Why can't we have a choice?
-
I notice several other users have commented on this, and I’d like to add my own voice to theirs and say that I too am not happy about suddenly being forced to have Facebook and Twitter buttons on my blog.
I realise of course that some will want to use this option, and as such will be very pleased to see it, I however am not one of them. This is a “feature” I do not want, and yet from reading your replies to others it appears you do not intend to offer us any way to turn it off, which I’m very disappointed about. Surely we should have the right to control how people comment on our blogs?
I really hope you will reconsider this, or I may have to consider moving my blog elsewhere, where I can control such things myself.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
-
I hear you, however, it’s my experience that we do not get “options” when new features are introduced here at WordPress.com. The option is with our readers/commenters they now have more log-ins they can use to submit a comment to our posts that they did not have before.
-
Thanks for the reply.
I totally agree, it seems this feature is readers focused, and I’m sure many do indeed appreciate it.
That said though, many other blogging sites offer all these same things, but allow the blogger the choice about how their readers can comment, and I’m not at all happy that WP is refusing us that choice.
I’ve even asked a few of my own readers what they think, and those I managed to contact said they were perfectly happy with the way things were.
If anything this might actually drive some of my readers/commenters away, because some of my core readers are anti-facebook with a vengence, and just seeing the logo is enough to annoy them.
I don’t have all that many regulars, so if I start losing them, I’ll have no choice but to move I suppose.
-
I don’t have a Facebook account. I find it hard to believe that any of your readers would fail to leave a comment because they see a little icon, but then the world is full of strange people.
-
A few of my readers used to use it, and had some serious privacy issues as a result, and to say it’s made them a bit anti would be an understatement.
I really hope they don’t abandon me, but as you say people are strange. I don’t use facebook myself either, mainly because of the privacy issues I know others have suffered there.
While I’m not as anti as some of my online friends, I’ve no interest in having their logo appear on my blog. To me it’ feel like forced advertising for a site I dislike and would never choose to advertise willingly.
I can only hope WP will listen to those like me who are unhappy, and give us an off switch, but I wont be holding my breath
-
I agree with you and am DEEPLY opposed to Facebook Connect, but in my experience:
1) some users love this shit, particularly the less sophisticated ones.
2) WordPress.com is very very unlikely to remove something that encourages comments, in whatever form. It’s here to stay. Thank Arianna Huffington, who popularized it.
That said, only an idiot would use Facebook Connect “by accident.”
-
I’m deeply opposed to facebook in general, especially since they changed things so that all your info, even the hidden stuff, is still stored and publicly accessible, if you know where to look.
I’m not asking them to get rid of it of course, I’m sure there are plenty who do love it, as bad as I think it is. I just want the choice, on my own blog, to be able to turn it off.
-
@develish1
Both raincoaster and I are are of the Facebook privacy issues. It’s a datamine with pipelines that siphon personal information to advertising and internet marketers. Click on any ad, game, or use any app and your personal and private information is being harvested. Setting that aside, what we are conveying to you is that we don’t think it’s likely that WordPress.com Staff are going to reverse this or create an option to remove the icons from the comment boxes. This is not to say we do not wish you well. :) -
-
The best quotes on FB I ever heard were my friend Kris Constable saying:
“Never mistake yourself for Facebook’s customer. You are the product they sell to their customers,”
and Fake Julian Assange from SNL:
“What are the differences between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I’m a villain. Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s Man of the Year.”
-
lol, speaking of wordpress.com providing choices to bloggers? Makes me nostalgic :)
But on serious note, I think wordpress ought to also allow Google, Microsoft and Yahoo log ins. These are far more popular and convenient options for readers to worry less about typing their names and emails.
-
-
I’m neutral on the matter, but you have to love the irony of getting mad at WordPress for removing a choice which interferes with your removing a choice from your readers.
-
I would prefer that those really ugly outsized FB and Twitter buttons be optional. To me they’re just ads. (I know, I know – maybe I can pay to have them banned from my blog along with belly fat? ;) )
I appreciate my free blogging platform–although I would point out that WordPress does get something in return, and that is the modest but steady traffic that visits Torch Lake Views for the stories and photos that I supply. I’ve had a lot of fun here. But lately I feel less and less welcome at WordPress.com, as if I’m being a bad sport because I don’t want to PUBLICIZE!! or SHARE!! or TWITTER!! I can’t complain. I can use it or not. Lately, more and more, not.
-
pretty much my thoughts too.
I keep my blog separate from other “sharing” services by choice. Why would I then want to advertise those same services on every page of my blog?
it is starting to look like we’re stuck with them though, as there’s been no response from WP to anyone’s comments other than the bog standard “we listen to all feedback” type of thing.
Guess we really do have to start seriously looking at alternative hosting options :(
-
As if it’s not bad enough that I’ve had my blog defaced with this politically and morally loathesome facebook icon, and that the reply box, which used to be nicely minimalist, is now hideous, I have constant trouble posting comments.
Endless problems – old comment texts stuck in the box; the box refusing to expand once the text reaches the bottom of it; difficulty selecting the text, which of course I always do before hitting “post”; no scroll bar, so that I have to use the arrow keys on my keyboard; greatly increased wait time for anything to post.
So they’re not only inflicting this assault on behalf of the facebook thugs, but they were so eager to do it they couldn’t even do it competently.
For two years I’ve blogged and loved the experience, yet now it’s like I don’t even want to go there any more. I used to reply to almost every comment, now I just select a few (and give greatly shortened responses). I want to be there as little as possible.
-
you’re not alone attempter,
I’m having similar issues too, which is another reason I want my old, simple, comments box back
I don’t often write long replies, so have had that problem, but I’m certainly getting annoyed with the text staying in the box after it’s posted.
-
What we are ultimately realizing is that those of us who may like to keep things simple, away from any changing times of social media and the circus around it, should have considered keeping the old-fashioned websites where you are in total control. But unfortunately, the lure of commenting and the lack of innovations in simple old style website building led us at the feet of blogging and now the blogging is under the spell of social media, i.e, facebook/twitter, and there is no escape from anywhere. The internet world is increasingly becoming social and we just have to adapt.
-
Just an update: All the old bugs I mentioned above are still there (I’ll single out the lack of a scroll bar and difficulty selecting text), and now there’s a new one: I have to click twice on “Post Comment” to get it to post.
Yesterday the pleasant, minimalist old comment box briefly reappeared, and how nice it was to see it.
-
I’m not liking having to scroll to the very bottom and I’m especially not liking that the comment stays in the box after being posted.
- The topic ‘Why can't we have a choice?’ is closed to new replies.
WordPress.com Forums 