No, this isn’t a Halloween post. This is about something scarier – WordPress. OK, it’s even scarier than that. I am going to try to explain something technical without making you roll your eyes, groan or remind me too many times that it’s Monday. At least there’s no math involved. Let me start by giving you one bit of information that might send you straight to today’s gallery – I don’t have a silver-bullet kind of answer. That’s because, there can be so many things wrong. Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way as painlessly as possibe. I’ll start with a simple definition:
“A cookie is a small amount of data generated by a website and saved by your web browser. Its purpose is to remember information about you.” – Tech Terms.
There are three things that are important in that deinfition:
1) Data – Data can be anything, your userID, the URL of your blog, your email address, your name. For the purposes of a program being able to find it again, with it not being corrupted, it’s usually stored with names related to the program. For example: ‘wordpress_logged_in*’ is the cookie WordPress uses to identify that a WordPress user is logged in.
2) Saved by your web browser – This is important. WordPress is what is referred to as a “stateless” application. WordPress asks your browser to store a cookie, and then later, WordPress asks your web browser a) if it has that data and, b) what the value of the data is. If you’re like me, and visit sites from Firefox, Chrome, Safari (on an iPhone), these cookies have to be set/stored in all the browsers you use.
3) Information about you – Data is not information. Data, combined with other data, can become information. A data element that says “logged in” is useless without also knowing the “User ID.”
Let’s assume I visited your blog, for the first time, yesterday. I liked what I saw and I wanted to leave a comment and I want to follow you. You have your blog set up to ask me for my WordPress UserID, my blog URL and my email address. Your blog asks My browser to store that information (3 named data elements) in cookies. When I go back to your blog today, you ask for the data in those cookies. When it finds those cookies, your blog knows I am following you. I can comment without logging in, and the little box at the bottom right says “Following.”
So why are so many people having problems where the above paragraph isn’t happening?
It’s complicated, and it may be any of the following:
You set your browser not to accept cookies. If you don’t accept them, my blog can’t store the fact that you’ve been here and logged in before.
You set your browser not to accept third-party cookies – huh? Dan, you didn’t mention third-party cookies, what the heck are they? – My blog is noFacilities.com, but your UserID is associated with WordPress.com. When my blog asks your browser to store WordPress.com data, I appear to be storing information about a third-party site. This is a huge security issue, and most web browsers disable third-party cookies by default.
My laptop at work disables third-party cookies. It’s part of our corporate security
policy which can’t be changed. When I go to my own blog (you know, during
lunch) I have to log in. I can go to my WordPress Admin page, because that’s on
WordPress.com and the cookies are from WordPress.com, so they can be stored.
You had problems with some website and the tech-support guy said “clear your cookies and your cache” and you did. Remember, the cookies you need to tell me who you are, are stored on
your computer, not my blog.
You computer is running Windows and some aspect of the every-other-Tuesday-event known as Windows Update, changed something.
How do you fix this? Until WordPress figures out a better way to handle who’s following who, you need to allow cookies and if you follow bloggers (like me) who have custom domains, you
have to allow third-party cookies. I don’t know if this will fix your problems, but I can tell you that it did fix mine. For more information, I recommend that you try to read WordPress’Cookie Policy. For instructions on how to allow third party cookies, see WordPress third-partycookies .
Another way to solve the problem is to use a password storage application or allow your browser to store your login credentials at all the blogs you visit. You’ll still have to login, but it will be easy.
The gallery has some photos from this weekend in New England. I have a very busy day scheduled, so I may not get to comments here, or to visit your blog until later today.
No Facilities 
I think you’ve done an excellent job of explaining the necessary evil of those pesky little cookies.
You have some beautiful colours in your corner of the world!
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Thanks Joanne. Unfortunately, I think we are going to see problems with cookies affecting more than WordPress. Browsers tend to lump cookies in black and white state, and we’re starting to see many shades of gray.
