To my WordPress friends:
Over the past year, I’ve made many new blogging connections and I’m thrilled about that!
What’s not so thrilling is that my self-hosted wordpress.org site seems to be less user-friendly than some on wordpress.com.
To that end, I’ve been tinkering madly with the inner workings of The Doglady’s Den to make it more accessible…
THE WORDPRESS READER
I prefer to visit blogs directly, but I know many of you use the reader. Upon checking my listing, I saw there wasn’t even a featured image showing! And I knew there was no comment function (more about that below), only a like button.
I’ve fixed it now, as you can see by this screenshot. You’ll still have to visit the blog directly to read the content, though. Sorry! I spend a lot of time designing and formatting my posts and the Reader would not do them justice.
Plus, by sharing your full posts on other sites, you don’t get the traffic to your own. Here’s an AI overview:
THE JETPACK COMMENT FORM
This is the form used on all wordpress.com sites. For wordpress.org, you can enable it with the Jetpack plugin (in addition to like and share buttons, Akismet, etc.), or stick with the native comment block.
I have always resisted using it. Why? Apart from well-known technical issues, it lacks design flair. And the ugly blue colour of the “Submit Comment” button can’t be changed. (Believe me, I’ve tried!) It doesn’t match my blog’s decor! 😒 Pedantic much? You betcha! 😆
Anyway, I have since changed my mind, for a few reasons. First, I discovered that anyone accessing my blog via the Jetpack mobile app was rudely informed that “Comments Are Closed”. 😒 Then, of course, there’s the aforementioned lack of a comment function in the reader. Plus, commenting will be easier if you’re already logged into your WordPress account. Nothing to fill out. 👌
PLEASE NOTE: Unlike the form on wordpress.com, it does not have block editor options (yet). You can use HTML, though:
BOLD: <b>Bold</b> | ITALIC: <em>Italic</em>
COMBINED: <b><em>Bold Italic</b></em>
You can also add a link to your latest post, if you like. Just copy it and paste it in the comment body.
It will be clickable, no HTML required:
https://thedogladysden.com/monday-musings-episode-six-seven-tenths-of-a-century/
Other links work the same way, and up to two are allowed.
If you want to share a YouTube video, your copy/pasted link should render as the actual video player, right in the comment form. 😎 For that to happen though, it must be on a line by itself at the end of your comment, with nothing written below it.
Last but not least, I have added an edit function. If there’s a typo, or you want to rephrase something, you have six minutes to make changes. You can also delete the comment entirely. Please note: It takes a few seconds to kick in.
Sorry, this plugin was not compatible and I had to remove it!
One final note about comments: A couple of people actually said they couldn’t find the form! 😳 Granted, there’s a lot of material on here, but, like all blogs, you just scroll down, past the author box and post navigation (previous and next posts box):
Alternatively, you could scroll UP instead, and click on the comment count at the top of the post. This will take you to the comment form instantaneously: ⚡
If you have any suggestions about how to make this site easier to navigate,
please let me know, either in comments, or a private message.
To send an email or voicemail, click on the button:
Thank you all for your support! 💖
Looking forward to your comments.
P.S. Please advise if you experience any technical glitches.
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
63 thoughts on “TINKERING WITH WORDPRESS 🛠️🤔😥👌 #BloggingCommunity”
I don’t think I’ve ever had any navigation problems here, but I’m thrilled I’ll be able to edit my comments here since I soumeteems mamage to misssssspelllll something or outherrr. You’ve worked hard on your blog. I need to make some updates to mine. I’ve had the same background for a lonnnngeee teeeeem.
Love,
Janie
Hi Janie 👋 I’m guessing the edit function didn’t appear for you either? 😆 It does take a few seconds to kick in. I was resisting making this change to comments for years, because of all the glitches, but it does make it easier for some people using the WordPress platform to comment. You’re on Blogger, so I hope that doesn’t cause any problems either (like not having the edit function appear). Yes, this website is my favourite toy and I love to work on it. A blog refresh is always good! 🙂 Thanks for coming by. Seriously though, please tell me if you have any problems here.
