Looking at Geo-Tagging - Blogger in Draft - only

The team at Blogger in Draft have come up with, what I think, is a great gadget to add to the bottom of each of your posts. A Geo-tag , giving your readers a chance to see, not only the location you posted from, but also the chance to see other posts from their location:

"We also include each post’s location in your blog’s RSS and Atom feeds using GeoRSS, a standard for geotagging. This means that feed readers, map applications and search engines can associate your posts with their locations." see: Blogger in Draft post.

According to the team, there are a few concerns at present, being checked out, but they appear minor to me.

How does it work?

I gather, from what I have tested, to add the the Geo-tag, firstly, you need to 'add the gadget' - see below. Then, you just need to click the 'add location' button below, and select your location. When you publish your post, the 'Geotag' is displayed below your blog post, as a link, which will open up Google Maps.

As of posting, that hasn't happened for me, but I'm still trying!!!!!

Basic Steps:

• You MUST be logged into Blogger in Draft.
  
• You go to your 'Layout' screen to add the gadget.
• You click on 'Add your own' and add this 'special' URL ...
  

http://blogmap-gadget.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/blogmap.xml

• Then, click on 'Add location' and input the details of your location, and 'Search' ...

That was easy enough.

Remember: Apparently, once you 'save' the Geo-Tag to your post, you can't remove it - you have to create a new post and delete the old one!

I can't wait for this feature to be available on Blogger proper. What do you think?

TOP

Where do I find Import/Export?

I am often asked; "Where do I find the Import/Export feature?"

The answer is always the same - Blogger has two platforms of operation.

• Production Blogger
• Draft Blogger

If you look at each one, you'll see that background is different, the 'B' for Blogger is different. Essentially, this is the 'key'. It changes your Dashboard, in as much as functionality:

Orange 'B' = Production Blogger = http://www.blogger.com/home
Blue 'B' = Draft Blogger = http://draft.blogger.com/home

To use the Import/Export feature, you must be logged in to Blogger in Draft, (or Draft Blogger)!
Then, you navigate to the 'Settings - Basic' (default) screen. There you'll find the Import and Export features - they are actually in the first Option of that screen, 'Blog Tools'.





TOP

Watch the URL Structure when Importing

I recently exported my Roberto's Retreat 2 Blog and Imported it to my Roberto's Ravings Blog. There were around 116 posts in total, and I edited each one, so as to make sure there were no extraneous links to the wrong Blog.

Little did I think to check ALL the new URLs of the Importing Blog, after publishing! D'oh!


For example - The one post I did check, because I was updating 'LINKS' on another Blog, was this one ...


This is a Post URL from Roberto's Retreat 2 Blog ...

http://general.robertosblogs.net/2006/10/whats-happening-to-my-photos.html

After Importing this post, and publishing it on Roberto's Ravings Blog ...

http://opinions.robertosblogs.net/2006/10/what-happening-to-my-photos.html

Do you see the differences?

• The 'host' is different, yes. I expected that.
• What I didn't expect, was the difference in the URL section for 'path/subdir/file ext' (the details)
• Do you see that the second URL has dropped the 's' from the word 'whats...' ? Interesting, but 'nasty'!

Whilst there seems to be no steady pattern in this corruption, it is a great pain in the you-know-where!

I will, now, have to manually check each of the Imported Posts for URL differences, because I also have to upgrade every 'LINK' I have made to the old Blog, in other Blogs! I was hoping to only have to change the domain/host name, but...!



TOP

(* This post copied to Roberto's Report Blog)

Importing, Publishing and Deleting Posts

If you decide to Import, say, ten (10) selected Posts from a Blog of 100 Posts, it's as easy as 1,2,3. BUT, and there's always a BUT, you will have to manually delete all the unwanted posts, from the Post Editor - Imported, one-by-bloody-one!

For example, I wanted to export one post from this Blog, to Roberto's Report Blog. I had to export this Blog's XML File. I had to Import that File to Roberto's Report, select the Post I wanted to Publish, then I had to delete all the unwanted posts - manually - one by one. Not something I enjoyed doing.

There should be a 'Delete All Selected Posts' button/option.


