Updates and Bug Fixes for May 9th

Here’s a quick summary of recent fixes and changes we’ve made to Blogger:

• Layouts now has a blog.pageName datum that gives the name of the current page without the “[Blog Name]: ” prefix that blog.pageTitle adds.
• Picture page element can now optionally link the picture to a URL.
  
• Warnings and better handling of interrupted video uploads.
• Pictures shot in burst mode on Sony Ericsson phones are now rotated correctly.
  
• Blog URL now updates correctly when switching between Blog*Spot and FTP hosting.
• Usability improvements to photo deletion workflow on the delete post page.
  
• “Cancel” button on delete post page no longer has unnecessary quotation marks.
  
• Miscellaneous translation improvements.
  
• Profile URLs and threading data are now available via Atom feed.
• Reliability and feature improvements to the Blog List and gadget directory on Blogger in draft.
  

Also, in case you missed the announcement, last week we started scheduling posts dated in the future.

Apologies again for the unexpected appearance of star ratings. Look for this feature soon (opt-in only!) on Blogger in draft.

Multiple-size Embedded Presentations from Google Docs

Google Docs has just updated their embedded presentation feature to support multiple sizes, so now presentations can look even better in blog posts. To add a presentation to your blog, create it in Google Docs and copy the “Mini Presentation Module” HTML into a blog post. (See: Embedding Presentations in a Web Site)

For an example, take a look at this small-sized presentation:

You can include YouTube videos, images, and text captions into slides to condense and display a “deck” of graphical content in a concise format in your posts.

Google Docs is a free, web-based word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application. Try it now.

Blogger now schedules future-dated posts

Scheduled post publishing, which we talked about testing on Blogger in draft last month, is now live for everyone. If you set a post’s date into the future, Blogger will wait to publish until that time comes.

Have you ever wanted to announce something on a certain date but knew you wouldn’t be at a computer to make a post? Or you wanted to keep posting regularly but knew you’d be on vacation for a few weeks? Scheduled post publishing is here to help you out.

Scheduling a post is easy to do: on the post editor page, click the “Post Options” toggle to show the “Post date and time” fields. Then, type a post date and time that’s in the future. When you click the “Publish” button, your post will become “scheduled.” When the date and time of the post arrive, it will be automatically published to your blog.


“Scheduled” posts appear in your Edit Posts list alongside your drafts and published posts. To un-schedule a post, simply save it as a draft any time before it gets published.

One quick note: If you want to give a post a date in the future but have it appear on your blog now, you’ll need to add in an extra step. First, publish your post with the current date and time. This will make it appear on your blog. Then, edit the post to change the date into the future and publish it again.

We don’t re-schedule posts that are already published, so the post will stay on your blog but sort to the very top. The same is true of future dated posts you’ve already made, so there’s no need to worry about your existing posts disappearing, or having your blog assaulted by unplanned entries in, say, 2027.

P.S.: Thanks to everyone who tested this out on Blogger in draft and posted comments! We appreciate your time and effort.

Updates and Bug Fixes for April 18th

We haven’t made one of these posts for a while, so here’s a quick summary of some of the changes and fixes we’ve made today and in the past few weeks.

Today’s Fixes

• The “Add another image” link in the image upload box now works even if you haven’t filled in a URL.
• The labels field in the post editor autocompletes more predictably when one label starts with the same words as another.
• URLs in the Name / URL part of the comment form are now validated.
• Header fixes for the 897 and 565 templates.
  
• The draft / published / scheduled filters on the Edit Posts list now work reliably in Internet Explorer.
  
• Videos uploaded through Sony Ericsson phones now appear as enclosures in the blog’s Atom and RSS feeds, so they can be retrieved with a video podcast client.
• Miscellaneous typos and translations corrected.

Other Recent Changes:

• New blogs have OpenID commenting enabled by default.
• XFN rel="me" links between blogs and profiles.
  
• Adding more than 5 poll choices now works in Internet Explorer.
• The search box on the Edit Posts page is now available in all supported languages.
• The “www” redirect option is now available for custom domains that end in “.co.uk.”
  
• New “Related Resources” box on the Dashboard links to AdSense, Google Reader, and Picasa Web Albums.

So long, and thanks for all the zen!

We’re bidding farewell today to Eric Case. Eric joined Google five years ago so that he could do something — anything — for Blogger. Since then, he’s answered support tickets, launched blogs, designed features, hung out with MC Hammer, eaten very slowly without drinking, and, for the past year, been our product manager, with all that that entails.

We’ll miss you, Eric! You made Blogger better. Good luck with your next endeavors, and we’ll be reading your blog.

— Pete, and the rest of the Blogger team

Blog List, Scheduled Post Publishing on Blogger in draft

Have you tried out Blogger in draft, Blogger’s experimental features site, recently? Blogger in draft is a version of Blogger with features we’re trying out before we “publish” them to everybody on the main site. (See our original announcement: “Blogger... in draft.”)

If you’re feeling adventurous, all you need to do to try it out is log in to draft.blogger.com instead of www.blogger.com. If you see the blueprint logo then you’re in the right place.

