Friday, December 15, 2006

Rail against the beta version blogger/gmail/google machine

Once upon a time I was content with blogger. I began my blog last October after casting aside lj because it just did not link up with my brain, I did not know anyone on wordpress that I could beg for help and guidance. My good friend Jennie was on blogger and knew she would hold my hand, which she did, when I had basic questions. Okay, so perhaps I used her before really spending time figuring it out myself but what else are friends for?

Enter beta-blogger. I know enough about the tech world that I wanted no part of a beta crap anything, so waited for it to be released as blogger 2.0 or whatever. I am not geek enough to deal with bugs I wisely ascertained. Well blimey every other blog I read (and I read A LOT of blogs) seemed to be going to beta and soon I couldn't comment if they were a beta blog. Then it appeared that I could only I couldn't. The comment box would say I could log in and comment with google OR blogger account but it wouldn't let me. Now I have to say that I am a decent blog reader and like to comment on the majority of the blogs I scan sporadically because like Heather and I like say "comments are like crack".

Then recently I noted that when I in my blog, like right now writing, the dang tab tag is all messed up. It no longer proudly states my title (dharma's universe) but "dharma''s universe. What kind of insanity is that? Just because I don't want to beta test your danged product for a lot of headaches and no pay?

Finally the loss of my ability to comment on blogs caused me to give in and open a gmail account. Granted I was considering this road because I am hating on c*mcast big time for not allowing the forwarding of alias addresses (something I use with one of my jobs and they stopped doing right in the middle of the event!) and declaring things like my mail from Berkeley Parents Network as spam. I am not as concerned that they have decided my weekly mailing from Li*n Brand Yarn is spam; really there are far worse things. So now I have a gmail account which is fine, I may wind up with several since I like to have different addresses for my different personalities, er, businesses and interests. Yeah, that's what I meant. Anyway. So now I can comment but it sometimes leaves my identity as something other than “dharma” which is so NOT what I want. But worse, now that I think I have fixed that glitch it says I have do not have a blogger profile which means people can’t find me.

Yesterday I went over to google and blogger but don’t you know there is absolutely no easy way, certainly none that I found, to lodge a complaint. Isn’t that con-frigging-venient? So I went to a google forum for blogger problems or something like that and found a number of people writing about similar problems.

Today I went to comment over on Rashenbo’s blog and saw a change in the comment section that seemed like it would make it easier to sign in with my blogger identity and solve my problems. But nooooo. Hell on wheels it was, though it did finally publish with the name “dharma” but says I have no profile and therefore looks like I have no blog. Luckily Rashenbo might actually remember me and realize the problem but damn. So I am searching for some way to meld my gmail identity and my blogger identity. You would think they would have resolved this since they are making it so hard to exist on blogger without a gmail account. However this is really making it painfully clear that TGF is right, I need my own website. She has wanted me to have one for sometime, though it certainly won’t be about doula work as I had dreamed about years ago. In theory it would be nice if it can become a place where I can put myself out there in the cybersphere as a therapist but most immediately it will be a place for my blog and other interests. And yes, it will link to my gmail account.

In the meantime, if anyone knows how I can become one person as far as blogger and google is concerned, please please please let me know. There’s a gift* waiting for you.


* Gift to be determined with imput from the intended recipient.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

How annoying.

On the commenting section of blogs (blogger specifically), if the writer allows "other" can you put in 'dharma' and then your actual blog URL instead of having it link to the profile? Will that work? I know some blogs don't allow non-Bloggers/anonymous to comment but it might work.

Although I must say, gmail ROCKS above all other email clients/hosts I've ever used. :-) I hope you will like it too!

Also, I'm paying $10 a yr only to host my own domain, from wordpress. I don't know other details as Hubby set it up for me, but it shouldn't cost a lot these days for a domain/hosting.

Let me know if I can be of further help.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes. The gift that's awaiting. I wonder what it is and if I'll get it. I'm all about freebies girl. ;)

Dharma said...

Ah my dear sweetisu unfortunately I have tried it all. Even just now on with another blog I tried anonymously and it wouldn't take that! I have tried other. I have tried to log in with my blogger id and it rejects it randomly, though I am starting to suspect it only rejects when I'm on a beta version, but allowed me to post using my google login but that shows me as a nonentity on blogger.

For your time and attention, you are eligible for a sample of the premier chocolate of the SF area - Scharffen berger.

Anonymous said...

Good grief... I just had a long comment posted and stupid comment logged me in as my old account and said I had to relog in... I hate that!

I opened my blogger account like a year ago and then in October I started fresh with beta. It was actually pretty seemless for me. I had a gmail account to use and everything. But the last week has been some crazy comment action. It's been a real pain. Sometimes it recognizes me and then sometimes it doesn't... but it will recognize me if I enter my old username and password... grrrr it is so frustrating!

andrea said...

strange, aside from the occasional problem with getting my blog title to fit "just right", i have almost never had a problem with blogger. it ate some entries awhile ago, but i've learned to compose elsewhere or cut and paste before i hit the publish/eat-my-post button.

i liked wordpress for the categories, but couldn't figure out how to put in my own text or change any sidebar stuff. i like LJ that it lets you control who can or cannot see you blog but it's too cutesy for my liking, so i'll continue to wish that blogger would incorporate things like categories and privacy control.

Dharma said...

Andrea - I'm glad you are happy with blogger but since the advent of beta I have had more problems with comments on others' blogs which I find annoying. I also don't like being the guinea pig unwillingly. I feel like I was forced a bit to sign onto gmail and that also annoys me.

There are things I haven't been able to figure out in terms of things on my side bar (like how to justify my buttons and such that I find annoying) and I guess I think if it's written in a language I can learn (or TGF can be order about to fix it) I would like it more. I certainly know about blogger eating things. That thing has quite the appetite!

Anonymous said...

i don't have any solutions, unfortunately, but i have had a balance of the trouble and no-trouble that everyone here has mentioned, especially in the last week. i've had several commenting attempts thwarted. good to know about the anonymous option possibly not working tho! i haven't been able to blog via flickr since switching to beta either (punks).

also, i had a gmail account before i switched to beta so i'm guessing the problem is that you made the switch at the same time as creating the account, so there's a disconnect on the google side. not that that helps. :(

i'm starting to think, if i ever have some time to waste, i may go ahead and set up wordpress on iheather. besides, getting a new template can be fun :) and man are there a lot of good wp templates out there!

Anonymous said...

I've seldom had any problems with the beta version; however, I have been having problems lately with posting comments to other blogs. Sorry you're having problems.