Sunday 19 February 2012

Just say no


Weaver has asked me how to remove the irritating 'word verification' thing for people who want to comment on her posts (which has just become infuriating by adding an extra word which you can hardly read anyway, and often get wrong - especially after a couple of glasses of wine...) and so here is a step by step instruction for how to turn the bloody thing off, below.

I got so angry with it last night (after a few glasses of wine...) that I went on to a few people's sites and threatened never to comment again unless they disabled it, so it might be quite an incentive for you to leave it up after all, but that's up to you.

1: Go to DASHBOARD.

2: Click on SETTINGS.

2: Click on COMMENTS in the top bar.

3: Scroll down the page of options until you come across a bit called SHOW WORD VERIFICATION FOR COMMENTS? then click inside the little ring which is next to the 'NO' option, and the blue dot will appear inside the ring.

4: Go to the bottom of the page to where it asks you to SAVE SETTINGS and click there to save them. Job done.

Warning: You may receive more annoying comments from people like me if you opt out of the word verification hurdle, but I don't think it will increase your chances of someone hacking in to your blog - the word verification thing is designed to prevent automated entry by other computers (which is why they use wiggly writing that even humans have a hard job making out).

44 comments:

  1. Well done Tom. If I come across more of these bloody things I'll refer the page owners to the above.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good, Cro - be careful you don't change to the new editing system that they are pushing now, it seems you cannot skip verification on it.

      Delete
    2. I had changed to the new editing system a while ago and now I am beginning to regret it. Please forgive me for still having the word verification for now. I have emailed Google to express my displeasure at not being able to switch it off.

      Delete
  2. I dumped mine this morning, can't go upsetting my lovely readers :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed not, Meanqueen (are you any relation of John's?) I'll have to go and have a look at your place.

      Delete
  3. About time someone pointed out the obvious. Well done Mr Tom

    ReplyDelete
  4. mine is gone. I'll expect one of your long winded comments soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok - I'll pop over in a minute and write a small novel on your comments page.

      Delete
  5. Thanks Tom - I shall now go and attempt it - if I disappear off the face of the earth for ever I shall a) start a new blog, probably called the knitter of straw dolls and b) come back to haunt you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Have done it. Took all of three minutes and nothing odd has happened. Could you please pop over and let me know that they have gone? And if they have a thousand thanks - knitter of straw is a rotten name anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I didn't even realize I had them, because they don't show up for the blog owners. So this morning I dumped them... BUT there is extra irritation if you're on the new Blogger interface. There's no way to shut them down on the new thing.... so I had to go back to the old interface and then proceed.
    So, up until this morning, there I was complaining about other people and I had the damned things. ARRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I only noticed that there is a new option for editing this morning, when I trawled through the procedure for getting rid of the verification bollocks. Although it encourage me to change to the new system, I - wisely it seems - didn't. What's wrong with this one?

      Ok, it is very nice of Google to give us free ranting options, but we mustn't forget that they make a hell of a lot of money from us by making their network attractive to advertisers. Without us, they would not be worth the billions of $ that they are today, so we really should have a little say in how it is set up.

      Delete
  8. IT DOES NOT WORK ON MINE. THERE IS NO SHOW WORD VERIFICATION FOR COMMENTS ON THE NEW GOOGLE CHROME INTERFACE AND WHEN YOU DO CLICK ON THE LITTLE COG AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE TO REVERT BACK TO THE OLD GOOGLE INTERFACE - THAT ISN'T THERE EITHER BECAUSE THEY'VE TAKEN IT OFF THEIR MENU AND QUITE FRANKLY I DO NOT GIVE A TOSS ANY MORE WHETHER ANYBODY COMMENTS OR NOT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keep your voice down, Moll - I am still feeling a little fragile from last night's dinner party.

      Delete
  9. Oops didn't really mean that... at least the last little bit. I'm feeling a bit like John does when somebody rattles his cage and I could quite cheefully throw a bag of Basmati rice at it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Forget Google Chrome and go back to the old system, Moll, before they decide to force everyone to use it.

      Delete
  10. Ok you moaning old git, you win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't tell me that you've unsubscribed as well?

      Delete
  11. Heartfelt thanks from this old comment-maker Mr Stephenson. I shall add you to my reading list too as you have an interesting blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thanks, Toffeeapple - I'll go and look at yours soon.

      Delete
    2. You cannot have time to write a blog, given the amount of ones you read! Shame.

      Delete
    3. Quite right, I read but I don't write as I have nothing of interest to say...

      Delete
    4. I find that hard to believe - everyone has a blog inside them. If John can keep us as entertained with his chickens as he does, surely you can recount the time when you murdered your wife/husband's lover with an axe and hid the body in an allotment, where it still lies to this day?

      Delete
  12. I took wv off a few days ago when I started getting spammed by non robots in Pakistan trying to sell me dog beds and fine cHina. Well done Tom for getting us all on board. Now. How do we get that snazzy reply button you have?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I stopped getting Chinese junks a while ago now - I don't know how, they just dried up. I get plenty of phone-calls from India, though. That reply button just appeared one day - I don't know how either. A FREE GIFT? Ask them for one?

      Delete
    2. Go to 'Blogger Buzz' and scroll down till you come to 'Threaded Comments' and it will explain how to get the 'reply' button, if it hasn't automatically appeared...

      Delete
    3. I didn't know that - thanks, Broad.

      Delete
  13. I've disconnected Tom...on your head be it! (The curse of the hat people.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust me - if you get any unpleasantness, just delete it. The only thing I block is anonymous comments, after I was threatened by someone who took offence to my attitude to the Iraq invasion.

      Delete
  14. Now look what you've done. People at Blogspot are being sacked at this very moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They just offered me a job as security advisor.

      Delete
  15. I've just got rid of word verification myself ... There is a rule blogger should learn to follow: 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' -- which is how I feel about the new editor. I just wonder how long I'll be able to use the old one before the new becomes obligatory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most policies are on the lines of "If it ain't broke, break it".

      Delete
  16. Thanks Tom. I was about to go looking for the place to turn it off. You saved me tons of time and I agree with you and all the others who have complained. I find so much of tech stuff problems falls into the category of "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I'm meeting more and more people who are saying, "oh no I don't use that any more. Too many changes".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't mind change if it is improvement (honest), but I can see no added value with this beefed-up verification thing.

      Most bloggers seem to be between about 45 and 75 years of age (everyone else is on Facebook), and that is the very age that most people begin to baulk at change. The trouble is that most I.T. specialists are renowned (and admired) for bringing about innovative change (which is why all our computers are so bloody wonderful), and they are of the Facebook generation.

      They need to bear in mind us older users whilst protecting us from other clever people like hackers.

      Delete
  17. I was sent by Weaver for your instructions: thank you for them, hopefully I have managed to switch the damn thing off.

    ReplyDelete