Then scroll to the bottom and hit ‘Save’
Voila!, now hopefully you won’t have to worry about losing comments from Google users.
Please let me know if this tutorial was useful and if you think I need to add anything to improve it.
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December 4th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I read this this morning in my Google reader. You did very well with this post. I have already done this. Thanks for a well thought out, easy to follow fix. Have a great day.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Hey, I’m compiling a comprehensive listing of posts that address this, including a link to your main page since you’ve written a couple of times about it.
Thanks for some HELP
for all those poor Blogger souls out there!
Robin @ PENSIEVE
December 4th, 2007 at 10:50 am
That’s great information! I better go and update mine now. Thanks:) Have a great day*
December 4th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Thanks Sandee, the complient means a lot! I have been trying to get this post out since Sunday but have been getting bogged down with work!
I am hoping everyone manages to make the change and does not loose too many comments from non Google bloggers!
Hi Robin, thanks for stopping by. I will def come by and take a look and read over the list. Thanks for doing that, we need to get the issue out and sorted asap!
December 4th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
WOW! What a great post! Very detailed and nicely researched. It also made me thankful that I don’t have a blogger site!
I’ve really enjoyed your writing style over the last few posts by the way.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Few bloggers are going to want a link that goes to an OPenID profile page because they want backlinks for their blogs and even less people without a blog would even consider signing up for OpenID. I don’t see how this won’t cause people on blogger to lose out on comments and possibly new community members.
All in all, it makes me thankful I host my own.
AntiBarbie.net
December 4th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
@ Lynn, Thanks very very much! Your blog is blossoming too! I think you are doing a great job of mixing the paid post and personal post format so that you can actually earn a little for your efforts.
@AntiBarbie - The OpenID as far as I can tell just verifies that you own the email and website. So for links and stuff it all stays as it was before. And if you already run through Wordpres / Typepad and a few others then OpenID is already part of your details and all you have to do is select your blogging platform from the dropdown list.
Still not perfect but ok!
December 4th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Forest thanks for the heads up. I followed your tutorial but when I checked… the ‘Anyone’ option was already clicked on. So I guess that means all is good???
December 4th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Hi Dawn,
Yep it’s all working on your site now.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:48 am
hey thanks for the tutorial, I logged in and that was already selected, however it seems to have updated anway.
Rob
December 5th, 2007 at 6:36 am
The one thing that still concerns me about OpenID is this: Even if someone knows what to enter in the URL field (Wordpress and others), I’m not sure if it points back DIRECTLY to their blog. If you sign in with Google, it still just points to your Blogger profile. The issue in both cases is if you run multiple blogs. How will someone who clicks your name know which blog is relevant to a particular discussion? Also, it means they have to click twice to get to your blog. It’s much better to click right to it.
There is a way to make OpenID point directly to your blog, though. But it means you have to insert code into your Blogger template. I’ve done that and you’ll see that if you click my name, it goes to my blog, not my profile. It’s a nice workaround, but will the average person even know they can do this, or know HOW to do it? Don’t think so. I’m still fuming about this change!
December 5th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
That’s an excellent tutorial. I do tend to agree with AntiBarbie that bloggers will still lose out on comments. Not everyone will know what an OpenID is? I know I didn’t when I saw it on LiveJournal I just decided to try it out upon doing so I realized I could use it. However it still wasn’t perfect and definitely did not always work like a regular comment form. Eventually I avoided blogs that used that altogether simply because I kept running into error messages. It was a shame since I really liked the blogs. I just didn’t like Live Journal’s format. It seems Google is using something similar.
Vegan Momma
December 5th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Nice post, it definitely caught my interest as I have been trying to leave comments on blogger blogs and unable to w/ the URL back to my site.
I DO wish your post had an in depth tutorial about how us people with our own sites sign up for OpenId. Admittedly I was in a rush, but I wish it was a bit more straight forward.
BTW, your blog is lookin’ nice my man. (#):)
December 6th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Hi. Nice great info and nice blog.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:12 am
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