Blogger Gadgets Playground: 2009

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A simple test

I have created this blog by using a default (Blogger supplied) template.

The gadgets in the sidebar were selected one-by-one from the Blogger most popular gadgets (at the time), using the default settings supplied in the setup (Pretend I'm a beginner .. how would I know what to select for the "advanced parameters"?).

hmm.. that looks strange.. now what? 6 out of 6 have bad widths!!

Can someone please tell me how I should fix this problem (without editing the template file)? Comments Anyone?

When I upgrade to a new template, how do I keep these gadgets (or will they adjust correctly)?

BTW this simple test took less than five minutes.. including typing the content (above this line)!!

Combine these + the top one + the seven I found before.. 14 out of 14 BAD GADGETS.. Sure I can make them work other ways (direct from GFC, iGoogle) or by editing template files to fix them.. but think about the new user or the competition. Here is a "scary" conversation where I defended Blogs! Most of my sailing friends are starting to move to FaceBook for everything.

Bloggers need/want easier solutions

Most novice bloggers have never seen HTML let alone published "their own blog". To them it's a personal reflection on their style and stories. They'll pick the Blogger way because they think it will be the easiest way to accomplish the task. When the basics fail, they feel like they've failed.

Imagine if this blog was the result of your efforts, success or failure? Blogger needs to do more to help the user become successful and do the right thing!! Image scaling is a perfect example, I just noticed I can drag the image to scale it.. but it doesn't adjust the url of the underlying photo for size. If the user blows it up too big, it looks grainy, too small and it can cause performance issues. This could easily be addressed it the code that provided the functionality, instead it gets passed downstream to become a user and a customer support problem. What about photo captions? Try doing that without HTML!!

Your tag line Push Button Publishing.. is really what they want!!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Blogger vs GFC Gadgets

I noticed that GFC gadgets usually require a width parameter but Blogger setup only offers height (which is not needed) and none of the other GFC parameters appear. In fact GFC gadgets appear broken because changing the height has NO effect.

The following relates to a comment from the Blogger team, with respect to setup incompatibility with GFC

"Quick one: Blogger will offer whatever configuration preferences are declared in the gadget's xml file. If there are gadgets that need a parameter, but aren't offering it, we should fix them (or get them fixed)."

(see post)

Ouch.. Maybe this is where I need to explain that the world does not and should not revolve around Blogger's gadget installation model!! I can't believe you really expect people to update their non-Blogger specific xml gadget files to fix a problem which, maybe only to me, is obviously a Blogger installation issue (because they work perfectly fine when installed from GFC via their setup menu). This entire thread started when I found issues with Blogger's install of GFC gadgets back on July 6th (including the socialbar which could not possibly work from an Iframe) . I thought a simple "Add to Blogger" button in GFC would fix the install issues AND alleviate customer support loads from BOTH groups. More details here.

Update 8/11: My entire issue all along has been making sure that the millions of Blogger and GFC users don't fall into the same traps with the broken installs. My extreme frustration is caused by the days of efforts spent discussing issues/enhancements with the Blogger team, yet the issues still remain and the customers have NOT been informed of the issues.

The main concept behind GFC and Open Social is that these gadgets will work everywhere.. not everywhere with the exception of Blogger (.. unless you add the correct parameters to the xml file). GFC gadgets do not use or need width or other parameters specified within the gadget xml file, they use view-params and will correctly configure themselves based on the target container that they are placed in (using JS/DOM). I have had no problems setting the size and parameters of these gadgets, in sidebars, posts, templates etc because they just do the correct thing, both within Blogger or on my other sites!! The only problems I HAVE had are with Bloggers installation of these gadgets. If Blogger (and the gadget developers) used this "adapt to the container" technique, all of the test gadgets in the sidebar would be perfect (at least a minimum required width should be specified for a gadget).

