The Blog Has a New Baby: Forums!

Nov 15, 2007 | From the kitchen of Rose

Dear Fellow Bloggers of Real Baking with Rose,

This month our baking community blog is celebrating its second anniversary. i started keeping track of my replies as of december last year and there are over 10,000!

You’ve all been so terrific, asking illuminating questions, helping each other to become better bakers, and sharing touching personal stories, we are expanding the site to include -- A Forum.

This wonderful new addition to the blog will make it easier to communicate directly with each other, to start your own topics, and even to post your own photos! Let's give a big thanks for this great gift from our sponsor Gold Medal Flour, and our blog masters Travis Smith and Susie Gardner of Hop Studios.

If you're new to using a forum -- that's OK, I am as well. I think we'll figure it out together, and while I don't want to lose the great comments on the blog, I hope the forums will be the place for even better conversation.

Happy Forum-ing, and as always, Happy Baking!

orargeasold
10/20/2008 04:47 PM

Hey,
I am, Donald
some crazy threads
check out my page:

http://TdJhj6.spaces.live.com/

Tammy Bartley
01/08/2008 06:26 PM

Karen, What kind of error page? Give us all the words in the error and we'll try to help.

Karen
01/08/2008 01:12 PM

I keep attempting to register and it diverts me to an error page. Is there some way I can receive help? I really want to join your forum.

Thank you!

Maureen W
12/18/2007 10:00 PM

Hector,
Thank you very much for your comments. This is very helpful, as I would like to open up my new Artisan and get baking! I do wonder why they rate then for so much more dough, but of course you can just make two small batches separately and then work with them.

Hector
12/18/2007 12:26 PM

Maureen, I have both. I can assure you the 5qt artisan is sufficient for just about any bread, as long as you don't double the recipe. A small loaf or standard size works fine on the artisan. If you make more dough, unless it is a soft dough, the mixer can strain.

The 6qt has more watts and power, but the torque is not that much more than the artisan that you would notice. It has a weeping 1qt extra of capacity, which I adore for whipping eggs when cake baking. Actually, I don't like to make big doughs on my 6qt neither, anything more than a 2x batch is scary to me.

You will be surprised how much abuse and strain can the artisan take. It has a very durable nylon worm (gear) which is designed to last a long time and be able to give some lack during strain. It is also inexpensive to replace. The 6qt has all metal gears, which are more durable, but don't give any lack, so when they grind they snap and grind itself off.

I have yet not burned the motor itself on either mixer.

Maureen W
12/17/2007 08:19 PM

I would like to have some opinions on the Kitchen Aid stand mixers. I have just received one as a gift (5QT Artisan) and wonder if I should upgrade to the 6QT Professional for bread dough in particular. I have read Rose's comments and also some on the web but wondered what the forum readers have to say about this? It sounds to me that, like any tool, you have to have some common sense to use it right. I make bread with bread flour, mostly white with some whole grain, such as a sourdough boule, and am not experienced to know if this is a stiff dough compared to other types.

Travis
12/17/2007 04:19 PM

Thomas is correct. If you aren't sending a user agent or an ip address, then you can't login or register. This is to protect against spam.

I was unaware that there were firewalls that removed this information from ordinary Web requests. Sorry!

TTFN
Travis

Thomas
12/17/2007 03:32 PM

Macy, I think Tammy is correct. The software that the forum is using is called ExpressionEngine. This particular software normally needs to be able to read your IP address and User Agent (i.e., which browser you're using) before it will let you register (or login, or post to the forum). If this info is blocked (usually by a firewall), you will get the message "You are not authorized to perform this action."

htom
12/17/2007 02:24 PM

Macy, maybe it's confused and thinks that you have already registered, hence you are not authorized? Can forum admin person look and see if Macy is a member, and if so, send her a new password to that member's email address?

Macy
12/17/2007 12:02 PM

The spam filter isn't a problem here. The site won't let me register. After I click on 'Register,' fill in all the fields, accept the terms, and press 'Submit,' it just responds with the error message: "you are not authorized to perform this action." Since it won't even accept my registration, there has been no email sent out or anything to activate.

Macy

Travis
12/17/2007 11:25 AM

Hi folks.

Your computer's firewall will not in any case block you from participating on the forums.

What's more likely is that your email's spam filter has intercepted the email from Rose's site, the one you need to reply to in order to activate your account.

So, if you don't see the activation email within a minute or two of registering, check in your spam folder. Or use a different email address to register.

TTFN
Travis, Rose's blog master

C Ann
12/17/2007 10:11 AM

Thanks for the reply.

It is not deflated. I get good volume on the eggs. The cake is tough to
cut. I have to "saw" with a serrated knife to cut it. It is almost chewy.

I use a large kitchen aid mixer with a wire whip attachment--the one for
eggs and such.

I fear I am not mixing enough or too much.

C Ann

So sorry I did not do this correctly. This is my first time to blog! Thanks,
ca

Rose
12/17/2007 10:00 AM

don't give up tammy! i've forwarded both your postings to the blog master to see if he can shed some light on it.

