Someone once said, “Change, is inevitable”. I’m sorry change has come so late in our lives, but we can do this!
– Tony Robbins –
There are many great bloggers saying they are ready to just quit, mostly due to the Gutenberg Editor. We older folks don’t take to change very well. We are tired, or we are retired and just want to enjoy simple blogging. Yes, many of us were the startups when WordPress came along, but the world turns, things grow, and growing takes money. So the platform has gone from simple typing, to basically WYSIWYG web page building. It can still be your blogging platform. You don’t have to use all the fancy do-dads (is that even a word anymore?). Find your basic tools to type, arrange and continue to share your world.
“It’s just blocks”
I know, many will say I’m over simplifying it. Look at it as just a square that you have to use now. You type what you want, you hit enter, you have a new block/square for your next paragraph. You can still do quotes, lists and all the things most basic bloggers need. I’ve composed this using one special block for the “quote” I clicked the plus sign, selected “quote” and pasted my text. Not much different from the old way of clicking the quote icon on the toolbar.
No one wants to lose blogging friends from simply giving up. I don’t blog as much as many others do, but I do love the friendship and meeting new people. If there is one thing WordPress has, that is still great for us seniors, it’s the ease of interaction with the community of other bloggers. I still get frustrated, but I refuse to just give up on something that is enjoyable, even if I blog infrequently.
Maybe, some of us are tired of blogging. If that’s the case, just say so. There is no shame in getting tired of something, at least you’ll be remembered as a great blogger that retired, not someone that was beaten by change. I’m 68, some of you are older or younger than I. Sometimes I stumble into a wall on the way out of the office, that doesn’t mean I am just going to sit in my chair and never venture into the other rooms. I may forget why I ventured to the other rooms, but I am going to try. Perhaps one day, I will need to wrap the door frame with bubble wrap.
Let’s pull together and support one another. If there is anything I can do to help explain something that I have learned, let me know. I for one, don’t wish to lose bloggers to a challenge. That said, it’s time for me to stumble down the hall for a cup of hot beverage. I do love a good adventure in the morning.
#Seniors of WordPress 🙂
Comments, always appreciated.
I still haven’t tried it preferring to hang onto the old editor but maybe this weekend I’ll give it a try. Sometimes we don’t want to take the time to learn new things. In that case I’d still be using Windows 95.
I agree, Kate. If I had my way, I’d still be using Windows 7. That was the best version of Windows, Microsoft ever produced.
If you need any help, just give me a shout.
I loved Windows 7!
I loved Windows XP!! (At work. At home I’m a Mac gal!)
Well put. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?
Exactly. I stumbled when I first used the new editor. Then I told myself, not to make it worse than it is, learn the basics first to make a simple post. Thanks for the comment, Cathy.
I am also 68, Ron. I am not cutting back on blogging just because of the BE. I haven’t even tried to use it yet, to be honest. It is an accumulation of feeling overwhelmed by tech changes every way I turn, from the way my phone works, to updates and password resets on Twitter, and even the hoops i have to jump through to occasionally change something on anything you can think of. I need a break from feeling angry, not just from blogging.
I was also spending 5-6 hours a day blogging, 7 days a week. I need that time back to do other stuff I have neglected for over 8 years.
Best wishes, Pete.
I understand, Pete. I have owned a Public Discussion Forum for 13 years. It helps some that might otherwise have nothing to do. Forums are a dying breed. The problems I face often when browsers want to force security on people, and in turn it causes confusion on a users part. I have a smartphone, that I would like to just pick up and use in a hurry if need be. I like it, but a dumb phone is so much easier. The phone, due to all the security they want you to use, even though I try to avoid it, makes a guessing game of what it wants to activate the screen. Fingerprint, or pin number. I could opt for no security and just use it, but someone might find it before I realize I’ve lost it, and cause havoc.
I can remember devoting 8-10 hours a day to monitoring my forum and posting. It can consume you, if you’re not careful. I have learned to just post as I feel. I do check in and monitor the forum every day several times, but I’m not out there beating the bushes to find people to join like years past.
Take that break, you’ll find it enjoyable if you decide to come back, without the pressures.
