challenges · gardening · in my garden · knowledge · summer · Wordpress

Help! Where are my comments going???

Joanne

Since installing my new computer last week, some things have changed – and not for the better –

  • I no longer receive notifications when blogging friends, who I follow, add a new post.
  • When a new comment is left on my blog, I no longer receive notifications.
  • Since yesterday, I can write a comment, submit a comment, but it doesn’t appear on the page.
  • The only thing WordPress is allowing me to do is to leave a “like” on my friend’s pages.

To make this post less techie, even though I am asking for help, I am adding some photos along the way. The last photo in my In A Vase On Monday post yesterday showed a “through the window” shot of what’s going on in my front garden, just outside the front door. I took a few photos of the area last month, taken outside, so I will add them for interest sake. 🙂

So back to my dilemma – up to this morning, I wasn’t sure whether my issue is email or WordPress related. Today, however, I went directly to WordPress reader, tried leaving a comment, and yet again, it hasn’t published! My “likes” however, seem to be still working.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what could be happening?

Going back to my garden, the first photo shows the Tibouchina tree. The second photo shows the bird bath, which is often used, and an assortment of mostly potted plants, waiting for the heat to diminish so they can be planted in the ground. Some plants live here permanently, such as a Hydrangea, Dianthus, Gardenia, Daisies, and two potted Spathiphyllum, or Peace Lilies. The Spathiphyllum are happy enough indoors, but I find they flower nearly all year ’round when they live outdoors in the dappled shade under the Tibouchina tree.

The Spanish Moss – Grandfather’s Whiskers – also prefers a shady area. My mother gave me some Grandfather’s Whiskers over thirty years ago when we moved back north after living in Sydney for fifteen years, (she’s been gone now for thirty years,) and this piece is one I separated from the original “bunch” just last year. Already, it looks happy and healthy, strung over a branch of the Tibouchina.

This last photo shows my front veranda, which also shows how close the Tibouchina tree is to the house. Since taking this photo, we have trimmed the top off the tree, which we have to do regularly, to keep leaves out of the gutters – it drops leaves often, but new foliage grows back again just as fast! If you look towards the end of the veranda you will notice my bits and bobs of gardening tools, pots, etc. which I always have on standby. 🙂

So going back to my WordPress issue, does anyone have any suggestions? I am having no problem when leaving comments on Blogspot, so it has to be WordPress acting up for me. I am considering re-following blogs, to see if that helps. However, I noticed that I was able to leave a comment on one blog – Eliza’s – where the comment box looked as it usually does, just a plain box for a comment to be added. On all the other pages, where comments will not publish, the comment box has a bar along the top, as if to edit the comment as I write. It looks the same as when adding a new post on my own site. That isn’t normal – but how do I change it? I have searched Google for answers, without success.

Now I am hoping my people have more WordPress knowledge than I do! Help!

Published by Joanne

48 thoughts on “Help! Where are my comments going???”

  1. I’ve noticed that change in my comment boxes too, so I suspect there was a WordPress update that changed things. I agree that your problems sound like a WordPress issue and would guess it’s something in the settings. Or it could be a browser conflict – I use Safari and there was a period of time when WordPress wouldn’t work with it at all awhile back. First, go through your WordPress settings.

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    1. Thank you for your suggestions, Carol. I went through my settings after reading your comment, and they only relate to people leaving comments on my site, unless I’ve missed something? I use the Google search engine and have never had an issue before. But you mentioned Safari – there’s also Firefox – so I will try another search engine to see if that helps!

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  2. I’m still kind of lost when it comes to WordPress because it has changed a LOT in the years I was away. It was so much simpler then. I’ll have to look on my computer tomorrow, to see what the comment boxes on the blogs I follow look like (I use Chrome), but since I’ve started blogging again I’ve downloaded the Jetpack app on my iPad and everything seems to be working there.
    If no ones has any ideas, you might contact WordPress, they should hopefully be able to help.

    Beautiful garden and veranda!

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    1. i remember Karma saying she had to re-learn WordPress when she came back to blogging as well. There were several changes, but I seemed to manage navigating those when they appeared. Now, I’m lost! But I will try Carol’s suggestion and see if another search engine fixes the issue.
      If that doesn’t work, I’ll try the Jetpack app on my iPad, although I prefer to use my desktop computer when blogging.

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  3. It is interesting that my blog seems okay. WP made some changes a while back and several of my followers stopped getting notification. There are different levels to WP blogs, free to Premium, and some don’t seem to communicate well I’ve noticed! I’ll be logged in, but get on another WP post and it asks me to log in… wait, what? I am not technically inclined, but I fussed around in my settings, making things less strict about followers, etc. I was able to put in my sister’s address, which seemed to help her get notifications again. Not sure this helps, but it surely can be frustrating when we hit glitches!
    Loved seeing wide shots of your veranda and garden. The Tibouchina is a beauty!

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    1. I upgraded my blog quite a while ago to make it advert free, but I didn’t have any issues after that. This is a mystery! I tried using Firefox – that didn’t work. I can comment on yours and Frank’s blogs, but not Cathy’s at Words and Herbs, or Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. I saved a couple of comments that hadn’t appeared, went back later to try reposting them, and a WordPress message told me I was doubling up, even though the comment still wasn’t there! I’m totally at a loss. I haven’t had the login issue you had, but give it time. 😉

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      1. What is interesting is that I can only comment via the Reader. If I go directly to certain sites, even via a email notification from WP, I can’t comment. It has ‘trained’ me to only access via the Reader, lol. It is beyond me as to why that is so!