I haven’t had any problems and I didn’t even look for the edit function since my mistakes were intentional. lol
Oh -good! Thanks, Janie. 🙂 Unfortunately, I cuoldn’t make the edit function work. C’est domage!
I admire your dedication and attention to detail. I wish I had the same. Computer time, to me, is still a time waster, and to do that kind of research, testing, and trying. Well, that speaks volumes as to why my books don’t sell well. LOL My I’m happy to keep wishing and hoping to win the lotteryso I can pay someone else to do the hard work. (Like writing a book is easy!) 🙂 (Even though I haven’t bought a lottery ticket in over a year!_
Nice to see you, Renee! 🙂 I’m sure your attention to detail when writing a novel is impeccable, and I’d be surprised if your books didn’t sell well. I’m a techno-nerd who’s fascinated by all aspects of web design, and I’m better at that than at writing. We all have our talents, yes? Thanks for coming by.
I like the freedom of a self-hosted blog, and like you I like to learn the back-end stuff. My issue with a self-hosted blog, is that doesn’t appear in the mainstream of the reader and I need to be easily found due to my weekly prompts. So, for now, I’m okay with WP.com.
I didn’t know that about the reader, Eugi! Do you mean people will see your posts, even if they’re not subscribed? The whole reader concept is a bit of a mystery to me, since I’ve never used it before. Learning as I go…
Debbie, I feel the reader has always been problematic. When I was self-hosted, and even when I was on the WP Business plan, my posts wouldn’t appear in the mainstream reader. My followers had to search under the blog name or categories. So, now I am on the WP.com Premium plan and it works fine. Go figure.
That is strange! 😩 Do you find the Premium plan is good enough for you, after using self-hosted and WP Business? I think I would have a hard time adjusting, since I’ve been self-hosted for 12 years. Thanks for answering my questions, Eugi. 🌹 My hosting plan expires in 2027, but it’s something to think about for the future.
I have a FSE (Full Site Editing) block theme which I can do most anything I want with it. The only thing lacking is the ability to use plugins since I am on the Premium plan. However, I find I don’t really need them because FSE themes give me enough freedom in the structuring of my blog.
That sounds like an excellent alternative, Eugi! 👌 I do love my plug-ins, though. 😆
I think it is all in what you get used to, Debbie.
That’s true, but after 12 years, it would take me a while to adjust. The other problem for me with WP.com Premium is they only give you 13GB of storage and I’m already up to 9GB. I’ll see how things are when my Bluehost contract expires in 2027. Thanks for all your input, Eugi! 🌹
You’re welcome, and good luck, Debbie. 😊
Sorry I am late to this, I have only just seen your comment on my blog. It seems to be working okay, and is a welcome addition to your blog posts.
Best wishes, Pete.
I had to resubscribe to your blog for the comment to send, and there was no apparent edit function, just so you know.
Sorry for the inconvenience, Pete! 🙁 Hopefully, editing will work next time. I logged into my WordPress test account and tried it out. The edit function did show, but it takes a few seconds to kick in.
No worries, Pete. There’s no time limit. 🙂 And I’m always late, so wouldn’t complain, anyway. 😆 I’m glad to know it’s working. I resisted using this form for 12 years, because of its lack of styling options and all the glitches, but, since I have so many more wordpressdotcom connections now, I thought it was time to give it a try. STILL hate the blue button though, and won’t rest until I find a way to change that. 😆
Hi Deb. Self-hosted WP can be such a pain. I had it for five years and went back to WP Premium because too many headaches. I love that you can add an edit button in comments. That would be handy since I find my typos after hitting publish, lol. 🙂 x
I didn’t get offered any edit button 🙂
It’s a plug-in, so you’d need the Business Plan to get one, unfortunately.
Yes, I understand that. But I thought you said that you added it to your blog. I didn’t see the availability to edit when I commented.
Yes, any special apps like that have to be added using a plug-in. I logged into my WordPress test account and tried it out. The edit function did show, but it takes a few seconds to kick in.
