Wednesday, September 2, 2020

I Asked. You Answered. Blogger Survey Results

Thank you for joining in my blogger survey! I heard from more than 60 of you, both Blogger and WordPress users. Some answered all the questions, others only answered a few or had a comment about the blogger change (usually negative!) Both points of view are summarized in this (long) post.

S

So, as we walk through the Blogger labyrinth, remember -- to get through, put one foot in front of another!

This post is divided into sections -- General Results, Workarounds, Resources, Comments about Blogger and WordPress Users. There's a short summary at the end.

Nine of our participants were WordPress users and their comments on the platform are included below.  WordPress must be loving this -- Seven of our participants are considering a switch to another platform. One is considering stopping blogging altogether.

I also appreciated how many of you helped problem-solve issues some brought up. Those "fixes" are listed here as well. 

(Although I didn't ask this question, there was a fairly good mix of types of blog -- life in general (which includes blogs like mine that go all over the place from family to travel -- a little bit of everything) and home and garden/how-to/info. A few have specific focus -- nature, film, books, cooking. And I might add, this is what I love about blogging -- the diversity of our community.

GENERAL RESULTS 

Age: Of those who gave their age, 35 were over 60 and 15 were between 41-60. Only a few were under 40.

Hardware: It was a pretty equal split between all participants as to what they worked on -- 16 used the laptop all or some of the time; 18 used a desktop computer and six used a tablet all or most of the time. 

Monetizing:  Only two "Blogger" bloggers monetized. (Many more mentioned how much they hated blogs with ads.)

Photos: Far and away, this is the biggest of the issues with 19 of you having trouble with a variety of issues, including uploading them, moving them about in your post or sizing them. (There's a workaround for sizing; see below.) Some of you didn't like the + and - for sizing, preferring the words large, extra large, etc. Some found it hard to delete a photo they'd placed incorrectly (see Workarounds.)  

"If you upload multiple photos and don't drop them into your post all at once (I like to add my photos at one time, but change my mind when drafting a post as to where I want to place them quite frequently), you have to scroll through your entire blog album to get back to the picture you want to add. I haven't found an easier way yet, " wrote one blogger.

Both Rita of Panoply and I have noticed glitches with photos not justifying to the center properly and having to revert to Legacy to do that. "I really don't care for the new way to download from albums on Google photos--it takes longer to search for them," Rita added. 

Karen of Living in My Valley summed up what several noted: "I don't like that you can't download a bunch of photos and then post them one at a time. As soon as you post one, they all go away!"

Double space issue: 7 -- A number of you use quotes or poetry in your posts which now come out double spaced instead of single. There is a workaround for this -- see below.

Editing or Adding Links: Only three of you had trouble with editing or adding links, although this often involved if you were participating in link parties where the party link hadn't yet posted. I find it takes more steps to add a link.

Rita of Panoply said "I used to keep my links that I frequently used in a draft version so I could easily copy and paste into my posts. It would have the main blog name captured, but not the specific post that I might link to for a party later on. In the new version of Blogger, I can’t just right click on the link and edit it. I have to go to the menu bar and do the copy of the link into it to change it now. I wasn’t real clear on that, but it is more cumbersome to do now." 

Rustic Pumpkin had the same issue: "I haven't figured out how to fix (if there is a way) is when you set up your post, and you want to link up to a party at the end, if that particular party hasn't come on line yet you can't do it."

Labels: This was a big source of frustration with nine of you commenting in depth about it. "Labels are terrible!" more than one of you said.

Line Spacing: Seven of us are having issues with the default single spacing. This mostly affects those of us who might add poetry or quotes to our posts. Rustic Pumpkin has a solution for that. See the workaround section below

Font Legibility and size: Two of you mentioned a change in the default font. While we can adjust that in the font section, I think it has to be done with each individual post. Does anyone know otherwise?

Accessing posts and drafts by page: Seven of you mentioned that you are frustrated by not being able to access past posts and drafts with the old page number at the top of post page. (In other words, if you wanted to see your first post ten years ago, you'd have to keep scrolling down to the bottom.)  This sure annoys me! There IS a workaround for accessing drafts -- see below.

Divers and Sundry says: "Those page numbers are a real necessity for me if I'm going to keep using blogger at all."

