Your Blog Service Have Two Classes of Commenters?

Have you noticed the shift occurring when you leave a comment on some blogs?  First it was that one had to identify as a blogger from that service or "other." 

Then some services began to require two sets of gibberish letters for the comment to be posted.  Sometimes it was not clear whether it ever happened.

Now a new wrinkle.  At Blogger, for example, if the commenter is "other," then his/her name appears in black.  Took me a few times to figure out that only those in blue linked back to the commenter's blog.

Seems as if there is an effort to exercise a kind of control of the ether.   One day I may  only be talking to others with Type Pad.  No fun there.

Comments

[vuee]

You're always welcome here, with or without an account, ether way <|;o)

[MotherPie]

I notice, too, that many bloggers don't list an email. I wonder if all of this will shake out one way or another. I'm typepad, too...

btw... saw the Grandmothers for Peace at Rockefeller Center yesterday. Will run a photo tomorrow. Wondered if you were there?

[Virginia]

I think the plain black text happens when the commenter leaves no URL. I haven't seen one with two of those gibberish entry forms. I keep expecting them to go away because of suits filed by the accessibility people complaining that they bar blind users from a lot of site functions.

[naomi dagen bloom]

thanks for the welcome mat, vuee...always learn a lot when i visit.

virginia, since i always leave my URL, that is not the problem. if one does not have a Blogger or Google account, even with a URL, my name appears in black and there is no link to my blog.

[Jennifer]

As a "Blogger" blogwriter, I can say this feature frustrates me too. I like the fact that certain programs (is that the right word?) allow the blogger to respond to comments. I don't get that (of course when something's free there is only so much one can complain). I am investigating options that will give me more robust cababilities, but as an infrequent poster I have to balance the cost...

[tamar]

Speaking of comments... and commenters... Thank you so much for visiting me on my blog and for leaving a lovely supportive comment. I hope you get a chance to visit Atlanta this spring or another one. It is not without great reasons that this town is called the city in the park! I had stumbled onto your knitting blog months ago, and promptly sent the link to a blogger-knitter in Tel Aviv. Now hear this: Immediately after your comment on my blog, this same woman left a comment. Too weird. And I haven't heard from her since December! Last, your digs on 125th Street fascinate me. I grew up (and attended he Jewish Theological Seminary) slightly south of there, and went to Music and Art High School and City College slightly to the north. In "those days," 125th Street was on the way south or north. Something that others can say of anybody's home, neighborhood, beat. Carry on! And have a great week!

[vuee]

I made a note here,
Blog readers’ feedback needed - http://theelderlies.wordpress.com/2007/05/07/blog-readers-feedback-needed/

but if everyone could go to Lorelle's site and answer her question, it would help all of us who read (and write) blogs.

A lot of presumptions are made about what works and doesn’t work for accessibility standards and usability in web page design. Let’s cut through the assumptions and get the truth. http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/05/05/lets-hear-from-the-disabled/

[vuee]

Lorelle has another discussion going about whether readers prefer links that open in new tabs or windows ("link spawning") or links that open in the same window one is reading. Link-spawning doesn't work for those who use a screen reader, but how about for other folks? Does everyone know how to force links to open in new tabs? Are people used to using the "back" button?

I don't know. But I'm willing to change (to get tech support to change) the way I write blogs to make it easiest for readers.

http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/01/11/things-i-want-gone-from-the-web-in-2007/#comment-289609