From the screen shots I’ve seen as well as the feedback from a couple of different websites, it looks like Blogger has finally taken a few pages out of the book of WordPress in terms of the interface. Econsultancy.com thinks the refresh is too little, too late. I wonder how many people who participated in all of the interface testing for Blogger gave the suggestion “make it look like WordPress“. ∞
In a thread that dates back to three months ago on the WordPress.org support forums, users are again reporting that when trying to import content from Blogger into WordPress using Bloggers authentication method, they receive an AuthSub Token error and are unable to continue with the import process. However, thanks to some quick actions on the part of the WordPress.com support team, WordPress.com users are able to import from blogger just fine using the authentication method but WordPress.org users are still stuck in the dark.
One solution that has been published which appears to be working for a number of people is a service called BloggerToWP.com which links to a plugin called Blogger Importer. The secondary solution offered is a specific URL called Blogger2WordPress.appspot.com which contains a form where you upload your Blogger export file and it will be translated into a WordPress XML WXR file. However, due to PHP configurations on shared hosting servers, folks have been running into the issue of the XML file being too large to import since most hosts only allow 2MB files to be uploaded. If you fall into this group, I suggest you send a trouble ticket to your web host to temporarily have that limit increased until your import has completed.
Darnell Clayton of BloggingPro.com takes a look at the prospects of WordPress possibly overtaking the popularity of Blogger thanks to mobile applications. At this point, WordPress has an application for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Google Android. That covers most of the smartphone market. However, I have a hard time believing these devices are being used to publish full length content on a regular basis.
In my experience with using the WordPress app for the iPhone, I’ve come to realize that it’s just not the same as having an actual mouse and keyboard with multiple monitors. Blogging on the iPhone is a pain in the rear thanks to an inefficient work-flow and the on-screen keyboard which I’ve still have not been able to master. I’ve relegated to using the WordPress app as a management utility to moderate comments, perform quick edits on pages or posts, and other small tasks. I wonder if I’m alone in this respect or if others have had the same experience when blogging from a mobile device.
I caught this story in my feedreader this morning thinking it wouldn’t be that great but after reading through it, there are lessons to be learned. The Anchorage Daily News published a story about Eileen Goode who lives in the small town of Dillingham as a public radio reporter and news director. As the story goes, Goode out of boredom decided to start a blog. She thought no one would be reading her blog but unfortunately for her, the town eventually took notice of the things she was saying and rebelled against her.
Goode figured she was mainly writing for herself and her friends back in New England. Describing this strange new place for her mom, or her sister.
For a long time, she was right. But last week, Goode’s adopted Alaska town came across the blog too. Her neighbors weren’t laughing, and now Goode is out of a job.
What’s even more impressive at the end of the story is how Goode describes how a local bar refused to serve her and how someone pushed her into a ditch. However, the article ends on a good note with Goode realizing that when living in a small town, it’s good to be polite.
One of the lessons here is that when you think no one is reading what you’re putting online, it’s inevitable that someone is. Having this notion that no one is reading your blog is a recipe for disaster because it could lure you into writing and publishing things you’ll most likely regret at a later date. Always keep it in the back of your mind that the internet is a very public place. It’s extremely tough to be anonymous so don’t say anything on the web you wouldn’t say in public or face to face with someone. This quote from high school sums it up:
The choices you make today help shape your tomorrow so make the right choice!
IntenseDebate Phasing Out Blogger Widget Installation
By Jeffro on February 27, 2012
Blogger will soon contain redirects to country-code URLs or ccTLD’s for all Blogger sites except for custom domains. For example, if you’re in Australia and viewing [blogname].blogspot.com, you might be redirected to [blogname].blogspot.com.au. A ccTLD, when it appears, corresponds with the country of the reader’s current location. This causes an issue with IntenseDebate through the Blogger widget installation as different sets of comments will display depending on which ccTLD readers visit. They are strongly recommending that you move from the Blogger Widget installation to their Template installation which already addresses the necessary changes. Pay special attention to their instructions when making the move so you don’t lose any of your existing comments.
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Posted in News | Tagged blogger, comments, intensedebate