HTML dissatisfaction: Seven of you are not loving the new html page. I'm one of them. "I am driven totally crazy by this," wrote Mae of Mae's Food. With all the html now in one supersized paragraph, it is difficult to tell where line breaks are. And for those of us who don't use html regularly, the bunched up symbols of the code make it almost impossible to find your place to fix something.

Anno writes that on the far left of the composing toolbar, there's a pencil icon that you can click to get to an HTML editor.  In this view, you can change the ending paragraph tags that give you the double returns to tags that give you a single line break." I see that but it is so garbled that unless you know html well, you can do more damage than good trying to adjust spacing or centering. How do I know this? Been there, done that.

Dropdowns: Two of you had issues with the drop down menus but not a lot of specifics, apart from it being difficult to access your reader list because of that.

Settings Page: Three of us were not happy with the new layout of the settings page.

It's free -- Five bloggers pointed out something we should probably all remember. We're not paying a dime for this and that makes an impact on both help services (several said they never received any kind of reply to concerns to Blogger) and forces a look at what we will (or won't) put up with because we aren't paying. Or, as one commenter said: "I... found it needlessly complicated, all cons and no pros, and promptly switched back to Legacy. Will have to try again, though, eventually because I have no desire to switch to another platform."

Comment Posting is slower, clunkier -- Two of you mentioned a slowdown in comment post. 

Spam Issues: Two of you mentioned that deleting spam comments is less easy than before. (This may have to do with the icons. What's the difference between Spam and Delete? You see a trash can and know you delete it but are you deleting as spam or because of a goof or offensive but not spam comment. Again, words would be more helpful here.) Yes, we can figure it out, but it's not intuitive.

WORKAROUNDS

Line Spacing -- "Before you hit 'enter' go to the drop down menu that says 'paragraph' and select 'normal', then when you hit enter it will single space automatically. Hope this helps." (Rustic Pumpkin)

You can hit SHIFT+RTN for a single space. (Mae)

Sizing Photos -- It took me awhile to figure this out, but when you click on the photo, a bar comes up and if you click on the plus sign the photo gets larger in increments; smaller with the minus sign. Is this better? I don't know. But it does work. (Jeanie)

Accessing Spam Comments  -- At the top of the comments page, there is a drop down. You can access individual spam comments there.

RESOURCES

Linda, of Life and Linda, has made posts about some of the new blogger features on her blog and I recommend you take a look. Her comments are in this post below in the General Comments section. 

Sandra of Maison De Jardin tells us that there are a couple of groups on Facebook for Blogger users where one can join and ask questions of those who are whizzes at using HTML etc. -- a good one is KimSix Blogger Support (For Bloggers on Blogger) and another is Blogger On Blogspot. They are helpful!
 

GENERAL COMMENTS, FRUSTRATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A number of you had the "If it's broke, don't fix it" feeling like Lynne, who said, "I am open to change but if it working, why change it up?

Carol of Paris Breakfasts made an excellent point: "I think its a disaster to make major changes during Covid when people use it to communicate with family and friends."

Gayla noted: "I thought changing the backgrounds and font colors was a lot harder to navigate. But not only because everything moved... it was seriously more cumbersome to see the changes happening....I think it would be appropriate for blogger to offer a heads up on changes or even some YouTube courses to help bloggers transition.

"One of the problems is when using it on writing some edits or updates on my published posts. Sometimes the changes does not save on mobile unlike before " Stevenson  Que

"I don't get why when I click on a blog in my feed it takes me to a page that asks if I wanted to go to the blog or go back to previous page ( which doesn't work anyway). Well duh if I didn't want to read posts I wouldn't click on it." Regina

Linda from"Life and Linda" is known to many as the Fairy Blogmother and has helped more than a few bloggers out of some serious problems. As New Blogger has started testing, she's posted on changes.

Linda also added: "It would be better if people learned to resize their photos before uploading them. Better for loading time and also taking up your space on Blogger."  

She says that New Blogger is "more responsive and better for SEO (search engine optimization). People are always saying WordPress is better. You can make big money on Blogger, a free platform. I know many bloggers using Blogger and making six figures. WP can be easily hacked, it is just as secure as Blogger." 

"I blog for my own amusement, I am not amused by the new blogger , kicking and screaming into it, or dumping my blog altogether, the new blogger has made me cranky. It is awkward, inefficient, troublesome, cumbersome and not at all blogger friendly. I tried it , threw up my hands and went back to legacy which is preferable in all respects," says Linda Sue of Lady Margaret's Curlers.