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  5. I’m on Blogspot but I can commiserate. Midday, I lost the ability to reply directly to commentators (including you); however, I can write a separate comments addressing those commentators by name as a workaround. None of the fixes suggested by Blogger/Blogspot have remedied the situation, except switching to another server, which I’m not prepared to do (at least not yet).

    Have you checked your settings in WordPress? In the past, the platform I use has made changes that required me to reset some of my blog settings – maybe something similar is happening on your platform?

    P.S. I love your Tibouchina. I had 2 in my former garden and I miss them.

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    1. I have three tibouchina trees, two purple and one young, pink flowering tree. The only downside to them is that in windy weather, sometimes a large branch will snap off. Otherwise, I love enjoying their almost constant flowering. 🙂
      As for the commenting situation, I’ve checked the settings and couldn’t find anything that needed changing or updating. I’m still at a loss.

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    1. That’s interesting, Nicki. I pay to block ads. Where do I go to disable it? I thought once you paid for an ad-free sight, WordPress did what you paid them to do and that was that! I have re-subscribed to some blogs but so far I am still not receiving email notifications of new posts. :/

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      1. Sorry I meant an adblocker that you install with your browser, not a WordPress thing. Also sometimes my comments take a while to show up on some blogs, or they might have gone into the spam folder, that happens quite regularly on my blog. It’s annoying because usually it people who comment all the time and not spam that ends up in there!

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        1. I see. Some people have said my comments have been found in their spam folders, which is very odd. I’ll have to keep an eye on my own spam folder, to make sure none of my friends end up in there!

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  7. It’s such a pain when you get these issues. I was using Safari and kept getting glitches, I changed to Chrome and (touch wood) things seem to have settled down…for now anyway! I have swapped from one to the other on occasion.
    I hope you manage to resolve the problem, Joanne.

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    1. I’m on Chrome and have tried using Firefox. Neither work. But I also have the commenting issue on my iPad and iPhone as well. Given that I can’t comment using any device, I’ve decided it’s definitely a glitch in WordPress. Fingers crossed that I can work it out soon, or else it rights itself!

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  8. So sorry you are having problems with WordPress Joanne. They are annoying, changing things all the time. I have had problems in the past, and usually manage to resolve them or they just resolve themselves. I have noticed some blogs have that funny comment box and some don’t, and sometimes my comments don’t go through as well. Like Eliza said, I have to log on again and sometimes that solves the problem. Good luck!
    Your Tibouchina tree is amazing! I have never seen one before. Such pretty flowers. 😃

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. ❤
      I have left a couple of comments on your last post, so can you check your spam folder please? It's such a happy post too, now you have flowers beginning to bloom again. xx

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  9. Sorry to hear about your WordPress problems, Joanne. It seems like they keep fiddling with things and then it gets buggy for a while and then things start working again for no apparent reason. Technical things are a mystery to me. I hope those who are more tech savy will help to get it working for you again!

    Your front veranda looks so inviting! I would love to sit there and enjoy a cup of tea with you. 🌸

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  10. I can explain your WP problems … It’s the WP Gnomes. They are very sneaky and arbitrary attack bloggers. That way WP is unaware.

    Regarding Subscriptions. Open your reader, then click Subscriptions “Manage” on the right. Check the settings for each blog you follow.

    FYI: I see your comment today on my blog.

    After clicking to submit your comment, that unnecessary WP additional box of Discover More is a pain – but it doesn’t appear every time on every blog. I’ve got the feeling it may be a difference between the pay and free bloggers. Nonetheless, click the fine print (Continue Reading) in the lower middle. Sometimes the box appears but Continue Reading doesn’t – but the hyperlink is there, although invisible. No idea why.

    Oh well … a start.

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        1. Thank you! We made pancakes for dinner last night and I made mushroom sauce to go with them – yum. I hadn’t realised though that Shrove Tuesday was also Mardi Gras Day, so I had a read about that. 🙂

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            1. We have the Gay Mardi Gras coming up in Sydney this weekend, which is something I don’t enjoy watching on TV. That’s all we ever hear about here, and I find it just too “over the top” for my liking. I much prefer the word carnival. Carnivals are something the whole family can enjoy. 🙂

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    2. Frank, I went to my Reader, following your instructions, and so far I have been able to leave comments on posts I hadn’t been able to – WooHoo! I could hug you, so consider yourself virtually – (((hugged)))! 😀

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  11. Well, I think I know where your comments are going. After reading Frank’s reply, I searched for my comments spam folder, and there were two comments from you. I approved them so hopefully you won’t have any problems in the future. At least on my blog.

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  12. A curious issue! I am also on Chrome, like Cathy mentioned, and a free version blogger, and haven’t experienced an issue so far. I use a Chromebook for my blogging. I hope you’re able to make something work.
    Love the garden and veranda pictures.

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    1. I may have worked it out, thanks to Franks instruction regarding accessing the reader. Also, Eliza said she can only comment through her reader, so perhaps that is the way WordPress are trying to train people to go! 😀
      Enjoy your holiday! xx

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