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
Does this solution apply to comments on only the specific thread or does it apply to all threads? Grateful to be here, and for all that contribute. Most grateful for all the dedication to ensuring a safe and thoughtful way for everyone’s voice to be heard?
Applies to everything on the site.
Test
Hopefully I can see the comments
test
Let me in! Checking the box now; unlike my vote this one will be honestly tabulated…
test
God Bless America
Test
So let me get this straight. You don’t use cookies by default because it is a privacy issue, but then you want your users to voluntarily cookie themselves, which is admittedly a privacy “issue”, so that they are able to see comments in a usable way.
I don’t see what having a tracking cookie has to do with the visibility of comments, but then I am not a genius. What exactly does one thing have to do with another?
Its not complicated.
lets first understand what cookies actually do.
lets say you visit a store and walk around isle 2, 5, and 9. Only those. Because that is where you like to shop.
unlike a store however, websites don’t have isle 2, 5, and 9. They don’t remember anything. But they can “store” where you did go and what you did and what you looked at, and even what you bought. But in order to do that, you have to provide at least some identifying information.
this is what simple cookies perform.
99.999 percent of all websites use them.
But not ALL cookies are the same.
Some are benign. Meaning they are not shared with any other third party. They are strictly used to make it convenient for you to navigate.
In comments, and discussion, where you are actively entering data, without some kind of cookie, your only other alternative other than cookies would be to register your email address with a comment technology, like wordpress, disqus, blogger, etc. And guess what, they use cookies ..These technologies use unique identifiable cookies that are then sold to ad and market revenue seekers. You are the product. Ever wonder why you have a “free” email…”free” browser?
you are the product. it doesn’t matter what you do or where you go in the internet, your information, what isles you scan, where you purchase and even window shop, and where you enter comments, are tracked, recorded, compiled and being a commodity for revenue seekers. There isn’t anything particularly nefarious about the technology. However, there is a privacy issue most people need to acknowledge. When you give up your privacy, you are also giving up a but of security. These two principles are married and not just in theory.
What cth is doing is giving you the very best possible way to participate with the comments section but also with the understanding that there will be some limited functionality if you do not accept cookies. That is what the checkbox is for. It is completely optional.
you can still use the website, and you can still participate in comments, however, there will be somewhat of a loss of functionality.
think of it this way: cookies are like a memory placeholder. Without them, next time you visit the store, you will need to walk down every single isle to find the things that should be in 2, 5, and 9. But they aren’t there anymore….they have changed places. Entering comments, everyone doing it, creates changes in the store. Cookies are a memory placeholder that even if the items change places, you don’t have to go hunting for them.
now…don’t get me started on super cookies…
and note…There are precisely three fundamental cookies that your browser WILL use no matter what you do. checkbox of not. These are related to host server cookies, and also domain and dns. These cookies are what I refer to as necessary ..but also the kind of cookies that are based on a reputational trust.
I trust CTH has taken the time to explore the implications of his host server platform. I trust he has done that. The other two are far beyond the control of ANY website owner and webmaster. Unless you want to go TOR and VPN or something and use dark web tech. (spoiler: even then, there are bits of cookies that hit the floor…:-)
when you use the internet, try to keep this in mind: there is nothing you can do to protect your identity and security COMPLETELY. The entire fundamentals of how interconnetivity operates at the basic tcpip stack requires certain identifiable information to be transferred. There is only degrees of privacy and security that can be achieved. It’s the reality.
CTH is doing the very best to accommodate users who desire to have the smallest footprint possible and still participate and be able to use some of the typical conveniences that we all have grown to expect from modern tech.
Now, here is some interesting thoughts to contemplate…imagine if every website spent the time to post an entire article outlining and highlighting how to do just that? Why don’t they? think about it carefully. Then you gain a serious appreciation for sundance and his excellent partners who are building a honorable product …consistent with his transparent WORLD CLASS INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM.
That my friend is special.
Anyway, that’s how I look at it.
I would not get twisted about the checkbox.
Here is what I would do, if you are really concerned:
use a burned email.
experiment with using the website without the checkbox.
see if you can live without cookies.
then experiment with the website WITH the checkbox.
see if you can live with cookies.
main takeaway: sundance is not selling or providing your cookie data and meta to any third party.
