Thanks and an Update

/ Ann Coleman

I’m sorry to clutter your readers and inboxes, but I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to let me know they could see my published “test” post.  For some reason, I am logged into my stats page and can write a new post, but once it is published, I am no longer recognized as the administrator of my blog, so I can’t like your comments or answer them without logging in as a guest (including password) each and every time.

I’ve exchanged 29 emails with Word Press “Happiness Engineers” over this issue, but none have identified or solved the problem, and to say I am frustrated would be an understatement.  My son, who works in IT, checked out my browser and assured me that’s not the problem.  He suggested I log out of my blog completely and log back in and see if that helps.  The reason for this post is I’m afraid that after I do that, I may not even be able to write posts anymore and didn’t want to just disappear without explaining that I really wasn’t planning to end my blog right now.

So, hopefully the problem will be resolved and I’ll continue blogging.  But if it’s not, please know that I have appreciated each and every person who read, liked, and/or commented on my posts more than you’ll ever know.  And (if Word Press allows it) I’ll still be following and commenting on your blogs.

Thanks again for all the advice!  It is a gift I will always treasure.  You gave hope and cheer when it was desperately needed, which is one of the many things I’ve loved about being part of the Word Press community!

84 thoughts on “Thanks and an Update”

    • Thank you so much! My son showed me how to reply off my dashboard, but the problem on my home page still exists, sadly. I’ll keep trying a little longer before I give up, though.

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    • I tried that, but it didn’t fix the problem, sadly. I’m answering this on my dashboard (my son showed me how), but I still can’t either like or reply to anyone on my actual post without filling out my name, email, website and password each and every time. It is so weird and frustrating! But thanks for the suggestion, I have gotten more useful information from my generous readers than from WordPress, so believe me, I’m grateful!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks! Sadly, Word Press hasn’t even responded to my last two emails, so I’m basically on my own. I’m answering this on my dashboard, because if I go to my home page, it thinks I’m not logged in…no matter how many times I log in!

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        • I used to be able to do “live chat” but now they just kick it to emails, and that’s part of the problem. But I agree, if I could speak to a real person (who listened and answered truthfully) it would be so wonderful! Thanks for the suggestions!

          Liked by 1 person

  6. This sounds so simple, but have you tried clearing your cache? That’s helped me in the past. Also, I’ve had trouble with the editor (the details don’t matter here) and I finally found that forcing a hard refresh of the page takes care of those. Have you tried logging in to your account on a different computer? If you could get in on your son’s machine, for example, you’d know that your password works, etc.

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    • Yes, that’s what they recommended first, and I did that, but it didn’t help. I think I’ll try the hard refresh, maybe that will work. Honestly, I’ve gotten more helpful advice from my readers than I did from Word Press!

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        • Yes, and how sad is that? I remember when I first started blogging, and if I had a problem, Word Press’ techs actually helped. Now they just throw out generalized suggestions that always assume the problem is me, and then that’s the last I hear. If I answer their email, I get a new tech each time, and it is clear they know nothing of the history of the problem. But I can be stubborn, so I won’t give up just yet. It just makes me sad that I may have to stop blogging before I’m ready to, you know?

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    • Thanks! I can only reply on my dashboard, but I guess I should be grateful for small blessings. One of my readers said she is in the same boat since the recent Word Press update. (I didn’t know they did an update, but that would explain the lecture I got from one of the happiness engineers about how I need to appreciate the evolution of technology and not mind if it made things a little bit harder….)

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    • For now, replying is possible on my dashboard, but not on my site. And one of the “happiness engineers”….boy is that name inappropriate!) said that not being able to do it on my post meant that I am not recognized as the administrator.

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  12. OK. Try this. Open a new tab. Enter your url and add /admin to the end of it. For example, if your WordPress site were http://www.mywebsite.com , you should be able to access it by using https:// mywebsite. com/admin . I just tried it with Lagniappe, and it worked fine; my url there uses my name, with /admin tacked on the end. (I put some spaces in that ‘fake’ URL so it wouldn’t get stripped out — at least, I hope it won’t.)

