The Real Blogger Status

Similar to the need to properly filter cookies in the browser, we have the need to properly filter scripts. Cookies and scripts are completely different elements - but proper filtering of each is essential, to making many Blogger features operate properly . If you have a problem with Blogger - either accessing / using the dashboard, or using / viewing a blog - one of the simplest things to check, complementing cookie filter settings , is the browser script filter settings.

The new Stats "Don't track" option is an improvement, to many blog owners. "Manage tracking your own pageviews", as before, starts from the Stats dashboard page. The wizard now runs from a sub directory of the blog managed by the dashboard - and uses a normal (first party) cookie. Now, blog owners no longer must enable third party cookies , to make Stats ignore their page views. This is an improvement - but it can still present a challenge, for some blog owners.

Blog owners have been trying to block tracking their own Stats pageviews, for a few years. This option has long been unusable, for blogs published to custom domains . Recently, Blogger Engineering updated the option - and the dashboard page with the link.

This month, we have numerous reports of problems with the Popular Posts gadget, and its size being out of control. Some blog owners cannot get their gadgets to display as many as entries are selected - while others have more entries displayed, then are selected. And some report differing success with displaying "Last 7 days", or "Last 30 days", as opposed to "All time". One forum helper has suggested a CSS tweak, which may help in some cases - but not consistently.

One of the more perplexing problems, in Blogger owner / reader life, involves layered security issues , and filter changes. Many Blogger features are vulnerable to security filters. The ability to use Blogger commenting , the EU cookie advice banner won't display or won't go away, the infamous Reading List , the Blogger Stats "Don't track ..." option - all require cookies and scripts , that are subject to filtering.

Some blog owners don't understand why Stats displays show that no one is reading their latest post. I know that my most recent post is being read - but Stats shows pageviews, for that post, as 0! This owner does not understand the difference between main page, and post page, access. If you read this blog , without being interested in any particular post, you can access the main page. On the main page, and other index pages, you'll see anywhere from 10 to 15 carefully summarised , recently published, individual posts. Clicking on "Read more »", at the end of any of the summaries, you can read any complete article. This complete article, and others in this blog, is published as an individual post page - and summarised on index pages, using Jump Break. Not every blog owner uses Jump Break , to display the posts. Some blog owners publish complete blog articles, in each index page post. Depending upon how any blog is designed, some readers may click on a link, to ...

Some blog owners, having endured the frustrations of custom domain publishing , may later discover new problems with using Blogger - or with using / viewing some features of the blog. For people who are security minded, as well as people who are conscientious about what is permitted on their personal computer, a few domain based filter related problems should be obvious. Where are the pencil / tool icons on my blog? and Why can't my readers comment on my blog? and Why can't I use Stats, on the Blogger dashboard? are just examples of the various questions being seen in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , for domains that have completed Transition , and having righteous DNS addressing .

Problems with the Stats "Don't track ..." option , in general, are not new. Ever since Blogger added that option to Stats, years ago, it's been a problem for some blog owners. Sometimes, the problem is individual, other times (as this year) the problems are seen by more people. The most common problems with the "Don't track" option, when selected by the blog owners, involve cookies, hosted by various browsers - and interpreted by Blogger scripts. Cookies and scripts are misunderstood features in Internet life . Some countries require websites, published by their citizens, to display disclaimers, warning readers that "This website drops cookies onto your computer!" - as if cookies are are part of an evil plot.

Confusion about Stats, and referer spam inaccuracy , is expressed, weekly. You never have a real idea as to how many real visitors view your blog, since these referrer spammers are in fact identified by their name, and their number of visits on the Stats "referring URL" list. Referer spam inaccuracy is possibly the best known - but certainly not the only - Stats problem, discussed daily in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken . Stats is a controversial Blogger feature, because of various perceived inaccuracies - but even so, is more useful than competing products , because of its unique design. Not every blog owner realises that all visitor logs / meters provide displays and statistics, which contain known inaccuracies. The fact is, no visitor log / meter can ever be 100% accurate.

The controversial nature of Stats and the "Don't track ..." option , which requires a third party cookie to enable the option to work, continues. Even with all possible cookie filter properly set, and a consistent cookie clearing policy established, some blog owners persist in reporting that there are problems with Stats inconsistently observing the setting to not track their pageviews.

Occasionally in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , we see a curious question, which is repeated. My blog Stats display is missing a complete year. The problem is actually right there, in front of all of us - if we look. We showed this last year - for 2010 .

Occasionally in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , we see a curious question. My blog Stats display is missing a complete year. The problem is actually right there, in front of all of us - if we look.

The problem of last week , with Stats, was fixed late yesterday, and our Stats displays once again are showing Posts pageview counts and enumerating individual Posts. Now, we have a perceived problem, being reported by newer blog owners. My Stats display does not show my newer posts! This concern is visually valid - but it's not real. It's most common with blogs that have just over 10 posts, which are owned by people who are not aware of the Stats display limitations , as we have explored.

For several days now, we've seen various reports from anxious Blogger blog owners, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , lamenting the lack of detail information in their Stats logs. My Stats logs does not show the page views for particular posts. This is just one example, of the many ways that blog owners perceive, and report , the ongoing problem.

This morning, we're seeing a number of questions in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken . Why are my Stats displays showing No stats yet, check back later. yet again? and more interestingly "blogging.nitecruzr.net" is showing multiple hits in my Stats log! And none of this is really surprising, personally.

This week, we're seeing a number of problem reports, from anxious blog owners, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , who can't see the Stats detail upon which they depend. My Stats display does not include individual posts counts!

This month, the new Blogger browser support policy goes into effect. Starting next month Blogger.com will only support modern browsers. This week, we're seeing new reports of problems with posting comments . It's possible that these newly reported problems, as well as other problems reported with Following, and with Stats, are partially caused by lack of support for older browsers.