One of the more distressing results of this survey is how many of you feel quite discouraged and are considering stopping blogging altogether. 

"I am planning to leave Blogger. I read Sept. 1 is the deadline for the current format.... I'm sad about it, it's been a rich experience, especially connecting with people like you. And actually meeting some Bloggers live," said Rita of Sketchbook Wandering. "It's opened up some doors for me locally. I wouldn't mind change if it were user friendly." 
 
"I've been blogging less since the change," said Thelma.

Others are thinking of migrating to WordPress.  "I have been thinking about creating a new blog on Wordpress just mainly a photo one with limited comments," says Dorothy of The Frog and the Penguin

WHAT DO WORDPRESS USERS SAY

Our WordPress friends aren't having to deal with this but it's useful to hear what they say about their own platform. It's not without its issues, too. You might find it encouraging!

Pam of Everyday Living says she does pay for WordPress but "I constantly have issues."

Sandra of Le Maison De Jardin says:  "While I consider myself to be new at this entire arena, it seems as though I will never catch up. I am a Word Press user and I do pay. Word Press has issues that seem difficult for me to work around - line spacing, photos. I have had issues with photos disappearing.
 
Grechen Joanna of Gladsome Lights says: "I pay for my WordPress account - I switched from Blogger about eight years ago because at the time they seemed to ignore anyone who didn't have GooglePlus. I was tired of everything being Google, and fighting with the program.  WordPress recently made big changes that made lots of its users mad, but I was able to keep my Classic Editor. I am really glad I switched, and always have been. I don't monetize."

Bella Rum of What's She Thinking said:  I'm on free Word Press, and I don't monetize. I hate change and I'm over 60."

Gigi of Gigi Hawaii tells us "I pay WordPress $96 per year for 13 GB of space. When that is used up, I will have to delete old photos in my media library so I can post new photos. If I don't do that, then I will have to pay $300 per year for 187 more GB space. I wish I had chosen Blogger to begin with, as it is free for most bloggers. "

Carol of Comfort Spring says "I blog on WordPress and pay for a host to house my blog on their server. I can tell you a few years ago WordPress introduced a totally new format to the blogging and I hated it. They issued a plug-in that makes it old WordPress and I've been using it ever since. I've never tried Blogger and can't compare. I sometimes wonder if it is better - it's very popular. Good luck!"

 Two WP bloggers wrote some lengthier comments that may be helpful for those considering a switch:

Shoreacres (Lagniappe and The Task At Hand) said she came to Blogger, hated it and has been happy with WordPress ever since. "I do pay for the no-ads feature, and for a custom URL on Lagniappe, which also provides more storage space than I'll ever use. WP is rolling out a new editor, which I'm now using on Lagniappe and soon will switch to on The Task At Hand. I thought it was complicated at first, but I've begun adapting, and I think it will be fine. .... it's quite user friendly, and the support is stellar."

"I've noticed a few people saying they don't want to move to WP because they don't want to pay. There's no need to pay, unless you have specific issues, like a desire to monetize your blog, or you're posting gazillions of photos. The free version (which I use for The Task at Hand) provides 6 GB of storage, and I've only used a tiny fraction of that after ten years. Some people don't crop/resize their photos before posting on the blog, and that eats up space fast. I never post anything larger than 2100xwhatever, and usually stick with 1600 x 1100 or so. It makes a difference.

Also: I don't monetize and never will. It's worth the $30/year to keep the ads away. There are a number of blogs I simply stopped reading because the presence of the ads was so irritating. One or two's ok, but when they're scattered all around, it's not.

Another thought: you mentioned trying to find posts. The WP editor is a gem. You can sort posts by published/draft, and search either one by date, topic, or keyword. If you think, "Didn't a post about lilies one time?" you can find it in a flash. Or, if I want to bring up all my Christmas posts, I can do it.

Also: in the WP editor, you have the ability to post verse properly -- however you like. You also can paste from text, so if you want to replicate the form from another source, you can do that.

Spam comments always are available, until you delete them yourself. Also, tags and categories are easily accessible, both through settings and for individual posts.

I know, I know -- I sound like an evangelist. But there's so much to love about WP, and with the new editor they've provided, it will be even better. (This, from a naturally resistant to change sort!)