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      • That was a great idea, and I tried it and was very excited when it took me to my admin page. But when I clicked on “visit site” once again, I was just a visitor. The little “edit” option wasn’t next to my name, and I was also invited to follow my own blog. What is weird is that the page with my posts is the ONLY page that Word Press doesn’t recognize me. I can post, edit, reply and like from my dashboard. But once I go to the actual post, I’m kicked off. When you used that adding “admin” to your url, did it take you to your actual post page? And if not, can you reply to posts off the comment section of the post, or to you have to go to your dashboard and hit the comments there? Because that’s what I’m still doing. But I really appreciate your comment, because I honestly feel that it’s the direction of other bloggers that is eventually going to provide the answers.

        Liked by 1 person

        • When I’m unable to comment, here’s what happens: I get a little form that asks for my name, email, and so on. Rather than filling in the informationor leaving the page, I just refresh that page, and then I can comment. Have you tried that?

          Thinking about it, I realized I do visit Lagniappe from time to time and discover that I’m not logged in. Let me think about what I do to remedy that, because I know it’s something simple. I just can’t remember what it is.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Yes, that’s the form I get, and when I fill that in, it takes me to a page where I have to put in my WP password as well. Only then am I allowed to comment. And how to you “refresh a page?” I’ve heard that term, but am not sure how to do it. Thanks so much for all your help!

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            • I’m at work and on my phone so this will be short. What browser are you using? In both Firefox and safari there’s a little circular arrow at the side of the address bar. Click that and the page refreshes. Try going to your page, clear your cache and then refresh the page without moving from it.

              Also – you didn’t clear your cookies by accident when you cleared your cache, by any chance. That strips out passwords.

              Liked by 1 person

            • Thank you for that suggestion! I found the circular arrow and clicked on it, but it didn’t change anything. Worth a try though….and it’s very possible I did clear cookies when I cleared my cache, but maybe not because my passwords are still working when I type them in, and they’re working on Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. Thanks so much for all your help! It is very much appreciated, and I know I’ll eventually get to the bottom of this mess!

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        • One more thing. When you can’t comment, do you have a few little symbols under the comment box, including the WordPress symbol — the ‘W’ in a circle? If you do, click that, and it should let you comment using your WP account.

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          • Thanks again for all your help. The latest email I got from a happiness engineer suggested that we look for “cross tracking” of sites, which I guess Firefox and Safari are cracking down on. I forwarded the email to my son, and he said he thinks that might be the problem. Once he allowed the cross tracking, I could blog on Safari again. I know it makes me less private, so I’m thinking I’ll only blog on Safari and do everything else on Firefox, which still blocks some cross tracking (Apparently that’s the term for paying attention to all our internet activity and targeting ads based on that. When did privacy become such a bad thing???) But seriously, thanks. Your willingness to spend time on my issue is one of the things that keeps me hopeful about human nature!

            Liked by 1 person

            • Do you use Malwarebytes? I’ve used it for several years and I don’t have one problem with anything. It scans for problems that anti-virus doesn’t deal with. Ask your son about it — it’s a little pricey, but on the other hand, being able to not worry about a lot of online problems makes it more than worthwhile, in my opinion.

              Liked by 1 person

      • I haven’t tried that yet, but it sounds great. I will ask my son for sure. (And sorry I had to reply on a different comment from yours, my blog is set to limit conversations to six, and apparently we hit that!)

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  14. I can understand how much stress you must be getting. In the past I was not allowed to login to my WordPress site on Sony tablet. I tried really hard but gave up at the end. I don’t use any app. I use my regular pc to login to WP.

    I don’t know if it helps but is it possible for you to try login to WP on another machine just for checking? Say, your son’s machine? You can give it a try.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I have a Mac, but what is strange is that I can log into every aspect of my blog except for my home page, where the published posts are. I am going to try logging into my account on another computer and see what happens. Even if it doesn’t work, that’s another piece of the puzzle. And maybe if I gather enough pieces, I will eventually get it all put together!

