Internet Slowdown
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I have read that many internet companies are planning to will install widgets “display[ing] prominent messages that include an infinitely-spinning ‘site loading’ icon—or the so-called ‘spinning wheel of death’—to symbolize what surfing the web could be like without net neutrality,”. WordPress was listed as one of the site participating. Is this true?
If so, why can you add a widget (which is really just a political ad) onto the website I have PAID for without my consent? For security and other reasons, I do not wish there to be any widgets or ads on my website, and that is explicitly what I paid for.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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WordPress was listed as one of the site participating. Is this true?
Where is the link to your information source please?
Which WordPress? There are two varieties and you can read the differences here http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/
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This question actually lead me to go check my widgets. We now have an “Internet Defense League” widget available. You have to choose it and turn it on for it to show up on your site.
I was wanting to opt in to this campaign, so thanks to the OP for providing the extra motivation to take care of activating the widget!
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I was wanting to opt in to this campaign, so thanks to the OP for providing the extra motivation to take care of activating the widget!
I just found the optional widget too. This is a non-issue so I removed the tag for Staff response.
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ALL Widgets for Internet Defense League or any other protest or awareness raising are strictly “Opt In” – in other words – If WordPress.COM does provide a ” the so-called ‘spinning wheel of death’” Widget – the Widget would be in your Widget collection and it would be up to you to drag and drop the Widget to the proper place to be displayed – WordPress.COM will not add a “protest” Widget to your blog
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Thank you for the response. That was not stated in the article on ArsTechnica that brought this to my attention. Further, since the widget is available NOW for use, what will be the action taken by WordPress on September 10? While I appreciate the community’s response, I would really like something from an actual WordPress representative.
From the article:
The Internet Slowdown protest will happen on September 10. It won’t be a real slowdown; instead, sites will install widgets “display[ing] prominent messages that include an infinitely-spinning ‘site loading’ icon—or the so-called ‘spinning wheel of death’—to symbolize what surfing the web could be like without net neutrality,” -
When you look at the widget you’ll see you can set it to show a badge or not show a badge, plus participate in campaigns or not participate in campaigns. So, if one chooses to set the badges, those show now, but if you choose to participate in the campaign, that’s when you’ll get either a banner across the top of your page or a window with (I’m assuming) the spinny wheel of death.
To get an official response, just add the “modlook” tag to this thread and a Happiness Engineer will chime in as soon as he/she is available to do so.
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I have been here for some time – even through the protest when many web sites went black for 24 hours – many sites here did go black but is was an Opt In thing as I pointed out above
WordPress.COM will not do anything to mess up your blog – period end – the uproar would be devastating to their reputation
Ask for staff help if you want – but they will tell you the same thing as I have
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The widget use is optional. In fact this is non-issue as I already stated above here https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/internet-slowdown?replies=8#post-2031821 when I removed the tagging for Staff.
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I was hoping there was some sort of official announcement that I could be pointed to. But apparently, if some other forum member feels your question is unworthy, they simply remove your request for a WordPress staffer to respond.
rootjosh, are the reports in the press inaccurate? Is the display of the Internet Slowdown protest widget completely optional on wordpress.com sites?
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I just looked, and the modlook tag has been removed for the second time, without an actual answer from WordPress.
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@mehrnc
I removed the tagging for Staff because I noted that the widget is an optional use widget like very other widget here. In fact, every widget provided by WordPress.COM is an optional use widget. If we wish to we can either install or uninstall any and all widget display from our blogs at any time and for any reason. -
Reference link to the relevant support doc http://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/internet-defense-league-widget/
As a WordPress.com user, you can opt-in to enabling an Internet Defense League support banner or badge on your blog by adding a widget to your sidebar. …
Read more about the Internet Defense League at their site: http://www.internetdefenseleague.org/
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I understand that you think that your reason is valid. However, despite your near-constant presence on this board, you are not identified as a WordPress employee. Since there reports in the press that seem to indicate that WordPress will be participating, and since WordPress has absolutely nothing in their news feed regarding this at all, all I wanted was someone from WordPress to state, for the record, that the widget is totally optional, and their only participation is making the widget available to the blogs hosted in their domain. Simply noting the widget is optional NOW in no way shows that WordPress will not add the widget to the part of the page they control. If everything on your blog were always under your control, then where did the ads come from, because I surely didn’t place them there.
It would only take a few seconds to have this simple request honored, if it were true. The fact that nobody is willing to do this, and the fact you are doing your best to bury it worrying me. Of course, tomorrow will come, and if WordPress chooses to do this, then I will have no recourse and the damage will have been done.
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Hi there,
Any participation in campaigns like this are entirely optional. You can keep an eye on our WordPress.com News blog for an upcoming announcement about the Net Neutrality campaign: http://en.blog.wordpress.com/
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Given that you are clearly not inclined towards installing the optional Internet Defence League widget on your private blog U was unable to isolate what possible damage could be done by a widget that will not be displayed on your blog. It sounds like you feel the need to have Staff define what opt-in and optional mean. As the thread is tagged for them to do that there’s no need to be upset while waiting.
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Thank you rachelmcr. I assume you would have responded much sooner had timethief not felt it was appropriate to REMOVE a tag from my post. I would also ask if WordPress sanctions some member to not only remove tags, but to add such tags as “paranoia runs deep”? Doesn’t seem to be a very “positive” thing to do, and rather cowardly at that.
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