Mass Confusion Caused By Legacy Account Migration

In 2012, Blogger started the next phase of the Legacy Account migration process.

For several days, we saw mass confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

Why am I getting this email? Is it a scam?

and

I can't migrate my account!

and

I migrated my account, and my blogs disappeared from my dashboard!!

The people targeted in the email were registered owners of legacy (pre 2006) Blogger accounts, created before Blogger started using Google (email address based) accounts.

The confused owners are similar to the ones with whom we have been dealing for several months, unable to regain access to their long dormant Blogger / Google accounts.

Many do not remember creating accounts, others don't remember the login details, which are essential to blog control.

Both the blog owners, and Blogger, contributed to the confusion.

The confusion was caused jointly by Blogger, and by the blog owners. And, it was not a surprise, to Blogger Support.

The confusion started with the history of the migration.

• In 2007, Blogger offered the opportunity to transfer control of owned blogs, to a new Google based account, when someone attempted to login to their legacy Blogger account.
• People never logging in to Blogger after 2007 never got the offer to migrate.
• Some people elected to not migrate - but setup new Google accounts and manually transferred control of their blogs - and left some legacy accounts inactive and without any owned blogs.
• Last year, Blogger warned people that the end of life, of the legacy accounts, was inevitable.

  For a number of technical and operational reasons, we’ve decided to finally end our support for migrating legacy accounts and blogs after December 5th, 2011. So if you have a Blogger account and haven’t logged in since 2007, you will lose access to the account and associated content permanently unless you update to the Google Account system before December 5th.

• Last week, Blogger took the next step.

  You are receiving this message because your email address is associated with an unmigrated legacy Blogger account. As we announced in April of last year, legacy accounts will no longer be accessible after May 30th, 2012 unless they are updated to the Google Account system. Any blog content associated with this account will also be unmodifiable after that date.

• The emails went to registered owners of all unmigrated legacy accounts, whether or not any account owned a blog.

The confusion was magnified by issues caused by the various blog owners.

• Blogger insists on making it easy to create a Blogger account, frequently resulting in non intentional creation of multiple Blogger accounts. Some people, for instance, may have created Blogger accounts to post comments, on other blogs.
• Some people receiving the email had stopped using Blogger, long ago.
• Other people had continued using Blogger, but with newly created Blogger accounts - and simply ignored the unused legacy accounts.
• Many people, overlooking the fact that the migration had started in 2007, became unhappy that they were given only one month to conclude what they had been given, to date - 5 years.
• Too many people, not having used their legacy accounts since 2006, were unable to remember the account name or password, and were forced to use the "Forgot your password?" wizard.
• Some people, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the password reset email, found that this critical email is subject to email spam filters - and now, to email spoofing filters (and the two are not the same).
• Some people managing to complete the migration - but with their blogs owned by a separate (newer) Google based Blogger account - watched in horror as their blogs appeared to disappear from their dashboards. The migration created a new account, leaving their important blogs owned by their previously created Blogger / Google account, which became inaccessible to them.

The confusion continued, with multiple scenarios.

The history, plus the issues, resulted in several scenarios - each resulting in an unhappy account owner.

• Owners with a migrated previously legacy Blogger account (created in 2007), and one or more un migrated legacy Blogger accounts. These people have one or more legacy Blogger accounts (that they don't know about), plus an already migrated previously legacy account (that can't be migrated, again).
• Owners with a Google based Blogger account (created in 2007), and one or more un migrated legacy Blogger accounts. These people have one or more legacy Blogger accounts (that they don't know about), plus a Google based Blogger account (that can't be migrated).
• Owners with a single un migrated legacy Blogger account, unable to migrate because of forgotten account name or password. These people have a legacy Blogger account (that can be migrated, if they know the account name, and the password).
• Owners with a single, newly migrated legacy Blogger account (created this week, with no blogs), and a previously migrated or created Google account (created in 2007, with the owned blogs). These people are now logged in to Blogger with a new Blogger account, and cannot access their blogs, owned by their previous Blogger account.

