MB_Watcher's dashboard

MB_Watcher reported a problem in IntenseDebate on May 31, 2009 21:22:

No "uninstall" option for Blogger template install?

I need to uninstall Intense Debate from my Blogger blog.

I did a "template install" originally, which involved uploading a copy of my template to Intense Debate, where the system automatically inserted code.

However, the only "uninstall" option available is specific to "widget" installations. There is no "uninstall" option up right now for template installs.

I need to be sure that the code is removed from my template. I tried emailing my template to support but have not yet heard back.

Am I somehow missing an option somewhere?

MB_Watcher replied on April 03, 2009 17:58 to the problem "Latest comments widget not updating regularly" in IntenseDebate:

Same problem for me on a Blogger blog. It has been several weeks now. My readers are rebelling.

MB_Watcher started following the problem "Latest comments widget not updating regularly" in IntenseDebate.

A comment on the problem "'Recent comments' not refreshing, other issues" in IntenseDebate:

Michael, this is frustrating. I want to keep ID. Performance of "recent comments" remains spotty and bizarre. I am seeing some occasional, random updating of the latest comments, followed by long periods of zero updating. I get 30-100 comments a day, and the "recent comments" feature is updating perhaps 2-3 times a day. Is the feed still bad? Any theories? – MB_Watcher, on March 03, 2009 07:08

A comment on the problem "'Recent comments' not refreshing, other issues" in IntenseDebate:

Bad news, it's worse. Here's what I did. First, refreshed the page. No change. Next, edited the number of comments to display within my widget on my page. That DID refresh comments once. Later comments did not refresh. Then I went to the ID site and pulled the code all over again, using 7 as the number of comments. Weird result - now the comments that display are older, from the last time I used 7 as the number to display.

Please note my post below – I tried as a workaround just getting the Feed URL for my comments and posting that as "recent comments" instead as a feed. That feed never updated. I removed that feed widget since the experiment had failed. – MB_Watcher, on February 24, 2009 21:25

MB_Watcher replied on February 23, 2009 17:31 to the problem "'Recent comments' not refreshing, other issues" in IntenseDebate:

OK, for what it's worth, I may have narrowed this problem a bit. On my site I set up one widget using the FEED of my recent comments (grabbed from the Intense Debate tools). That FEED is also NOT updating. I have also left the original Latest Comments widget on the front page for you to see, Michael.

In short, something is not feeding/updating correctly.

My readers are getting very antsy about this. One recommended I shut off IE. I would like to keep you. I started with IE when Google had a problem that ran 2+ weeks with their Blogger comment feeds freezing, too.

MB_Watcher replied on February 23, 2009 00:15 to the problem "'Recent comments' not refreshing, other issues" in IntenseDebate:

OK Michael I have re-inserted the widget, it's far down on the right column. The last time I re-installed it, the content immediately popped up with the most recent comments at the time, but never updated. We'll see what happens.

MB_Watcher replied on February 22, 2009 20:13 to the problem "'Recent comments' not refreshing, other issues" in IntenseDebate:

Sorry I didn't provide it:

http://mbcon.blogspot.com

However, I have taken down the recent comments widget. If you need me to repost I can later Sunday.

MB_Watcher reported a problem in IntenseDebate on February 21, 2009 16:48:

'Recent comments' not refreshing, other issues

In recent days I have noticed various problems with IE, which I have been running for almost 3 months on a Blogger blog. (Template install.)

The most obvious problem now is that the "Recent Comments" widget is not refreshing. All of Friday it was stuck with comments from the morning. I tried going in and wiping out the widget and replacing it. This worked – once. It refreshed the comments that were current at the time but has not updated since. (I did that Friday night.)

Also through the week I have noticed that the "jump to" button did not work for me as it once had. (I use Firefox, auto-updated, on a Mac.) Clicking "jump to" from "recent comments" seemed to cause Blogger to load up the main story properly, but not to page down to the comment I was "jumping" to. Previously this worked nicely so it scanned down to the jumped-to comment and highlighted it.

Finally at times I noticed that in regular comments the "Reply to" button was not working occasionally. You could not create a threaded comment tied to one specific comment.

