Hidden gems of Blogger

Hidden in Blogger's labyrinthine user interface are a few interesting, and even useful, features.

A cautious way to change your blog

If you've been blogging for a while, you might feel both intrigued and timid about making changes. ¶ 

You might hold back from trying a new blog theme for fear of subjecting your readers to an experiment, or to an extended period of switching things around. ¶ 

Ideally, you'd test and debug things in private, and then go live with the new design once it is ready for prime time. ¶ 

You can do that. I have done it twice (for another blog).

Puzzling interface hall of shame

Blogger's back end (at www.blogger.com) includes some quirks that are confusing at best. ¶ 

A worst, they could cause you to make errors that cannot be undone.

Google is just not into you

Google Search has changed. ¶ 

It's a lot pickier. ¶ 

Here is how to adapt.

Editing quick takes

A few things about Blogger's post-and-page editor ¶ 

There are undo and redo buttons on the editing toolbar. ¶ 

Use undo in Blogger, not "go back" on your browser, if you accidentally wipe out your blog post.

A smaller Blogger Follow button

The standalone "Follow" button I cobbled together ten years ago broke following some mysterious changes from Google. ¶ 

Here's how to fix it.

Search Console struggles

THIS IS NOT THE TOOL YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. ¶ 

There is a thing that you probably don't need to know, and if you do know it, that knowledge will confuse you, alarm you needlessly, and cause you waste your time. ¶ 

Are you in?