The Real Blogger Status

The Blogger dashboard, and blog displays, is less of a pair of websites - and more of an application with code that runs on our computers . The Blogger code on our computers requires cookies and scripts , which are installed as we use the various Blogger dashboard pages. The cookies and scripts are susceptible to interference, from overly restrictive layered security . If you have a problem with Blogger - either accessing / using the dashboard, or using / viewing a blog - one of the simplest things to check, complementing script filter settings , is the browser cookie filter settings.

If there is anything more obnoxious than the FaceBook "Like my blog!" popup window , it's a FaceBook "Like my blog!" window, preceded by a generic popup window. It's possible that a blog which starts with two popup windows, one followed by a second, represents a blog owner who honestly wants people to enjoy her (his) blog. Even so, a blog that starts out this way is going to present a security analysis challenge, at best. Seeing the growing popularity of the FaceBook popup (among blog owners, anyway), it's possible that the security scanning processes will, eventually, find a way to bypass the FaceBook code, and continue scanning. This may avoid some spurious malware classifications - if FaceBook developers can find a way to certify a genuine FaceBook popup.

Among blog accessories that are not going to get you good reputation, I can't think of very many more obnoxious than the FaceBook "Like my blog, before you read it!" demand. Currently popular with some WordPress blogs, this is yet another blog accessory that will eventually get the blog deleted, as a possible malware host . Useful Blogger blog readers look for blogs with informative, interesting, and unique content. Hiding a blog behind a "Like my blog!" demand, to help you boost FaceBook popularity before the blog can be read, will not get you useful readers.

For a long time, we've been dealing with various malware / spam mitigation issues, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken . Recently, malware detections, long simply identified as "Malicious JavaScript" in the well known Spam Appeal Guidelines , was given its own identity, and a separate classification / appeal process . We're now seeing several common types of JavaScript, included in blogs which are typically mentioned in forum reports. It may be helpful to describe some examples of JavaScript code being seen, so blog owners can avoid making the same mistakes, by not including these scripts in their blogs.

The Following gadget problem of May 26 is slowly becoming a memory for many blog owners, but not for everybody. We still see the odd problem report in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , mentioning inability to view Followers. I though Following was fixed. Why can I still not see my Followers?

Our use of the many Blogger scripts and utilities, as we maintain and publish our blogs, is affected by layered security settings in our browsers, and on our computers and our networks. The native browser settings , and the browser add-ons , are the most obvious settings - but they are not the only ones. Most computers will include various applications, running on the computer, that assist the operating system in preventing the browser - and other network applications - from allowing malicious activity on our computers. Long ago, these applications were best described in two classes. Firewalls . Applications that protected our computers from malicious network activity, coming from outside the computer. Anti-virus . Applications that protected our computers from ignorant user activity, inside the computer. The two types of activity could be easily distinguished from each other , both by how the activity was spread, and how it was prevented. As malicious Internet activity beca...

Almost daily, we see a problem report in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , where someone publishes a blog that has readers with a problem My readers can't leave me comments! and when I diagnose the problem The blog uses an inline ("Embedded below post") comment form, with CAPTCHA ("word puzzle") verification. Your readers need to check their cookie and script filters, starting with "third party cookies". the response will frequently be No way! My readers can't handle that!

As Blogger becomes both easier to use, and more full of features, it becomes an application with more code that runs on our computers . The code on our computers requires both cookies and scripts, installed on our computers as we use the various Blogger utilities. The cookies and scripts are increasingly susceptible to damage, from improperly implemented layered security .

One of the biggest problems with Blogger, right now, is how we allow Blogger programs to run, on our computers. Whether a problem involves Blogger / Google logins, commenting, Stats, Template Designer, or the Dynamic Templates, Blogger writes the code - and we run the code - when we allow the code to run, without interference. If we want our computers to remain under our control, and not become part of one or more worldwide collection of computers controlled by hackers , we have to be selective about what code we allow to run on our computers .

One monolithic complaint, frequently seen in Blogger Help Forum , is My readers can't comment on my blog. This complaint, as with many like it, could benefit from some structured diagnostic practice . Start by observing the complaint level that's currently endemic in the forums. Sometimes, Blogger will cause their own problems (yes, this is known to happen), and you'll see a flood of complaints. Here, it is helpful to be familiar with the normal complaint level .