Too Clever By Half

You've got five feed options in Settings:

• 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 ¶ 

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.

It's super easy to steal work that does not belong to you. I think you know that you should not do that.

Photo: See number eight. ¶

Ask the owner for permission. If you do not know who the owner is, and there's no public license, don't use it.

It sounds like a cool hack: draft your post in your favorite app, photos and all, then paste that into the Blogger editor. ¶ 

Grab that thing you're quoting from the web and paste into the post. ¶ 

The good news is that this will usually work (with some quirks), but you need to take extra steps to protect your blog from junk code.

Have you seen this blog? ¶ 

Deleting an account might delete the blog or blogs it owns—but it might not. ¶ 

And deleting the account might have other effects on a blog, too.

A CATALOG OF DISCONTENTS ¶ 

So why do the Responsive blog themes, introduce by Google in 2017, continue to give me pause nine years later? ¶ 

Don't get me wrong: the fact that these are responsive means they provide a superior user experience on mobile. That is huge. ¶ 

Most web traffic today comes from phones, and a responsive theme makes your work easier to read, find, and navigate from there. ¶ 

Nonetheless, there are tradeoffs.

Google introduced three new features to Blogger this year.

• In July, Google introduced a new system for backing up our blogs. 
• As the year ends, we're randomly seeing two "beta" features that use machine intelligence to add hyperlinks from your posts to related Google searches.

The changes shared one thing in common: the absence of direct communication or explanation from Google about the new features. Bad Google!

The above links will take you to my unofficial guide to these new features.

Spoiler: Yes, Google can delete your blog. ¶ 

But someone else could have deleted it, if it is missing. Including you, by accident (or otherwise). ¶ 

It's easy to tell if Google is the culprit. Google will tell you, if you've let it.

"And when they went back to the blog, IT HAD VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE!" ¶

Not to scare you, but it's easier to lose your blog than you think. ¶ 

Secure your blog by understanding what can go wrong:

•  (1) you delete your blog
•  (2) a co-blogger deletes it
•  (3) you are hacked
•  (4)  Google deletes it

Trusted contacts for account recovery ¶ 

Google last month created a new tool to recover your blogging account if you are ever locked out.

It's insurance that you have to set up while you still have access. And it involves a trusted friend or family member.

This isn't permanent, but as of today, and for maybe a month or so, this blog will be rendered according to the responsive theme I have been working on lately. ¶ 

What do you think? Your questions are also welcome. ¶ 

More below.

For some, the most urgent information about a new Blogger feature is how to undo it. ¶ 

Clicking the "automatic search links" tool adds multiple hyperlinks to your blog post or page.

The links are to different Google searches. It turns out a lot of people do not like them.

To undo: If you act right away, the undo tool on the toolbar, or the standard undo key commands, will restore the blog post to its status quo ante.

Some things about Blogger are not obvious. They make sense once you get the trick of how they work. ¶ 

Your account: 

May you never need to recover access to your blogging account! ¶ 

Blogger's new backup feature, using Google Takeout, offers more choices about how to safeguard your blog. ¶ 

And, it's a big change. ¶ 

Maybe my story will help you to devise a backup work flow that suits you.

And, you do have options.

If you haven't done so lately, read your blog on a phone.

At least some of your readers do. ¶ 

(If you haven't got a phone, there's a workaround below.) ¶ 

Do you like what you see?

As of July 1, backing up your blog on Blogger uses Google Takeout and includes every Blogger-related file in your account at once. ¶ 

Takeout offers some new options including ¶ 

• ability to schedule bimonthly backups ❦ 
• ability to back up to Drive and other cloud services ❦ 
• ability to back up multiple blogs at once

Blogger in Draft, Google's beta channel for Blogger, now backs up blog content using Google Takeout. ¶ 

Update: Looks like this is rolling out for everybody now (July 1). Takeout is now the only way to back up blog contents (posts, pages, contents).

Earlier this month, Blogger in Draft gained the ability to import backups downloaded via Takeout. Now, it exports them using Takeout only. ¶ 

If this feature migrates to regular Blogger, it will replace single-file backup.

More small stuff that you might like to know