After many hours of mostly fruitless labor, here is what I have determined vis-a-vis comments for this here site.
1) All users should be able to register with Movable Type and, after confirming their email address, post comments to Scratchbomb.com. I have not yet figured out how to allow userpics, which has more to do with weird server/database/technical issues that the makers of Movable Type have yet to resolve.
2) I have had no luck trying to post comments via TypePad Connect. Which is too bad, because their commenting interface looks pretty good. However, it’s still in beta, which is techspeak for “it don’t work yet.” If TypePad Connect was a car, it’d be a sleek Maserati with three wheels and no coolant.
I’ll let alla y’all know ASAP when the userpic issue has been resolved. But for now, you should FINALLY be able to post comments. So go ahead, tell me about your awesome Facebook page or how to add inches overnight.
Wow I’m surprised I was able to think up another variation of “Cousin Loutie” after sacrificing so many to the Movable Type gods… FYI, I used Movable Type while writing The Beach Blog, and while I didn’t maintain it myself, I may be able to help with simple posting issues… I know that’s not worth much, but that’s about all I bring to the table. Rock on Scratchbomb.
It’s not so much Movable Type per se. There are Perl modules that I need to install on my server, and I have no idea how to do that, or even if I have permission to do so.
What I’m hoping is that either a future version of MT will fix some of the bugs, or TypePad will get its act together. Or that MT will allow commenting via other, less buggy sites like Facebook.
Why is this stuff so complicated? I thought the internet was supposed to be all D.I.Y. and stuff? Where’s the bloging equivalent to the old punk rock ethos- here’s a chord, here’s another one, now start a band?
…or is that what blogspot is? If so, sign me up.