Tag Archives: meta

Blogger authentication for WordPress

bloggerlogoSince I started out over at Blogger, I’ve got a few readers from over there (hopefully they’ll follow over to the new site). That system was nice because of the built in community. Once you were logged in, you could browse other people’s blogs and leave a comment. Then that person could follow a link back to your profile and check out your blog. I’ve done this exact thing tons of times when someone stumbled upon my blog and was gracious enough to leave a comment. I’ll miss that aspect about Blogger.

To make it a little easier for Bloggers, I’m thinking about writing a plugin so that one could use their Blogger username and password to login and leave comments. Then once you’re logged in, it would already have your email address and URL. Then with cookies, you wouldn’t have to re-login or type your info in everytime you wanted to leave a comment.

Would any of my former Blogger buddies be interested in that functionality? I’ve gotten the XML/RPC authentication code working, which I borrowed heavily from some code from geeklog. I still have to actually work it into WordPress via the plugin hooks.

I still might do it if nobody cares, just for fun.

Masthead

captain_art.gifYou may have noticed that the masthead has changed from my cheesealicious one to the new sweet one that is there now. Thanks to my buddy Dave and his leet photoshop skills. He did a few for me to use so I’ll be rotating them in and out. You might see him around with one knee up, ’cause his payment will put a little captain in him if ya know what I’m sayin’.

No, not like that. Perv.

Well it didn’t take long

for me to post my first meta-blog. Yep, blogging about blogging. I just can’t help it. I’m not sure where this is gonna go so hang on.

I first came across The Wil’s blog many moons ago. I think it was linked off a Slashdot interview, I don’t really remember. I thought it was pretty cool and I started reading it every now and again. For the past year or so, I check it just about every day. I even bought one of his books (and plan to buy the other one Real Soon Now). His page lead me to Fark, which provides hours of entertainment. Also to Nickerblog and blogging.la which lead me to J. Sto. And I’m still finding more. Why am I reading actor’s blogs who live in the anti-Starkville all the way across the country from me? That’s a fair question.

I suppose the reason is two-fold.

Firstly, about a year ago I decided to do something other than go to work, come home and sit on the couch watching TV while my brain congealed. Actually That Moment, if you will, came while I was sitting on said couch watching said TV. I was watching SNL and I thought, Hey that would be fun, doing sketch comedy. It just took hold on my brain and hasn’t let go since. I have zero acting experience and I won’t go into all that has transpired since That Moment (that’s a future post) but see The Audition pt.1 and pt.2 for my first foray into the performing arts on the stage (er, not counting that whole trumpet thing I did for like 10 years).

I don’t know what I’d want as an end result from the acting experiment, but I’m determined to do something while I feel like it even though I’m afeared to step out and try something I’ve never done before that could cause myself public humiliation if I happen to suck at it. That was a trainwreck of a sentence. Um, so I enjoy reading actor/entertainment people’s blogs.

Secondly, they are well written blogs that have a pretty serious readership. These along with others (e.g. tonypierce) are my blog mentors. ‘Course, they don’ t know that, that’s how I keep from paying the blogging mentor fees, so keep that on the down-low for me. Awesome. They’ve been doing it much longer than I have and I’d say they’ve got a pretty good handle on it.

I haven’t written creatively or just plain written, for that matter, since high school english class. That part of my brain has atrophied due to all the technical studying and learning I did in college.

I installed movabletype on my personal domain to chronicle my switch to Mac but I didn’t keep it up for long and the comment spam was annoying. I’m still trying to find my “voice” for Inside Mr.KaryHead. Reading other, good blogs will help me get there. Wherever there is.

And you know, blogging is fun. It satisfies something for me. It’s a creative outlet and knowing that random people will happen upon it adds to the satisfaction. I’m writing for me but I want other people to interact. I’ll not deny there’s a certain amount of self-centeredness involved; I want to know that people are reading and if they find it an enjoyable read or not. I want to be accepted in the blogosphere, etc. Ok, that sounded gay but I’m leaving it (cause it’s true). I think that it takes time to build a readership and I’m ok with that, but dammit, by then I’ll have archives of totally sweet posts that no one will ever go back and read. Maybe that’s why some bloggers post links like Oh look where I was a year ago, etc. Yeah, I’ll remember that trick.

Aight that’s enough for a first meta-blog. I’ll no doubt remember something I wanted to say but forgot and be back.

Ain’t nuttin’ but a tater

Well I tell you what, that ol’ Bucket is something else. I hope you enjoyed meeting him. Maybe I’ll get him to post again in the future.

I’ve been debating whether or not to make Inside Mr.KaryHead more bloggish, in the sense of most everyone else’s blog, i.e. post daily but not always supercool teh funnay, you know, just add in some everyday stuff so I can post more. It is a purely selfish motivation: so I can write more. Initially I only wanted to post, as afore-mentioned, supercool teh funnay but I may start posting more often in which case the ratio of supercool teh funnay to total posts will fall somewhat. But rest assured I still will be posting supercool teh funnay stuff.

Carry on.