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  15. Oh, Ann. What a horrible situation to be in. And incredibly frustrating for you. In my experience, the Happiness Engineers have been quite helpful and usually, give me links to follow to get the information I need. I realise this is of no help to you, though. I was also going to suggest, as a previous reader has said, adding the suffix /admin to the end of your blog address. However, I can see you’ve tried this and still had no luck. I do hope something finally works for you. I’d hate to see you having to end your blog after all the hard work and commitment you’ve put into it. Sending you a comforting hug xx

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks so much, Ellie! Honestly the only thing that is giving me hope through this whole mess is the support and suggestions from other bloggers. That’s the main reason I don’t want to just give up on blogging….I’d miss the positive aspects of being a part of the Word Press community. The hassle of trying to fix my broken blog is worth it, if I can eventually find an answer.

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  17. My computer usually crashes after a simple update. So it makes me wonder why to perform the update in the first place if everything seems to work well. Hopefully, with your recent update, WordPress will fix all the bags, and you will be able to come back to writing.

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    • Rumor has it that WP did some recent updates, and I strongly suspect that’s where the issue comes from. But at this point, they don’t seem to know what the problem is either, and so can’t help me fix it. I hope something changes soon!

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  18. Ann, what a nightmare! I admire your patience in your 29 email exchange with the Happiness Engineers (pleae, can they change the name!?). This just has to be sorted. I have been having many problems with WP including not being able to log on via my ipad where I used to do a lot of my blogging. Still works okay on my computer … so far! Fingers crossed everything is resolved soon. How true that the sense of community here is the most positive aspect about WP! Keep in touch! xx

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    • That’s funny, because I used to have problems when I tried to blog on my I-pad, but never on my computer. Now I’m having problems on my computer! I’ll try the I-pad and see what happens, and I’m going to take the advice of some of the readers and try logging into my blog on another person’s computer and see what happens. But it is so frustrating…I’ve spent countless hours on this issue and there’s no end in sight. Thank you for your comment…every tip helps, and I have confidence that one of them will provide an answer.

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    • I thought it was fixed on my iPad, because I could answer Debby’s comment and like her post. But as soon as I went to reply to your comment, I got booted off, and am required to log in again. It lasted for one comment……dang!

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  21. How frustrating! My blog keeps wanting me to update to 6.0 or something. I keep ignoring it. Now I think maybe that was wise. I hate tech problems. Hope yours resolves soon. I enjoy your posts and I look forward to reading more in the future. Hang in there! Mona

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    • That’s probably a very wise decision. It seems that upgrades often mess everything up, although no one really wants to admit that. Thanks so much for your kind words! I enjoy your blogs too!

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  22. Part of the problem may be the disconnect between blogging at wordpress.com with a domain name such as yours (muddlingthroughmiddleage.com) and a domain like mine that is under the umbrella of .wordpress.com (amusives.wordpress.com).

    For example, I have logged onto my account (and I do that and start from the dashboard every morning). I can ‘like’ your post and am immediately recognized with my gravatar (picture) but now that I want to post a comment, I am being asked to fill in the details of my email, name and website (or select ‘W’ from a small list of other possible ways to leave a comment.) If I go to a blog that uses the .wordpress.com domain like me, I can ‘like’ and post comments with no problem.

    That, to me is a WordPress glitch. It seems to me that they have not ironed out all the wrinkles for bloggers like you who blog with WordPress but don’t use the .wordpress.com domain. So, even though you have logged onto your account and can do everything from your dashboard, as soon as you go to your blog itself, you will not be able to leave comments without logging in again, just like me.

    I’m going to contact support and ask them why this is. I have access to live chat. I’ll get back to you.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I have ‘chatted’ with WordPress about why I (or you) would have to log in again at your site to leave a comment. The person said: “Usually when this happens it’s because some WordPress.com sites have plugins that use a different form of commenting or following – they don’t always use the one which you use when logged in via your WordPress.com account.”

    I asked which plug in controls this activity. The person responded: “There are a variety of them that could control that but it depends on the person’s website. But, if it asks you to login on a persons website, that is just an extra measure that is likely turned on to combat spam comments. The system will ask to login again just to verify the user who is trying to comment.”

    So, from your dashboard you could try going to the ‘Settings > Discussion tab’ and see if there is something there that could be changed. If it isn’t obvious, then you can at least ask the Happiness Engineer what settings you can change so that you can comment while on your blog site rather than from your dashboard.

