Some new functionality has been implemented in the blog. The biggest change is the ability to reply to specific comments or the original post. Each thread now has a "reply to this post" link and each comment now has a "reply to this comment" link. Click on either link and a pop-up window with a comment form will appear IF you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer. (I've tested it on Firefox 3.5 and Safari 4.0).

For Internet Explorer users (some of you are still using IE 6.0?), I have added a drop-down list to the comment form embedded at the bottom of the screen. If you want to respond to the original post, then don't bother touching the dropdown list. If it remains at the default of "select" then it is considered a response to the original post. If you wish to respond to a specific comment, then take notice of what comment number it is and who posted it. The dropdown list is populated by the comment number and username (so if one person has commented multiple times, then their name will appear multiple times, but each comment number will be unique).

The purpose of this feature is to allow someone to see if anyone has responded specifically to their comment, to track those comments, and to more easily see to which comment someone is responding. Here is the overview...

- If someone responds to your comment, then there will be a line of text after the comment reading "x responses to this comment" followed by the individuals who responded. Their names will be hyperlinked to bring you directly to their comment.
- Each comment that responds to a comment also has a line of text reading "says in response to" with the name of the individual to whom the comment is responding. The name is hyperlinked to bring you directly to the comment that is being responded to.
- The "recent comments" column, to the right, will now update recent comments by noting that an individual either "responded to" another person or "commented on" the thread, in general (which would be a comment that is not a reply directly to someone else).
- Each comment also now has a permalink (the "Posted at" timestamp is a permalink).

If you use the pop-up window to respond to a comment, the comment that you are responding to will appear at the top of that window, for your easy reference. Yes, I thought of everything. If you use the pop-up window to reply to the original thread, then only the comment form will appear.

NOTE: For those who use the comment form embedded at the bottom of this page, be aware that there is a checkbox next to the submit button. It is unchecked by default. If you press submit when the box is unchecked, then this only previews your comment. The box must be checked in order to submit. This is a safeguard against inadvertent posts prior to previewing and yet another stumbling block for the devious spammers whom I have thus far thwarted with fair success.

Some other minor changes...

- Also, the "Comments (x)" link at the bottom of each thread will bring the screen to the first comment on that thread.
- When you submit a new comment, either with the pop-up window or with the embedded form, the window will refresh in order to show the comment that you posted.

And, finally, a few other tips...

- Here is the brief tutorial on HTML formatting.
- As a reference to navigating the blog, here is the methodology for deciphering the address bar...
- 1. The text following "?id=" is in the format of YYMMDD, followed by a hyphen and the post number for that day. So if I only posted one entry on that day (as is usually the case), then it is a 1. If I post a second entry, that one will be a 2.
- 2. If only four numberS are entered, the server reads this as YYMM and returns all of the entires for that month. This is the same as using the dropdownlist below the calendar in the right column. (Select a month and note the number in the address bar - it is YYMM).
- 3. If six numberS are entered, the server reads this as YYMMDD. If there is more than one entry for that day, then all of them will be displayed.
- 4. If the normal YYMMDD-X format is used, then a specific entry will display and the comment form for that entry will also display.
- 5. If any parameter is entered that is not in YYMM, YYMMDD, or YYMMDD-X format, then the page will return to the "Latest.aspx" page, which displays the last seven posts.
- 6. If a valid parameter is entered, but it points to a page that does not exist, such as anything beginning with 08 or 0906 or 091225 or 091229-2, then this will return to the "Latest.aspx" page, since there were no posts in 08, in June of 09, nor was there a post on 12/25/09, and there was only one post on 12/29/09.
- 7. Note, also, that sometimes a # is used following the date. This moves the screen to a specific point on the page, known as a bookmark. If you enter an 8-digit paramater, such as 091229-1, followed by # and a comment number, then the page will go directly to that comment. So 091229-1#3 goes directly to the third comment. You can also use the word Comments, so 091229-1#Comments goes to the first comment (or, if there are no comments, to the bottom of the post).

If you have read this far then you know more about this blog than 99.9% of the population. Congrats.