Sunday, May 19, 2019

Managing labels

Use these tools (circled in red).
Labels group posts together on pages by category.

They are a great way to organize your blog.

But how can you manage them?

If you have only a few labels and a few posts, it's pretty simple.

But if you have hundreds of posts, and want to apply or change a new category retroactively, it can be daunting.

Batch changes

Fortunately, Blogger has the tools for batch or bulk application, removal, and change of labels—changes to large numbers of posts at once.

The tools are on your dashboard at www.blogger.com > Posts.

Select the posts you want (using the check boxes on the left side of each post listed). The changes you make will apply to those posts.

Add labels to many at once

You can apply existing labels to selected posts from a drop-down labeling menu at upper left.

the labeling menu
Select to add or delete

The menu is unlabeled except for a small icon that might be a tag (as in, tag your posts) or maybe a stubby pencil.

Select the label of you choice to apply it to the selected posts.

Chose "new label" to create and apply a new label.

Find all posts with a given label

At upper right is a label-finding menu. Its default appearance is to show the words "all labels" and a small downward-pointing arrowhead.

Select to find and filter

Choose a label from the menu to find the posts with that label.

Remove labels from your blog

The labels menu at upper left can remove labels, too. Here's how.

First, find all instance of the label you want to remove using the label-finding menu at upper right.

Then select all by checking the master checkbox at top left.

Then chose the label from the labeling menu at upper left.

There's no "remove" option on this menu. Applying the label to the posts that already have the label will remove the label.

Change labels on a bunch of posts at once

Let's put it all together.

Imagine that the cupcake blog you started on a whim years ago has thrived.

Blogger profile for The Cupcake Guy
You've written hundreds of posts, labeling haphazardly as you went.

Today you want to make your labels work better.

In particular, you have labeled some of your posts "Chocolate," and some others "chocolate."

Since labels are case sensitive, these are two different labels, sorting their posts onto two different pages.

But they all belong together.

To resolve this problem, you have decided to make the label for all the chocolate posts lower case.

Here's how.

1. Find the errant "Chocolate."

Use the label-finding menu at right to find all posts labeled "Chocolate."

Check the master checkbox at top left to select all of those posts.

Don't delete "Chocolate" yet.

2. Apply the preferred "chocolate"

Use the labeling menu at left to apply lower-case "chocolate."

3. Delete "Chocolate"

Delete the upper-case label by choosing "Chocolate" from the labeling menu.

4. Mischief managed.

 

Related: the power of labeling your posts.

4 comments:

  1. As always very helpful and clear tips. Each day on blogger is a learning experience. Thanks Adam for making it a little less daunting.
    Julianne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks. Your posts are very useful for a blogger like me. Thanks once again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, F with P! Glad to be of service.

      Delete