If he ever does, I will be the first one to carpet bomb this website and take it down.
trust me. I can do it.
but I know that will never be necessary. Sundance is the kind of person who provides proof…verification….not bullshit answers or oh shits, I’m sorries.
Stand up person, of the highest principle.
God Bless America
Very well explained/stated. Especially the highlight of the openness and honesty of Sundance and CTH. This is on cookie crumb I am willing to leave.
thx for the explanation, v helpful
Excellent post Regitiger
Test
Test
Test
When Joe Biden farts , cobwebs fall out.
Sign me up.
Visibility of comments should not depend on a reader posting a comment.
Right now if I go to the front page and click on the “December 5th – 2020 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #1416” article I can see the last page of comments and the heading says there are 1,283 comments. On that page if I click on “older comments” I get a page with either two comments or no comments. I should be able to page forward and back and see all comments.
Cookies related to paging are ok. I don’t think anyone would object to them, they contain no information other than position in a list of comments.
I am working on a solution that I will suggest to sundance, to perform that basic cookie function. (spoiler: cloudflare can do this and provide total cookie control to CTH webmaster. I don’t have an opinion yet, if that is the best way to accomplish basic navigation and comment digest. One CAN roll your own cookie management system in house but it requires a bit of coordination with the host server. I believe the dns registration service can also provide it, and or permit roll your own. For total control, it is of course, best to have complete control management in house and not through the host server or dns registration and certificate issuer. Most of them all for that.)
My goal here is to assist sundance in re-creating the same experience as with CTH 1.0, and also aligned to his goals to help users achieve the smallest footprint at this site. It isn’t rocket science. It’s just take a bit of code and a couple of hours to test it in beta before production)
Hopefully, by the end of this weekend sundance will my proposal and maybe this will be helpful. (he has dozens of developers in good company, so it would not surprise me, if there are some overlapping efforts as I type this very post
🙂
it takes time to cut a diamond. But when you do it right….you have a special kind of sunlight that we can all dance around.
(nobody seems to remember how much of that raw diamond is littered on the floor…we are in the process of cutting a diamond….it doesn’t look ring worthy…yet.)
God Bless America
Like; and thank you and all the other tech people behind the scenes working with Sundance and all the moderators, administrators.
What is being put together, with the smaller footprints, preservation of the freedom of speech, may indeed become the framework for others who might find themselves in the hinterlands should MAGA not prevail and the nation be forced into that dark winter o’biden has promised to bring on.
Sundance,
I greatly appreciate all of your efforts at maintaining privacy, and it matters not to me if it delays things a bit.
I rarely post a comment but nearly always read your posts and am often puzzled by people who comment without reading the basic post — often saying they don’t have time — or who comment without reading the previous comments. For me, I come here to learn and skipping the introduction to the book or the first few chapters would really hamper my learning. Just my take, and I realize we don’t all think or operate the same.
Anyway, congratulations on the progress to date with the transition from the old site. I look forward to and will appreciate each and every improvement as it comes along. As is said, “Patience Grasshopper.”
[Note] I’m making this comment in the Epic browser and don’t know what to expect; if it fails, I’ll eventually head over to Firefox and try again.
Mick
Remarkable. It worked on first try in Epic. I’m commenting now in Firefox and presume it will work just as well. Your directions worked for this old guy.
I don’t have a website so did not fill in that line. Does that matter to your system?
Yep. Clicking the “save my name” thang works.
And it works waaaay better/quicker than the old WP system.
On a MacBook Air laptop.
We’ll try saving a cookie, thanks Sundance
Test
God bless America and VGPDJT!
Thank you! I was one of those having difficulty. Your explanation was perfectly understandable for someone who is not at all tech knowledgeable.
maga
Signing in
test
Kudos to you, Sundance, and to your magnificent team for everything you’ve accomplished during this moving adventure!! I appreciate the information & inspiration you all share so generously.
Joshua 1:9
Very helpful! Thank you!
Can’t wait for tweets and vids to post out!
Once that happens, everything’s hunky dorey.
test
MAGA 2020
signing in
It works?. Thank you Sundance and Team
I must ask. I have been checking the box on my comments since you began the new system. Works great. However, is there a way to see the aggregate Comments I now write anywhere? I like that ability so I can review anything I wrote earlier about past subjects. Right now I have Disqus, Vuukle, Sagebook and WordPress. My comments on this site do not show up now on WordPress or any others. Is there another one I can add to incorporate my Treeper comments?
