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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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Comments

Nitecruzr said…
Auntie,

What you said, so far, is a good start. You don't have to "speak computer language" - just speak English (preferred).

Tell us, here or in the forum discussion, what bothers you.

Write concisely, politely, and on topic. The people who "speak computer language", given a complaint politely written in English, will read what you write.

Just remember the #1 rule.

"If you don't say it, it may not be said."

http://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!category-topic/blogger/something-is-broken/siGTUCP-1G8
Ms. A said…
Well... I haven't been able to "Manage" on Classic, for months and can't "Manage" on the new one, either. So in that respect, I've seen no improvement. I'm not a big blogger, so that's the only thing I've had problems with, so far, other than dealing with learning something different, which is always difficult.
WNY Softball said…
"The New GUI is here to stay"

...but I'm not. It's horrible. So bad, the person (people) who developed it need to be relieved of their duties.

Thanks for your help over the years, I'll be moving on to a different service.
Mary said…
In fairness, advanced-scheduling hasn't worked for so long in the old interface that I have no expectation that it will work in the old interface either.

I hate the way that when I edit an older post, there's no easy way to get back to that (except by searching for it in the whole post list again). But that's just an interface feature that I don't like, not a show-stopping bug.
OZ said…
My biggest worry with all this new GUI problems is loosing two years worth of Blog writing, layout and the like.
mshatch said…
I'm having trouble posting pictures. Some, but not all, are getting turned about so that they are no longer oriented the same way I originally took the picture.
I, too, have had managing problems with the old interface and am sorry to hear it seems to be continuing in the new one, too. I like the old dashboard a whole lot more, being able to see everything, especially comments, with one click instead of two, as the new format makes me do. I will bounce back and forth and hope it's not just a 'I hate change' attitude on my part but I don't care for the new GUI
William Kendall said…
It's driving me nuts.
Nitecruzr said…
Hatch,

The matter of the pictures getting "turned around" is related to the EXIF data attached to the pictures, and how the post editor "Insert image" wizard handles the EXIF data.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2012/02/incorrect-orientation-of-photos.html
BECKY said…
I HATE it, too. If I wanted my blog to be plain and boring, I would switch to Wordpress. Will we be able to keep our "cute" backgrounds/templates? I haven't seen a way to do that. Very unhappy..
Margo said…
I cannot seem to get my photos centered, or write the text I want to write. Loading pics works fine, but I'm really struggling with the new posting format. I don't see many problems with some of the rearranging of the command parts, but posting has turned into a real nightmare. Please google, fix this or I'll be moving ALL of my blogger accounts to some other service. This is unacceptable, and I wish there was a way to switch back as I have important business related blog posts to make and they look like nonsense right now.
Metanoia said…
Who designed it? Have they ever used a blog before? No consistant navigation bar. Having to navigate back and forth to get to core tools (new post/edit post/view blog) and that is just what I saw in the 10 minutes of flailing about trying to get the feedback link to work (it doesn't work on the new post and edit post pages in firefox by the way) before I found the revert to classic button and sweet relief.

Put all the options in the old menu bar right at the top of every page! It is common sense design!!
Nitecruzr said…
BECKY,

Please don't confuse the New GUI and the Dynamic Templates.

This article discusses the New GUI, which won't have any effect on blog or template content.

The Dynamic Templates ("plain and boring") are offered by both the Classic GUI, and the New GUI. You're under no obligation to use a Dynamic Template - whether you use the Classic or New GUI.
I use my ipad to create posts on my blog. With the classic interface I'm able to write and post pictures, even if in a round about way (emailing photos from my ipad to my blog, then copying/pasting) With the new interface it seems I completely lose my ability to post using my ipad, and seeing as that is my only "computer" I won't be able to continue writing and editing my blog. Will there be a solution for ipad users that's user friendly? It seems like it should be seriously looked at considering how many people are now using ipads. Very frustrating!
Nitecruzr said…
Green,

Blogger seems to generally focus most of their initial design efforts on desktop computers with full GUI features. Mobile computers, with partial / non existent keyboards, small screens, low colour depth, and / or browsers without common add-ons, seem to be frequently overlooked in the beginning of many design efforts.

This is why I wrote this article. Unless people try using the New GUI, they won't find out what's missing, and won't tell Blogger what they have overlooked. Yet each missing feature guarantees that people will stay away from the New GUI until the last minute.

It's a double edged sword - and it will cut both the blog owners and Blogger.
MARLA THIRSK said…
For me it's a legimate concern. I'm on DIAL UP like many many people who live in remote areas and even those in centers where cable is unavailable. GOOGLE CHROME took 2.5 hrs (!) to download and is not compatible with my protection program. I've had to make a separate program for when I want to post and the whole time I wonder what evil I'm inadvertently uploading. I just wish all the 'Techy' geniuses would remember high speed is not magically available to all across the board. Why do you have to always change something that works just fine? Is there a prize for bells and whistles?
Nitecruzr said…
MARLA,

I sympathise with you, I was on dial-up just 3 years ago - and it's a pain.

Unfortunately, as dial-up becomes less and less common, it's going to be less and less part of design for any new software. That's reality.

If you are part of the (less than) 1% left on dial-up, your numbers will shrink, and you will be more and more out of place, each year. And you'll find less online products will work for you, each year.

I highly recommend that you look for a better connectivity solution, soon.
PamKittyMorning said…
I can roll with the new interface, its the fact that the scheduling feature isnt working thats driving me nuts.
Rio Arriba said…
My blog is simple. I used to click on "New Post," put up a picture, a title, and some new text, click "Publish" and be done. Now I can seldom even get "New Post" to stop hanging up and not letting me in.

I'm not a Bells & Whistles user. I just want it to work when I want it to work.

It doesn't.
Nitecruzr said…
Rio,

You sound like you are seeing a variation of the "New GUI White Screen Of Death" - maybe you should be posting your report in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

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