Macy
12/17/2007 09:53 AM

Thanks Tammy. I do have a firewall, although it has never prevented me from registering on forums before (I belong to several). Whenever it is in doubt, it prompts me as to whether I want to allow the exchange of info. I will go in and look at the settings to see if anything jumps out at me. Thanks for the help :-)

Tammy Bartley
12/17/2007 08:42 AM

Thanks Macy and Zach.
Macy, Do you have a firewall on your computer? By default, forums usually require that your browser send your IP address and User Agent information. This helps prevent hacking attempts. Perhaps you have software or firewalls set up to block this information.

Zach, I did try logging on for several days but kept getting the error "“Your membership account has not been activated yet.” I took your advice and justcreated a new user ID and sent it to my business acct instead of my yahoo acct. that worked. Yeah!

Zach Townsend
12/16/2007 11:55 AM

Many of us have successfully logged into the forums and are actively using them. It's not a problem of the forums allowing activation. There is no way to know why you haven't received your email. Try going ahead and logging into the forums using the ID and password you created and see what happens. If that doesn't work, start over from scratch and see. The forum "engine" is working properly as far as the rest of us can tell.

Zach

Macy
12/16/2007 11:39 AM

Tammy,

I don't think anyone is monitoring this thread. No one ever came to my rescue after posting almost a month ago, so I'm still stuck and have found no other means to contact anyone who can help :-( I'm giving up, but you got farther along in the process than I did, so maybe your confirmation/activation email is just delayed.

Good Luck!
Macy

Tammy Bartley
12/15/2007 10:28 PM

Rose,

I've registered for the forum, got the message that an email was sent, however, I never received the email to activate my membership (I checked my spam folder for it also)
tbartley2002

Macy
11/19/2007 11:36 AM

The only email I have received is the one titled: "Announcement from Rose: We've Added Forums." I used the link in it to go to the forums, clicked on Register, filled in the blanks, and pressed submit, to which it responds with the error message: "you are not authorized to perform this action." So far, there has been nothing to activate. I'm guessing I haven't made it that far in the process.

Patrincia
11/19/2007 10:57 AM

Macy - did you activate your membership via the email yet?

Macy
11/19/2007 10:29 AM

Thank you for the forum! Sadly, I'm unable to register---each time I do, it just keeps telling me I'm not authorized to perform this action :-( What now?

Swati : Sugarcraftindia
11/17/2007 07:31 AM

Congrats Rose!

Zach Townsend
11/16/2007 08:59 AM

yep, I see them now in IE and they are active.

Thanks!

Travis
11/15/2007 10:19 PM

OK, the IE 7 (and an IE 6) problem is resolved. My apologies for the slip up.

Let's see if you can register NOW!

Zach Townsend
11/15/2007 09:07 PM

Travis,

The links for Firefox work. I registered successfully. In IE (7.0) the links for registering, etc., appear just above the login box in white against a white background, barely visible, but the links aren't active.

Hector
11/15/2007 08:19 PM

What a great baked from scratch goodie from realbakingwithrose! time to bake a cake or cookie spelling out the forum's name and hang it under your Christmas tree.

Patrincia
11/15/2007 08:14 PM

Up near the Gold Medal Seal on the forum page that is.

Patrincia
11/15/2007 08:03 PM

Wm - up near the Gold Medal seal, click on Register. After you fill in all the required fields, go to your email and activate you account. Then go back to the forum and sign in with the user ID and password you chose when you registered.

Wm. Flake Joiner
11/15/2007 07:59 PM

I don't know whether the problem is with me, my computer, by browser (IE), or the Forum site - I CAN'T FIND HOW TO REGISTER.

Thanks,

Wm. Joiner

Patrincia
11/15/2007 07:41 PM

What a great idea!!!

Janis
11/15/2007 06:21 PM

Just a suggestion, Rose - you need a permanent, prominent link to your forums on the site itself. Preferably somewhere at the top.

Travis
11/15/2007 04:34 PM

Thanks for that bug report.

It's fixed for Safari users now.

Susie
11/15/2007 04:12 PM

I go to register on the forum and there is nothing there. How do I register???????
Thanks,
Susie

Lola LB
11/15/2007 04:09 PM

Could you please pass on to whoever set the forum up that it is not displaying properly for Safari 3 users? Nothing shows up below the Search menu bar.

htom
11/15/2007 02:25 PM

Computers. They say that baking is art and computers are science, but sometimes I wonder.

Out of curiosity, I went back to the register page (still using FireFox, same session, even) and this time there was a pink box with a code in it; I submitted and it says my packet is being sent. I've changed nothing here other than the normal washing of things through the browser cache, etc. Must have been some image update timing thing. Thanks!

Travis
11/15/2007 01:51 PM

htom,

I just tested in Firefox 2.0.0.9 on Mac and on Windows, and I can see an image there (for me, it says "effort24" in pink, but it'll be different for each person).

Do you have any sort of image or ad blocking software installed?

What happens if you look at the page in a different browser?

htom
11/15/2007 01:46 PM

Trying to register, but it demands that I enter the text in the image below, but the images below are the typein box, which is empty, and the word "Submit" in the button. I'll go back and try a space ... no joy. FireFox 2.0.0.9