Come to think of it... is there ANY browser that Blogger doesn't hate?
In the past few years we've been struggling with this blasted site via every browser imaginable.
FIREFOX
First, it was just about everything regarding formatting: uploading images, changing the font or its colour... you name it, it got it. The most annoying part was probably the fact that after prolonged editing it just stopped reacting to it. It's not that it froze or anything; it simply did not seem to "register" any editing changes.
(The image uploading seems to have gotten a little better. That's it.
Then again, it may have gotten "better" simply because I do not use Firefox for editing anymore.)
(The image uploading seems to have gotten a little better. That's it.
Then again, it may have gotten "better" simply because I do not use Firefox for editing anymore.)
Then, Amazon widgets as well as Amazon book cover links disappeared from view (and haven't returned - although they are perfectly visible in other browsers).
Then, in the past year or so, the QUICK EDIT button simply disappeared.
(Yes, we do have it enabled. We're not as stupid as Blogger apparently think we are.)
In order to edit a post, we have to click the Log In button on the upper right side, which brings us to the Dashboard page, and only from there we can select the post to edit.
It keeps forcing the damned Apple-style formatting, which makes it impossible to edit the colour and size of the font.
It is practically impossible to acces the "Advanced" tab in the Template Designer. The page appears to be loading, loading, loading... indefinitely.
It simply does not work.
CHROME
I've been using it for almost two years now, on and off.
At first, it appeared to perform much better than Firefox. At the very least, we didn't have to resort to "logging in" (again and again) to edit the posts because the Quick Edit button was visible.
Not anymore.
And, as in Firefox, it keeps forcing the Apple-style formatting, which in turn forces us to spend frustratingly long hours undoing it.
FLOCK
Until a few days ago, Flock was, by far, the best browser among those we use to edit Blogger. The Quick Edit button always showed, as did the Amazon widgets and links.
The latter still work - but the Quick Edit button is not visible anymore.
And, as in Firefox, the "Advanced" tab in the Template Designer more often than not simply does not load. It is fun to watch those three dots running again and again, though... ... ... ...
SAFARI
We do not use Safari anymore, at least not for the time being, but there were countless problems with it, mostly - but not exclusively - with image uploading. In a nutshell, it simply wouldn't do it.
INTERNET EXPLORER
Sorry, we do not use IE anymore, haven't used it since 2003 or 2004.
But feel free to report any problems - or the lack thereof - that you are having with it. We'll be glad to publish it.
Since the original draft of this entry, some three weeks ago, a few other - even more serious - problems have cropped up. While using the Blogger (new) Template Designer we find it impossible to change the colour of the post titles or the font of the body text.
Not even editing the HTML seems to work.
The new Blogger template designer, while very rich in fonts, is ridiculously user-unfriendly. For example, why is there no colour editing of the title itself available in the "Post" section? You can define the font, the colour of the background and of the border - but not of the post title itself.
In order to define the colour of the post title you have to go to... I forget.
Where's the rationale for that? And why isn't it explained anywhere in the "Help" section? The full extent of the help-lessness of Blogger's "Help" section is illustrated by the fact that there are many unrelated blogs, some better than others, showng people how to do what Blogger and its employees should teach them how to do.
And by the way, why is it that the archiving offers no "titles only" option?
As readers of other people's blogs we know that titles are much more attractive and interesting than dates.
We're not into blogging for the money (duh!) but we still want our readers to have a good time on our blogs and access the posts that might be of interest to them as quickly as possible.
If I were reading this entry without first-hand knowledge of Blogger editing, my first question would be: "Have you told them - Blogger - about it?"
No, not anymore.
Two of us reported the problems as soon as they arose, years ago. We never got any (intelligent) answers. The few answers we did get were from fellow bloggers who were apparently as befuddled as we were; and there was, I think, a reply from a Blogger "official", who clearly had no idea what she was talking about or - more likely - didn't bother to really read the query in the first place.
That's the problem with Blogger - and that's the problem with Google in general: they simply dont care about the finer points - or their "finer" users.
The "point" that is of interest to them is how much money they can squeeze out, while smothering the competition in its cradle, if possible - by brute force, not by accomplishment.
Which means catering to the majority, which appears to be increasingly dumbed down - not least thanks to Google itself. Which is why their services are becoming increasingly cumbersome and time-consuming for anyone who wants to use the internet as a library - not as a playground for the mentally impaired.
I hear Google is a fine company to work for. They have lots and lots of fun together, in those offices of theirs.
I believe it. I used to work in a collaborative environment (not an office, properly speaking) that was mostly pure joy. Often I could not wait to get to the "office"; and very, very often we hung out together for hours after the work day was over.
However, the fun we had was reflected in the high quality of our work, which was every bit as public-targeted as Google's is.
We listened to the public and did our best to excel. The fact that we had such a grand time working together only made our efforts run smoother - it did not make us complacent.
And that's what Google appears to be. Complacent.
Not a good sign. Because, sooner or later, there will be someone better, "prettier", more intelligent, more capable than them, and more attuned to the needs of the people, who, after all, keep search machines going - in other words, a competitor that will give them a run for their money.
And their empire will come crashing down like you wouldn't believe it. They certainly wouldn't. Complacent idiots never do, until it's too late.
Perhaps I shouldn't be so harsh on Google employees. After all, we were not doing our work for the money only, as they seem to.
1 comments:
Whoa! You gave them a good thrashing!!
I like it.
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