Okay, so I've now switched to the beta version of Blogger. And like Thelma and Louise, I can't go back. So, first impressions...
Well, some of it's nice (the option to add post labels, the new screen for viewing the post list, the option to make multiple link lists), some of it's exactly the same as it was (everything on the settings tab), and some of it's annoying (the even more complicated CSS, and the fact that I can't remember how I replaced my moniker with a graphic, so have to work it out again).
Previously, the colour ("color") definitions allowed the use of words to describe certain common colours - aqua, teal, navy, lime etc. This seems to be gone now, and all colours are specified by 6 digit hex code.
One strange thing: After the first horizontal rule, the line spacing changes. A bug in the CSS blog-template code? Or in the specification of CSS itself?
I'm impressed with the new archive in the sidebar, and it's nice to be able to turn the profile on and off. I can add feeds from elsewhere on the web - maybe have a news tickertape - and I can put AdSense advertising and JavaScript code too. None of which I expect to want, but the option is nice.
Instead of bundling several posts into one, like I've been doing for the past three years, I could make several posts a day identified by label categorisations, now that I can. Something to mull over.
From what I can see, the option to make certain posts private - visible only to me and chosen others - isn't available. It would be a useful option. But I'm really impressed with the speed of adding new posts - it used to take 30 seconds or occasionally several minutes, now it's done in an eyeblink.
Now, let's see if the new colour scheme is visible.
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Ha, and I get to be the first to leave a silly comment!
ReplyDeleteWell, Captain, my first attempt to leave a comment just went lost. Let's hope I'll be successful this time...
ReplyDeleteI like the colours... I hope the adventure of the whole changing is satisfactory to you...
Ric: It seems Blogger has problems with beta-bloggers posting comments to non-beta-bloggers, and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteSoon, I think Blogger will be asking you if you want to transfer to beta. And eventually, they'll be shutting down their 'old' version altogether.
I'm glad you're embracing change. I tried ta and nearly threw up. It was ugly, incomprehensible and I hated it. But I am an idiot, though...!
ReplyDeleteLooks fabulous to me.
Is there a beta tutorial?
ReplyDeleteThere's the help files at:
ReplyDeletehttp://help.blogger.com/
which include a lot of stuff about how to use beta. But I couldn't find a step-by-step set of instructions.
However, I think most of the features you can work out easily just by pressing a few buttons to see what happens.
If you like, I'll cobble together a Minge's Guide to beta features.
Oh, and you shall hear the songs when they're all recorded and mixed, which usually takes either an hour or a month.
I would adore you to cobble together a Minge's Guide to beta features!
ReplyDeleteYou're a lovely boy!
And tell me when the hour/month is up.
I don't get the whole commenting issues, logging in issues but like you I think I'm stuck in the new beta. I like my new layout and all but it's a shame that the user issues seem to float about.
ReplyDelete