Can I invite viewers to my private blog w/o requiring that they have WP account?

• 

  victorialwallace · Member · Jan 24, 2013 at 5:19 pm

  • Copy link
  • Add topic to favorites

  I currently have a private blog set up on wordpress.com with no upgrades. Is there an upgrade or any other mechanism that would let me keep that blog private but invite select people to have read-only access to my blog without them having to have a WordPress user name and password? I’m happy to upgrade if such an option exists, but it seems to me that it doesn’t.

  Thanks,

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

• 

  raincoaster · Member · Jan 24, 2013 at 5:27 pm

  • Copy link

  There is no way for WordPress to identify people and figure out who is authorized to see your blog unless they are logged in to WordPress.com. There is no upgrade that changes that. Note that they don’t have to get a blog, just a username.

• 

  starwise8 · Member · Jan 26, 2013 at 2:21 pm

  • Copy link

  I get what you are asking as I have just started a private blog and wondered the same. I experimented with inviting myself via a certain email address and in the end I added the following text to my Invite message to try to make it easier for invitees to understand they have to either have a WP account or sign up for one to view/join in. It’s not always appropriate to give all that info when canvassing would be participants in the first place.

  To view this private blog you need to sign in with your WordPress username/email and password, OR if you don’t have an account with WordPress, you will need to sign up for one. Don’t worry as neither the site owner of this blog, or WordPress will give your email address out to anyone. If you create a new WordPress account, after doing that you will need to return to your email invite and click on “Accept Invitation”. Thank you for joining.