PLEASE Turn Off Word Verification

 Cucumber Gap Trail (GSMNP) - February 20, 2012

See end of post for what I also saw two hours later on the SAME trail!

It was my intent to include this as a caveat to my normal Monday morning post, however it has become such an issue that I decided to plead my case in a separate post today and be back to much more pleasant things on Monday.

 

When I started Gains and Losses almost two years ago, I knew NOTHNG about blogging or blogging platforms.  I just wanted to write.  Blogger seemed to be where most of the blogs I'd begun reading were posted from and it was really easy to get my blog started.   When I came to the "Word Verification," it seemed prudent for security reasons to check "yes."  After that, I pretty much forgot about it.  My guess is that those of you who still have the feature turned on don't even realize it!

For whatever reason, Blogger has chosen to significantly increase the difficulty of word verification adding an additional word and making one of the two words virtually impossible to read.  I have researched this from a non-partial viewpoint and learned that there is truly NO benefit (security, spam prevention or otherwise) to having word verification turned on.  I have since removed that feature from my blog.

This morning, I tried commenting on a blog of someone I read ALL the time and would not, for any reason, stop reading.   However, it took FIVE tries before I could read the word verification garbage well enough for it to accept my comment.  Needless to say, that is frustrating!

IF YOU HAVE THIS FEATURE ENABLED ON YOUR BLOG, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE TURN IF OFF.  I AM VERY CLOSE TO DECLARING THAT I WILL NO LONGER COMMENT ON BLOGS THAT HAVE IT ENABLED.  MANY OF MY BLOG FRIENDS HAVE ALREADY MADE THIS DECLARATION AND ARE STICKING BY IT!  I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, SO PLEASE HELP ME OUT BY JUST TURNING OFF THE FEATURE.

If you don't know how, follow these steps.:

You cannot turn them off from the new interface.  (this is important - blogger doesn't WANT you to turn it off!)
Go to your old dashboard. 
Find your old dashboard by clicking on the settings icon (little grey wheel) top right of your new interface.
It will give you a dropdown menu.
Click on Old Blogger interface
From there proceed to Settings, then Comments.
Uncheck Word Verification.

THANK YOU!

Would you believe that I found this near the end of Monday's hike on the same trail where two hours earlier I was hiking in snow??   That shouldn't happen!   Nor should I be seeing a wildflower at ALL in February.   Go figure!

Have a great weekend!   See you right back here on Monday morning!