I had resisted the new editor for a long time but then decided to jump in. I’m actually glad that I waited since I understand that it had a lot of bugs at first. By waiting, most of them have been worked out (at least as far as I can tell).
I still create my posts in a Word doc, then copy and paste in into the WP page. From there, I find it simple to add photos, in fact, it’s much simpler than before. I haven’t tried anything more complicated, but I try to keep my blog design pretty clean.
I encourage others to give it a try. It’s simple to make a few test posts and see how it works before taking the plunge.
I do have an issue, though, that you – being a techie – might be able to help with:
When I made my first couple of posts with the new editor, I was able to preview my posts no problem: just click on “preview” and I’d see my post with my header and sidebar (as a reader would see it on a desktop, a tablet, and a phone. For some reason, now when I click “preview,” my post doesn’t come up with my header and sidebar, in fact, it doesn’t really do anything. I tried this on my desktop (where I normally blog) and my laptop… no dice. When I did a test blog on my iPad tablet, it worked. This leads me to think it’s a Microsoft vs. Apple issue. Maybe some MS update (since I was able to do it before) messed with my settings.
The “Happiness Engineers” weren’t able to help. Can you? (Since I don’t want to hijack your post, feel free to contact me through my blog if you have any ideas.)
Janis, I think I’m understanding what you’re seeing. If someone else can explain it better, please jump in.
When you click the “Preview” option in the editor, it gives you a drop-down such as the one below?
If you click on Tablet or Mobile in the preview selection, the header will disappear, along with the widget sidebar, and possibly any image you have. Tablets and phone is usually rendered in portrait mode, and strips most things out other than text. They usually put them at the bottom of mobile device pages which makes no sense.
I’d bank on maybe it’s something between the two operating systems. Perhaps the next update to either one, may fix that. I work from my desktop most of the time. Working from tablets and phones is so restricting to me, but that is all my wife uses.
The problem is that when I click on “Preview” then “Desktop” (when I’m either on my desktop or my laptop), I don’t see my header or sidebar. I just see my draft copy. In fact, it doesn’t even seem like my draft copy opens a new window at all. The same thing happens when I click on “Tablet” or “Mobile” (but I understand that you are saying those two preview options don’t include the header anyway).
It’s like the Preview function isn’t working when I create my post on my desktop or my laptop. But, when I made a test post via my iPad, the “Preview/Desktop” function seems to work fine (I see my header and sidebar when I click on “Desktop” – just like the reader would see).
Because the function doesn’t work on my Microsoft computers but does on my Apple tablet, it makes me think that there is something in the way my Microsoft computers are set up that is disallowing the Preview function (opening my draft in a different window as a “Preview”).
It’s unfortunate because I create almost all of my posts on my desktop and this glitch is really frustrating – I want to see an accurate preview of my post, especially if I have any unusual formatting or have included any links.
I understand if you are scratching your head… I am too.
Yes, I’m beginning to understand what you’re trying to get across to me. WordPress doesn’t make getting help with this editor easy. It’s hard to explain to someone what it’s doing, when the flow of actions you have to use, are not logical. I just posted this to Linda below, but it may help. Also, Mac has always been way ahead in graphics and rendering, so that may be the difference in your views from Mac and your Windows.
The other confusing silly issue, logic would say if you select “phone” in the preview pulldown, then if you click “preview” it would show you a mobile preview in another tab. Nope, no matter what you have selected (phone or tablet) you get the cheap looking preview in your editor, but if you click “preview” you get a regular desktop preview.
What an encouraging post this is, Ron! At this point, I’m glad I jumped into the block editor and got used to it, even while it still had growing pains. It’s much easier to deal with problems if you aren’t trying to rush. Too many of us seniors are juggling multiple tasks in a day. I’m 77, and I always run out of day before I’ve finished what I wanted to do.
Thank you very much, Anne. I appreciate the kinds words. You’re right about juggling things each day, it can become quite hectic. I’m glad you’re getting a handle on it.
Great post, Ron! Learning new technology can be very frustrating and overwhelming. But as technology never goes backwards, we have to press on. The machine is not the boss. I am! 😀
“The machine is not the boss. I am! ” I keep thinking the same thing, then I swear I hear my phone laughing at me.