Our two latest features, which you can try out now on draft.blogger.com, are:

• Scheduled Post Publishing If you write a post on Blogger in draft and set the post’s date and time to some time in the future, we’ll schedule the post to appear on your blog at that time, and not before.
• Blog List Add a blogroll to your blog’s sidebar. The Blog List is powered by Google Reader, so it can show when each blog was last updated and even include post titles and snippets.
  

Keep in mind these features are still being worked on, and let us know if you find any problems.

We have other page elements on draft, too:

• Help your readers subscribe to your blog in their favorite feed reader with the Feed Subscription page element.
  
• Add any of the thousands of Google Gadgets to your blog’s sidebar with our Google Gadget support.
• Search over your blog, your Link Lists, or all the pages you’ve ever linked to with the Search Box.

We post the latest news about Blogger in draft to the Blogger in draft blog. Stop by often and write comments about how the draft features are working for you.

Announcing Google Weblogs (beta)

Update: This was an April Fools Day post. :)

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Today we’d like to offer you a sneak peek at an exciting new product we’ve been working on: Google Weblogs.

Since Google bought Pyra Labs in 2002, we’ve been dreaming, planning, and implementing the next revolution in personal publishing: Google Weblogs.

Google Weblogs, or “GWeblogs,” or “Gblogs,” which will launch later this year in a public beta, is the next revolution in personal publishing. Here’s what you can expect:

• Don’t limit yourself to “reverse chronological” publishing. Our advanced Google algorithms put your best content at the top of your blog. Even if your later work goes downhill your previous posts will still shine.
• No more template languages to mess with or sidebars to get right. Our advanced Google algorithms automatically populate your blog’s sidebar with the most relevant possible content.
• Stop worrying about your PageRank or your search engine optimization. Post directly into Google search results for maximum visibility.
• Save your readers time and effort. We’ll automatically extract the most relevant sentence from your post for the index page, along with any necessary ellipsis. We'll also put some words in bold!
• Your blog’s header will stay fresh with new images from our team of artists, each and every anniversary of a scientific achievement.
• Unsure of what to post about? Just click “I’m Feeling Lucky” and we’ll “take care” of the rest!
  

Excited? So are we! Take a look at this sneak peek of Blogger Buzz, powered by Google Weblogs.

We’ve put together a quick video tour to take you through the highlights of Google Weblogs. Check it out!

Blogger Help Videos

For all you visual learners who want to add features to your blog, but don't have the patience to browse our help articles, we've created the new Blogger Help YouTube Channel. There you can find videos that show you step by step how to use Blogger features.

There are only a few videos at the moment, and we've decided to start with the basics:

• How to Create a Blog with Blogger
• Purchasing and Setting Up a Custom Domain through Blogger
• Adjusting Your Blogger Privacy Settings

In the coming months we'll be adding more videos. If you have a suggestion for a video you'd like to see, let us know by posting in our Help Group. In addition, you can give us feedback on each video's comment form. We're always trying to find new and better ways to help you use Blogger and we appreciate the feedback - thanks!

Blogger Party at SXSW: Sunday, 9:30–2:00 at Club de Ville

Going to be in Austin for this year’s South by Southwest festival? That makes several of us!

Blogger is once again rocking it out at Club de Ville [map] with delicious snacks, an open bar, Blogger Play, and our SXSW staple: climate-inappropriate schwag.

The party starts at 9:30PM this Sunday and goes until 2AM on Monday.

You’ll need an invitation to get in the door. Members of the Blogger team will be at the Interactive conference, so just stop anyone you see wearing a Blogger logo and ask. If it’s one of us, you’ll get an invitation. If it’s someone else, you’ll still make a new Blogger-loving friend.

Want more drinking on Google’s dime? Come to these parties:

Google Party
Light Bar [map]
Saturday, 6PM–8PM
(This would be a pretty sure place to find invitations to the Blogger party as well.)

OpenSocial OpenBar
McCormick & Schmick’s (back room) [map]
Monday, 6PM–8PM

See you there!

GrandCentral: receive calls and post voicemail with your blog

With GrandCentral, a free service from Google, you can receive phone calls and post voicemails right on your blog. Though GrandCentral is currently in a private beta test, bloggers can skip the wait and get a free account immediately. Sign up now

WebCall Button
When you add GrandCentral’s WebCall button to your blog, your readers can easily call your phone or leave voicemails without ever seeing your telephone number.

You can screen calls, either accepting them or sending them to voicemail, and you can even block unwanted callers altogether. Learn how to add a WebCall button to your blog, and try it out for yourself below:

Voicemail Inbox


Your voicemail is all kept in a visual online inbox that is easy to manage. Store as many as you like for as long as you like, or post them to your blog so anyone can hear them. Here’s what it looks like to put a voicemail on your blog:

Sign Up Now
Ready to get started? Follow these links:

1. Sign up for GrandCentral for free
2. Add a WebCall button to your sidebar
3. Post your voicemails to your blog