Hmm? When I load Blogger's "Amazing Places to See .." (the top gadget to the right) width is not available (but should be). When the same exact gadget xml file is configured for my own page, width is available!! Blogger seems to strip width out of ALL the gadget xml files it processes..

Isn't that what started this whole fiasco in the first place?.. UGGH!! In most cases the gadget xml file isn't even exposed in the GFC code (container.renderSocialBar, .renderSignInGadget, renderWallGadget etc) and arguments are passed through JS parameters not xml files!!

Absolute Height (as required by Blogger) makes absolutely NO SENSE for a gadget that has variable sized content. GFC gadgets allow the user to configure the quantity of the content (N comments) as I would expect! None of these options are exposed in Blogger, even critical ones like scope. In a Blogger blog a comment gadget added to the side bar should obviously be site scoped AND the Gadget text and title should make THAT obvious. The current solution still causes data integrity issues (which I reported to the Blogger team on July 6).

Blogger is the one setting up the GFC container (if they do the install), so Blogger needs to define the container and parameters correctly in order to match the content (BTW: for GFC width:99% works fine.. but you might want to add a border on the div to make it easier for the user to understand the boundaries)!!

Google's Gadget Gobbledygook

Note: there are other development options that have much larger potential rewards, including Google Gadget Ventures, Iphone Apps etc. The limited scope of a Blogger gadget, the extra development effort, the lack of a proper support model with direct developer access (user-dev-user) and the untested nature of the release process are the key reasons I won't support them.

In addition, Google has more than just Blogger Gadgets, in fact the many types (see below) can be quite confusing with respect to how they inter-relate and where they can be installed to still function correctly (this WILL become a huge problem for Google)!! For Example, I'm sure Blogger gadgets can't be used without the correct wrapper (for feeds, skins etc)!!

Gadgets by Google (currently 191810 iGoogle gadgets)

iGoogle gadgets (requires iGoogle.. nice page with ratings/comments)
Google gadgets for Websites (generates standalone javascript code, which creates an Iframe)
Google Desktop gadgets (requires Google desktop)

Blogger native gadgets (Feed, Author, Archive.. requires Blogger)
Blogger gadgets (simple Iframe..)
New Blogger gadgets (require Blogger for skin, feed and wrapper)

GFC gadgets (requires two setup files and site setup)

Most of the above are defined in xml files..
Does anything make sure they are in the "correct environment" to function correctly? If not does a helpful message appear? (someone else can test it.. I'm done!!)

The confusion all ready begins..

the answer to "I need to embed Blogger's gadget like "Blogs Archive" or "About Author" (into a blog post)" was

-For every gadget, you can enter the URL in your IGoogle page
-When the gadget is inserted, click on About this gadget

hmmm nope.. wrong answer!!

BTW I also completely understand reasons for defined width and height. My BlurbBits can be configured to match the container size (without a width/height parameter) BUT this can cause issues, especially with photos. If someone installs a BlurbBit with a width of 800 and a height of 200 (like a gadget under a post) what photo size to I request from the API? .. imgmax 800 or 200? I have to request 800 because there may be some panoramic photos.. but a standard photo would just be a scaled down version of the 800 to 200 (causing performance issues.. and slow loading).

Monday, July 13, 2009

Blogger Template Confusion

I think users are confused by Blogger's use of the term templates (and vice versa)..

When users say they want new templates, they want this Blogger functionality..

Pick a New Template and Your Page Elements will be retained!!

But the version above is just the old SKIN parameters or CSS portion of the template file, not the entire blog layout.

If you want to update your blog or sidebar width (to fit modern screen sizes larger than 660px) or add an additional sidebar, you'll need to edit the template file or choose from one of the many free template sources. You'll even need to modify the template to make adjustments to the sidebar width, because the default gadget width isn't matched correctly to the default template sizes (as is extremely obvious by looking at the sad state of this blog's sidebar).

Making these changes requires knowledge of the Blogger specific template file (and HTML/xml) OR an externally provided template file.