The unhappy recipients of the email, following the instructions provided to them, posted their complaints in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

If you have questions, please visit our Help Forum at http://www.google.com/appserve/mkt/OKddNnCN05400K and create a message with [legacy Account] in the subject line.

Confusion was magnified by forum complaints, and inability to help.

The confusion spread, as the forums became saturated by the complaints. Not all complaints used the "[legacy Account]" tag, suggested in the instructions. This motivated various forum helpers to use fuzzy processing techniques in sorting various forum complaints, and some non legacy issues were treated as legacy issues. Other legacy issues were overlooked, in the volume of posts.

Blogger Support, becoming aware of the numbers of complaints, created a legacy Account FAQ, and started answering questions, posted in the FAQ. And the frustration became expressed in various FAQ responses.

This is clearly not working out well for Blogger. In the true business world, heads roll when fails are so epic.

This blog owner is overlooking the history and the issues, and making no acknowledgement of his contribution to the problem.

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(Update 2012/04/30 10:00): Blogger Support has now provided a form, for any legacy account owner to use, to request details.

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Mass Confusion Caused By Legacy Account Migration
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2012/04/mass-confusion-caused-by-next-phase-of.html

Challenges Created By Legacy Account Migration
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2012/04/mass-confusion-caused-by-next-phase-of.html

Better Get Into The New Blogger GUI Soon - And Tell Blogger What Problems You Find

The New Blogger GUI (2011) was pushed out, during the past week, to a number of blog owners - and the complaints are showing up in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken. Some are polite.

Please, Blogger - allow us the option of staying with the old format.

and some less polite

Are you listening Google? Your new interface SUCKS!

Only one thing is obvious - many people, suddenly finding themselves using the New GUI, do not like the New GUI.

Unfortunately, there are real reasons why the New GUI has been developed - and those reasons are not going to go away. The New GUI is here - to stay. Right now, comprehensive and objective criticism is needed, to convince Blogger to make it better - before they remove the Classic GUI altogether.

Both major and minor features, developed recently by other groups in Blogger, and by other divisions of Google, are integrated into the New GUI.

• Blogger Dynamic Templates, and the supporting separation of the Layout and Template menu options.
• Google+.
• Better Post Editor.
• Better support for non BlogSpot (aka "custom domain") publishing.
• Blogs accessed under Country Code TLD Aliases.

We've seen evidence of all of these efforts, recently.

As long as Blogger has to maintain two GUI versions, they will have to move slower to keep both versions working. Staff has to be employed to both maintain both versions, and keep the various features in both versions working together. As long as there are two versions of the GUI, some staff, that should be improving the New GUI, is going to be busy supporting the Classic GUI.

One of the causes, of some New GUI problems, involves people switching back and forth between the two GUIs, to better use the features that they prefer. If you have observed problems with your blog recently

• Custom Domain Publishing.
• Post Editor paragraphing.
• Post Editor advance post scheduling.

you are possibly observing a problem caused by conflicting code in the two GUI versions. Until everybody is using the same GUI version, the conflicting code will continue to cause problems - and some Blogger Support staff will have to spend time identifying and patching the problems.

Yet, there are features that are present in the Classic GUI, that need to be added to the New GUI, before substantial numbers of people can start using the New GUI. In order to identify those features, enough people have to start using the New GUI - and let Blogger know what features are missing, that need to be provided, immediately.

We have a problem rollup discussion, currently hosted in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where we am actively soliciting comments from people who have tried the New Blogger GUI. Please keep your comments brief, polite, and on topic.

Just try to make your comments before it's too late - when The New Blogger Interface becomes The Blogger Interface.

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Legacy Blogger Accounts Are No Longer Supported

Last year, Blogger made an announcement that displeased a few Blogger blog owners.

For a number of technical and operational reasons, we’ve decided to finally end our support for migrating legacy accounts and blogs after December 5, 2011.