I have noticed this on 2 computers and with restarts and updates to Firefox in between. One other reader says that in Internet Explorer, the "recent comments" are splashed across the main story on the front page. HELP!

MB_Watcher replied on January 09, 2009 22:48 to the idea "Absolute Timestamps in comments" in IntenseDebate:

I am new to IntenseDebate. Lots of my users are requesting "real" times instead of relative times on the comments. I see this discussion began 8 months ago. Is it now possible for us to change to "absolute timestamps" on comments instead of relative timestamps?!?

MB_Watcher started following the idea "Absolute Timestamps in comments" in IntenseDebate.

MB_Watcher replied on January 04, 2009 17:39 to the question "comment character limit restriction" in IntenseDebate:

I have used the IntenseDebate system only a few days and limited comment length is the #1 complaint people are feeding me back.

When I was testing the system, I generated the error by cutting and pasting a large news article. I figured that, in normal use, people would not have this problem. But people posting just a few paragraphs have said they needed to break their comments in half to get them posted.

I know there is some need to know what their browsers are, etc., but it can't be too hard to generate this error on a regular basis.

My blog is:

http://mbcon.blogspot.com

and the people are encountering this on the "New Year Open Forum" story at the top.

MB_Watcher started following the question "comment character limit restriction" in IntenseDebate.

MB_Watcher replied on January 03, 2009 04:32 to the question "Why is "skip to main | skip to sidebar" appearing in new comments?" in IntenseDebate:

Michael, I think I have now narrowed it down to Firefox. I think it is prepopulating that field for me. On a totally different computer I did not have this issue come up.

I just need to figure out how to tell Firefox to stop doing that for me, but I don't think it will affect anyone else.

I hope you don't think I have wasted your time. I am very excited to put this system up on my main blog, and probably will this weekend. I look forward to using it!

Oh, one question - what is the maximum length of a comment? I tried posting a giant news article and got an error that it was "a bit too long." People do that on my blog all the time. I'd like to know what to say in guidelines so they cut those back. Thanks!

MB_Watcher replied on December 31, 2008 17:32 to the question "Why is "skip to main | skip to sidebar" appearing in new comments?" in IntenseDebate:

Mike, I tried reinstalling this again but I still have the same problem. I first noticed it when I was test-driving the comments feature. I was tweaking settings, including adding a message at the end of the comments box regarding the comment policy, and also I tried 2 different ways to present the "recent comments." That's when I noticed it.

I just tried a few things. I reinstalled the code all over. I pulled out the comments message. Those steps did not change it.

Then I found the language in the template that said "skip to main and skip to sidebar," deleted the first references to that in the template and re-saved it. This also did not change the situation, surprisingly.

Final note: I do see that initially the comments box will load with the grey text saying type your comment here. AFTER that, it populates with this "skip" language.

Thanks for your help!

MB_Watcher replied on December 30, 2008 03:13 to the question "Why is "skip to main | skip to sidebar" appearing in new comments?" in IntenseDebate:

Hi there - the blog (my TEST blog) is:

http://mbconmu2.blogspot.com

Do not worry that the sidebar widgets are not working.

You'll see that I have a series of dummy comments in there. I have removed the recent comments widget for the time being. Thanks!

Browser is Firefox, Mac is the platform.

MB_Watcher asked a question in IntenseDebate on December 29, 2008 05:02:

Why is "skip to main | skip to sidebar" appearing in new comments?

I have a strange autofill of "skip to main | skip to sidebar" appearing in my "Post a new comment" window.

All I have done is install IntenseDebate (in my template on Blogger) and started to test it (on a test blog, not my real blog). I liked how it was working and then moved along to trying out the "recent comments" widget in a couple of different ways.

After I was test-driving the comments and watching how they appeared in the window and in the "recent comments" widget, I noticed that, now, the blank window for "Post a new comment" now autofills with "skip to main | skip to sidebar." That is not grey text that gets typed over, but it is treated as real text that begins each comment, unless you select it and erase it or type over it.

I see those phrases in the template but I don't know their function.

I am hoping this is a known issue that can be addressed. I am eager to take this system to my main blog. Thanks!