Blogger unlocks The Burning Taper

Twenty-three days ago, Google/Blogger locked me out of this blog because their robots determined The Burning Taper "might be a spam blog."

Without notification or apology, or ever once responding to my many attempts to contact them, Blogger unlocked the blog today, thus fulfilling the Law of Fives (23 = 2 + 3 = 5).

During those 23 days, I experimented with using two different versions of Wordpress blogging software. While I found good aspects to both versions, I found they both had limitations, and I spent more time tweaking code and "the look" than I did writing and publishing content. Maybe you can't teach old dogs new tricks, or something, but I found both versions a bit clunky and difficult to use for "blogging on the fly," perhaps simply because I've been using Blogger for so long that I know where all the buttons are.

So for now, I'm returning to blogging here on the original Burning Taper, hosted by Blogger. Maybe I should create a t-shirt that says "I Survived the Blogger Lockout." I'll probably be regularly backing up this blog on the "in exile" version I've worked on this past month.

So, if I still have any readers left, I'm back, and hopefully will get back to writing instead of pretending to be a php and css genius, which I'm not.

Look for The Taper to resume "normality" (Ha! Normal?) within a week or so, if I find I still have something to say.

Thanks for reading!


— W.S.

Masons | Blogger | Blogging | Freemasonry | Spam Blog Lockout | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

'No more anonymous for you!': Here we go again....

Back in September, 2006 (see "No More Anonymous for You") I tried a short-lived experiment on this blog barring anonymous comments. Today, I'm re-instituting that rule.

It's not because I want to know who you are; I don't, unless you want to share that information.

It's simply because once again "anonymous" comments are flooding the comments section of many articles, making it difficult for us all to tell which "anonymous" is which. When attempting to respond to a particular anonymous post, it's hard to separate and conceptualize which "anonymous" you're talking to.

So — please — open a Blogger or Google account. Use whatever name you want, whether it be some noble historical figure or some geeky character from Dungeons and Dragons or even your dog's name. Just give us a "face" to address our comments to. Simply responding to "anonymous" isn't like having a conversation; it's like taking turns spraying graffiti on a wall.

If you still insist on posting using the anonymous feature, at least sign it consistently with some "name" so we can tell the anonymous's apart.

A secondary consideration is this: If someone has to maintain a "persona," maybe he or she will exercise a little Masonic self-discipline and slow down with all the childish name-calling and finger-pointing that's beginning to surface again.

Your comments are most welcome here, and I appreciate you reading and responding to articles posted on The Burning Taper. However, I would like to see the quality of the discourse improve a bit. After all, no matter what you think of what's going on in Freemasonry these days, and no matter what dislike you have for someone else's viewpoint, we are (or should be) ladies and gentlemen, and should be able to interact with at least the same manners and dignity as I hope we would face-to-face.

This "rule" is voluntary at this time. When I return from Thanksgiving festivities, I'll make a decision on whether to make it mandatory by toggling the "no anonymous comments" switch.

I wish each and every one of you a happy Thanksgiving. Remember to give thanks for that which you have: Friends, family, Masonic brothers and sisters, food and water, shelter, the freedom to interact via the Internet....

Masons | Thanksgiving | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com