This functionality was lost when leaving the WP platform since we are no longer signing in to WP accounts.
I am also hopeful that some version of this will return to use here at CTH2.0 in time. But for now, we’ve just gotta dig through the pages of comments to manually check on replies to our comments.
Thank you! That is what I thought and I needed someone to verify. Thank you much.
Don’t know if you’re aware, but you can access your specific comment by clicking or pressing (on mobile) the date/time line on each comment you make. You could save and check back on comments made that way also. Save them in whatever way is convenient for you to make you own compilation/record to access.
Sundance, Please do NOT sign with Discus. They censor posts much like Twitter!
test
Thanks SD, someone else had already mentioned that checking the save my name box works, and it has worked for me.
Please dont use disqus! Although it has not happened to me, I have read posts from other commenters on other sites saying that they have been banned for life on disqus. Of course they just create other accounts and go on. And if you set your browser to clear the cache, etc, when exiting like I do, you must re-enter your name and password.
I wont even get into ‘solving the captcha’ puzzles to demonstrate that youre human. What a mess that is.
MAGA
Testing
Arizona Republicans: Fight for Trump! Why should we support and fight for you if you refuse to support and fight for us? I’m not happy that I have been disenfranchised by a corrupt voting process.
Like
Test
Test
Test
Thanks for the info! Bookmarked.
Thank you for adding me to the CTH discussion for comments. I have been reading here
for about 4 to 5 years. Love the site and its structure and the fellowship available.
Welcome to commenting at the Treehouse Ann! 😀
Glad it’s not just me! Testing 1, 2, 3…..
I am pumped as ever to check this little box. Best conversation anywhere. I’ve been missing it. I’m losing interest in talk radio because I learn more here, and get better information, plus hear from my fellow citizens by the hundreds and thousands directly. Been on the site for about a year. First post. Thanks Sundance for CTH 2.0.
Test
Sundance and Admins and tech site builders:
I appreciate your emphasis on maintaining privacy and keeping us from becoming a target yet again, and I’m perfectly happy being patient until the last functionality can be restored.
Might you put another button up in the banner, maybe right after “We get questions …”, something like “Current operating issues” that would point to a FAQ with a list of items like
Q: “Where is the email notification system?”
A: The short answer is: we are working on it as a #1 priority
… that kinda thing
Maybe I’m dreaming, but I’m just brainstorming how to divert some of those 100 questions a day to the FAQ instead of the comment threads
To reaffirm: I think y’all have done a great job migrating the site and I think you’re making wise decisions on our collective behalf (behalves?) in coming down on the side of privacy.
Disqus doesn’t sound like such a bargain, considering the potential downside you’ve described.
Thanks again!
ps – The way you describe the ‘login’ step of entering a reply and checking the box which sets a cookie (for the day? session? until you clear cookies?)
… conveys to me that Treehouse 2.0 is operating more autonomously than it did under WordPress
I’ve gotta think that’s a good thing … probably in a number of ways I don’t know about, but it feels reassuring none the less
… and I’m encouraged that your natural inclination seems to be to come down on the side of autonomous on these decisions
So thanks for that
the dns service and cloudflare technology that sundance has chosen is truly world class..figuratively and literally!
yes, there are privacy protections NOW that were achieved in CTH 2.0 that were not possible with CTH 1.0
I would call that a de-platforming that created opportunity to select better terms for all of us.
I see only great potential and explosive growth in the international scale for this website.
I really mean that.
The truth isn’t bound by borders and language barriers.
While I am first and always an American citizen, I am also loyal to a higher principle that my concerns hopes and dreams are shared by BILLIONS of humans.
I believe we will all look back in a few years and wonder at it all, what was accomplished.
simply
by
telling
the
truth
God Bless America
As I heard earlier today,
Truth
equals
Love
Test
So glad to be here! I’ve been reading CTH for 4 or 5 years.
Thanks for the info. Will bookmark
Thank you for all your efforts. I would be lost without this site. I come here first, always, if I read a headline somewhere to find out the truth.
maga – what ever it takes
Thanks for the update!
Hooray.