The Blog: Problems and Advice

Saving Your Work

• Posts sometimes disappear into cyberspace, particularly if Blogger thinks your post is too long (more than 1500 words).  If you suspect your comment is going to be a long one, it's a good idea to draft your response in a word-processing program and then cut-and-paste it into the blog response window.  (As I specify below, short and pithy posts--the kind you don't have to worry about losing--are fine!  But sometimes you may have more to say.)

• If you get a response saying that your response was too long, don't immediately assume it's been deleted.  Sometimes Blogger publishes overlong responses anyway, even after showing you an "error" message.

Identifying Yourself

• You have some choices about how to represent yourself on the blog. 

• If your blog name or gmail or OpenID identity is something other than your name or initials, please send me an e-mail letting me know.  That way I can give you credit for your responses.

• When you enter your response on the blog, four options appear below the comment window.  If you are logged into Gmail, the default option will be your Gmail identity, but you don't have to use it.  

• "Name/URL" is the option to use if you want to be anonymous and prefer not to a preexisting online identity.  If you click on that option, a text box will open in which you can enter your name or pseudonym.  You do NOT need to enter a URL.

• If you have another identity in the blogosphere, you can use it by clicking the OpenID option.

Difficulty Posting?
If Blogger isn't letting you post a response to the blog, here are some things to try:

• Scroll down slightly until you see the dialogue box where you specify your identity.  Blogger won't let you post without identifying yourself somehow.

• If you still can't post a response, log out of your gmail account or any other Google services you use.

• If someone else has been using your computer, make sure that they are logged out of all Google services.

• Try connecting to the blog on someone else's computer or a campus computer and posting from there.  (If you succeed, there may be firewalls on your computer that prevent you from communicating with Blogger.)