How to comment on 'A lemon tree of our own'

One of the nice things about a blog site like this is that anyone can add their comment to any of our entries. It is a very simple thing to do, but sadly out in the wild west of the internet there are people who use comment systems like this to put up spam adverts. A lot of the time these spam adverts are added by specially written computer programs, so this site, in common with a lot of blogs, has a couple of systems in place to stop this. That means you have to do a couple of things to prove you are a real person before your comment will be published.

You'll see the comment form at the bottom of each individual page. (If you are on the front page of 'A lemon tree of our own', you'll need to click the "View comments or add your own" link which appears under each entry to get to the form.)

Once you've reached the form there are two ways of adding your comment.

Method 1 - without registration

The first way you can add a comment is by simply filling in the form on the page. The first input box asks for your name, and in the second box underneath it you can put the address of your own website if you have one. When your comment appears, your name will appear, and if you have supplied a website address, your name will link back to that site.

The large box at the bottom is where you can enter your comments. Don't worry about the size of the box - you can write as much or as little as you like. If you'd like to add a link to another website you can, just put the full address of the site (including the http:// bit) and it will automatically become a link.

Above the area where you have entered your comments you'll see a box that you can tick, which says "Remember my name and website?". If you tick this box, when you submit your comment the website will put a 'cookie' onto your computer. A 'cookie' is a small text file, and it will contain the details you have entered, so that this site can recognise you. Next time you visit you should find that the Name and Website boxes are already filled in for you when you want to leave a comment.

Once you are happy with your comment, you can click on the 'Post your comment' button to submit it to the site.

There is then one further step, to prove that you are not a computer. Computers are good at doing lots of calculations very fast, but they are not very good at recognising fuzzy shapes. So, before your comment can be published, you will be shown an image which has some fuzzy numbers and letters in it, and asked to type in the numbers and letters you see.

In this example, you can see that you would need to type in p9m2be as the code.

Once you've done that, your comment is on its way to being published.

Method 2 - with registration

If you think you might want to leave regular comments on this site, or you leave comments on a few different blog sites, you might want to consider registering with TypeKey. TypeKey is an authentication system used by several different types of blog software to identify real people from the spam robots. It takes a little while to register, but it has benefits.

You can register any time from 'A lemon tree of our own' by clicking the 'Sign in' link you see in the comments form. This should take you to a page that looks like this.

If you already have an existing account you can use the panel on the left-hand side to login to TypePad. If you are setting up a new account you need to choose the links on the right.

If you start to set up a new account you will be presented with a form that looks like this. At first it looks like there is a lot to fill in, but it is all very straightforward information.

First you need to pick a Member name. You'll probably find that most real names are already taken, so you may need to use a nickname, or add numbers at the end of your name, to get a unique username (e.g. karen76 or jimmie327).

You then need to choose a display name. This will be displayed next to your comments on this site, so make sure it is one you are happy to see on the internet. It doesn't have to be similar to your Member name at all, and you can change it at a later date if you are unhappy with it.

You need to pick a password, and enter it into the password box you see, and then again in the one below to confirm you have typed it correctly.

Try to pick a username and password combination that is easy for you to remember, but would be hard for someone else to guess.

Next you fill in your first name and last name, and your email address.

You then need to fill in one of the number and letter puzzles we saw earlier - again to prove that you are a real person signing up the service, and not an internet robot.

The last thing you need to do is tick the box that says you are over 13 (only if you are, of course!), and then tick the box saying you accept the Terms and Conditions of the TypeKey service. Click 'Sign up' and your registration will be processed.

The next thing that happens is that TypePad will send you and email, so go to your email and look for a mail from TypeKey Authentication Service or [email protected].

This gives you a choice of two ways of activating your account - either follow the long link in the email, or visit typekey.com and enter the authentication code given in the email. Either way, once you receive the email you are just one step away from being registered.

This might sound like a lot of effort, but it has advantages in that it means you can, if you wish, create a TypeKey profile, and with this one registration you can comment on the many websites that use the system.

OK, I've submitted my comment - what happens next?

In order to avoid publishing any comments that might get us into legal hot water, or which are just plain spam, we check every comment before publication. Your comment will go into an in-box, much like email, for us to read, and we will either approve it for publication, or delete it. Once approved it will appear on the site straight away.

Feel free to have a go by leaving a test comment on this page...

Comments

[James Cridland]

Gosh. So... how do I leave comments?

Like this? Or like this?

Enjoying your blog rather more than I thought I would have done. Good luck.

J

[Kat]

Hi, I just wanted to tell you I got a giggle out of the About this Site page regarding the lemon tree. You two are fun!

[is ara]

Enjoying your blog rather more than I thought I would have done. Good luck.

[sveta]

Thanks so very much for taking your time to create this very useful and informative site. I have learned a lot from your site. Thanks!!p

[Frances]

Hi my (nice quiet and honest friend) is coming over to Maleme on 26 August 08 and is looking for a cheap, clean room to rent until she gets settled in permanently. Any ideas anyone?