The initial announcement was made in April, 2011, with an action date, initially scheduled, well before December 5 - and the action date was delayed, several times. The quotation that you see was edited by Blogger Support, in their article, repeatedly.

On December 6, 2011, support for Legacy Blogger accounts finally ended. Even so, we still see occasional signs of oblivious account holders, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

My account doesn't have a Google address because it it is 8 years old - how do I recover access to my account?

Apparently, not everybody who needed to do so, bothered to read the announcement.

Like the long announced FTP Publishing migration, Legacy accounts support has ended. There's no known alternative, for Legacy accounts - nor is the status of the accounts themselves - or the blogs, or of the URLs, owned by the non supported Blogger accounts - known.

What does the above announcement state? Simply, if

1. You have a legacy account.
2. You never bothered to migrate your legacy account.
3. You try migrating your legacy account in the future.
4. And you have a problem with the migration.
5. Then, you are on your own.

Blogger is looking to the future - and needs to spend their time more productively. They simply don't have time to diagnose problems with individual accounts that can't be migrated, after many months of warning, about this change, was provided.

What does the above announcement not state?

1. You can't use your legacy Blogger account, in the future.
2. You can't migrate your legacy Blogger account, to a current Google account.
3. Your legacy Blogger account will be deleted.
4. Your blogs, owned by a legacy Blogger account, will be deleted.
5. The URLs, used by blogs owned by a legacy Blogger account, will be taken from you.
6. Any URL, used by a blog owned by a legacy Blogger account, will be made available to you.

None of the above were stated, in the announcement. The announcement states only that migration support has ended. Whether any of the above will change, in the future, can't be predicted. We'll hope that some warning will be given, before any of the above change. Just don't bet any money that warning will be given.

All that we can say, right now, is

You were warned.

Sorry. All things come to an end. You have to support Blogger, to expect them to support you.

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Blog Owners With Old Browsers May Want To Avoid Trying The New GUI

In general, it's good to be adventurous - but not always. Sometimes, listening to our friends, to be adventurous, gets us into trouble. We're being urged to "Try the updated Blogger interface", by our "friends" - aka Blogger - in our Classic GUI dashboard. Blog owners who are still using an older browser, that's admittedly unsupported by Blogger, may find themselves with a problem, when they "Try the updated Blogger interface".

Clicking on the link, to "Try the updated Blogger interface", you'll find yourself viewing a rather monolithic and ominous warning.

Your browser is no longer supported by Blogger. Some parts of Blogger will not work and you may experience problems.
If you are having problems, try Google Chrome. | Dismiss

Now, you're at a point of no return. If your browser is current, you can always take a look at the New GUI, then click "Old Blogger interface", behind the gear icon - and you'll be none the worse. If your browser is out of date, when you get to The New GUI, you may not see the gear icon (or anything else).

If you cannot use the "Old Blogger interface" menu item, you can use the Blogger Classic GUI Recovery URL.

www.blogger.com/opt-in-new-ui.g?useNewUi=false

One day, though, you will need to move forward.

• Install Chrome, or a different browser at current version, then switch back.
• Upgrade the current browser.

You have to move forward, eventually. Don't wait, forever.

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A Blogger Account, For Virginia, USA

A few months ago, a few Blogger blog owners were given important news which may not have pleased them.

For a number of technical and operational reasons, we’ve decided to finally end our support for migrating legacy accounts and blogs after December 5, 2011.

If you are one of the blog owners who needs to read this, you will need to know the name and password for your (Legacy) Blogger account.

You will need to execute the Claim your blog wizard, before December 5. The normal Blogger account recovery wizard may work for you now - but after the end of next month, it will probably not.

If necessary, move ahead, this month. Next month will be too late.

A Template For Virginia USA #2

For Christmas (End Of Year) 2009, I went back to Virginia again, for a brief visit. What I found, besides the snow (and there was too much of that) were some positive notes. The State Of Virginia USA really is moving into the future. For us Californians (Yes, I consider myself a Californian) they now have a Frys Electronics, a Trader Joes (2 of them in the Richmond area!), and an In-N-Out Burger (No, they don't have that yet!). OK, I'll settle for 2 out of 3.

