Some Blogger blogs cannot be viewed, in some proxy servers.
Proxy servers are useful, when diagnosing connectivity and other blog display issues. They are more useful, though, when the content of the blogs being diagnosed does not contribute to the problems.
The reported discrepancy appears to start with blogs published using dynamic templates.
Comparing blogs displayed using Anonymouse and GeoPeeker, we frequently see a discrepancy in display content.
One discrepancy appears to involve blogs published using dynamic templates. Both Anonymouse (a single location proxy) and GeoPeeker (a multi location proxy display) have been useful, repeatedly, in diagnosing and reporting multiple issues.
I first used GeoPeeker, as part of the EU Cookie Advice Banner discussions. I have used Anonymouse frequently, in demonstrating and diagnosing various blog problems.
First, examine this blog.
This blog, blogging.nitecruzr.net, is published to a non dynamic template. It is visible, in multiple proxy server displays.
Here's a display from Anonymouse, showing this blog, "blogging.nitecruzr.net".
http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/https://blogging.nitecruzr.net/
Anonymouse, showing this blog, "blogging.nitecruzr.net".
Here's a display from GeoPeeker, showing this blog "blogging.nitecruzr.net".
https://geopeeker.com/fetch/?url=blogging.nitecruzr.net
GeoPeeker, showing this blog "blogging.nitecruzr.net".
Now, examine my blog, published using a dynamic template.
My Musings blog, musings.nitecruzr.net, is published to a dynamic template. It is visible, in some proxy server displays.
Here's a display from GeoPeeker, showing my dynamic template published blog "musings.nitecruzr.net".
https://geopeeker.com/fetch/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmusings.nitecruzr.net%2F
GeoPeeker, showing "musings.nitecruzr.net".
Here's a display from Anonymouse, showing "musings.nitecruzr.net".
http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://musings.nitecruzr.net
Anonymouse, showing "musings.nitecruzr.net".
Where's the beef, Clara?
And a third blog, also published using a dynamic template.
A third blog, thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com, is published to a dynamic template. It is visible, in some proxy server displays.
Here's a display from GeoPeeker, showing a third dynamic template published blog, "thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com".
https://geopeeker.com/fetch/?url=thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com
GeoPeeker, showing "thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com".
Here's a display from Anonymouse, showing "thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com".
http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/https://thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com/
Anonymouse, showing "thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com".
The owner of "thestimulatedbrain.blogspot.com" points out that many Blogger blogs, and non Blogger websites do display properly, using AnonyMouse and similar proxies. I will add details, as they are provided.
I'll check out more blogs, and more proxy servers, as the week continues.
I'll continue, by examining more blogs - dynamic template and non dynamic template - possibly using additional proxy servers - as time permits.
I'm not sure how many of these discrepancies can be - or should be - handled by Blogger Engineering. That said, I note a suggestion by a Blogger Support expert, that the opportunity be provided to Blogger Support, to diagnose and enhance the dynamic templates.
It appears that some #Blogger blogs do not display properly, using some proxy servers. The discrepancy appears to involve blogs published, using dynamic templates.
This makes verification of world wide blog visibility confusing, to some blog owners.
The rollout of SSL, for "blogspot.com" published blogs, continues.
All "blogspot.com" published blogs will now offer HTTPS connectivity, to the reader. The choice, offered to the blog owner, is now whether to force every reader to use SSL - and the dashboard option is now labeled "HTTPS Redirect".
You can force your readers to use SSL, to access your blog - but will that make them more secure?
Every blog will offer SSL connectivity, to readers who use "HTTPS:" URLs.
The dashboard option is now "HTTPS Redirect".
The choice is now whether to force "HTTPS:" upon each reader - or allow some to continue to read, using "HTTP:".
If you select HTTPS Redirect, you will be limiting your reader population.
Some readers access our blogs, by using free proxy servers - and most proxy servers, when they offer HTTPS, offer it as a premium (with a paid subscription). You are entitled to require everybody to use SSL, if you wish - but you may see reader activity drop, as readers using free proxies find other blogs and websites to read.
Everybody will see the "HTTPS:" alias - with "HTTPS Redirect" set to "Yes".
