Here is some background information about why people are having trouble commenting and/or seeing comments. Please, please, p.l.e.a.s.e, book mark this post and share it because some people do not read the site updates and just go into the comments when the solutions and/or explanations are being provided.
Many people are complaining about not being able to see the totality of comments. Others are complaining their comments are not refreshing with the page. There appears to be a very simple explanation and easy solution for this issue.
CTH 2.0 does not have any tracking software initiated to recognize the user in the comment system. THERE ARE NO COOKIES deployed to track you. There is no system in place by CTH to monitor you or recognize you. This is part of our current privacy position.
What that means is you must initiate a process where YOU request to be recognized in the community. We are not asking your permission to recognize you (ie. cookies) as with 99 percent of websites; you must intentionally engage the commenting system to say you are expressly desiring of recognition.
How do you achieve this status? When you fill out the comment box there is a place for your user name, email address and then it asks you if you wish the site to: “Save my name, email and website in this browser for the next time I comment.” It is a checkbox.
If you check that box [√] you are, in essence, applying a cookie to yourself. You will then be recognized by the commenting software system and see the totality of the commenting conversation. You will see all comments.
If you do not check that box [ ] you are not requesting to be recognized again, and you are dropping an isolated comment into the system. You likely will not see the totality of the comments. You will see only comments attributed to your comment or reply.
Think of it like walking up to the conversation on a porch:
If you affirmatively check [“save my name, email and website in this browser for the next time I comment”] you are saying to the audience, I have something to say and I am sticking around to hear all the other voices.
If you do not affirmatively check [“save my name, email and website in this browser for the next time I comment”] you are saying to the audience, I have something to say, but I am not sticking around to join the conversation or hear other voices.
It appears the software is designed such that if you are not affirming intent, the commenting system doesn’t anticipate your engagement in all the other comments. Ergo other comments do not appear and/or they are not populated in your experience.
This is a privacy and tracking issue. CTH 2.0, as an independent website, is currently not tracking or applying any host generated tracking data of the participants.
Most websites do apply some version of tracking via “cookies” to make your engagement part of an active tracking system (make user experience easier); and/or use those cookies to deliver you targeted advertising. CTH 2.0 has no advertising and no need for a system of targeting.
Due to the scale of emails complaining about this specific issue (approximately 400 today alone), the tech team is recommending that I switch to Disqus for the commenting program. However, if we do that: (A) the same company that targeted us, Automattic, owns Disqus; and (B) without a doubt Disqus tracks users for tracking and targeting.
Some people do not care if they are comment tracked; others don’t care if Disqus is used because they are familiar with it from other websites. However, for me that is an option of last resort and I will not deploy the free version of Disqus because I don’t want to open another door where a third party can start monitoring the conversation. Especially when Automattic has already used the targeting of the original CTH to shut down our voice.
So, with all of that said. Keep this solution in mind. If you want to see all the comments, then check the [box] that says: “save my name, email and website in this browser for the next time I comment”, and hopefully that will eliminate the frustration you are encountering. Fingers crossed.
All other commenting solutions encompass some form of server/host recognition and tracking of the user in the comments section. The current system allows you to make that active decision; any other comment system will make that decision without your input.
Lastly, on the email notifications. Again, we explain that currently we do not have an active email notification system for new posts in place. The reason for the delay is again a matter of privacy. An email auto-notification system is done by a third-party provider.
[…] One of our priorities right now is establishing an email notification system where you can subscribe to automatic notifications of new posts etc. As with almost all systems of this type (there are many) it involves the use of a third party email transmission process. Y’all are aware that privacy is a CTH priority, so we are being very careful about vetting the service and setting up this notification system to protect CTH users.
CTH does not compile user information, does not engage in the manufacture of processes that assemble lists of users or any user data. We are working to ensure we do not end up creating an external list of subscribers that would be vulnerable to exploitation. Your privacy in all matters related to CTH engagement is my priority. (read more)
We received well over 100 emails today alone asking us: “where is the email notification system”? The short answer is: we are working on it as a #1 priority.
Be of good cheer, all will be ok.
We cherish you.
Live your best life…. Remember, it’s the only one you will ever have.
Love to all,
~ Sundance
#FightForTrump pic.twitter.com/HyTPyO45e3
— TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) December 6, 2020
(Access verification for my laptop)
Works nicely on my IPad.
Checking in, thanks for the best site on the internet!
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Test, test, test?
other device checkin
Test on mobile
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Perfect. A “one-shot zero”!
Thank you to the entire Treehouse Team for all your hard work and your dedication to privacy, freedom, and liberty!
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Thanks to all the treepers and our fearless leader
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life is better in the tree
Salva nos Domine perimus
Thank you Sundance and Administrators for all you do!
Love the 2.0 version but have one comment.
I usually read here on my phone.
The letters seem to be much smaller than before.
I have to use my tablet to read it without moving back and forth.