TOP

Watch the Robot!

Last night, I decided to meld two of my Blogs, which have similar, if not the same, theme and personality.

Roberto's Retreat 2 (117 Posts), and Roberto's Ravings (88 Posts). There were a couple of 'double-up posts' so, all up, I was exporting (on Blogger in Draft, naturally), about 112 Posts from Roberto's Retreat 2.

Now, having been caught a long time ago, by the SPAM Robot, for posting in excess of 50 posts in a 24 hrs period, I decided to discuss this with a friend. We decided that, as it was an Export/Import, there should be NO worries, but to test it anyway. I did test it, and found NO problem.

OK, using Blogger in Draft, I proceeded to Export the XML File for Roberto's Retreat 2. No problems. I Imported the XML File to Roberto's Ravings - NO Problems. I then went through each of the 'Imported' posts on Roberto's Ravings Post Editor, and Published the lot - 112 Posts - NO problem. Not even a hiccough ...

- until this morning...




Now, I have some questions:

• Why would the new Feature, Import/Export, not entertain the idea of an Import having more than 50 posts?
• Why would it wait until the job was well and truly finished, (over 8 hrs - at least, I was asleep by then), before adding a 'Word Verification' Captcha to my Post Editor - on Both Blogs?
• When will I be rid of it?
• Why the hell, when you are logged-in to both of YOUR Blogs, would the Robot even think you are 'Spamming' yourself? For crying out loud!
  

I now know what 'Al' can do with his 'gorithm'!(Algorithm)


TOP

Wordpress - Transfer Blog to Blogger?

Bloggers often decide to use the Blogger platform, rather than, say, Wordpress - for various reasons.
I have a Blogger who often emails me directly, to ask his questions, rather than try his luck on the Blogger Help Group. Today, for example:

"Hi Roberto,

Thank you so much for your help. I have another question. If I want to transfer my Wordpress blog into blogger, how do I go about doing this?

Please advise. Thanks."

Apart from the fact that you can't perform this Import - yet - with Blogger in Draft, the question at least, seems to be a popular one.

Anyone who follows my Blogs, knows that I do a lot of testing before I write something up. If I don't do it, my mate Chuck has done it, and gives us all the benefit of his hard work. Many so-called 'experts' give the following directions, too. The trouble is, I don't think they have 'tested' their theories before putting them into Print.

This what happens if you, (and I give you the directions), to try to Import a Wordpress Blog:-

• Step 1: Go to, and log-in to your Wordpress Blog, and click on 'Manage'
• Step 2: Click on 'Export'
  
• Step 3: You have the choice here as to what you download - (I think it says something like: single or all authors).
• Step 4: Click on 'Download Export File' - save it to a file folder on your computer, say in 'My Documents'. Remember where it is!
• Step 5: Then, open your Browser in 'Blogger in Draft' ( http://draft.blogger.com/ ). Click on 'Create a Blog' and fill in all the required details.
  
• Step 6: Under 'Advanced Options', select 'Import Blog Tool', then click Browse.
• Step 7: Windows Explorer will open - select the file where you stored the XML file of your Wordpress Blog. Follow any instructions, like Word Verifications etc,. Then click 'Upload'.

Here it is in Images...

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Your Wordpress blog is now, 'nearly' copied/imported to a Blogger Blog ...

BUT ... that won't work! Why?

Because of this ...


Blogger doesn't yet give you the opportunity to Import other Blogs from NON-BLOGGER platforms. It only gives you the ability to Import other Blogger Blogs! It's another fine example of Blogger not being ready to launch a 'full-scale' option. It's in 'Beta', if you will. It's testing.

The 'experts' should have seen that, before writing their 'How to do it' posts. They should have READ Blogger Help - and should have read Wordpress literature (see the image in Step 3 above:

- "... Once you've saved the download file, you can use the Import function on another Wordpress blog, to import this blog."


I'll be back to you, soon, with any updates.

Here's an article on moving a Blogger Blog to Wordpress: < 5 hours of slog>

TOP

New Dashboard - Show/Hide Function

The New Blogger Dashboard has a new option - Show/Hide. This takes the place of the 'Select blogs to display' from the old 'Edit Profile' option - although that option still appears on the 'Edit Profile' screen.