No gray in our neighborhood – it is pretty out there.
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I think I got what you were saying, but since I don’t even understand my own computer – the process of WordPress is as clear as mud. I do know every so often I hit Ctrl + H and clear my history and cookies and my computer runs a heck of a lot faster.
Thanks for giving me a touch of the autumn colors from New England.
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Thanks GP. Clearing the cookies and cache does tend to speed things up. You might have to log into a few sites again, but it’s not always the worst thing that can happen.
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Thanks, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing any serious harm to the computer.
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I seem to be good with cookies on the laptop, but my android phone is another issue. Sometimes I can like a post and sometimes it asks me to log in, which I do and still am unable to like. So, Dan, here’s your “LIKE” for this post. Commenting is better, at least I can do that after logging in.
Nice fall colors! I was able to go out yesterday on the bike and found some red trees, so yay!
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I’m glad you had a nice day to enjoy some fall color. Red trees are the best! Good job stomping the Raiders!
Phones are harder to deal with on these issues. I tend to go with saved passwords on my phone, but WordPress sites seem to get confused with those. I can have 30 different sites stored, but it always asks me if I’m logging into LindaGHIll.com – I can’t figure that out, and, apparently, I can’t fix it. When it happens, I shut my phone off and start over.
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Glad to know Mr. IT Guy has the same phone issues. I have decided to let liking go on the phone and stick with comments. Or I wait until I get home. Or two days later. ;-)
Aaron and the Pack were awesome yesterday. No heart attacks!
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We won’t be there to play you, but I’m pulling for you for football in February!
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I understand most of what you said, and I don’t normally have issues with WordPress sites at least on my laptop. My challenges are at other sites like Blogger where in order to leave a comment it sometimes takes me a half a dozen tries and more than a dozen verify steps. Ugh. Nice fall colors, and I bet Maddie loves having choices of where to rest on her deck. :-)
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Thanks Judy. The colors are pretty nice this year, but they turn and fall quickly. That’s OK, at least I saw them. Maddie does seem to like the upper/lower bunk option.
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I’ve never had WordPress trouble… but I’ve always loved Oreos so that may be why.
😉
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Clearly. An affinity for cookies helps influence behavior. Thanks :-)
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Sigh! Good thing you’re around to explain things, Dan. I haven’t had problems… yet.
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You must live right, Jennie. I have these problems under control, but they can be frustrating.
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Maybe I have the problems and don’t realize it? Now that’s a creepy thought. Ha!
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Thank you for your explanations, Dan!! If I missed the gist, can you explain how a person without a WP account can comment on a blog that is self-hosted (via say Bluehost) but uses WP to write the blogs they post? Maybe I should’ve just read the links you provided first before asking? I have seen the problems you’ve described, and my comments end up in spam folders. All of this cookie stuff can make it frustrating to comment or receive comments. On to your photos – the reds in your area are very vibrant. I’m like you – I love the early morning photos when the dark bones of the tree show through the leaves! Hope you have a wonderful week!!
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Hi Shelley, I’m afraid that Dan has unleashed the Cookie Monster on us. ;)
Well done, Dan!
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Thanks – What is is Cookie Monster says? “Me Love Cookies.”
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Yum Yum Yum Yum. . . . .
Munch Munch MunchMunchMunch…….
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LOL – that’s a great way to put it!!
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Don’t forget to feed your Cookie Monster lest you should find your computer in a foul mood and uncooperative. ;)
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LOL – I’m off to verify settings and flavors now! ;-)
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Thank you for liking my latest post. You are very welcome to leave a comment there, Shelley. My Cookie Monster will like to have a good taste of your sweet words. :)
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Thanks Shelley – self-hosted accounts always have a custom URL, so they’re cookies are always considered third-party cookies. If you want to allow users without WP accounts to comment, you have to allow that in your blog settings. That’s the same if you have a site hosted on WordPress.
I hope you have a great week.