Arti pf Ripple Effects says:  "When I first started blogging 12+ years ago, I was on Blogspot, but only for a few months, then I switched to Wordpress. I found it more user-friendly. And I never switched back. So for years I've been using the same Theme. Then I heard people telling me they see ads on my site and I didn't like that, cause I didn't have control as to what ads came on my blog. So I pay for a 'Personal Version', yes, I pay to make sure there's no ads on my blog. Forgot how much, maybe around $5 a month.

Then about a month ago I was told by Wordpress my Theme was too old and would not support new features like block blogging. So I changed it to a more updated one, which is the one I'm using now. First I was apprehensive about the new blogging method (using 'blocks'), but after a month or two now, I'm getting the hang of it, and it's more contemporary looking and I can do more things with it. Although I'm still exploring.

My take is: don't be afraid to change to a newer version. Also, I'm happy with Wordpress, especially the HELP and support they give me (when I was switching to a new Theme.) We used chat, so it's immediate assistance, and they're very patient with me. That I really appreciate."

IN SUMMARY:

There are loads of problems that occur when changing anything. Back in the earlier days of word processing, I worked with a program called Palantir; then Word Perfect; then Word. Every change brought shaking of fists and pounding the top of our desktop computer monitors (sometimes probably harder than we should have!) We learned.

It takes time to get it right. But we can. And we will.


It was interesting and not surprising to note that many of us who are having trouble with or resisting the change are over 50 and don't use computers as part of a work setting but for home and personal use. HTML isn't part of our vocabulary. I'm inclined to believe change can be more difficult as we age -- we figure "why should we?" 
 
It looks like we'll have to. To those who are considering quitting your blogs because of this, I urge you to rethink that. Maybe cut back posts till you get the hang of it. Experiment. 
 
(My own, somewhat unscientific assessment -- Most Blogger bloggers are over 50 and do not monetize. We are more likely to do it just for fun or for a journal than bloggers who do monetize (and probably also do for fun), less likely to want to pay for a service and less adaptable to extreme change -- but we slog along and try till we get frustrated. And as I said, it's a broad generalization but I think I'm pretty close!)  
 
And ask questions! Throw your problem out on your blog and you might get an answer. Or visit someone who has this New Blogger thing more or less together, like Linda.  

And continue to let Blogger know your issues. 

As several said, it is a free platform. I think we get more than we pay for. Do I like the changes? Not one bit. But I like blogging and connecting with all of you more.
 

Good Luck! (If you have figured out workarounds for the problems mentioned here or others, please include them in the comments below!)
 
Sharing with:   Pink Saturday     

48 comments:

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

Great to see the survey results and comments. I believe that blogging like most things in life has ups and downs. The software like blogger and wordpress help us live w/o knowing code, but new updates can be a challenge. I know some Wordpress bloggers loved the new editor but I will continue to use the plug-in to give me the old editor as long as it's available. Maybe Blogger will give you something like that for those who hate the change. Good luck!

Arti said...

Thanks for compiling these comments and helpful tips, Jeanie! And all the best with your blogging changes. Covid sure has brought many changes and speeding up some irreversible ones. We just need to adapt to catch up, esp. in the way we communicate. Looks like we've been rushed into a new phase of living. Thanks so much for this post in linking us all. :)

Sami said...

I agree Jeanie, as annoying as changes are to our age group, we have to stick with it and slowly learn our way around the new blogger.
I've had to contact Blogger twice and I had help solving the problem, so now I seem to be getting to grips with it :)

Rustic Pumpkin said...

Thank you for such a great summary! I will bookmark this particularly, because I think you have created a useful resource for resolving a lot of the issues. I am plodding on with it, I still don't like it but am going to tough it out, as they say.

Deb in Wales

Sandra Cox said...

Helpful.

Terra said...

Interesting post, and I am keeping on blogging at Blogger. As you mention it is Free! Plus I have been blogging there since my first post in 2007. I am slowly figuring out the changes and still love the blogworld and my friends here.

thepaintedapron.com said...

I have been using Wordpress since I started blogging and have found it very user friendly. I do pay for my theme and extra support which has really come in handy along the way. I recently changed over to the new Block editor, and while I found it difficult and frustrating at first, after a few chats with the WP support team I got it straightened out and am finding it a breeze to use now. It is always difficult to adapt when things change, especially with technology, but I am finding many advantages with the new editor.
I have seen/heard about the issues with blogger, and my sympathies go out to everyone struggling! It is so great of you to share what everyone has said and learned and hopefully we can all help each other!
Jenna

Sandi said...

Six figures? How do people do that?

