For those not yet familiar with the new "Responsive" class themes, I offer my demo 4 "Responsive" blogs - one blog per exciting theme.
You can see the links to the 4 demo blogs, at the top of the sidebar.
You have to make an effort, to find the sidebar, however. The effort is necessary, to help the "Responsive" class templates replace the "Layout" / "Designer" class templates - and their special "Mobile" template.
See the linklist "Responsive Templates Tests", in the pop out sidebar?
Whether you are viewing this blog as The Real Blogger Status, or as Now, Ya See It - Now, Ya Don't, or even as Custom Domain Redirection, And "A" Referral Servers, you probably are not looking at the sidebar.
If you do want to see the sidebar, just click on the "hamburger" icon, in the upper right corner of the screen.
Click on the "hamburger" icon, to open the sidebar.
The "hamburger" icon is in the upper right corner.
The sidebar, normally hidden, to let the post content be more readable on a tiny "phone" display.
The "pop out" sidebar is one majorly innovative design feature, that helps the "Responsive" class templates replace the "Layout" / "Designer" class templates, and their special "Mobile" template.
The pop out sidebar is only visible, when you want to access sidebar content - by clicking on the "hamburger" icon.
Now, you see it.
Now, you don't.
Click on the tiny "right arrow" icon, to hide the sidebar, when the sidebar is open.
So yeah, if finding the sidebar is now an effort for your readers, I sympathise. But the hidden sidebar has a practical origin - it's not purely cosmetic.
If you recently upgraded your #Blogger blog to use an exciting new "Responsive" theme, and you can't find the sidebar, with its wonderful complement of gadgets, that's because the sidebar is now hidden.
Just click on the "hamburger" icon, and all will be seen.
Several months ago, I took a leap into the future, and upgraded this blog to use a "Responsive" class template.
There are four "Responsive" templates - Contempo, Soho, Emporio, and Notable. The differences between the four include more than merely the visible design.
My serious opinion about template choice is that two people, each starting a blog about the same subject, and using the same source of content, will still have different perspectives - and each will probably choose a different template.
Anybody who asks me, bluntly
Which template is a better choice, for my blog?
Gets my facetious reply
Whatever template encourages you to write more original and quality content, in your blog, is best for your blog.
It's your blog. Your blog is valuable, because of the content.
Our clean, exciting new look.
Our boring previous look.
If you want more advice, I'll offer you my four "Responsive" class test templates - Contempo Test, Soho Test, Emporio Test, and Notable Test. You can examine this post, and compare the visible differences, on each of the four.
The navbar is gone.
Where's the navbar?
It's possible that the navbar contains details that are not compatible with hosting on the Google CDN. Is this why Blogger started providing a "Report this blog". gadget?
The sidebar is now hidden - unless you need to see it.
See the linklist "Responsive Templates Tests", in the pop out sidebar? You need to click on the "hamburger" icon, in the upper right corner of the screen, to see the sidebar.
The "pop out" sidebar is one majorly innovative design feature, that helps the "Responsive" class templates replace the "Layout" / "Designer" class templates, and their special "Mobile" template.
The pop out sidebar is only visible, when you want to access sidebar content, by clicking on the "hamburger" icon.
There are more, undocumented improvements, too.
Besides the "Mobile" template that is now redundant, there are significant differences between the four "Responsive" templates, that may encourage choice of one or the other. As I continue to upgrade the older posts in this blog, to look better using "Notable", I'll start discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each.
If this interests you, move your blog forward, by choosing an exciting "Responsive" class template, from the dashboard "Theme" page.
Pick one of the new and exciting "Responsive" class templates - Contempo, Soho, Emporio, Notable.
You can setup your own demo / test set, easily enough.
If necessary, setup your own test blog set, with your own test posts - and compare your content on the different templates, to see what your blog will look like. Or, you can use my sidebar menu "Responsive Templates Test" - and look at my four test blogs.
My personal choice of the "Notable" Responsive template, was not immediate - it took several days, and some experimentation using various tests - and my 4 test blogs. You can take your time - and change your template, as you feel the need.
The Real Blogger Status has moved into the future - and is now using a new #Blogger supplied "Responsive" class template. It's going to take some work, to make the blog truly look good under "Notable" - but progress always has a price.
This month, we have a few reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, about problems Following some blogs.
Why am I being blocked, from Following?
Some would be Followers are taking this personally. Please, don''t do that.
What you're seeing (maybe, when trying to Follow this blog, too) is not an owner initiated conspiracy.
The Blogger Followers gadget rewrite is taking shape.
If you're trying to use a non Google account to login to Following, you'll be seeing this, for some blogs.
If you want to Follow some blogs, you will need to use a Google account. The OpenID and similar non Google logins are not usable, with Following, any more.
We were warned, several months ago, about changes to Followers.
As we mentioned some weeks ago, starting this week, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. To follow a blog via Google Friend Connect now, readers will need a Google Account (the same they use for Gmail or YouTube).
It's happening, finally. One day, we'll have a new - and more stable - Followers gadget.
The #Blogger Followers gadget rewrite is continuing. This month, some would be Followers are seeing a notice, instead of the gadget, when they try to Follow some blogs, without Google accounts.
The Followers Gadget Rewrite Continues
Would Be Followers Being Blocked By The Blog Owner
Blog owners who need to export blog content are reporting confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.I'm trying to export my blog, but when I click "Settings > Other", there is no "Export" option!
Not all blog owners realise that the "Export" wizard is now "Back up".
Changes in functionality may perplex blog owners, too.
There are various ways to use "export" and "import" features, that may involve Blogger, and non Blogger content hosts.
Not all content will transfer, equally well - whether a Blogger or non Blogger host is involved, as either the source or target. The Blogger blog owner, using "Import & back up", will be responsible for resolving any differences.
"Import & back up" is now used to export and import Content (pages, posts & comments).
"Import Content" is used, as previously.
"Back up Content" is the former Export wizard.
"Import Content" is used, as previously.
When you import content, consider the multiple possibilities of XML files.
- Archive / Backup comments, pages, and posts.
- Archive / backup templates.
- Publish newsfeeds in Atom and RSS.
Observe the nature and source of any XML file, whenever importing. "Import Content" will work best, with comments, pages, and posts backed up from Blogger.
- It may, or may not, work with content Backed up ("Exported") from other content hosting services.
- It may, or may not, work with templates, Backed up from Blogger or from a third party source.
- It won't work, with newsfeed content - or other XML data files.
And, as always, be careful when using the "Automatically publish ..." option, any time you import content.
"Back up Content" is the former Export wizard.
"Backup Content" will be most useful, when used to Import content to another Blogger blog. It may, or may not, work to Import content to another content hosting service.
"Backup Content" is most useful, when you plan how to use the content being backed up. And you will benefit, from regular use.
When moving content from, or into, another hosting service, note limitations.
Every content hosting service - Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress, and many many others - will have their own data management policies. A backup / export file, created under any one service may, or may not, work under another service.
If you experience problems, you'll be arbitrating diagnostics provided by the source and target tech support groups - whatever you can find. You will be the point person, in dealing with any problems that involve multiple hosts.
Moving content between services is not a project for the beginning Blogger blog owner. It's similar in complexity to using a Blogger custom domain outside Blogger.
The recent redesign of the #Blogger dashboard "Export / Import" wizard, at Settings - Other, has perplexed some blog owners.
Not everybody knows that "Backup" is the same task as "Export". And few blog owners understand the complexities of using XML type files, with different sources and targets.
