At times I can be a real knucklehead. This screwup is a big deal and I have no acceptable excuse.
When I first started blogging back in August of 2010, I chose WordPress settings that would require first time commenters (newbies) to have their initial comment approved/moderated by me. After their first comment, any subsequent comments made by that person would automatically be approved and would appear on my blog without moderation.
I also set it up so that I’d receive an email containing every “newbie” comment, those that needed approval from me (moderation). That way I’d know when there was a comment needing moderation. Without moderation it wouldn’t be published. But I needed the email to know it was waiting for me to approve it.
Screenshot from WordPress Dashboard
This is what those settings look like in my WordPress Dashboard. They’ve looked like this from day one and they still look like that. I took this screenshot yesterday. In over 15 years I’ve never messed with those settings.
But at some point several years ago I noticed that I was no longer receiving “Needs Moderation” emails from WordPress. After confirming that my settings were correct and that those emails weren’t being rejected as spam, I figured I’d just have to live with it. Those comments do show up in my WordPress Dashboard, so my plan was to visit the Dashboard several times each day I published a post and moderate any comments that needed it.
That’s where I screwed up. Somewhere along the line I inexplicably stopped checking my Dashboard for comments that needed moderation. My only excuse, which is no excuse at all, is my well-known tendency to be an insufferable creature of habit. Somehow, I got out of the habit of checking… so I just didn’t. Apparently for several years.
Screenshot from WordPress Dashboard
Then, three days ago on a Dashboard page I rarely visit, I finally noticed this (marked by red arrows). I had hundreds of comments needing moderation, going all the way back to February of 2018. This screenshot only shows 329 of them but when I first discovered it there were almost 500 of them. That discrepancy is due to the fact that I immediately approved over 150 of them before I thought about taking the screenshot.
Further digging revealed that most of the “pending” comments were made by newbies to my blog but dozens of them were made by veterans of Feathered Photography, often (but not always) due to the fact that their names were misspelled (typos), or spelled differently than their original post, so WordPress didn’t recognize them.
I’m honored when folks take the time and make the effort to comment on my blog and for me, out of negligence, to be responsible for their comments not being published, or responded to, is unacceptable. I’m sure that many of those folks never commented again out of frustration and I don’t blame them. That would be my reaction too.
Going forward it’s my firm intention to check my Dashboard comments section several times each day for comments that need moderation. And over the next few days I’ll be approving the 329 older comments that still need moderation (it’s a fairly slow process).
Once again, my sincere apologies.
Dummkopf
No apology needed here. I (a computer know nothing – who cannot get the print to be enlarged on emails I receive) completely understand.
Ron,
If that is the worst thing you have done … You are a better man than I.
Stephen
Ron, quit beating yourself up. Ron? Hello?
No worries. So what you need to do and well see you later.
I suggest blaming the whole thing on a 17-year-old nerd working for Elon Musk. One of the Muskrats. There. You are in the clear in my book!
Sue, deflected blame works for me. Especially when it’s my fault.
I love the “Muskrats.” I will steal that frequently without footnote!!
Feel free. I didn’t invent it! (I guess you could say I “stole” it from some Substack thing I read.)
Yet another reason why we all respect and admire you, Ron. Even when it’s the fault of WordPress (or the R5 and its weird color settings), you’ll still take one for the team.
So glad to be able to welcome other FP fans to this wonderful community you’ve created!
“So glad to be able to welcome other FP fans to this wonderful community you’ve created!”
Me too, Marty. Thanks to my screwup, it’s been a while.
I actually read your entire post to the end. Don’t beat yourself up…there are way too many things to monitor. The fact I only got through 2k emails yesterday with another 11k to go should tell you life is getting out of control in the digital world! I’m glad you discovered the “problem” and explained it and what you will do going forward. Thanks always for sharing your wonderful photos. They bring a bit of calm to the current chaos and uncertainty of the times we live in!!
Thanks for the encouragement, Ann.
Never recall an unanswered comment Ron.
Good.
Actually Ron this is rather exciting, having so many people knocking at your door. The comments are lovely!
Always a bright side, Susan.
Well, that is a total bummer, for your would-be commenters and you, and I can certainly understand your embarrassment, but I’m holding the WordPress system’s failure to perform a simple but critical task (sending email!) at least as responsible for this snafu as you. Easy for me to say, I suppose, since I wasn’t one of the unfortunate newbies caught in the email no-man’s-land, but still, I hope they’re all as understanding as OUR new friend, Paul!
“I hope they’re all as understanding as OUR new friend, Paul!”
Well said, Chris. Me too.
I can’t recall a single comment of mine that was ignored. Even if they were, no big deal — its more than offset by your generous effort and time bringing the world of birds into our lives – not just your great photos of birds but also of other bits of nature, tips on photography, and ethical insights into life. Thanks.
Thanks very much, Kent.