Mine is not monetized. Maybe you have to have some really wonderful posts.

Mae Travels said...

Thanks for the great summary! It's September 2 and I'm still using legacy blogger, but I know it's not for long.

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...


ooh, I missed it! But here's my 2 cents - I loved blogger because FREE and sorta easy - but, I didn't like that it's not owned by me and they could techinically end it at any time - because free and not owned by me, LOL. So, I switched the whole thing over to Wordpress and I keep it pretty basic, but have not had issues. I don't monetize - the ads drive me crazy when I have to nagivigate them on other blogs, so I kept mine ad free. I still use my old blog to visit my blogroll, because I haven't figured out how to set that up on wordpress yet. That one thing is annoying but it's my shortcoming, not the platform, I think.

Susan Kane said...

I will have to print this up so I can re-read it. And, then I will re-read it again.

Karen said...

Great job researching and summarizing.

Valerie-Jael said...

I get on well with the new blogger now, and they have reacted to all feedback, too. And as you say, it's free. I'm staying where I am! Hugs,
Valerie

gigi-hawaii said...

Great summary! I appreciated reading all of these comments.

Bella Rum said...

I'm glad you are not one who is thinking of giving up your blog. You would be so missed. More than you know. I'm sure this post helped a lot of folks, and made them feel less alone in this process.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jeanie,

I thank for for answering and sharing are your survey results. Some how I missed the original post on the survey. I reverted back to the legacy blogger for now. I am bookmarking this post, so I can go back to it for any answers to my questions on the new blogger. Right now, I am having trouble commenting. Everyone's blog is asking for the verification I am not a robot. I am glad you are still blogging, I hope all the problems are worked out. Take care, enjoy your day!

bobbie said...

I believe you've helped a LOT of people, Jeanie!
I'm staying right where I am ~ I'm technologically challenged as it is, and I see no reason to delve into more trouble!

Lowcarb team member said...

Well done and thank you for doing this survey, it's going to help so many of us.

All the best Jan

Regina said...

Thank you for posting the results. I guess I will continue with Blogger. I can get used to the changes.

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

What a job it must have been to compile all this. Thank you for a job well done and very helpful.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Nice recap, Jeanie. I learned a bit, although I have not yet changed over to the new blogger. I host two parties, one a week for T Tuesday and one once a month for a second look. If I can't link in advance, what am I supposed to do? That's the thing that worries me. I've always been able to just copy and paste, then change the date on my linky link. I wonder if someone can help me with that when the time comes I can no longer be on Legacy.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...


Very nice summary, Jeanie.

When I tell people I keep a blog, I always say it is for fun and that it is a good mental exercise. I don't have to do puzzles or crossword puzzles to keep my mind sharp as figuring out my blog story and researching it and writing it do that for me.

I guess I am one of the few older bloggers on Blogspot with ads, but they are with "BlogHer--know also known as "SheKnows"" which I don't see many using any longer. I've been with them for over 10 years! Their ads are fairly unobtrusive. I personally find the pop-ups for newsletter sign-ups on blogs more annoying than ads in the sidebar.

So, although I liked the old Blogspot legacy editor I'll adjust to the new editor and hopefully, with time, they will get all the bugs out of the program and it will be just as easy.


























Anca said...

This is fascinating. I monetize my blogs, but not using ads, which I hate, but by reviewing stuff, like books, for example. It's great for me, as I know before getting the books which ones I would like to read (I read reviews, check the author, besides knowing that I want to read about the subject) and in 99% of the time is a 5 stars read. I also do some sponsored posts, but not recently.
I don't have to deal with technical issues either, as my husband deals with everything, including redesign and hosting. For imagines I always use Photoshop. I know how easy my blogging experience is, compared to most people, and maybe this is why I have 3 blogs, as everything works smoothly.

Iris Flavia said...

Sorry, "usually negative!" made me laugh (a tad bitterly).
Funny. When I started blogging most were my age. They all quit and went to FB.
Font Legibility drives me nuts.
But! I think it´s nice you see your posts with a pic now in the drafts, makes it easier to spot them. HA! ONE positive thing!
HTML is such a pain I really use edit-mode now very often.
But, yes: FOR FREE! And I go with Lynne. And Carol!
😂 I shake my fists here, also!
I wonder if the German version is different? No problems at all with pics. Aligning,, deleting, size, easy.
The font drives me nuts since a couple of days, before there was no problem, they still certainly work on this version.