Then tell it to remember it could be thrown away when it least expects it. 😀
I’ve threatened it, then it got really weird. It may be plotting on me!
Thank you for encouraging everyone Ron – I was very frustrated in the beginning and I am sure I don’t know all the shortcuts I could take and need to learn more now that I’m comfortable with the Block Editor. My favorite part of the Block Editor is the justification though it does not show up in Reader. The slideshows and color font/background don’t show up in Reader either, nor in the subscription e-mails. That’s fine – it looks fine either with or without. I actually decided to give the Block Editor a whirl in April 2019 because we ordered Windows 10 equipment at work in mid-March 2019. It’s just my boss and me and I have worked offsite since 2011. Not only were two new desktops, two laptops (Dell, when I’ve always used HP) and new accounting software on the horizon, the Block Editor loomed large, so I figured I’d be proactive and familiarize myself with the Block Editor. Our computer guy has still NOT put us on Windows 10, despite the pleas of my boss to do same. Amazing since he was paid for the equipment and installation. He did the server and just a few months ago did the desktops, but has not finished configuring whatever else has to be done. It was never that difficult in Windows 7, BUT I’m not whining as I love Windows 7 and have been using it since 2009.
Glad you’re getting a handle on it. Personally, I still feel they have a good way to go on the actual implementation for mobile devices. The previews does okay for what it will look like on a desktop, but the preview for the phone and tablet modes, doesn’t really show what it will look like.
The other confusing silly issue, logic would say if you select “phone” in the preview pulldown, then if you click “preview” it would show you a mobile preview in another tab. Nope, no matter what you have selected (phone or tablet) you get the cheap looking preview in your editor, but if you click “preview” you get a regular desktop preview.
I don’t mind learning new things but have been frustrated with the change. I just don’t want to make time right now to learn the “new way.” So I have been going to WP administration and using the old way.
I blog much less right now but I feel it’s just temporary. I have other things I have to focus on right now but my animal advocacy never stops. ?
At least you are still blogging, that’s what matters. For some reason, the “?” shows up in place of a smile when someone uses the “colon and right bracket” to make a smile. Is that what you’re using? It works on my end, but I’m using Google Chrome. I figured you meant a smile, when I saw the question mark.
I understand, LeeAnn. You’ll find it is pretty simple, for just standarg blogging, then you can learn the fancy stuff later if you ever need it.
My comment above by LeeAnn from Animals Are Feeling Beings Too is not suppose to have a question mark at the end. For some reason I have to enter my information each time I make a comment here.
Make sure my site isn’t in some exclusion list, in your browser where it doesn’t save cookies. That’s what it sounds like.
77 and still counting. Good job Ron. One foot in front of the other, slow and steady!
That’s the only way to work it, one step at a time, each day.
Thanks again for how much help you offer to us. With your encouragement I made the switch to the newer editor and am able to use it pretty much the same way I used the old one. I don’t have many bells and whistles in my posts anyway, so I disregard most of the blocks offered.
I appreciate your thanks, Elizabeth. I’m glad you’re starting to get a little feel for it. The rest will come, if and when you need it.
I just got to use the little up and down arrows to rearrange paragraphs. Another step mastered!
That’s the way to do it. One step at the time.
It seems to be working. Thanks.
Okay, here’s the thing, Ron. I think I need to be shown why I should upgrade to Gutenberg. I’m using classic and all is good. What value would the new editor have for me?
The easiest answer? If they ban the use of the classic editor at some point soon. Then you will have to do a crash course with the block editor. It’s not really hard, just think of the blocks, as paragraphs instead of blocks.
I don’t see them allowing the classic editor to live much longer. It causes a lot of support headaches I imagine with users, trying to seamlessly import old posts with classic formatting, into the new block editor. They will want to shorten that bump in the road at some point, I’m sure.
Someone may make a plugin of the classic editor, but you never know when the developers of plugins might stop supporting it, then you’re once again left with the block editor.
I imagine, within about 3 days you’ll be very good at using it. It’s no different really. When you hit return for your next paragraph, it simply jumps down to the next “block”, which is just a container for your next paragraph.
You can do this, Ellie!