The point is, Virginia really is moving ahead, into the future. And this month, some bloggers are feeling the need to do that. Two changes in Blogger - Auto Pagination, and the approaching end to FTP Publishing, will both hasten the end to classic templates, and make the move to layout templates more natural.

Owners of blogs with classic templates have, for a long time, been asking about how to get "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links for their blogs. That's not a feature that can be provided, in HTML, unfortunately. The "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links have to be dynamically generated, so they can't be part of HTML based templates.

This week, we're seeing a new need for the "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links. Owners of blogs subject to restriction in archive or main page size, thanks to Auto Pagination, report inability to get all posts indexed by the search engines, or viewed by their readers. Neither main page view, nor individual archive page views, will consistently display all posts in a single page. Without "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links, all posts can't be indexed or viewed.

Without the dynamic display that's part of a blog with a layouts template, your blog won't have "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links, and won't provide indexing or viewing of all posts in an archive or main page. Nor will the blog have a dynamic labels index.

Now, blogs that use classic templates, and have large or complex posts, are just broken. When support for FTP publishing ends next month, there will be no more blogs that absolutely must use classic templates.

No support for FTP published blogs = no need to support classic templates.

XML based layouts templates are now reality, in Blogger blogging. It's time to move ahead, Virginian bloggers.

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That said, I am suggesting that you provide details about your problems, so Blogger may be able to fix your problems.

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Classic or Layouts Template? Your Choice (Maybe)

Does anybody remember Old Blogger (pre 2006), and the process of adding or relocating an accessory - maybe a picture or linklist - to the blog? For many of us, that memory is fast fading. New Blogger 2006, and the Layouts templates with their GUI linklist setup, is so much more user friendly. You can use a Layouts template with any blog published to a BlogSpot URL - or to a non-BlogSpot URL on a Google server, using Custom Domain publishing.

Even with New Blogger 2006 being the reality (and Old Blogger a distant memory), some bloggers are still stuck with a Classic template. Maybe by choice

I hate new Blogger, and the widgets. I like having a template that I can understand.

or maybe forced upon them

I want to publish my blog to my own server.

some bloggers are sticking with a Classic template. Publishing your blog to a non-BlogSpot URL on an external server, using FTP, requires static HTML and a Classical template.

Occasionally, you hear the puzzled question

What does this mean?

Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.

That's awfully mysterious, to the new blogger who just got a (Classic) template at Templates-R-Us, and tried to install it to his (Designer / Layout) blog. To those of us who have seen that message a few hundred times, it's a 5 second diagnosis. You cannot install a Classic template into a Designer / Layouts blog.

If you're lucky and you're simply trying to install a widget that uses HTML, all that you have to do is create a new HTML page element. If it's a full blown template, you're going to have to revert the blog to use a Classic template, before installing the new code.

Not everybody knows if they have a Classic or Designer / Layout template. To the folks who understand the differences, though, it's as clear as night and day.


My Classic Template Laboratory is where I test blog changes against a Classical template. See the "Template" link?



The Real Blogger Status (this blog) uses a Designer template, with its many widgets, to bring you the information that you need. See the "Layout" link (which will now say "Design")?



Another example can be seen if you click the "Customize" or "Design" link in the Navbar. What do you see then?

To edit a Classic template, you have 1 choice - "Edit HTML".

To edit a Designer / Layout template, you have several choices.

1. Edit HTML.
2. Page Elements.
3. Template Designer.

For some changes, you may have alternate solutions. And many changes are far easier to make, by using "Page Elements" or "Template Designer", than by using "Edit HTML".

You can generally access each of the above wizards using the (obvious) menu structure. In some cases, if the template is damaged, the wizards won't work correctly, so you may need manual procedures to access the right wizard.

Having said all of the above, I will note that you can use HTML in a layouts template, and that is easier to do than you would think. That's still a layout template, though - there is no way to add XML code into a classic HTML based template.

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