My personal favourite connectivity diagnostic tool, Rex Swain HTTP Viewer, won't work with blogs that only support "HTTPS:" connectivity.
http://www.rexswain.com/cgi-bin/httpview.cgi?url=http://nitecruzr-test-ssl.blogspot.com/&uag=Mozilla/5.0+(X11%3B+CrOS+armv7l+7834.70.0)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/49.0.2623.112+Safari/537.36&ref=http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html&aen=&req=GET&ver=1.1&fmt=AUTO
No "HTTP:" diagnostics, for "HTTPS:" redirected blogs.
The "www" alias of a "blogspot.com" published blog will not work, using SSL.
Using the "www" alias, of a "blogspot.com" URL, will not work - with "HTTPS Redirect" set to "Yes".
Forcing SSL will not make your blogs readers more secure.
Use of "HTTPS Redirect", while nominally making your readers more secure, will limit access to your blog.
- Readers, using proxy servers, may not be able to access your blog.
- Diagnostics of blog problems, using proxy servers, will be limited.
- Readers who bookmarked your blog, using the "www" alias, will not be able to access it.
- Readers who are vulnerable to hijacking, when using "HTTP:", will not access your blog.
Offering SSL connectivity is good for everybody - but understand the limitations.
Enjoy offering SSL connectivity - and improved search engine reputation. But keep it in perspective.
People who explicitly use "HTTP:" to access your blog, and are vulnerable to hijacking, will see an imposters blog - even if your blog forces them to use SSL. Only people who explicitly use "HTTPS:", to access your blog, will predictably see your blog - and they won't benefit from being forced to use SSL.
As #Blogger continues the rollout of SSL to "blogspot.com" published blogs, they have changed the HTTPS option. All blogs which support SSL will offer "HTTPS:" connectivity, and the option will be to allow explicit access, using "HTTP:".
You may do well to consider what benefits you get, from forcing your readers to use SSL to access your blog.
We're seeing the occasional evidence of concern, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, from people who spend too much time examining their StatCounter logs.Why do I see "62.210.181.15:3130", in my StatCounter logs, as a referring site - reported as unknown "pool IP proxy" - and showing full BlogSpot.com and other sites' content?
This sounds scary - but it's not.
"62.210.181.15" is an unregistered proxy server address. It's like me calling myself "nitecruzr".
Google for "free proxy servers", to find such IP addresses listed.
Look for online advertisements (Google is your friend) for proxy servers. You'll see suggestions like "Surf from class, without interference". "62.210.181.15" is probably listed, in one of the suggestions.
"62.210.181.15" is probably some kidz, setting up an old computer, connected to their Mom's Internet service. Some old computers, useless for gaming, can be refurbished - and used as proxy servers. That's a popular activity, for geeks.
Unregistered proxy servers make sense, for various reasons.
By advertising only an IP address, the owners of the proxy can- Save money (no name registration, which generally costs money).
- Prevent name based filtering by the school network admins.
- It sounds kewl, and attracts more skool kidz.
So, all the kidz in one skool tell each other Yeah, so what if the admins block FaceBook, just go to "62.210.181.15", and surf from there!
That's all that it is, just people bypassing network security, at the office or school, and surfing. You see the entries in your logs, because they are surfing your blog.
Proxy servers make good tools, when you need to vary your apparent geographical location (for testing). If you're going to use one, just use it for read only surfing.
Only use unregistered proxy servers for insecure, read only surfing.
Internet activity that requires a password and userid (FaceBook, Google+, Twitter) will use SSL - and most free proxy servers do not provide an SSL connection. In no way would I ever use a proxy server, without SSL, and enter anything confidential or secret.
If you use a proxy server for publishing comments on a Blogger blog, for instance, you'll be publishing anonymous comments, because you won't be able to login to Blogger.
The ":3130" changes for every connection, because each number there is used by each different customer of the proxy. Those are outgoing port numbers, on the proxy server.
Get back to work, on your blog.
We've been observing the ongoing problem with referer spam since the beginning of the year - yet we see that some blog owners still haven't heard of the problem. Some folks who are advised later, to be more cautious
Don't click on the links!
come back with anxious queries
I already clicked on the link! What will happen now? Have I been hacked?
Here, there's no authoritative answer.
