I kept claiming not to really care if the tags in the sidebar worked, but I really wanted to figure it out. So this morning I began experimenting with the htaccess file, and this FAQ from WordPress really helped. Eveytime I uploaded a blank htaccess file then went to the Options screen, wordpress stopped working and I would get an internal server error message. Adding the Options line to my htaccess that they suggest seemed to solve the problems. (Options +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch) Plus, I could see the technoratitagging rule in the htaccess file.

But, the technorati tags in the sidebar still went to a 404 not found. GRRR… Then it dawned on me that they were trying to be created in the root rather than the wordpress directory. A quick visit to the Options page for TechnoratiTagging solved it. And, they work!! Wish I had realized that two days ago, but I have learned more about htaccess so maybe the circuitous route was worth it.