Are you having trouble commenting, here and/or on the baby name blog? The good news is, it isn’t just you. The bad news is, this has been going on for quite some time, and although I am married to a guy who knows his way around the innards of a computer program, I’m in the role of the shoemaker’s wife who has no shoes. No, it’s the shoemaker’s children who have no shoes. Does no one give a thought to the shoemaker’s wife and her shoes? Maybe the expression involves the shoemaker’s whole family. I could look it up, but we’re having such a nice time.
Anyway, I would like to give the shoemaker a little poke in the ribs on the subject of the hole in my shoes, so I would like to do a poll. If you also can’t use the poll, email me: swistle at gmail dot com. Or you can tell me on Twitter.
…Wait. I can’t use the poll either. Because it wasn’t working so I guess I removed that whole plug-in. Either that or it vanished? Maybe “it vanished” is the problem I’m remembering with the polling plug-in. We will have to do freeform answers in the comments section. WAIT. We cannot do that! Because the comments section is what we are having trouble with.
*deep breath* Okay. Here is what we are going to do. If you are having trouble with the comments section sometimes but not always, leave a comment in the comments section if possible, telling me what’s going on. If you can’t use the comments section at all, email me or @ me on Twitter (whenever I say “at me on Twitter” I mentally add finger guns and a chk-chk sound, so add those to your mental picture of this exchange) and tell me what kind of problem it is. Is it timing out or resetting while you’re composing a comment? Is it acting as if it posted the comment, all except for the part where the comment gets posted? Does the comment appear not to post, but then it shows up later? Is the whole comment area is failing to load, so that there appear to be no comments and no way to leave a comment? Does it help to force-reload the page (on my Mac this is done by holding down shift and command and, while they’re still down, pressing R)? And tell me any other details that seem relevant—for example, is it happening on your phone but not on your desktop, or vice versa? It it happening every time or just sometimes? And so on.
I often hit “post comment” and the page auto-reloads without my comment, which then never shows up and is lost forever. This happens on some devices but not others. It happens whenever I follow an email to the blog.
Interestingly, this ONE time, posting from the email actually worked.
I have never had commenting problems here or at the baby name blog. Fwiw, I usually use a somewhat up to date version of Chrome on a Mac, but I also read your blogs regularly on my phone and sometimes comment from there and have never had issues. My phone is an old model iPhone that is running an elderly OS and I use its Safari browser.
I also use Chrome on Mac that’s pretty current and haven’t ever had problems with comments on my computer.
But whenever I click into a blog post on my phone (usually when you post a link to an entry from Twitter), I hardly ever even SEE a comments section! I scroll all the way to the bottom past all the various WordPress sludge and then I’m like AHHHH dang! So much scrolling for no tiny reward! ;)
It probably won’t make you feel better, but I have always heard the proverb as: “The shoemaker’s wife goes barefoot; the doctor’s wife dies young.” Just be glad you didn’t marry a doctor, I guess.
I remember having issues a couple months ago, but it’s been fine lately.
I haven’t noticed a problem, but I don’t comment on every single post.
I use Chrome on a Mac, if that’s helpful. Or my iPhone.
I have nothing helpful to add. I comment rarely and usually from my android phone and I have never had any trouble. But I do agree with your shoemaker analogy. My husband is a successful graphic designer. Packages that he has designed can be found in major stores all over the country. BUT, he will not do any design work ever outside of his actual job which is super frustrating. Especially because he still has opinions about what constitutes good design. He is embarrassed about all of the Christmas cards and photo albums I make on shutterfly. But when I make them they actually get done. So solidarity.
If it helps, I get to your blog via The Old Reader either on my Android phone or tablet (also Android) and I have never had a problem commenting.
I’ve written a comment, all seems to be well-but it doesn’t show up! I think it was when I was using Explorer rather than Chrome, I feel like that might have been the variable-I use my favorites list off Explorer to get to your site. Yet, if I go through Chrome, I don’t think I had problems. I’m using a PC, by the way.
Sometimes I click “x replies” to get to the comments section and it only loads some of the comments, sometimes cutting off the last comment partway, and I don’t get to the “leave a reply” part so I can’t comment. I assumed it was a connection problem though, because often if I refresh enough times I can eventually get everything to load.
Sometimes though, during these iffy periods, I do comment, but then it gets lost when I hit “post comment”. I know you probably can’t tell because I comment so often that the mind boggles to contemplate that I actually TRY to comment EVEN MORE! What can I say? The comments on your posts and interactions between commenters are half the fun!
Oh yeah…
Windows 7 desktop, running on my work’s network when I’m at work and usually my work’s VPN when I’m at home.
Internet Explorer 11, since that’s the only browser my work allows.
I use safari on my phone and sometimes – not always – have trouble commenting, especially on the baby name blog. What happens seems to be that I hit post and then I am redirected to a blank page. It says your blog url in the navigation bar but just a white page and then my comment is lost in the ether.
The shoemaker part of this post cracked me up.
I have not experienced a problem either on my iPhone and iPad using Safari or on my desktop using Windows 10 and Chrome.
Which doesn’t negate the fact that others are having problems, of course.
It seems like a long time ago that I commented and it didn’t show up, I remember I emailed you and asked about it because I thought it was maybe a bad comment. Mostly it takes a long time but I’ve never had it time out or anything.
Yes, this happened to me maybe 3 times and I also thought it was a “bad comment” but now maybe not?
I use iOS iPhone/iPad exclusively.
I’ve had a bunch of trouble lately using my Windows desktop. This is on my phone so we’ll see if it works…
Now I just want to see if I can leave a comment. Firefox on Windows 7
I haven’t noticed a problem with the comments at all. I generally read/respond from my PC using Chrome.
I tried to post a comment on the baby name blog…maybe a week or two weeks ago? It was on the one with the infuriating husband who wanted both babies named after his family (Greek last name). It let me see the comments and compose the comment, but then when I hit post the page reloaded and the comment vanished. It never appeared later, either. Let’s see if it works this time – I’m using same browser (Chrome), but my work computer instead of my personal one.
Also, I don’t know how you manage to make a post about technical problems so warm and funny.
I don’t comment that often, but I don’t remember having problems when I have. I use Safari on a Mac.
I’ve never had a problem. I use Safari on a Mac and normally come to your site via Feedreader or a link in my bookmarks.
I think mine is fine to comment. (Chrome)