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Sharing To Google+, And The "Gray Screen Of Death"

If you like to multi task when using Blogger, you probably keep a few windows and tabs open, in the browser.

If you have lots of tasks running simultaneously, and you try to Share to Google+ from the dashboard Posts page, you may click on the "Share" link, the "Share on Google+" window pops up, you watch the window load - and just as the window is almost complete, it vanishes.

With "Share on Google+" having closed, the Posts menu - and all of the links in the page - become gray. Nothing works.

When you see the gray screen, you may have to restart the browser tab or window.

Even clicking on "Refresh" or hitting a "Refresh" button does nothing. The only option is to close the tab or window, or reload from a bookmark - and start over.


The "Gray screen of death".


The problem involves the Google+ Sharing feature.

The problem is reported more, by users of Chrome OS NetBooks.

The problem is thought to start from selection of the Blogger "Prompt to share after posting" Google+ option (Settings - Posts, comments and sharing - Share to Google+). It is intermittent, however - and this suggests secondary causes.

My personal observation of this problem is that I see it more, when I have lots of browser tabs open - or extra programs or services running. You may have more success when publishing or sharing posts, if you first close all unnecessary tabs and windows.

Also, check your browser add-ons and extensions. If you have a Chrome Netbook, de select each extension in the Chrome OS - Extensions page - then test for the problem, by publishing your next post.

Blogger Engineering are aware of the problem.

This problem has been noted, and reported, by Blogger Support.

We have a new Problem Rollup, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, where we are requesting details from any blog owner who is experiencing this problem.

We need to identify an affected population. If you are experiencing this, the solution starts with you.



The #Blogger Post page "Share" link, or enabling the Blogger "Prompt to share after posting" Google+ option (in Settings - Posts, comments and sharing - Share to Google+) randomly leads to a mysterious "gray screen of death".

This is intermittent, and may involve memory use by various add-ons or extensions - or excessive tabs or windows being left open.

Comments

Grumpy1 said…
Chuck, I've experienced this problem, several times, annoying though it is, I found that opening a new session from a Bookmark seemed to be one way to clear it. Cheers!
Nitecruzr said…
Thanks, Grumps,

Yeah you're right, reload from bookmarks makes more sense - and it saves a couple mouse clicks! Good one!
Wally Moran said…
THis continues to be a problem and I cannot find any solution, short of opening blogger in either Safari or Firefox - both inconvenient solutions for me. Any advise as to how this can be resolved within Chrome?
Nitecruzr said…
Hi Wally,

Thanks for your observation.

Yes, it's a problem - and I see it, daily.

Blogger Engineering is aware of it, though. So be patient.
Nitecruzr said…
I, personally find it less persistent when I close all unnecessary tabs, in the browser, before hitting Publish or Share. It seems to be memory related - the more available memory you have, when sharing, the better.
Wally Moran said…
That's all fine, but it's been a problem for a considerable length of time and the time for patience is about past. As someone who uses Blogger for business purposes I may just use wordpress in the future if Google can't be bothered dealing with issues such as this and taking care of its 'customers'.
Nitecruzr said…
Yes, Wally, it has been a considerable length of time. And I cuss a bit, every time it comes back and bites me, again - which is from about half the shares that I make, from the Posts menu.

But if that was the only oddity, exhibited by a computer, when the free memory becomes low, then you probably are not using your computer as much as you could.

Chronically low free memory - and too many other apps running when sharing - will cause all sorts of oddities. Lighten up your multi-tasking when sharing, and you'll see better response and less gray screens.

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