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    • Thank you so much for checking into this for me, Margy! I think you are on to something about the difference between WordPress.com and our own domain, but it sounds as if the tech person doesn’t think that’s the reason. I looked at my discussion settings, and didn’t see anything that was obvious to me about why I’m not recognized as administrator on my blog. But at least it gives me a jumping off point for my next interaction with a happiness engineer. One of them emailed me this morning and said that when they look into my blog, they are logging in as me, and they see me as administrator of my blog, even on the post page. They see that I should be able to reply to comments, and that I’m logged in as me. But that’s not what I see. And I can comment on some blogs without logging in again, while others I have to log in again. It is so strange! And I think the problem I’m having getting answers out of the WP techs is that they don’t understand what the problem is either….that’s never a good sign!

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  26. Gosh, I hope you can get this fixed — what a merry mess! My WP reader isn’t working right after some kind of update, and while I don’t like it, it’s obviously better than the issue you’re having. Don’t give up, Ann!!

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    • And I was wrong! It recognized me for the time it took to like and answer your comment, Debbie, but when I went to answer another comment above, it made me sign in again….and even though I just signed in on Neil’s comment, I’m having to do it again on this comment. It also now says “liked by one person” when I linked your comment. When I first liked it, it said “liked by you.”

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    • I’m having trouble liking posts on certain blogs too! When I hit the “like” button, nothing happens, but I did notice a very small notice up in the left hand column that said Firefox was blocking a pop up, which I guess it thinks like buttons are. If you see that notice, click on it and there should be an option to “allow popups” for my blog. Sadly, you have to do that with all the blogs you’re having trouble with, or at least I did.

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  28. Still haven’t fixed it on my computer, but I’m typing this on my I-pad, so there is hope on the horizon! It’s letting me like your comment and reply as myself without requiring that I log in (again)!

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  30. Hi Ann. If it’s any consolation, I’m having problems every time I try to comment on anyone’s post – I have to keep clicking the blue W (the wordpress icon) to log me in – even though I’m logged in – and even then it won’t accept a Like click the first three times round. They’re probably changing things again (when are they not?). I hope you don’t give up your blog. I think this is the first time I’ve commented since I closed and deleted Colouring the Past, but I still read and enjoy your blog from time to time.

    It’s probably their end, but you could try setting an exception rule in your browser, to make sure wp and third party cookies aren’t disallowed by it. Just go to your browser settings and look for privacy settings and then for exceptions and put in the URL of both your blog and your login page.

    All the best.

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    • Thanks, Val, for letting me know. It’s good to hear from you! I think that I can now successfully blog on Safari, but not Firefox, because Firefox’s security isn’t allowing the cross-tracking that Word Press requires. After the past few days, I’m not declaring success yet but I’m hopeful. Thanks for the suggestion about the cookies, that’s one of the things the Word Press techs advised too. I think I had the cookies set properly, but hadn’t checked the cross checking. Here’s hoping it keeps working, and that I figure out a way to let Firefox keep my computer secure and yet still allow me to blog!

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    • I think it is fixed…something to do with allowing cross tracking on my computer. Anyway, I’m going to try to post another blog this afternoon. Fingers crossed! And I’m glad your problem was finally fixed!

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  32. It is like a lottery, Ann, and a very frustrating one at that. I’m having lots of problems too. Your readers have very good suggestions so I am going try some of those. I often have to comment via the WP skeleton page, ie. I don’t go to website . I don’t know what the technical term for skeleton page is. Hang in there, Ann. Hopefully, the situation will improve sooner rather than later.

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    • Yes, the only way I could comment was from my “dashboard” comments, but that was confusing because they were all out of order, and once I replied to someone’s comment, my reply went to the first in line and there was nothing to indicate I had replied. I’m used to just doing it from my page, going down the line of comments and “liking” and replying. That’s so much easier for someone who is as easily confused as I am!

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  33. Hi Ann – I hope you are able to see this comment and maybe someday soon you can have full access to replying to your comments. How frustrating! I feel your frustration regarding trying to solve your problems. Take care and rest assured, we support you!

    Liked by 1 person

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