It’s not a big problem but I don’t usually use my tablet away from home.
Check…
Thank you, Sundance! You’re simply the best!
Since everyone else is testing I might as well test too. Test,
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Thanks for the clarification. Test.
First time poster. Many year reader. Appreciate Sundance and the Treehouse. Thank you for all you do for our country.
Thanks for the expaination.
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Testing this out..
signing up
Testing to make MAGA
Test – again 😉
Yay!
Let’s see if the reply works 😉
BTW my name is purple not black like others – maybe because it’s my name?
Thanks for the simpler explanation Sundance. I know nothing about what goes on in IT, and did read but not understand prior posts on this subject.
My vote is to keep comments as it is now where we check off the box, and not go back to another way of commenting with tracking.
One other suggestion is to use a less ornate font such as arial, or even verdana or tahoma, but arial is best IMHO. I am older and have trouble reading a lot of text. The more ornate fonts such as times new roman or the ridiculously fine fonts like calibri light really limit the amount of reading I can do. There seem to be a fair number of older people here, but even younger people can have trouble with certain fonts.
Thank you all so much for all your hard work! 🙂
and I want to say:
What a great job you all are doing on such a Huuuuuge task! 😉
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hello fellow patriots
Comment noted during the justice Kavanaugh hearings…)
“This isn’t about justice, it’s about change.”
(As instructions setting up my account, so I’m off topic.)
Test. Thanks to all. Love reading your comments. Learning………
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Thank you
Keep up the good work, everyone. This puppy is blazin’ fast and tighter every day.
I look forward to seeing the Preparedness pages again.
Am I going to the right place?
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2011/03/29/preparedness-101-the-very-basics-%e2%80%93-by-zmalfoy/
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Sundance,
thank you or this information and for all of the hard work you do.
Love hanging out in the treehouse!
Sign up
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Long time reader. I want to be able to see all the comments I dearly have missed.
i checked the box
Access 2.0 for this amazing site!
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Thank you for explaining in detail what needs to be done to see the comments. I was clueless.
Trying to figure out what’s going on, because my main ID doesn’t work.
Set up a new ID, testing it with AdBlockPlus on.
Testing!
Fellow Treepers all,
A simple(?) thought for these interesting times:
It is not enough to ‘believe in’ God. You must know that He is with you everywhere and always; no volition can or will be hidden or overlooked.
With personal sovereignty comes personal responsibility; there are no mulligans.
Psst. He loves truth and hates liars even worse than He hates most murderers.
Participation in election fraud is willful treason. There are a lot of serious felons running loose.
Blessings are all around us.
definition of felon from dictionary.com:
“Once a person is no longer engaged in crime we can say “He’s a former criminal.” And once a person is no longer incarcerated, we can say “She’s an ex-convict.” Though both statements carry a stigma, they leave open the possibility that the people in question have changed their behavior. But this does not seem to be the case with the term felon , which appears to have no time limit. Once a person has been convicted of a felony, he or she can be considered a felon for life, according to the strict meaning of the word. (The term ex-felon , for example, is rarely used.) ”
I’m a felon, that is “convicted of a felony” many years ago. i haven’t been arrested in over 35 years, but i’m still considered a felon. i’ve never committed voter fraud and won’t. i know many felons, many of whom voted for trump here in Florida since they changed the law concerning felon’s rights. anyway, i think you’re misusing the term felon.
Amen
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You passed your test
What’s the test? What is the question? Come on man, you’re killing me!
Thank you, Sundance for the information regarding comments on the updated website.
CTH 2.0 looks and feels awesome. It’s great to have a new and welcoming home for all.
As the saying goes, “When God closes a door…” It sure looks like a whole bunch of
new doors flew open.
Risking looking stupid I have a question …..what is a convenient way to see if you have responses to comments. With WP we use to get notifications. Are we still suppose to use WP. I see comments about trouble with using it. Thank you…
i don’t know about WP, but the date of your comment contains info for the URL of your comment. in your case it is
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/12/05/cth-2-0-update-specifically-commenting-and-notification-issues/comment-page-22/#comment-7315918
and you can click this then bookmark it and easily visit later. using a mouse you can see it when you hover over the date of the comment
May I ask how you got the url that you posted to bookmark that particular comment? I know how to bookmark a page/topic, but how does that distinguish one comment from another? Apologies if I missed something obvious.
i don’t know the proper terminology, but the URL is inside or under the date and time of your comment. your comment date is “December 6, 2020 at 11:10 pm”. if you hover over that date with your mouse you can see the URL and bookmark it or capture it or click it to open in a new tab or window. I’ve never had a phone or ipad or tablet , so i’m not sure how you do it with those devices . hope that helps
Sweetie thank you so much but you dont understand I have gone from WP telling me I have a response to my comment to you telling me about bookmarks and ULR don’t understand a word you said.
Enabling comments
Same here