This isn't just fixing something that wasn't broken, it's changing something that works perfectly well, into an inefficient, complicated thing that supposedly posts What You See Is What You Get, but doesn't.
If you try to insert a photo or video between blocks of text it leaves massive gaps underneath. The only way to remove all the gaps is to go back to the original interface - but soon that won't be possible. After having to manually resize and position each photo, come the next post, you have to do it all over again! And as for just inserting a simple link within text, it's a nightmare.
Excuse my language, but fuck it! It takes long enough doing this as it is, without having to jump through hoops, making it a thoroughly unpleasant experience. So kind people at Google, I ask for you to reconsider your decision to completely remove the original interface, and let people still have to option of using it. Otherwise, I'm out of here.
This post will be bumped onto the front the page here for the next few days. Any help from anyone with a direct line to a real person at Google would be most appreciated.
30 comments:
I had a blogger account but let it lie fallow when I found Wordpress much easier to use. Perhaps you should consider exporting your blog to the Wordpress platform ?
If you start using (selfhosted) Wordpress and need any help, just ask. An Internet without Arbroath is not complete ;)
I use the newer interface and have done for a long time, I don't have any problems with adding pics or links, in fact, I find it easier and simpler.
I tried Wordpress. It may have changed, I don't know, but back a couple of years, I gave up because blogger was so much more intuitive.
Thanks for the advice Duncan and René.
I'll bear that in mind.
I certainly wouldn't call the new interface easier and simpler, Soubriquet.
And it doesn't work properly.
I do hope you don't give up on this, I like to spend time during my lunch going WTF at your daily doses of deviance. I also frequently wonder whilst chewing my sandwich why I'm not put off it since since I'm watching elephants fling poo at people.
I do know what you mean about new interfaces, quite a few of the ones I've had the misfortune to encounter recently (office 2007/2010, windows 8, ubuntu unity, matlab 2012b) simply make me thing that someone missed their medication, went apeshit with crayons and left their employees too scared to ask how anyone was supposed to use it, so they just coded it up regardless.
I need my daily dose of nothing to do with Arbroath and I don't care which platform it's on. I know it'll be a pain for you to have to change to a new one but if you do have to, tell us where and we'll be there!
Heh heh, cheers Ratz.
Thanks BoS.
With your great blog as an argument you should have a powerful voice. Don't let Blogger mess with your blog. They are wrong. But they don't realize that they are wrong until you tell them.
My wife uses blogger and her reaction to the new interface was pretty much the same as yours. She's planning to move to wordpress. A quick straw pool around her blogging community suggests that most blogger users feel the same way.
the new interface is absolute garbage
I sympathize completely. I've been running my blog on Blogger since January of 2005. When I tried the new interface the only word that came to mind was "disaster." It is as you describe. There is no advantage and many immediately obvious disadvantages. I immediately switched back to the old interface, but time is now running out.
I complained a couple months back on the forums -- as did many, many others. Apparently Google doesn't really care what we think and is pushing ahead with this "upgrade."
Some people seem incapable of leaving a thing alone. They just have to tinker, and that mentality will sooner or later result in an ungodly mess, which is exactly what Blogger is about to become.
I really don't relish trying to port 5,000+ posts to Wordpress -- even if I liked Wordpress, which I do not. That leaves me the option of setting up a server and building my own blog from scratch... not a pleasant prospect. Blogging is a hobby not a job, but Google seem to be trying their damnedest to make me work harder at it.
Have you tried using Windows Live Writer?
Hey abroath, please don't give up, there are other options I'm sure!
At Cortissa's suggestion I just tried using Windows Live Writer on an old blog of mine - seems pretty easy and it can be used with many different systems including Blogger and Wordpress.
Maybe give that a go until you decide what to do in the long term?
Another one? Oh, crap. The last one was bad enough.
Oh, dear! I wish I had some clout with Google or knew anything at all which might help. I'll have to leave those things to others. What I can do is add my voice in support of your blog. I don't even want to think of my world without Arbroath! Thank you for all your work and may this please be solved to your satisfaction soon.