Bohemian said...

I was intimidated at first when Blogger was leaving Legacy behind and enhancing, since I'm Tech Challenged. But, I was pleasantly surprised when they forced me to use it before they would permanently close down Legacy, with the option to return to Legacy for the Month it would still be up. I chose to just stay, I actually liked New Blogger, especially the Photo enhancements which give sizing options superior to what Legacy offered and sharper images. I think it's more User Friendly than I expected, I feel it enhanced my Blog.

Joyful said...

Interesting post Jeannie. Thanks for summarizing all the information.

BeachGypsy said...

Wow, Jeannie, you put alot of effort and WORK into this??! I'm impressed. I'm so sorry you have to miss the family wedding, darn!! I hope they send you pictures so you can share them with us maybe? Has Rick left yet?---BEST WISHES AND BON VOYAGE AND BE SAFE!! Hope he has a great ride and a very safe one. That Mackinac bridge DOES LOOK scary.........how long is that thing anyway??! It looks similar to our big bridge here, but looks longer, I bet it is. I've never been there, so not familiar with it at all. Our bridge here is a little over two miles long I think. We have not walked it yet but hope to someday. Hugs my friend!

Lynne said...

Thank you for your comment collection and review.
Thinking it is a good reminder that we are able to use, publish . . . free.
I needed that reminder . . .
My blog comments are way down,
but then, I am not a daily blogger
and I am sure people aren’t following me like before.
I have tried the new and continue to switch back to the older, familiar.

Rita C at Panoply said...

Jeanie, thanks for this compilation of survey results! And I don't know if I overlooked it before or whether the coders changed it, but I can now right-click on links and edit! It works! Perhaps they are listening to us.....let's hope

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I’m the outlier among your readers comments as I am 39! I use computers a lot and consider myself fairly savvy for a non-IT person but my biggest issue is posts that I’ve scheduled not showing up in places like Feedly. I’ve tried posting automatically instead of scheduling them and that didn’t work either. So I reverted back to the old blogger and had no issues with posting. So I hope they work that kink out when we are forced to use the new environment. I have been tempted to move to WP but it intimidates me to think about moving allll my content over! So I will probably just stick with blogger and make it work!!

Sandra at Maison De Jardin said...

Gosh, Jeanie, this was a great deal of work. Much appreciated by me. I really enjoyed reading all the comments and feel I learned much from them. I certainly will stay with what I have as I wouldn't want to begin new again.

Thanks again and have a great day and upcoming weekend!

Sandra Cox said...

I've thought about using the advertising mechanism, but have never quite been able to pull the trigger.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Darn it! Somehow I completely missed your survey. I would have loved to have taken part.

I've blogged at Blogger for twelve years, and I'm having many of the problems others cited. Trying to edit the HTML in a single block. Photos one at a time. Difficulty moving photos.

On the other hand, I blog once a month at The Classics Club. It uses WP. Today, for the first time, I tried to use the new block method. Eek! Wanted to scream. I ended up leaving out any photos. Very frustrating.

Thanks for this wonderful survey and this wonderful post. Excellent information.

My name is Erika. said...

Fascinating Jeanie. I love how you included so many comments. We are all in the same boat-or at least all of us on blogger are in the same boat. It is nice to feel like my complaints are not just mine. Hope all is well. Hugs-Erika

Red Rose Alley said...

Wow, that was a lot of work writing down your summary of all this. I'm sure you helped so many people. Haven't switched over yet, and I hope it doesn't get too difficult cause I'm a person who likes simplicity. If anything is too complicated or frustrating for me, sometimes it's not worth the pain. : )

~Sheri

CHERI said...

I am so sorry I missed your survey. All my computer issues then a week in the "shop" got me behind on reading my blogs! Seems like most of us are not happy with the new blogger changes. I have to say though that I didn't understand a lot of this...I'm more blog illiterate than I thought:)!!! I always type my blog post in WORD, then cut & paste it into blogger; then add my photos or make any changes I see I need. I have often wondered if my posts look the same on other people's computers as it does mine....sure hope so!!! One thing I do hate now is having to add one photo at a time or rather having to go back into my PICTURES file every time I want a new photo (hope that made sense). One thing in this post that really shocked me was one person from Word Press say they pay $96 a month!!!! Wow! Of course, maybe she uses ads on her blog and she is paying for that???? But I would not blog if I had to pay that. I'm too cheap:)

Pam said...