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Thanks Dan – I guess I have that setting right, I do have people who comment that aren’t WP users.
I hope your week is going well!
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The pictures are lovely Dan! Truly stunning! The words are . . . words and I am sure they are lovely words. The only problem I have with my blog is that I can’t get it to single space my poetry. In the greater scheme of things . . . not so bad.
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Ha ha – I appreciate that, Pam. If these issues don’t bother you, count your lucky stars and move on.
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I’m so thankful that as a “follower” only, I haven’t experienced any of these problems!
Red trees are glorious, and those early morning shots on your way to work are so pretty.
Maddie loving her finished deck is a wonderful thing to see. I knew she would love the “upper” and “lower” level option. And when she’s on the lower level, that gives her a nice niche to snuggle her back against! Perfect! 👍
🐾Ginger 🐾
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Thanks Ginger. She seems to enjoy having options. She likes the backrest. I hope she’s not expecting me to add padding to it. The leaves are falling quickly, but I’ve enjoyed seeing them turn.
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Cookies….the bane of my existence. I thought they were stealing my date/information/whatever. My husband had to set me straight on that. Thanks for this post, Dan. It is helpful. I am still logging in to comment…how do I enable third-party cookies? Oh, dear–you didn’t get the memo about overhead lights? So cute!
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Thanks Lois – The link at the end of the post to WordPress Third Party Cookies will take you to a page where they have instructions for every different browser. I started to take screen shots, but there are so many browsers, this post would have gone on forever.
MiMi and I are in negotiations over what lights at what time of day are permissible. The problem is, she turns the chair when she jumps up in it.
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Just this morning I couldn’t get on to WP at all. I had to turn off my computer then wait for about a half an hour, and try again. It worked. Every time I log off I clear my history, something I’ve gotten into the habit of. I’ve had not issues thus far of commenting on sites I follow. Your gallery ….. LOVE those reds, Dan! Yup, sure looks like Fall to me. Happy Monday!!
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Thanks Amy. I’m loving these colors. When it comes to the Internet, I’m going with – whatever works, works.
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It’s Monday morning. I’m at work. I snuck over and read your post. Now I really do need a cookie – and a cup of tea (or coffee, if I’m feeling brave). Your photos are gorgeous – you have some of those red trees I’ve been waiting for. BTW, your black-and-white cat looks just like the one who’s suddenly appeared in the wooded area next to my house, and who insists on staring through the fence at Puppy Cody – who, of course, can’t do anything because, well, fence. The kittie has a feral friend (calico) who also visits and hisses by the fence. I sure hope neither of them jump over, poor Cody would lose that battle.
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Thanks CM – Maddie, the dog who sits still while squirrels practically jump on her cot, goes totally crazy with cats in the neighborhood. They don’t even have to be in the yard, Anywhere visible and she goes nuts.
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Cody isn’t quite sure yet what to do with a cat because she’s never seen them before. These particular cats look nasty – they always puff up and start hissing, both at dogs and people. I wouldn’t want either of us tangling with them.
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I’m not experiencing any of the problems you mention, Dan. Well, apart from when I visit any self-hosted blog where I have to leave my name, email address and blog address every time I leave a comment (even if it’s in reply to the response the owner of the blog has left to my first comment).
I have to keep confirming my subscription even though I’ve already visited and left an earlier comment on the same day. It’s resulted in me not leaving as many comments on self-hosted blogs as I do on WordPress.Com blogs.
Also, on the dashboard of a WordPress.Com blog, (under settings – discussions), there is an option to untick a box that says ‘Comment author must fill out name and email’ and another box that says ‘user must be registered and logged in to comment.’ I’ve unticked those boxes to make it easier for somebody to leave comments. As I said above (about leaving comments on self-hosted blogs), it can put people off leaving comments if they have to jump through lots of hoops to be able to leave a comment.