This is my lunch time distraction too.
I hate it when they 'improve' the uesr interface. I hate the ribbon thing in microsoft office and the massive interface of the new skype.
Thanks for your kind words and advice.
All I want to be able to do is take four blocks of text, then easily and simply be able to insert photo(s) and/or video(s) within that text without it being ridiculously complicated and without messing up the spacing.
Oh, and be able to insert links without it being a palaver.
Just as I can do now.
It's hardly rocket science. Is it?
NOOOOO!!!! This is the "homepage" for my computer, and the first thing I read in the morning while I wait for the coffee to be ready. I would be so sad if you didn't blog anymore.
I started using the new interface back when it was beta testing, and while it took some time to get used to it, it seem simple now.
Of course, I've had years of experience with different platforms at other blogs and had to learn new methods at each several times.
Some of the things are difficult to figure out at first, but it will get easier.
But Wordpress is free, too. You can sign up and try it out before you decide whether it's better or not. I did, and between two free options, I stayed with the one I'd already learned.
I echo all the other comments, this blog is essential to my existence!!
I've used tumblr.com and find it very easy to use in the manner you need, and seems to be very stable, whereas I've seen blog after blog disappear for no reason at all with blogger.com.
We love you!!
I tried the new blogger interface and it SUCKS!
Arbroath, if u are going to move to a diff blog site, let us know the link! We'll head over there in no time. Thanks!
I agree with others, love this site, a welcome distraction for 10 mins when work is driving me crazy!! I hope you can figure out an easy way to keep it going :-)
Hi, Arbroath -
I don't think I've ever commented on your site, either, but I've loved it for several years. I'm based in the U.S., and wanted to help SOMEHOW - I have an acquaintance who works for Google, so I forwarded him your post and a brief explanation of your issue. He e-mailed back promptly and said that he forwarded your post to the blogger team, and maybe someone will reach out to you, but he can't promise anything.
So I hope that's at least better than nothing. I explained that many other people have had trouble, too, and are suggesting you move to other sites (good for Google to know about), but that two people at least have not had trouble. (He said he had just tried it without trouble, but I explained the specifics of what you do.)
Hope that helps, and hope you find a good solution!
Many thanks for that Kate, but it looks like it's too late.
It appears that from today the new interface is now the only option available.
I'll give it a go for a couple of days, after which I don't know ...
Hey man,
Haven't responded in a while, but I still read this stuff (almost) every day. I love sharing some of these posts and really wonder where you find all this stuff.
If all fails, might you consider using Google+? The options of posting are pretty basic i'm afraid, but basic often means simpler. It'd be a great and easy way for me to share much of your posts as well. Setting up a page doesn't take much time either.
Good luck in any case!
Apparently they rolled out the "must use new interface" thing gradually since I was forced to use it a while ago. I'm not sure why you find inserting links hard - it's the only thing that seems easier, since I can make them open in a new window without hand-editing the HTML.
But the interleaving of pictures and text is indeed a disaster. I have managed to get what I want by inserting enough blank space that I can drag the pictures apart, then adding the text, sometimes going back and forth between Compose and HTML modes, but it basically seems that you have to keep trying till you randomly get it right.
If you ever get a reply from Google that explains a solution, please do post it. Unlike you, I don't have enough readers that I can risk moving to another platform at this point, so I'm really stuck.
Have you ever heard of the saying if it not broken don't try & fix it? well google took a big sledge hammer & smashed it to pieces. I can't believe the went through with this ridiculous upgrade, or should i say downgrade, not only did extremely annoying place image & text in the right position, all images start in the center even when you align left,upload image are always big so you have to keep resizing it,& on some templates you only get landscape view & you cant re-size it even i html mode,you tell it 136width 200height then when you post it comes out500w 200h & completely distorts the image.
Hopefully when the see how many people leave blogger & go somewhere else the will come to there senses.
You right! New interface bulky and so monster!
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