This week, we're seeing complaints from quite a few angry blog owners, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.
It appears that the full page and popup window comment forms were updated, possibly to make the CAPTCHA form more usable, for those blog readers who are using a computer subject to filtering of "third party" cookies.
The CAPTCHA appears to be always required.
The effect that we are now seeing is that the CAPTCHA appears to be required, for all comments, when the full page and popup window forms are used.
In some cases, even with the CAPTCHA displayed, you can publish without solving.
In either case, simply compose and Publish your comment.
People who wish to publish anonymously will always have to solve a CAPTCHA.
Unfortunately, people who are publishing anonymously will still need to solve the CAPTCHA. The non optional reCAPTCHA, which gets displayed, is not as easy to solve as the optional ezCAPTCHA.
Cookie filtering, once again, may be part of the problem.
To increase the confusion, people using a computer where "third party" cookies are filtered will be treated as if they are publishing anonymously, and will have to solve the reCAPTCHA. Some people, who think that they are properly authenticated, will find out otherwise, if they try to publish a comment without solving the CAPTCHA.
Continuing to cause confusion, in some cases, comments entered may simply vanish, if the CAPTCHA can't be displayed when necessary. This, is another consequence of cookie filtering.
andWhy do I have to solve a CAPTCHA, to comment on my own blog?
Previously, the CAPTCHA was visible only to those not logged in to Blogger, or to those wishing to comment, anonymously.Everybody sees a CAPTCHA - even if they are logged in to Blogger!
It appears that the full page and popup window comment forms were updated, possibly to make the CAPTCHA form more usable, for those blog readers who are using a computer subject to filtering of "third party" cookies.
The CAPTCHA appears to be always required.
The effect that we are now seeing is that the CAPTCHA appears to be required, for all comments, when the full page and popup window forms are used.
In some cases, even with the CAPTCHA displayed, you can publish without solving.
- If you are authenticated, the reCAPTCHA, though displayed, may not require solution.
- If you are authenticated, and a blog member, neither the ezCAPTCHA nor the reCAPTCHA should require solution.
In either case, simply compose and Publish your comment.
People who wish to publish anonymously will always have to solve a CAPTCHA.
Unfortunately, people who are publishing anonymously will still need to solve the CAPTCHA. The non optional reCAPTCHA, which gets displayed, is not as easy to solve as the optional ezCAPTCHA.
Cookie filtering, once again, may be part of the problem.
To increase the confusion, people using a computer where "third party" cookies are filtered will be treated as if they are publishing anonymously, and will have to solve the reCAPTCHA. Some people, who think that they are properly authenticated, will find out otherwise, if they try to publish a comment without solving the CAPTCHA.
Continuing to cause confusion, in some cases, comments entered may simply vanish, if the CAPTCHA can't be displayed when necessary. This, is another consequence of cookie filtering.
Comments
Is your blog moderated, or non moderated? The initial fix, which went in yesterday, was for blogs with no CAPTCHA, moderated.
The initial fix, which went in yesterday, was for blogs with no CAPTCHA, moderated. You can rejoice with me, as that includes this blog.
I only knew of this change because my Grandma cannot figure out how to comment on my blog now. She does not have an account and won't set one up. She just always used "Anonymous" and signed her name in the comment box. :) I knew I had word verification set to off so I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she was seeing the CAPTCHA box all of a sudden!
I understand the need to stop spam, but for a super small time blogger like me it is a bit silly to make my handful of commenters go through this.
As you suggest, I'll switch to moderated comments to try and get rid of it, but trying to figure out all these changes and then find work arounds is really sucking the joy out of blogging.
I firmly believe that the settings should be left in the hands of the owner's blog. If I don't like a comment, I go in and delete it so that my readers don't see the comment, so I don't see the big deal no matter what form of commenting someone chooses! I don't like having to prove I'm a robot if I have an account and a blogger blog of my own. Really frustrating!