With this file, you can use of the Template Backup/Restore version..

(or Blog import/export) to update your blog, which will delete the Page Elements (Gadgets). FYI there really is no mention that Gadgets will be deleted in the documentation for either of these functions. If you REALLY know what you are doing, you can edit and manipulate the template file as a last ditch effort to save your previous work.

Users will also assume they can just manually re-add each gadget they had, a pain but manageable. However the cleanup of the Gadget Gallery has removed hundreds of gadget references so they can't get back to the Blog they had, prior to deleting the Page Elements that no longer exist!!

It would be helpful to provide more information than the internal Widget/Gadget/Page Element reference that Blogger assigns (and the typical user has never seen). The gadget xml file and parameters would be helpful and would prevent loss of gadgets that no longer exist in the Gadget Galley.

Gadget preservation is critical

If a new template format is released, without handling Gadget preservation, it would cause even more attempts at editing/modifying template files as users try to modernize their blog. This feature would push the burden to the user and the user supported help forums!!

Today there is no lack of developers cranking out awesome free templates.. why aren't more people using them?

FYI, I think most bloggers would consider their gadgets as much a part of their blog as their posts, and they should be preserved through all blog functions!!

New opportunities

Gadget preservation opens up entirely new business opportunities and support options for the Blogger platform. Think of all the targeted Blog environments that are really just a custom template with a set of pre-installed gadgets (sailblogs.com). Today the creation and setup of each individual blog (within Blogger) makes this unmanageable. Advanced support/consulting would be much easier for both customers and vendors. A user could send their blog off to "get fixed"!

Today it is too difficult for a beginner to get a complete, good looking, clean modern blog without diving into advanced template issues. Imagine if a new blog could be delivered, complete with a basic set of gadgets already installed and targeted specifically at the user. Users and advertisers might even pay for that!!

As new easier to use, update, and maintain Blogging platforms surface, Blogger will start to lose it's users. This loss could impact Ad revenue if users move to a non-Google ads Social network, I have many sailing friends who now only use Facebook as their only "blog".

Blogger's tag line "Push Button Publishing" might be a little outdated, especially when you consider the powerful Google product environment that could be integrated (Picasa, Youtube, Google maps, Google Friend Connect). The sad thing is your competitors are using Google APIs to do just that.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Blogger Sailing Blogs

Some of the sites reviewed for BlurbBits Examples

http://www.virginglobalrow.com/blog.html (Google sponsored but custom blog WTF?)
http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/ (blogspot) TrackZac map
http://rozsavage.blogspot.com/
http://yachtbalvenie.blogspot.com/ (caption issues re-added manually why so hard? manual map)
http://svrachel.blogspot.com/
http://sailariel.blogspot.com/
http://svfirstedition.blogspot.com/
http://dickandlibby.blogspot.com/
http://svcharmed.blogspot.com/
picasa albums
SlideShows in the Sidebar (too small)
http://the-voyages-of-threepenny-opera.blogspot.com/
http://billandannamariessunshine.blogspot.com/

http://picasaweb.google.com/williamandannamariessunshine

http://trawler-beach-house.blogspot.com/

A Picasa Album

picalbums

Google Map screen shots

Current Location

http://picasaweb.google.com/kathleenabennett

http://sailingcatrina.blogspot.com/
http://mapsjohnson.blogspot.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnsonsailing geotagged albums
http://cruzingmurphs.blogspot.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/cruzingmurphs
http://slackadventure.com/
http://www.kkmoorea.com/
http://waynesails.blogspot.com/