Image 1. 

 

Image 2. 

  

The function of the 'HIDE' option is basically that - hide a blog from your 'Profile' view. Of course, this is reversible, but the function does change the screen somewhat. When a blog is 'hidden', apart from not showing on your default Dashboard, the Dashboard itself tells you that not all your Blogs are displayed.

Image 3. 

  

 

Here, the  Dashboard is saying that only 20 of 21 Blogs are showing.  There is also an option "Show All" appearing. If I want to see which Blog is NOT appearing in the list, I click on "Show All", and I get this screen ...

Image 4.

 This screen has NO 'Hide' option available, but it does have two other different options:

1. 'Always Show'
2. 'Minimise List'

If I click on 'Always Show', the 'hidden' blog will appear on the Bloglist on 'View Profile', and the 'Minimise List' option will disappear from the Dashboard.

If I click on the 'Minimise List' option, without checking the 'Always Show' option, then I see a Profile View without the 'hidden' blog appearing.

Confusing? I think so.

TOP

 

New Features additions - July, 2008

The Blogger in Draft - July - releases present us with some very nice new features - some old ones revisited - and some alterations to play with.

At first glance, I see...

• They've marked where to adjust the Editor Box - UP and DOWN (lower right corner). I found this point by accident last month!
• The "Save Now" button (Wow! It only keeps the window open. You still have to <ctrl> 'S' to save  - (or <ctrl> SHIFT 'S' if you use IE).
• You can now add a background colour to your posts text - highlighting?
• The Colour wizard has been updated/remodelled. I don't like it - one bit! Why update something with fancy, but an inferior 'looking' version?
• There's an "Undo" and a "Redo" set of buttons. They're fun to have.
• You can STRIKETHROUGH text without knowing the CSS code (which was simple, anyway).
• The little chain icon is gone, and has been replaced by the word "Link". I like this new 'Link' with it's little bubble pop-up, very much. You can remove/change and test a URL very easily, now.
  
• The old "Remove Formatting" option is back.
• There's only four (4) pitch sizes available - apparently "normal" looks SMALL. 

TOP

Image Repositioning

This Test: 

This test post was created in New Blogger - not Blogger-in-Draft, for the purpose of finding out if an image can be repositioned via 'Edit' on Blogger-in-Draft, and then viewed in New Blogger, with the changes still visible. The reason being, that there are often changes made when viewed from one platform to another...New Blogger to Blogger-in-Draft.

This test image was uploaded to the 'left' in New Blogger, using 'small' sizing - Image 1. 

Image 1  

The image was repositioned to the right, using Blogger-in-draft, then viewed via New Blogger - Image 2.

Image 2

All OK, so far. You can view via both, and see exactly the same post characteristics.

I am now 'editing' this post via New Blogger. I expect the formatting to stuff up. see Image 3


Image 3 

The formatting was jumbled up, as per Image 3. This is not the first time I've noticed this. It happens regularly, when changing from the Post Editor in New Blogger, to the Post Editor in Blogger-in-Draft, and possibly, back again.



TOP

 

My thoughts - so far

I've been impressed with some of the features of the new 'iteration' of Blogger-in-draft'. I have, however, noticed some 'bugs' if you will, which cause me angst.

LIST: 

• The cursor, when backspaced, doesn't go to the extremity of the line. It stops one character space short. 
• On two occasions, when Importing a Post, the formatting was significantly changed - adding line breaks.
• On many occasions, when Publishing a post with an image(s), the post published minus the image(s), or at least one of the multi images. 
• Also, annoying, is the change of Font, which occurs sometimes, when I press to tab to the bottom of the Post Editor. I start typing in Trebuchet, and end up in Georgia (not in the USA, either). see image...

• When Importing an XML file, to say, publish one, or two, of the posts on another blog, the selected posts are published, as expected, but the entire blog of posts imported, remains in the post editor as "Imported", which then need to be 'deleted' - and as always, it's 'one by one'.

...more to come, I'm sure.


TOP