When you click on a Stats traffic source link, and get an eyeful of porn or spam, you're not going to be happy - but hopefully, if your computer is well protected, chances are probably good that you're OK. On the other hand, if this makes you anxious, it would not be a bad idea to get the computer checked out.
In the future, if you must check out your Stats traffic sources, use a proxy server. Again, don't click on the links - copy the URLs, and paste them into the proxy server address window.
If you surf to a referring website and like what you see, then go back, click on the link, and bookmark the URL. Just do this after you screen the traffic source.
If, one day, Blogger uses SafeSearch to screen the URLs, we'll be safe again. And shortly afterwards, referer spam will dry up as the people who pay for spam based advertising stop paying.
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We've known for a while that private blogs have limitations, such as latency.
If you originally publish your blog as public, and later make it private, cached copies of the blog will be all over the Internet, for anybody to read, after it's supposedly private. This week, we see another, possibly more serious limitation.Why was my coworker able to read my very private, personal, password protected blog yesterday? I had it set to "Blog Author Only" and yet she found it and was able to read the whole thing.
It has never, ever been public. I started it last September and set the permissions to "blog author only" at the start for all posts. I have never invited anyone else to read it...and have never, ever logged into it at work.
The private blog interstitial may not be loaded, for any would be reader, for several reasons.
The private blog interstitial won't be loaded, before every access to the blog.
People with blog content cached locally - either on their computer, or their network - won't always requires Blogger server access, when a blog page is displayed. Some visitor logs will detect blog access, even when cached content is retrieved - and even when the private blog interstitial is not involved.
Some readers may inadvertently provide access to other network users.
Occasionally, while using slow Internet access, I might load a private blog.
As the blog loads, the browser identifies the various components of the blog, such as various pictures loading, in the browser status area. An odd interstitial notice might be seen.
This blog is open to invited readers only
It doesn't look like you have been invited to read this blog. If you think this is a mistake, you might want to contact the blog author and request an invitation.
This might come up well after the blog main page contents have loaded.
If you are surfing from a network which uses a caching proxy server, it's possible that one person who has permission could properly load the blog in their browser. With the blog having been loaded once, the proxy server may not load the interstitial page again. Anyone else on the network could later view the blog without the interstitial page - even if they do not, supposedly, have permission to do so.
If your Blogger profile is part of your public blogs, or people link to your profile while surfing profiles, and your private blog is listed as one of your blogs, someone may click on the link, and may get a view of the blog.
Invited readers may intentionally share their recently received invitations.
A second problem comes when you invite people as members of your blog. The invitation goes to specific people, who are free to forward the invitation to their other email accounts, and even to the email addresses of their friends. You may invite one person, and you may see a dozen persons later reading the blog. This may even account for a known discrepancy with the 100 member limit.
These security deficiencies are not ones that you can control. You have no way of denying anybody access to your profile, if it's published publicly. Nor can you stop people who you invite to your blog, from forwarding the invitation to their friends.
If you want to keep your blog private, it would be a good idea to at least remove it from the list of your blogs, in your profile.
Private blogs are not immune to referer spam.
Some entries in some visitor logs might make us think that unauthorised people are reading a private blog. Referer spam is not blocked by the private blog interstitial - since referer spam does not involve actual blog access.
As previously stated, visitor logs are not 100% accurate.
These various issues contribute more reasons why no visitor meter will ever be 100% accurate.
During the weekend of May 10 - 11, 2008, many Blogger readers were having trouble viewing our blogs. Instead of seeing The Real Blogger Status (and various other blogs of greater and lesser importance), some unhappy folks were seeing a well known problem403 Forbidden.
Pete Hopkins, the Google Man In The Know, described the cause of the problem - the side effect of a massive Denial Of Service attack against Google, asBlogger is currently experiencing a high level of automated requests. In order to keep Blogger running smoothly for as many people as possible, we are blocking some IPs.
and continued withJust because your IP is blocked does not mean that you or your network is making automated requests, you've just gotten caught up in the block.
We are working to remove the incorrect blocks as soon as possible.
Yet as of this evening, it appears that not everybody is back to normal.
It's possible that you, or your readers, who are affected by this problem will be able to get around it by using a proxy server. Though you won't be reading this, if you're affected by the problem. Sorry.
For additional insight into this problem, see Robertos Report: The 403 Block.
>> Forum thread links: bX-*00078
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