Travel/Photo Blogs

http://everthenomad.blogspot.com

Blog Album Blurbbit

flickr blurbbit

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28697344@N05/sets/72157607176209613/

http://lostgirlsworld.blogspot.com/
http://almostfearless.com

Flickr Blurbbit

http://www.twoguysaroundtheworld.com/
http://livesofwander.com/

http://christymemos.blogspot.com/ Mostly photo blog
http://clearlyenlight-travels.blogspot.com/

http://anthonymccuneartisticphotography.blogspot.com/ (multiple photos per post)

http://lifecruiser.com/about/

Flickr BlurbBit

http://www.how-to-travel-the-world.com/
http://one-giant-step.com/where-when/

About Me

I think I can provide a very unique insight into Blogger and Google product integration. I am an experienced technical project manager/developer, who relied on Google products during a 5+ year remote sailing trip. Then I spent an entire year trying to develop an integrated solution using these products and APIs. During the architecture of BlurbBits I interviewed many potential users, reviewed/analyzed hundreds of blogger sites (see BlurbBits Examples), and analyzed support requests and helped customers in the various forums.

Google Products used: Google maps (Api and site), Google Earth, Blogger, Picasa, YouTube, Google Docs, Feedburner, Analytics, Adsense, Gmail, Google Reader, NoteBook, Google PageCreator, Sites, Calendar, Webmaster Tools, Google Base, Google Friend Connect, CSE, Translation, and of course Google Search!!

Successful developer, project and group manager (LinkedIn profile)

For thirteen years I worked in start-up or advanced development environments to develop world class, industry leading solutions (adopted by Intel, HP, EMC, Ford etc) . I managed small teams (8 PhD level) responsible for complete product life-cycle from design analysis through development, including documentation, QA, support, consulting and training as both a project/group manager and individual contributor. $8 million in group revenues, $75-$150K per license seat plus an additional 10% maintenance per year.. i.e. the product and it's support and training had to be first class!

Five+ Year Sailing Trip
Blurbbits was envisioned/developed during this trip

5.5 years, 32,800+ Miles, 24 Countries, 160 Nights and 5500 hours at sea

I've always been a fully responsible, self-sufficient individual. At sea, the decisions you make are 100% your responsibility and success/failure can often be measured by life/death, for both you and those that depend on you.

BlurbBits was actually my first javascript, web based development project and represents almost a full year of effort. I figured if I was going to return to the "real world" and find a job, I had to be a little more up to date in my knowledge.

Developing BlurbBits required the knowledge of many Google products, APIs and lot's of patience. It is already hard enough to battle the browser differences and proper product documentation/ support as a individual developer. Resting your reputation and efforts on a set of critical path products and APIs without proper support, feedback or timing is almost impossible (and almost certainly insane). In some cases, I could tell I was the first person to EVER use a function or try to tie the separate Google products and pieces together.

Blogger user and developer

I've developed the following blogs.. and have helped many new users, both privately and within the Blogger help Forums.

svbillabong.blogspot.com via Mail-to-Blogger with geo-blogs and interactive maps
mylescrew.blogspot.com
snaps360.blogspot.com
fromthegalley.blogspot.com

blurbbits.blogspot.com: BlurbBits is a FREE set of utilities designed to help make blogging easier, especially from remote location via low bandwidth communications. Integrates maps, images, video, dynamic popup maps, gadgets into websites and blogs. This blog is a complete set of documentation (30 posts) including interactive examples using Blogger.

In addition to my own blogs, I have talked with plenty of novice bloggers and reviewed hundreds of blogs. A full write up of other blogs and Picasa photos can be found in our Examples Post.

creative-cruising.com A site to help other cruisers prepare for remote life at sea (was planning to move to blogger.. currently re-thinking!!)

All of these sites and utilities represent a substantial amount of my effort. To date we have made $500, which doesn't even cover our hosting costs let alone the 1000's of hours of effort (i.e. I'm not doing it for the money!!).

Blogger Gadgets Playground

Pages

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A simple test

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Blogger vs GFC Gadgets

Monday, July 13, 2009

Blogger Template Confusion

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Blogger Sailing Blogs

Travel/Photo Blogs

About Me

Blog Archive

Followers

GFC Page

GFC Site

About Me