I made a list of names of “old-timers” to FP who were among the last 329 comment authors whose comments were never moderated. You aren’t on the list.
Amen.
Well, hell. You’ve got to laugh, or curse, or both. These oversights are just part of the human condition in this day and at our age.
Well, at least MY condition…
I like your attitude, Nina.
Doh!
Am very excited to read the comments of the newbies. Unlike most blogs, your reader’s comments are always thoughtful and interesting. You have created an enticing community Ron – one to be quite proud of – am certainly thrilled to be amongst your fans.
“You have created an enticing community Ron”
Thanks, Kathleen. But based on this incident, that community was formed in spite of me, rather than because of me…
I ran a WordPress blog as part of a grant-funded university outreach role for a few years – I definitely understand your pain and frustration with its inner workings. Would it be worth contacting support to try and get those comments needing moderation to show up in your email inbox like they’re supposed to? It must be annoying to have to go check for yourself on the dashboard multiple times a day.
As a relative newcomer to this blog, I’ve enjoyed the comments from readers (several of whose names I’ve begun to recognize) almost as much as the posts themselves. Thank you for catching the discrepancy so that more of us can join in the conversation!
“Would it be worth contacting support”.
It may come to that, Melanie. I haven’t done it yet because I abhor the process.
On a side note, you have the dubious honor of being the author of the first comment I approved by making an extra trip to my Dashboard…
GEEZ! How frustrating not to mention embarrassing! WordPress does seem to want to “change things” without notice. Glad you finally discovered it and are working to make it right. Sure hope those affected try again……..
“WordPress does seem to want to “change things” without notice.”
One of my fears is that it isn’t the fault of WordPress – that it’ll turn out to be my fault, out of ignorance.
But until I learn differently, I’ll continue to blame it on WordPress…
It happens, please don’t worry about it. Your blog is the first thing I look at in the morning to maintain some perspective in this crazy world. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos with us.
Very much appreciated, Kim.
Technology is not for the faint of heart. I am always amazed at how many readers you respond to on a daily basis and have never worried if you didn’t respond to whatever birding hero worship I drivel onto your blog. I am just grateful that I found your blog. I have never stopped learning from it.
“Technology is not for the faint of heart.”
I love that, Suzanne.
To be honest, looking back I’m surprised that I, an introvert by nature, had the courage (ignorance?) to tackle blogging in the first place.
I’m glad you rooted out this problem. You have unusually interesting
and thoughtful people who are interested in your blog– I call them your “posse”– and I look forward daily to reading their comments.
As you’re a conscientious person about so many things, I can tell
how upset you are that this went on for quite a while, but for an “old guy” ( I can say that, as I’m older than you ! ) you do remarkably well
with the complications of electronic communication, so please forgive yourself– Wish I could do nearly as well !
Kris, I have to wonder how large “my posse” would be today if all those comments, for all those years, hadn’t fallen through the cracks. That isn’t my biggest concern, I’m more concerned about hurt feelings, but I’ll admit that I think about it.
Boy, do I feel for you.
Humans. We will trip-up from time to time. Then there is our good qualities like caring and admitting to our errors, the will to do better, and commitment like you – and Paul Malinowski – have shown in sticking with it. Its all about intention. I’ve seen a lot of good intention here.
“Boy, do I feel for you.”
Michael, public embarrassment almost comes with the territory when you’ve been writing a public blog for as long as I have. At least it does when I’m the author…
And you’re right about Paul. Kudos to him for sticking around after his early comments were seemingly ignored. I probably wouldn’t have.
Oh, interesting — as extra info — now that I’ve commented, I see two comments from Paul M and you. Still an issue though as I don’t want to comment just to see comments.
Marcia, you’re seeing those comments because this time WordPress approved Paul’s comment and I replied to it.
Ron, I’ve noticed another change. On my end, the comments no longer appear. Many were to be funny, or clever, or helpful so I do miss the opportunity to scan through them.
Is that a setting issue – on my side, or yours?
“On my end, the comments no longer appear.”
I don’t understand, Marcia. In your previous comment you said that “I see two comments from Paul M and you.” That’s all that were there at the time.
Ron, to understand, you might read my comments in reverse order. In summary, for weeks, no one’s comments were appearing. Until today. When I posted my first comment reporting that issue, voila, suddenly everyone’s comments appeared.
That’s really weird, Marcia. I can’t explain it.
Well, if you start seeing a string of smiley faces
from me, you’ll know why. Wink wink.
I was one of those newbies stuck in the “ether”. I figured you either allowed comments only from people you knew well or my comments were deemed of “low quality”
I really enjoy your posts, though, as a fellow bird photographer so I hung in there and kept reading them. Hope I get to join the conversation and keep up the great work, Ron!
Paul, “stuck in the ether” is a good way to put it. I’m very sorry that you were one of them.
Please, join in the conversation anytime you feel like it.