Too Clever By Half

Posts

Useless forbidden knowledge

In which the author writes about something that bloggers should probably ignore, in the hopes that greater knowledge will (please!) convince them to ignore it. ¶

Three tarot cards losely piled against a colorful background

Google's Search Console, useless for most bloggers (or nearly so), will tell you that there is something related to your blog called "redirect error."

Don't panic.

Add a map-search element to your blog

Blogger has a new tool to feature a location. It's called a "map widget" and provides a distinctive graphical display that is linked to Google Maps.

This could be a boon to those who blog with a geographical bent.

Google's unprecedented lapse

On August 3, a bug in Google's automated security system disabled hundreds, and probably thousands, of Blogger blogs. ¶

A classical portrait of an 18th-century gentleman in the posture of sudden surprise and shock.

Robot run amok! Google fixed the bug two days later, and many are reporting that their blogs have been restored. ¶

However, as of today Google has still not explained to English-language bloggers that they must request a review to get their blogs back. Or even that the bug is fixed. ¶

Indeed, Google's only explanation or announcement seems to have been in the Spanish-language help community for Blogger, through that community's manager.

Smile! (and account security)

Google is unrolling a new way to make your Google account recoverable if you forget your password, are hacked, or otherwise lose access. ¶

Three saffron-robed Buddhist monks taking cell-phone pictures of each other and themselves

Your picture. ¶

"Selfie for sign-in" joins the other three methods (or four, depending on how you count things) for verifying your identity in case there is ever a question. ¶

Do not think this cannot happen to you. ¶

Like these other methods, there is a catch: you have to set it up before you lose access.

The jump-break feed is best for engagement

You've got five feed options in Settings:

A dialog box titled "Allow blog feed." "Use Jump Break" is selected.

Full •
Until Jump Break •
Short •
Custom •
None ¶

Your feed lets people read your blog in a feed reader, and is required for some things. It's enabled by default.

I have already made the case for using jumps on your blog. So how about in feeds? ¶

Below are your feed options. I think you'll agree that Jump Break is best for engagement.

Still in Beta ¶

The brightly colored Google tool stands out agant the otherwise grey tollbar interface. It deploys two options: Insert Google Search widget and Auto add links to Search, shown,

For those that have it, Google's awkward "Auto add links to Search" tool now has a name, and a place to live that is not floating in front of the editing window. (Previously it had several other names that were not so nice.) ¶

It has joined "Insert Google Search widget" on the new "Insert widget and AI-powered enhancements" menu in the editor.