Diagnosing Geographical Location / IP Address

We see various problems reported, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, which may involve geographical or network relationships.

Why can't I regain access to my blog, that I stopped publishing 5 years ago?

and

Why can't I see my blog?

and

Why does my dashboard show up in a language that I can't read?

With questions like these, it helps to know how and where the owner and / or readers of the blog get Internet service.

Geographical location and IP address are useful details, when diagnosing various problems with our blogs.

• Access and authentication.
• Connectivity.
• Language.

Address / location diagnosis is not a difficult procedure, given the right tools. As an example, click on each of these three links, one by one. Print or copy text details, as convenient - then combine and compare the details, from the different services.

• IP-Details.com : Find your IP address Information
• IP Location Finder - Geolocation
• Locate IP Address Lookup Show on Map

There are other similar tools, that I may identify later.

I'll show each location discovery tool, from various geographical locations. This will illustrate the uncertainties of geographical vs geolocated location - and why use of multiple ("redundant") online diagnostic tools is a good idea.

I clicked on each link, twice - while connected differently - and made the screen prints from these geographical locations. I may show additional locations as I use them.

• 22 May, 2016: MacDonalds, Martinez CA
• 23 May, 2016: StarBucks, Martinez CA

"IP-Details.com"
Date: 22 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Austin, TX
Geographical Location: MacDonalds, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 64.134.233.29
Provider: MacDonalds

"IP Location"
Date: 22 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Valencia, CA
Geographical Location: MacDonalds, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 64.134.233.29
Provider: MacDonalds

"Info Sniper"
Date: 22 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: (Los Angeles, CA)
Geographical Location: MacDonalds, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 64.134.233.29
Provider: MacDonalds

"IP-Details.com"
Date: 22 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Bedminster, NJ
Geographical Location: MacDonalds, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.197.3.7
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"IP Location"
Date: 22 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Rohnert Park, CA
Geographical Location: MacDonalds, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.197.3.7
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"Info Sniper"
Date: 22 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: (Los Angeles CA)
Geographical Location: MacDonalds, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.197.3.7
Provider: Verizon Cellular



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"IP-Details.com"
Date: 23 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location:
Geographical Location: StarBucks, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 50.247.110.187
Provider: StarBucks

"IP Location"
Date: 23 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Menlo Park CA
Geographical Location: StarBucks, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 50.247.110.187
Provider: StarBucks

"Info Sniper"
Date: 23 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Milpitas CA
Geographical Location: StarBucks, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 50.247.110.187
Provider: StarBucks

"IP-Details.com"
Date: 23 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Bedminster, NJ
Geographical Location: StarBucks, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.197.12.193
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"IP Location"
Date: 23 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Salinas CA
Geographical Location: StarBucks, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.197.12.193
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"Info Sniper"
Date: 23 May, 2016
Diagnosed Location: South San Francisco CA
Geographical Location: StarBucks, Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.197.12.193
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"IP-Details.com"
Date: 5 June, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Bedminster, NJ
Geographical Location: Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.213.0.103
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"IP Location"
Date: 5 June, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Berkeley CA
Geographical Location: Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.213.0.103
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"Info Sniper"
Date: 5 June, 2016
Diagnosed Location: Oakland CA
Geographical Location: Martinez, CA
IP Address: 70.213.0.103
Provider: Verizon Cellular

"IP-Details.com"
Date: 2 March, 2017
Diagnosed Location: ?
Geographical Location: Berkeley Inn, Berkeley CA
IP Address: 50.247.98.197
Provider: ?

"IP Location"
Date: 2 March, 2017
Diagnosed Location: Berkeley CA
Geographical Location: Berkeley Inn, Berkeley CA
IP Address: 50.247.98.197
Provider: Comcast Cable

"Info Sniper"
Date: 2 March, 2017
Diagnosed Location: Oakland CA
Geographical Location: Berkeley Inn, Berkeley CA
IP Address: 50.247.98.197
Provider: Comcast Cable



Geolocation is a useful diagnostic tool, when diagnosing various Blogger problems - but geolocated details, using the above tools (or complementary procedures), need to be persistently cross checked. Tomorrow, or from a different location or service, one may see different results.

Access and authentication.

Sometimes when trying to regain access to a dormant blog, you'll be advised to access from the previously used computer. Google uses location comparisons, as part of demographic authentication.

Connectivity.

Some blog disconnections may have geographical origin. Knowing where you, and other blog readers may be (or appear to be), can be useful in determining a geographical relationship between problems.

Language.

Blogger uses geolocation to determine appropriate local language. Knowing where you are - or appear to be - can be useful in determining why you may be seeing the Blogger dashboard and / or your blog, in a given language.

The bottom line.

Along with blog address / name / URL verification, location diagnosis is a useful procedure - but the results need to be considered selectively.