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Thanks Hugh. The problem with self-hosted blogs is that their cookies are, by definition, third-party cookies. Unless you agree to accept those, you can login all day long and it will never be saved. When I can’t allow third-party cookies (blogs I read at work) I have the browser store the login information. Sometimes, that requires that I reload the page a second time, but it usually works.
Operating (pc, mac and phone) systems and browsers are trying to eliminate third-party cookies due to privacy concerns, but WordPress relies on them. This is not going to end soon..
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I’m just glad that I don’t have any problems leaving comments, signing in, or reading posts on WordPress, Dan. My iMac seems to self-clean cookies, etc.. at least once a month, so I do need to remember passwords to sites. For me, Chrome seems to work best when I’m using WordPress, whereas Safari is a no-no.
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I use a Mac and I allow cookies so problem solved for me…at least for now.
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There you go! Thanks Maggie.
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And that’s the way the cookie crumbles – I’ve often wondered why some bloggers suddenly disappear from the blogs I follow list. I probably uncookied when I should have cookied. Looks like the trees are turning color beautifully back there. Enjoy!
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The world of WordPress is fluid. I followed some folks who just disappeared.
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I still rolled my eyes but thanks for the information. The fall color photos are spectacular, Dan. I loved how Maddie took up the warmth.
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Thanks John. These posts are never literary accomplishments. At least not when I write them. I’ve been answering questions in comments, so I thought I’d try to bring it all together.
It’s been a fast but beautiful fall. Maddie is enjoying her walks snd her new places.
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She looks like she is enjoying the fall.
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Very well explained, Dan! Trees are so beautiful, enjoy them for me, rake up a pile of leaves and jump in!🥰
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Thanks Cheryl. My jumping days are over but I’ll enjoy the colors.
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Aww shucks
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I used to have trouble with WP and those cookies, but I switched some little button somewhere in my browser and now I don’t. It’s all gibberish to me, but occasionally, like a blind pig finding a truffle, I do manage to solve my own WP probs.
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Hahaha – whatever works, however you find it. I’m just glad you got here and left a comment. Thanks.
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It’s all so confusing, the whole cookie business….
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There really needs to be a better way, John. I think they are asking too much of cookies.
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Love the fall colors, Dan. My question is, will this raw cookie dough give me salmonella? :-)
janet
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Ha ha – No, it’s completely harmless, Janet. Well, unless you eat from the wrong bowl.
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Thanks Dan. I have recently discovered this on my own, minus the technical jargon of course. But since I updated my IOS and also cleared my history browser I have to sign into WP again and for some stupid reason it is not recognizing my password. With all I have going on I just don’t have time to go searching or create new passwords. It’s so frustrating and used to be so simple. Sigh….
Your photos are beautiful!,
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I’ve had that happen, too, Cheryl. There’s a way to ask WP to send you an email invite to gain access to your admin page. When I did that, it fixed my password problem. I’ve had to do that twice in the past two years.
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Thanks Dan.
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Beautiful autumn. Don’t be sorry about the lines – birds need them to land.
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Thanks for that – that’s a nice thought.
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I had some third party cookies but they made me sick. I think I’m strictly a two party cookie girl. Everything in moderation as they say.
(More seriously, very clear explanation of the issues. Thanks, Dan.)
Love those autumn colours. Heading for 32C on Thursday so I may find myself wistfully longing for autumn.
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Thanks for the chuckle. Our fall colors are beautiful, but we know what lies ahead. Although, our weather service is predicting a mild winter. These days, I don’t know what that means. I prefer the somewhat harsh winter, with enough cold snaps to kill off the nasty bugs.
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WordPress keeps asking me to follow the blogs I already follow and from
which I get notifications. Even yours and Cheryl’s. I looked into the cookie problem a while back and found that I do not have any cookie problems at all.
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I wish I could help, Peter. I’m just glad you press on and find us. It wouldn’t be the same without you.
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wonderful images and colors
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Thank you!