Jumping back in your blogworld to see about this survey.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

WOW!!! I guess I must have missed this survey....
I am actually getting used to the new blogger format and am now having very little problems with posting...My biggest problem was moving pictures around and getting them to the center which i figured out and now have it mastered, I think....Thanks for posting!!
Hugs,
Deb

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

I found your post very interesting and I don't even use Blogger. Actually it is seems to be my nemesis because I can't leave a comment on friends sites who are on Blogger, except a few like here. My blog is nine years old and I've been with free Wordpress all that time. It is very easy to work on and I would encourage anyone thinking of quitting blogging to give WP a try before you do. Many of you have mentioned that you don't think people are reading your blogs because comments are down. We love reading what you post but can't leave you a comment.

Victoria Zigler said...

Interesting to see the results of your survey, and some of the fixes. Great advice.

You know what? As you know, like pretty much everyone else, I'm hating this new version of Blogger. But I've now been blogging for 14 years, all of them on Blogger, and seen a few Blogger updates. I hated them all each time the new one came in, but got used to them all eventually. I'm sure that will happen this time too. Thank goodness I recently updated JAWS though, because I know from experience that sometimes when updates like this come in and I haven't for a while it's impossible for me to use anything without sighted help until I can get JAWS updated. Having said that, please excuse me while I have some tantrums while trying to get used to the way things work now. I'll stop swearing at and hitting my computer just as soon as I get used to the changes. ;)

Patti @ Pandoras Box said...

So far, knock on wood, the new blogger has worked well for me!! I am thinking about framing your beautiful watercolor card! It is lovely and thanks!!

Divers and Sundry said...

Thank you! This was helpful.

I read some explanations online about why they made these changes and why legacy blogger will not continue to be available. My only problem with new blogger at this point is the lack of the page feature. That makes getting to earlier posts time-consuming instead of the click-and-go method in legacy blogger. I had not realized you had to pay for a WordPress blog without ads. I'd rather scroll forever on new blogger ;)

Thanks again!

Sketchbook Wandering said...

Wow Wow Wow!! What work you have done, what time and energy you have, Jeanie! I thing we all appreciate your service.
After reading partway through your analysis, I am thinking even more that this change isn't one I want to go through, but we shall see....I have recently had other computer issues, learning curves and hoops to jump through in a tech world that has "enhanced" everything since I last bought a computer. I'm just more interested in "analog", concrete art-making...And yet, and yet....
Thanks, Jeanie! You are one of the reasons I don't want to quit Blogger.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

As so many others have already commented, jeanie, thanks so much for the effort in asking the questions and then summarizing the answers. I have never thought of quitting the blog world, just get frustrated at not being able to keep up with those who blog so much. I enjoy many of these fellow bloggers, but can't keep up with them! My posts tend to be require a big of online research and then my editing and revising (perhaps too much) and selecting photos to fit in. I rarely pre-schedule posts, except for short ones with may be a funny image. WHile I may try Wordpress for a photo only blog as mentioned in my response, I dislike ads completely and so is a free WP blog has ads then I will just revert to another another one on Blogger instead. I am against paying not-to-include ads.

Carola Bartz said...

Jeanie, that was a lot of work you put into this survey and letting us know the results. Thank you so much for this. I have to say that since March I have learned so much in the online world since I had to change to online teaching, that the Blogger thing was just a hiccup for me. Zoom teaching and using Google classroom has been a bigger challenge plus all the different platforms we use at the high school. All these platforms seem to change constantly and it is tiring.

Marilyn Miller said...

I need to come back and read again when I am less tired and can take it all in. There is a lot to think about. Formatting and download all the pictures at once are my main complaint right now.

The French Hutch said...

I will need to read this again, slowly and study. You've hit on some of my gripes here too. I am still using Legacy after trying out the new format. I am not happy with the extra steps required to do what one click did before and I especial cringe when I load my photos only to find they've disappeared after I add one to my post. I've always added my text and would go back and add the photos last. I seem to be blogging less now! I dread when it is official and no going back. I am copying this so I'll have it as a reference. Thank you Jeanie for doing this, it is extremely helpful.......

Joanne said...

I really hate that I can't access (quickly) all my older posts. I used to visit every post ever published (like since today is Sept. 18th I'd stop and visit any post I had ever published on Sept. 18th) and update/ pin/ etc. to keep content fresh and now that is just impossible.

Popular Posts