Update: Comment moderation is on because the ASH troll will fill this place with junk posts otherwise. Since I don’t currently have time to watch over the blog, I can’t just let him leave his mess everywhere.
Update Update: Nope, back to first-comment stuff. As you were.
No login required, but some comments might take a while to appear because I’m not going to be here as much as usual for a while. I’ll certainly be here every day and will put comments through as fast as I can.
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This place is set up so that I have to approve your first comment. After I’ve done that, you are free to comment at Will. If Will isn’t available you can comment at me.
You do have to put in an Email address and username (call yourself anything from Ann O’Nymous to Zippy the Huhne, as long as you use the same one each time it’ll work) but here’s the kicker – it does not have to be a real Email address. If you don’t want to put your Email here you can make one up. As long as it’s in Email format, it works like a password and generates a little picture beside your comment that will always be the same.
That Email, real or fake, is your password. Once your first comment gets through you’re good to go. If you do use your real Email, nobody will see it and if a troll gets in, that’s no problem either. I can unapprove them and they’re gone.
The website link is optional. If you don’t have one or don’t want to post it, no problem.
So you can still post anonymously without revealing your real Email or your website, it’s just that you’ll have to remember that fake Email.
If you forget it and have to invent another one, you’ll be in the ‘approve’ list again. As long as you’re not trolling or spamming that’s not a problem. It will just mean a little delay.
underdogs bite upwards 
It loads in a fraction of the time thanks in part to the loss of that (ugh) purple thing background and all those widgets.
Way less bandwidth chewed up by visitors – an issue with those of us using mobile dongles.
Comes up way better with the larger font size; lots easier to read, however the downside is it can seem intimidating with a supersized post. OH has the best font type for 10 point.
I visit to read your blurb; not to be impressed with bells & whistles. KISS please.
Most bloggers don’t make full use of their tag lines. “opposition / rejection / criticism of the smoking ban” is what it’s all about for many. People do search for “criticism of the smoking ban”, yet I very rarely see this on tag lines.
They’re even worse on tags for individual posts. You’ve had several of late that deal with “economic / social / cost / smoking ban”. Search engines are basically dumb at nuances and need that sort of stuff to index posts correctly. Don’t use them and your post is just so much chaff pissing about on the web.
Another wasted gesture is a first class character assassination that’s blown away because you’ve not used the punters name. Google will understand Cameron MP PM etc, but it ain’t too hot on Cameroon or any other pet name. Still hasn’t grasped smokeydrinky.
If you don’t use the SEngines to help then you’re left with folk who bump into your site. More punters means more clout means you can get adverts! I always click on one or two every time I visit Guido.
Anyway I’ve changed the address in my favourites. Good Un.
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No pet names? Sigh. And I was growing so fond of commenting on the latest from cute little Russkie Putrid.
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underdogs bite upwards A drink, a smoke and a heavy hat.
That’s what comes up on IE. Methinks you’re reasonably partial to passing on info economically.
Underdogs Bite Upwards. Drinking, smoking & screw the ban. Or something equally succinct. The hat ain’t a hat; it’s a full face mask – and you never talk about that.
It’s got to do with ROBOTS, WORMS, CRAWLERS, SLURPS.
Bang on with the e-mail disguise though. I like it.
These guys can help: http://www.albionresearch.com/misc/obfuscator.php
Sadly this comes from an awful lot of experience. I loathe with a passion e-mail harvesters, though gmail is very good indeed at weeding them out.
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My first comment!
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Is it possible to make the blogroll update like on the old site…?
I generally log-on to your site first thing then read the other blogs as they update…
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I’m working on it. This place has a lot more functions but that makes it more complicated,
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Excellent, thanks!
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You have inspired me to move my blog to WordPress because Google are increasingly screwing up by removing audio players and classifying my innocuous stuff as ‘objectionable’. I can stand it no more!
It’s a lot of work though isn’t it? Not everything just copies across. Still, it was time I tidied it up anyway. Thanks for showing me it could be done.
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You’ll find you have a lot more control over things than you did on Blogger, but that does make it more complicated.
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True – but I think I finally got there – and I have noticed that the cross posts to Twitter and Facebook are instant and involve a lot less faffing about to set up than on Blogger.
All in all I think it was worth the effort
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Love your site – and here’s my first comment.
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Pubs used to be places where you went to play darts and pool with a small shandy or two. They were also places I went to when playing in various rock bands in the 70s. There was a lot of secondhand smoke around which we children of the sixties partook in copiously. Everyone pretty much smoked in those days in their homes, cars and everywhere else.
We seem to still be alive 40 years later. We didn’t partake in eating vegetables unless our Scottish Grannies made us. 5 a day? Try 5 a year. Sometimes we ran about but never to excess and we lifted heavy weights although never to get fit. Cycling? Only for children and those French chaps who used to sell onions door to door. Walking? Only short distances of course.
What are doctors for? Whatever they are for is no longer fit for purpose.
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I like these three letter acronyms, IBM, PDQ, PDF, ASH. They are neat and snappy and convey a real meaning and purpose; of course IBM make international business machines, PDQ is pretty damn quick, PDF is, err, Adobe ? Reader ? Gone wrong there.
So ASH is; Action ! Smoke ! Health ! That must mean Action to Smoke for Health !! Makes sense to me.
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Four letter acronyms are the way to go. Far more potential.
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Thank you for your words. I have been reading with enjoyment for many months/years.
What is the thing in your header? No, not the absinthe bottle – the leather knuckle-duster thingy.
It looks like it might be a weapon or maybe some SM toy.
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It’s my favourite hat. Somewhere there are better photos of it.
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