Spam Check
Debra Fetterly at Breathe Lighter e-mailed me this morning. She’s a regular reader and commenter on my blog, but I hadn’t heard from her in several days. I’m glad she reached out, because she was trapped in spam.
We bloggers have been tearing our hair for more than a month now over changes WordPress has made to commenting. Given that Debra is a dedicated blogger and a regular commenter, and she still ended up in my spam folder, I wanted to alert others to the possibility that a regular reader or several may have disappeared through no fault of their own.
If any of you have found other ways to deal with the WordPress commenting issues, or have noticed any other glitches, please share them here in a comment.
In other news, meet my muse for my new novel. It’s name is Merry.
No, the book isn’t about voodoo, but I do have a voodoo question. The white pin is for good luck, the black pin for bad. Should I remove the black pin and throw it away to have nothing but good luck on this project? Save it for the time when I’m submitting my finished manuscript and want to hex agents who reject me? Leave it where it is?
What would you do, Dear Reader?
Thank you so much for mentioning my personal dilemma, Andra, but you are so right, it happens to others frequently. I’ve been contacted by other friends to look in my Spam folder and find there comments sitting lonely and unread. I’m going to post on this issue, too, and hope we can broadly examine practices and see where safeguards might be placed.
I love our voodoo doll! I really do! I think perhaps I’d choose to keep both pins in place. It feels like a good balance…and as well, a useful tool to whip out next time someone dampens your enthusiasm and success!
Debra
I’ll make sure to ping your post when I see it, Debra.
If another agent rejects me on Christmas Eve (happened last year), that black pin will definitely be put to good use.
Leave it where it is. It keeps the balance in check.
Is ‘the balance’ a voodoo term? I know nothing about voodoo, other than I like the dolls and such.
No, I’m not sure why it hyperlinked. From what I know about voodoo and hoodoo, it works similarly to Jedi-ism. I was thinking of the balance in the Force when I saw the black and white pins.
Or pull both pins out, think about the name of your book and re-insert the white one, then tell the bad ju-ju to go away, and put the black one back in. Hoodoo is all about adapting things to work your way.
So far, I’ve left both pins in for balance. I got into writing and forgot to stare at the voodoo doll.
No spam problems here, Andra, apart from oodles of real spam that is, but I always read through the comments before deleting them.
With regards to the doll, I’d say keep both pins in as well. A matter of balance came to my mind immediately when I read your post, and I see this has been mentioned by other commenters! There’d be chaos if either one was removed… a void that would need to be filled by something else…
It seems that balance is a popular theme, so I’m going to follow it. Thanks, Tom.
I think that black pin is important. I wouldn’t get rid of it without talking to somebody who knows their voodoo. But it feels like you need balance and that you therefore might need both pins.
Also, I have two workarounds. I either login with twitter, or I use a fake e-mail address in the comment form. (And I’ve actually made that address real, but it isn’t associated with ANY wordpress shit anywhere, so I just get my e-mails.)
I’ve had no problems for a week or two commenting on any blogs, except for .org ones when I am not on my desktop. The latest WP app download seemed to have fixed that problem, too, and I was elated that I could go back to reading and commenting on my iPad while in bed. Then, Debra contacted me about her issue with my blog. *Sigh* Sometimes, these things are just too much for me.
I think I have the new colors for my hair!!!! Thanks Andra – they compliment each other nicely.
Lori, I can’t wait to see how that turns out.
Only Lou goes to my spam folder!
And aboccucci is basically right. And it’s not something to be messed with…
Haha.
And, the only voodoo I’ve ever dipped into is Voodoo Lou. That’s some funny stuff.
Voodoo Lou's Office Voodoo Kit: Take Charge Voodoo Doll And Executive Spellbook!
My suggestion, is to throw that thing away… keep the pins, they might come in handy. I would have hoped… that while you were in Thailand recently, you would have taken time from stuffing your face and running to the tailors, to purchase a statue of Ganesh…Now That would insure a successful novel.
Actually, I think no lucky charms are necessary for Andra.
Ganesh would not provide the proper atmosphere for my book. Perhaps for a future one, because I already have another idea.
And, thank you for the compliment. I hope you are right.
I usually am. When can Cootchie Aficionados expect an inkling of the atmosphere?
Several inklings already on the blog. I never point them out directly when I write them. Here’s one: http://andrawatkins.com/2012/01/20/a-man-walks-into-a-bar/
Not sure about the pins, Andra, but here’s some inspirational music from Satchmo:
Perfect atmosphere. Thank you!!
I think I am experiencing cognitive dissonance over the voodoo doll’s name being Merry. Although it does in fact look cheerful.
I say keep the black pin. Sometimes a girl needs a change of accessories.
yin & yang, heaven & hell, adam & eve….yep, keep ‘em both, it takes two to tango ~
So far, keeping both is weaving a good spell.