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When diagnosing various access / connectivity problems with #Blogger, knowing the IP address and location of the reported problem is useful. It's easy to get the desired details - but the details may need to be verified, carefully.

https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/blogger/4LkxHxYsj1c/discussion

Inviting Comments To Your Blog Is Not Cut And Dried

Blog owners are periodically asking themselves

How do I invite my readers to leave comments?

Some blog owners think of commenting as the most important way to get new readers.

One of the most seemingly insignificant components of the Blogger template is the link to invite the readers to leave comments. This is not a simple feature - it varies according to where the comment form is placed, and to different language and style decisions.

Variations
There are four comment form placement options, for Blogger blogs.

1. Embedded.
2. Full page.
3. Pop up window.
4. Dynamic template.

There are two display contexts.

1. Index page view (archive retrieval, label search, main page).
2. Post page view.

Some blog owners may confuse index page view, with "Show at most" set to "1 Post", to post page view. This won't be the case. "Show at most" will only apply to main page view. And main page display with only one post displayed, without jump break, will still be index page view.

Some blog owners may confuse index page view, with "Show at most" set to "1 Post", to post page view. This won't be the case. "Show at most" will only apply to main page view. And main page display with only one post displayed, without jump break, will still be index page view.

The placement option, added to the display context, creates a combination of various needs for phrasing the simple caption, which I will call for example

Please, leave a comment!

That simple invitation can vary according to the the nationality of the blog owner, and to the nature of the blog.

Blog Language
Comments is an English word. Every blog that's published in a non English language has a different word for "comments".

• en français: commentaires.
• in italiano: commenti.
• en español: comentarios.

And some languages phrase plurals significantly.

• 0 comments.
• 1 comment.
• 2 comments.

Very few blog owners publish a blog in (USA) English, and want the blog captioned with "1 comments", or "2 comment".

Long ago, somebody decided that inviting comments would be easier, if a blog with 0 comments was captioned with "No comments". Then, another grammar expert (lawyer?) decided that "No comments" could be interpreted by some people as "We don't want comments!".

Blog Nature
Then, some blog owners don't like the word "comments", they feel that the word should be changed, to reflect the nature of their blog. For my blog, "Chucks Musings", I would use "musings", instead of "comments" (but with dynamic templates, that option is not yet available). Other blog owners have used "dreams", "introspections", and "wanderings" (to name a few).

Form Placement
One of the most controversial features of comments is the limitation of displaying the individual comments, and the comment form, only beneath the individual posts. On the main page, for all comment placement options, you will see the comment caption "No comments", "1 comment", etc - which then links to the display of existing comments - and to the form to publish a comment.

All existing placement options now display existing comments only beneath the individual posts. With the full page and popup window options, a link captioned "Post a Comment" then leads to the comment form itself.

With the full page and popup window form, for the convenience of the owner and reader, existing comments are displayed there also. And, wherever the comment form is displayed, so must be the hated CAPTCHA form.

The Reader's Language
To further the confusion, some blog features are automatically translated into the readers language - when the reader is logged in to Blogger / Google, and when the reader's login status and Blogger profile can be determined by the blog display. In some cases, the readers location is used.

Sometimes, both the blog owner and reader could read / speak different languages, neither being English. Not every world citizen understands "Please, leave a comment!" - or even "Post a Comment". And some blogs are published in French - and read in both Italian and Spanish.

The Tower Of Babel
The Tower Of Babel is not going away, in this lifetime.

GeoLocation, And Our Use Of Blogger

Recently, we've seen signs of confusion, from people who have problems with their Internet service, which shows them moving around their geographic region.

I logged in to Blogger, with no problem, yesterday. Today, after logging in successfully, I am asked for more details, to prove my identity!!

This blog owner has a problem with location based security.

Not all Blogger blog owners or readers understand that Country Code Alias Redirection, and the ability to access one's Blogger / Google account (and prevent others from accessing it), both depend upon the ability to determine the geographical location of each blog reader.

Various Google features, like Country Code Alias Redirection, and Google login, use geolocation, to identify the location of each reader.

For people using the Internet, Geolocation uses the Internet connection, to determine physical location. Unfortunately, for many blog owners, the Internet Service Provider, the Internet connection, and the Internet customer (or Blogger blog reader) may each be in a different location.

My own location - even when I am at home - may, at times, appear to move in a 30 mile radius. My ISP routes my connection through any of half a dozen different connection points, in my region, depending upon current network activity.

Some smaller ISPs, located near a country border, may actually get service through a larger ISP in another country. Customers of the smaller ISP may appear, through geolocation, to reside in the other country.

This can be an unfortunate problem, with country code alias redirection, with language detection, with login authentication, and / or the Location option in Post Editor.

People located in one country, reading an unfamiliar language, or seeing their latest post show up in the wrong province / state - or even country - may not appreciate the confusion which is caused. And people who login, and appear to move from city to city in the region, grow tired of having to prove their identity - after successfully entering account name and password.

Thanks to domain based filtering, this may become a security issue for some blog owners, near country borders, who may not be able to maintain / publish their blogs.