Wow, it never came up for me.
It was pretty erratic, and I had to remove it again. Apparently, it’s not compatible with the Jetpack comment form. Sigh…Too bad! That would have been a great feature! 😩
Don’t stop investigating. 🙂
I love the freedom of self-hosted and have been using it since 2013. But then, I’m a techno-nerd and enjoy learning all the back-end stuff. 🙂 WordPress Premium wouldn’t give me the design flexibility I have now. That would only be available with the Business plan at U.S. $300.00/year! 😲 I pay less than half that. Yes, the edit button is handy, but it’s only available as a plug-in. On the downside (for me), this comment form doesn’t offer the Gutenberg blocks like yours does. That’s an excellent feature! Thanks for sharing your perspective, Deb!
Thanks Deb. So funny when the block editor came out many weren’t happy, including me. Now I’m used to it. 🙂
Haha! I was resistant at first, but now I absolutely love it. The possibilities are endless! 😎
Like most of us. 🙂
I use wordpresss.com but the emails to my followers has all the content of the post. What you, well AI, write above about that, seems to indicate that might not be smart. I have to think about that.
It all depends on what your objectives are, Thomas. If you share your full posts in emails and feed readers, there’s no incentive for people to visit your actual site and explore other aspects. I posed the question to ChatGPT and here’s what it said:
“It depends on your goals for engagement and traffic on your WordPress site. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of sharing your full post in WordPress Reader and emails:
Share Full Post
✅ Better Reader Experience – Subscribers can read everything without extra clicks.
✅ More Email Engagement – Some people prefer reading in their inbox.
✅ Accessibility – Easier for mobile users or those with slow connections.
Share Only Excerpt (Recommended for Traffic & SEO)
🔹 Encourages Clicks to Your Site – More visits = better site engagement.
🔹 Improves SEO & Ad Revenue – If you rely on page views, full posts in emails/Reader reduce visits.
🔹 Better Branding & Control – Keeps users on your platform for comments, interactions, and upsells.
Best Approach?
If you want more site traffic, use an excerpt with a “Read More” link.
If you prioritize reader convenience, share the full post.
What’s your main goal—more traffic, engagement, or something else?”
It looks like you have have the Comments section working perfectly so all your efforts paid off. I follow myself in Reader so I know that the post shows up in Reader, but sometimes WP has unsubscribed me … like this past Wednesday. Now, since we can no longer “like” in the Comments area of the blog, it is nicer to come here so I know the “like” works when responding to comments on my own posts.
It seems to work well so far, Linda. I followed myself in the Reader too, to make sure. Personally, I’ve never used it and don’t want to share my full posts there, preferring people to come here directly and get the full website experience. 🙂
I always thought you HAD to make the jump over to your site since you host your own site as opposed to being here on dotcom … so I learned something new.
I could change my setting to display the full post, but then, there’s no sidebar, share and follow buttons, or other embellishments. Sure, it would probably get me more “action”, but I prefer quality over quantity when it comes to followers and subscribers. Still, I might try it, just as an experiment. The Reader is a big mystery to me! 😆
The other blogger who self-hosts posted today – her husband had a severe stroke last year, so she’s only posted a handful of times since last June. She shows up in Reader, but we also have to hop to her site to read, but can comment in Reader like you now have. I have been commenting in Reader as I can “like” there … they changed things a few weeks ago and I lost that ability (not that it stays “liked” as it often doesn’t).
I remember Shelley from a few years ago, when we both participated in the April A to Z Challenge. How sad about her husband! But, I do see a like button under comments. Screenshot:
I remember when she participated in that Challenge … she said “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again!” She did use to post more regularly until a couple of years ago, when she went to weekly. My “like” showing up doesn’t happen all the time. And now in the “Comments” section of our blogs, where I always did all the commenting and “liking” no longer has a like button. They took it out and replaced it with an “edit” button to edit commenter’s comments.
This is Shelley’s site:
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/73574602/posts/5548525179
Thanks! It does look like the same setup.
You’re welcome … yes, she has always had the hop over but comment in Reader.