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I find WordPress an absolutely darling when compared with Blogger. It wasn’t a problem before the demise of Google+ as that seemed to allow us all to play nicely together. Now I seem to be able to comment on Blogger blogs sometimes, but not others. Worse, I don’t know what those times will be till after I’ve pressed post. So yes, I could do a Control C to copy my comment before hitting post, but … I’m old and I often don’t remember. So I get pissed off and flounce off, muttering to myself that there has to be a way to fix this before remembering I already have way too much to do.
Oh dear, I sound rather grumpy :D
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It’s OK. It’s a good case for a grump. I used to have my blog on Blogger, but I got very few comments. Some people followed me here and I started getting comments from them. These guys try to create communities, but they don’t make it easy.
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Warning – cookies contain nuts. deleted cookies spray nuts all over as they leave this universe. Bones is forced to repeat the bricklayer line. And … well you get the picture. If we are really lucky the Borg don’t get their hands on cookies or cats. Wait Dan do you let the Borg read your blog !?! Well I guess it is too late anyway. PS Those fanning out sunrise shadows from the trees – those are very good.
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Thanks John. The Borg tried avoiding my blog but I reminded them about the futility of resisting. I’m glad you liked the picture. I think it’s my favorite this fall.
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Great advice. I understand a lot more about how cookies work now and what settings work best.
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I’m glad you found this useful. Thanks.
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Love the photos. Thanks for explaining what cookies are; even I could understand it (I’m brain dead when it comes to technology).
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Thanks Sandi.
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You are welcome!
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Love the Fall foliage! Thanks for the explanation about 3rd party cookies. I have upgraded my WordPress, but not created individual website for my blog…you gave me a heads up on the 3rd party cookie issue! Thanks!
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Thanks Kirt. We are getting some beautiful color this year. I’m glad the information is useful.
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Aw, Maddie on her warm step :)
Fall pictures are dreamy! Oof, Imma take Thursday and Friday off and Imma get me some foliage and dirt and leafeses and a hayride and I CANNOT WAIT! The ‘before sunrise” shots are also pretty, but also, ew, early morning. lol
That’s interesting about the WP conundrum. I’m so glad you posted that information, very helpful.
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Thanks. I realized that I won’t be working after the time change, so the early am shots are the only ones I’m gonna get. I hope you enjoy the days off.
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I think I understood all that. The fall colors are gorgeous! Your commute has gotten darker! It’s dark, dark, dark when I get up these days too sometimes waiting for sunrise to crest the mountains takes forever or so it seems.
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I just realized that I won’t be commuting after the time change, so this is what I’m going to see, unless I make a special trip to the park. I may do that at some point, but I don’t think I’m going to be in a hurry. I’m going to focus on finding places near our home. They changed the sign at the park, indicating that they are going to lock the gates from dusk to dawn. I might not have been able to stop much this winter anyway.
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Huh, they must have heard you’re retiring over at the park so are shutting it down since the resident early photog won’t be stopping by in the wee hours of the morning, and who will report on the bird teams dialogue? You’re a hard act to follow.
Finding new places around home sounds exciting and challenging. I look forward to seeing what you find.
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The bird teams are in our local park. The Great Blue Heron is in the park by the river. I’m gonna miss him.
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Looks like I’m all set when it comes to third-party cookies. Now I want some chocolate-chip cookies. xD
Good pics of the Fall foliage, btw. Thanks in part to how dry it’s been here in the mid-Atlantic, we haven’t seen as many colors this year as we usually do.
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Thanks Paul. I really wish they had called the tokens or thingies or anything other than cookies.
We have/had nice color but the leaves are falling quickly once they change.
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I really do understand about cookies, data, information but when I read your explanation, I had to read it twice AND decipher it. I have a white list of cookie and a black list of cookies. You’re on my white list.
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Thank you for having me on the white list. Firefox just released a change to its browser, where they are letting you whitelist certain third-party cookies. Sorry for the confusion.
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