Unfortunately, geolocation, using the Internet Address (aka "IP" address), will never return consistent and precise results. Any location based processes will always provide fuzzy results, thanks to Internet services which load balance their network connections.

If You Travel, Be Prepared To Prove Identity

We're seeing reports from people who claim to be traveling, and who can't login and access their blogs.

Google appears to now authenticate us using current location, as well as account name / password. We see occasional reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, about new security procedures.

I am traveling, and I need to access my Blogger account from another country. I know my account name and password - and I logged in successfully. But after logging in, I am still being asked to prove my identity!!

This blog owner is finding a problem, with Google taking extra measures to protect our accounts and blogs.

Google is trying to protect us, from people who access the Internet from different countries - and who try to access our Google accounts, and steal control of our blogs.

Somebody in a foreign land, accessing your account, may not be you.

If you normally access the Internet from your home, and you travel to another location and try to login to Blogger / Google, you may be asked for additional details, to prove that you are the legal owner of your Blogger account. You may feel like you are being treated discourteously, when this happens.

In reality, Blogger is simply trying to keep your blogs under your control, by preventing people other than you from stealing your Blogger account, blogs, and email account - and possibly, your friends Blogger account, blogs, and email account.

When you travel, you spend time preparing for the trip.

When you prepare to travel to a distant country, you are responsible for getting your travel documents (passport), permissions (visas), maybe make health preparation (update immunisations, get extra medications) - and learn a minimum amount of the local language, before you go.

Maybe you should also spend some time getting your Blogger / Google account in order (update any backup details, such as backup email address and phone number). Even, plan an account recovery, from time to time.

This is an excellent time to try 2-Step Verification.

You might even consider setting up Google 2-Step Verification - and generating a set of one time backup authentication codes.

If you don't prepare your account for travel, you may have to wait until you get home, to post to your blog. You may even be asked for proof of identity, when you get home, too.

Problems With "Create a new blog", Caused By Limits

We've recently been seeing a number of reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from blog owners having problems with the "Create a new blog" wizard.

When some of my students try to create a new blog, they get an error message

The page you requested is invalid.

These blog owners appear to be running up against new blog creation limits, possibly caused by Blogger prevention of abusive blog creation.

Blogger has apparently added new ways of preventing abusive blog creation, by use of new activity limits.

Blogger has a number of limits, which together guard against abusive new blog creation.

• A limit of 100 blogs created, in total, under one Blogger account.
• A limit of (unstated) blogs created daily, under one Blogger account.
• A limit of (unstated) blogs created daily, from one network address.
• A limit of (unstated) blogs created daily, from one logical network.

This is what you see, when attempting to create a blog, with a limit tripped.


A per account total limit.

We have long known about the limit of 100 blogs being created, under one Blogger account. This limit is easy enough to bypass. There is no limit against blogs owned under one account - so you can setup a second (third, ...) Blogger account, create additional blogs, and transfer control of the blogs created, to the account that's convenient for you to use.

A per account per day limit.

The recently added daily limit of blog creations, under one Blogger account, is thought to be rather low (under half a dozen blogs, daily). Here, too, it may be possible to create more blogs under another Blogger account, then transfer control of the blogs created. Or, just wait 24 - 48 hours (see below), and try again.

A per network limit.

We have been advised, in passing, that Blogger is now limiting total daily blog creation, by network address. This is currently seen to affect use of multiple computers connected to private LANs, where all computers share a single public network address. This policy appears to interfere with legitimate creation of multiple blogs, in high school and college classroom environments.

A per network range limit.

Besides the recently added limit against activity on one network address, it appears that there is a limit against activity in network address ranges, much as "suspicious" / "unusual" activity is aggregated in "403 Forbidden" lockouts - which are frequently a result of detected botnet new blog setup activity.

Network address range based limits may prevent both faculty and students from creating their blogs, using their own computers, on their own networks at home. Note that network address ranges can include computers significantly distant from each other. Your Internet service may include network "neighbours" in the next county, or province / state - or possibly, an adjoining country.

Confusion about when the new "day" may start.

We may also be seeing some confusion about the start / end of the "day", for limits. Since the time zone is not a part of the Blogger account profile (only each individual blog), it's likely that daily limits are reset for all Blogger activity, simultaneously.

Similar to the well known daily Stats reset, daily blog creation limits are probably reset worldwide, according to the GMT clock. For some Blogger account owners not in the GMT time zone (at least 23 / 24 of the world), some portion of (yesterday's) evening activity, and (today's) morning activity, may be counted in the same "day".

The display could be more relevant - but it is an improvement.

All of these limit issues, together leading to the error display in question, the base concern is that Blogger should consider displaying a more descriptive error message. Something like

We're sorry, you (and your neighbours) can not create so many blogs, today!

would be more user friendly than

The page you requested is invalid.

All that said, the "Invalid page" display is a slightly more focused solution, than simply issuing a "403 Forbidden", for all "suspicious" / "unusual" network activity. At least other people, who are not interested in creating a new blog, may continue to access Blogger.