And suddenly, my featured image at the top of the post summary in the reader has disappeared! 🤔 This whole thing is starting to become stressful! 😝
Strange things happen in the Reader … I hope you can figure it out. I follow myself to ensure the post goes to Reader and last week I was not in Reader, but people had commented. Some people subscribe by e-mail so I didn’t go. I once sent someone an old link to a post about ducks and she said “did you know a lot of the pictures are missing?” Well I didn’t and when I went to look, where the pictures should be said “image” and the name I gave it and it was grayed out. Nice! WP didn’t know why that happened.
Well, I checked, and all the featured images are enabled. I will not waste any more energy on this. People should just come to my blog. 😆 I resisted getting involved for years, mostly because of all the glitches.
You’re smart not to use the Reader just for that reason and you said you look at my blog at the actual site, which I appreciate because it has enhancements like bold and underlined subheadings and justified text and the pictures look better than in the Reader where I think they look distorted sometimes.
Exactly! A blog site should be appreciated for its design, not only the written content. 🙂 I’ll keep this comment form for now, but won’t stress about how things look in the reader.
Yes, I have never liked the display here and another thing, sometimes the compare image function and the slideshow do not work properly either. The slideshow shows up as pics one after the other and a black dot in the margin. Best to go to the actual site.
Thanks for the heads-up and all your trouble. I do admit I find using the WordPress reader a very convenient way to keep up to date with new content on blogs I follow, especially when I’m doing so via my phone. But I also didn’t mind visiting your blog directly and leaving thoughts in the comments box there. Cheers! 🙂
And thank you Christian for making the extra effort to come by here. 🙂 I never got into the WordPress reader, even when I was using wordpressdotcom (2009-2013). My website is fairly mobile-friendly, (I test it all the time), although it might be a little slow to load. I suppose, if one’s objective is solely to read posts, the reader is fine, but my preference is to explore all aspects of a blogger’s site. I appreciate your feedback.
I bailed on WP last year, and I’m so happy to be free of it. I have more time to things I enjoy. Good luck.
Yes, I am following you on Substack, Lee, but haven’t been there much. Too many other “irons in the fire”. One of them, being my WordPress website, but I do enjoy all the back end stuff, especially the total freedom to design it any way I want. 😎
Yayyy the comments work! Haha 😆 I don’t even try to make changes to my site or theme (even though I want to!) because one time I changed it and everything disappeared. You are brave 😆 hope you have a great weekend!
I changed over to this comment form just for my blogging friends on wordpressdotcom. 😀 But, I’m not going to allow full posts in the reader. I put a lot of time and effort into web design and want people to visit my site instead. If I get fewer visitors, so be it. What I’m hoping for is more comments. 😉 And thank you for writing one. 🌹 Which WordPress plan are you on, Laura? Judging by the ads on your site, I’m guessing it’s the free one? You won’t have much design leeway with that, unfortunately.
Hahah 😆 yep! The free one. I have often thought about upgrading my site and likely will have to at some point with all the images I use and share from photos or otherwise. I hear you on getting visitors to the site you’ve worked so hard on, from what I can see it looks lovely.
Well, I never had a problem posting on my Kindle with the Silk browser. Sounds like a lot of complications for you.
I’m not familiar with the Silk browser, but it sounds like a good thing! I love complications! 😀 Keeps my brain firing on all cylinders. 😉
Seems you have a pretty good handle on things like this. Possible web designer career?
Thanks, Chris! 🙂 I’m fascinated by web design and learning new things all the time. If I were 20 years younger, for sure I’d go after that career. P.S. Let me know if you’d like to update your site. I’d be happy to help! 😉
I’m still just using the basics on WordPress. I just can’t keep up with the changes
WordPress can be a bit confusing for sure. I used wordpressdotcom from 2009 to 2013 and have been on wordpressdotorg since 2013, so I’m happy to offer any help you may need. Thanks for coming by, Glyn!
Giving the new comment form a trial run. So far, so good! 👌 But I really hate that blue button. 😝