Blogging Issues

So this new format seems to have thrown some things off.  What I'm hearing:

- not able to see comments as you write your own comment
- comments being eaten
- what else?

To address the first one,

-here's a link to a Blogger page that shows browser compatibility.  It also notes that you need to enable cookies and Javascript.  Are you compatible with this stuff?

I check the spam filter almost daily and I only see a couple of valid comments (versus real spam) getting in there.  I'm not sure if a comment isn't in there and you wrote and posted it (but it doesn't show up), where it goes. 

I will try to get this fixed as soon as I can.

Comments

kellie said…
Under the old system, when you hit preview, you could see your entire post. Now with preview, the posts is even smaller in the text box. It makes it challenging to edit.

Also, collapse comments is gone. I found it helpful when trying to reply to questions to be able to collapse some of the text and open others.

Thanks!
10/21/11, 10:35 AM
SP said…
Does anyone else have a problem with huge sluggishness in scrolling & moving from one entry to another? I've never had a problem with this before on SS blog (and still don't on other blogs) but this is annoying/trying my patience to the extreme. Every time I click on a new entry, post comment, preview, etc. the whole district calendar has to reload, and the site starts back up at the top & you have to wait until it comes back to where you just were...And there's no way to smoothly scroll down a page without a delay/jumping response. This all reminds me of "dial-up" days when you would log on, go get a cup of coffee and still wait!

Honestly, if I look at the improvements ("most popular" from this week, district calendar, etc) vs the drawbacks (sterile white background fading into no distinct layout contrasts (that we had before), tiny comments/edit box, having to wait until the whole site reloads, plus the huge sluggish response, I actually prefer the old format overall- (sorry!)
10/21/11, 11:47 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Don't worry about hurting our feelings. It's a work in progress and I am sorry for the delays and frustrations.
10/21/11, 12:24 PM
Still baffled said…
Yes, I am having problems with delays too. And I still can't see the comments in the second charter thread, even with making the changes to cookes, java, etc. that blogger suggests.
10/21/11, 12:53 PM
Josh Hayes said…
I for one have no problem at all with the new format - at least as far as having it work on my display. It's quick, scrolls smoothly, and I can see (and could post if I wanted to, I suspect) all comments on all threads.

FWIW, I'm running Firefox on Windows Vista (I know, I know - I gotta get around to upgrading to Win 7: I even have the discs!). YMMV.
10/21/11, 12:58 PM
Anonymous said…
Thanks for all your hard work on updating the blog.

1 - expand browser compatibility - the Seattle library system doesn't quite work with the new set-up

2 - the blog loads slowly and "stutters" or "flickers" when switching pages/articles - ditto when clicking on comments -

-JC.
10/21/11, 1:11 PM
WS said…
The delay occurs for me as well using IE. Chrome seems much better but I'm not a huge Chrome fan so i am only using it for this site.
10/21/11, 1:27 PM
Jan said…
Melissa -- I had the same problem "still baffled" mentioned. I cannot, for love or money, get to the comments on the 2nd charter thread. The comment link sends me to another link of the full article.

I have had a few munched comments -- but it may have been my fault somewhere in the log on process. I also liked the collapse comments feature -- it helped to find comments (by author) especially on threads with lots (hundreds) of comments.
10/21/11, 1:31 PM
Eric B said…
I had issues with comments being eaten until I hit the preview button instead of the post comment button. Preview brings you to the word verification, and it posts properly. I don't see flickers or stutters.

Firefox 5 (?) on Win 7.
10/21/11, 1:49 PM
Anonymous said…
Why can't it be wonderful like West Seattle Blog, with embedded video and real news reporting!

-Love that westseattleblog
10/21/11, 2:08 PM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Maybe because the West Seattle blog is a business and this isn't. But maybe it should be.
10/21/11, 2:56 PM
someone said…
Is it bad that I actually liked the old format better? I find this new one very hard to read - since every monitor renders colors slightly differently, it may be just mine - but it's so stark and sterile. Honestly, I haven't been coming to read very much because it's so hard on these old middle aged eyes. Slightly better on my blackberry, weirdly - but still a challenge. In a perfect world (yeah yeah I know) we'd keep the nice new features and go back to the old color pallet

I also experience sluggish loading issues - and posting is always problematic.

Thanks for all your hard work.
10/21/11, 3:08 PM
SP said…
Now there's an idea, Melissa & Charlie- The West Seattle blog is really "reader friendly" and the only blog I've seen where the advertising doesn't bother me- it is very low key on the side strip with convienent links to the businesses (never flashing in your face pop ups).
I bet you could sign on sponsors and atleast get something for your efforts!!!
10/21/11, 3:38 PM
SP said…
Holy smokes!!! I just came back here to add one more short note, and the comment page is back to the original SSS blog format!
The colors/contrasts are so much better (atleast for these poor eyes of mine), but I can see now it wasn't the background color but instead maybe the type, size & boldness of font, in addition to the other brightly colored headlines, but in addition its the the well defined columns with the wide color bands on both sides (rather than the massive "white-out" feeling).

Also, it now scrolls smoothly up & down like it used to, without the frustrating stops & hops! It goes from 0-60 in two seconds (up & down the page)! I don't know if it's just that change takes time to get used to, but I really prefer this format visually & functionally.
*********************
What I was going to add were 2 more things that I really like with the West Seattle blog- they have multiple tabs at the top that are fantastic (I could think of many uses on this blog for tabs like this- a SPS calendar, resource links, other blog links, issues, etc).

The other thing I really like is visually in the WS blog is the use of "highlighted boxes" (with light blue background) imbedded in the main entry text and used in the comments section also- it really helps to break up the big blinding white-out feeling also.
10/21/11, 6:35 PM
Anonymous said…
No problems here, Firefox 7.0.1 on a Mac.

(zb)
10/21/11, 6:51 PM
apparent said…
Melissa,

in your new blog, I cannot post AT ALL! I am only posting this now because as SP just noted the comments came up tonight as the old SSS format, where I can comment as I do now. But in your new format, when I try to post I am asked to "select prefix" from a drop-down list that doesn't drop down, so I can never preview or post, either anonymously or with a chosen moniker. Where are the old "Choose an identity" bubbles to click?

After this last chance to post from the old format tonight, if I am quiet from now on Melissa, that's the reason why! The new format is not allowing at least some of us to post at all.
10/22/11, 3:13 AM
dan dempsey said…
Mac OSX 10.6.8

running FireFox 7.0.1
running Safari 5.1.1

both work fine.
10/22/11, 11:03 AM
SP said…
I think it's Internet Explorer on PC's that seems to be the problem with the jerky, slow response, reloading at every click, etc.
10/22/11, 1:06 PM
sensitive eyes said…
it's very hard to read the black on white on blue background. the old style was easier on the eyes.
10/22/11, 5:47 PM
CT said…
I've had difficulty posting comments as well. They'll post - I'll see them there - but when I come back to the post later, my comment is gone. Some posts I cannot see the comments at all, or the main page will tell me there are 25 comments, but the comment page (which is also now back to the old colors on mine) might be showing 22 or 23 comments.
I'm running Safari 5 - even updated to Safari 5.1.1 to see if that might help - on a Mac with 10.6.8 and a Netflix-streaming-fast network. I've also had problems posting from my iPad.

CT
10/22/11, 10:27 PM
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