OK.  I'm doing this now, on a Saturday afternoon when I could be scorching my lilly white ass on the beach out there, or tirelessly standing outside the dressing room door calling out to my mother, 'does that one look okay or should I get you something else?' ...geez.

I've been around the ol' OS house here for more than a year, give 6 months or so, and haven't been involved in much back street business because it's stoopid. Yes, really.

Awhile back folks were atwitter and there was some confabulation about 'rating' a piece of work.  That is: thumbifying, raising a thumb, monkey fingering, or planting one on the rate button at the top of a post, either before, after, or during reading and/or commenting.

There was commotion and confusion about the sequencing of recording your satisfaction, or your kiss on someone's ass, via 'read, rate, comment' vs. 'read, comment, rate' or god forbid, rate, read, comment.  I confess I didn't take it too seriously and continued to use all three approaches, which only supports my long standing assertions about having a carefree, happy-go-lucky personality.    

For me and my house, we took no nevermind because logic dictates one READ first, then after reading one would COMMENT with a witty remark, and finally - on the way out the door - one might offer a wave and a kiss by RATING one's approval and enjoyment.

Alas, higher thinking does not always prevail and I began to feel  someone much brighter than myself had presented a way to do things in the proper manner. 

Until recently, the ::click:: that serves as a request to post a comment was greeted by a pop-up into the 'Post Comment' box.  Some of you more observant folks may have noticed that's no longer the case.

The newly instituted JUMP we now receive upon requesting to offer a comment takes us on a flippy trip immediately back to the top of the page, exactamente in line with the cute little 'thumbs up' symbol, in what appears to be a calculated effort to apply a virtual elbow to the ribs and remind us it's time we weigh in with an opinion on ... whatever it is you think that button signifies. 

::click:: 'yes, this really is [fill in the blank]', it's your interpretation after all.

or ::clicklite:: which is my interpretation of the button marked 'Like' because I have no interest in an FB page, but sometimes a little like is needed. (Don't listen to me though, I clearly have no informed idea about what that's all about).

And then I suppose there is the ::noclick:: option, in which case I wouldn't have asked to comment in the first place, because I almost always 'rate' when I comment.

I do, however, reserve a personal exception on my internal crazy wheel which allows me NOT to click if I don't want to. In deference to those who are anti-list, I'll just say this quickly in a non-list-like fashion:  

*It's a free-for-all and I have a silly comment, but don't wish to be counted in the 'approval' column for the writer's opinion;

*I've already rated and can't rate again, but in my frenzy to type I click anyway and in doing so, remove the ::click:: I've already registered, thereby negating myself;

*I don't hold with your ideas at all and am going to say so in the comment I'm about to leave if I could just get to the damned comment box!

And for those of you who haven't already snored or clicked off this page...

I was taken to the woodshed this week by a friendly comrade because I had visited his post, read his post, and commented on his post and somehow he surmised (well not so much surmised as knew it for sure) that I had not rated his post, because I got the following PM from my friend,

"so gabby. if you liked my [post] and you meant what you said why didn't you rate it?"

Never having conversed by PM with this particular fellow, I responded,

"sorry [friend], I thought I did.  I've been told if it's not done in a particular order, it might not 'stick' when you leave the page but I've never gone back to check this out. Not everyone who visits rates though, [friend]. You must know that. I wouldn't dream of confronting someone about it... I'd just chalk it up to error, forgetfulness, or it didn't meet someone's rating criteria. That's life."

To which my OS friend replied,

"You've been around long enough to know better Abby. If the writers who appreciate each others work don't acknowledge it what is the purpose of the site? First the comment, then the rating. Otherwise it deteriorates to the lowest common denominator. I thank you."

After thanking him back and considering his chastisement, I'm quandryfied. 

Is it possible that the movers and shakers in the control room DIDN'T intend to send a message to their toiling subjects by prompting our delivery to the place we should be at in order to sequentially 'get it right'?

Must we proceed in the order suggested by my unhappy friend?

1) READ, 2) COMMENT, 3) then divert away from the thumb button the program has prompted us to in order to plant our comments in the box we now have to scroll to find, and 4) remember return to the top of the page to ::click:: to RATE on the way out?

I think not.   Perhaps the code prompt is smarter than we are and there is an assumption that we are too forgetful to return and rate at the end, so we are being asked to do so in the middle of the process now.  Makes sense to me. I do dislike all the scroll scrambling to get back to the Comment Box though. Seems like once we rate, those smarty pants programmers could prompt us on our way one more time, but I'd be the last person to ask. 

Emily? is there a programmer in the house?

(And for those of you wondering about my slack habits, I always attempt or intend to rate if I comment, above exceptions noted. You know what they say about good intentions though.  Hey,  don't worry, you'll probably get your wish).