Will a Feedburner feed solve your Pick problems?
Okay, so what's the outcomes from all that has been going on behind the scenes with Blotanical's Picks. Many have noted some of the changes and even commented how quick they are now working - beat that Bloglines and Google Reader!! But for some the changes seem to have come at a price - the loss of Blogger feeds.
While I have tried, and will continue, to get these back into the fray it seems that Blogger feeds are no longer going to be Picked up within this site. Why? I'm not sure and neither are the consultants that I've had pouring over Blotanical's problems.
So, while this may appear to signal the death of Blogger.com's gardening blogs it has in fact, created quite the opposite effect. Those who have taken up the Feedburner challenge are starting to see their blogs posts turn up regularly, and consistently, from within the Picks pages.
Here are some of the changes that have occurred over the past few weeks;
- Ping facility - for those who find their posts taking a day or more to show on the list and then turning up buried in the middle somewhere, this facility is for you. Once you've published your post, head on over to your Plot and in the My Blogs section you will notice a new PING button below your blog's image. Click this and you should see your posts almost immediately display in the Picks lists.
- Limit of 2 Posts per blog - if you're like me, you were probably getting a little tired of those blogs who love to publish 5-6 posts in rapid succession containing only a single photo. They would consume a good part of the total tally of posts. While Blotanical is not out to control how people share their information we have decided to limit the number of posts displayed within Picks from any one blog to just 2 posts.
- Faster caching - our spiders are now roaming the internet looking for your updated posts every 30 minutes. This all happens behind the scenes so that you get the fastest loading pages and hopefully the most current posts that you will find anywhere
- Trial of the Pick Me button - many members have been asking for a button that they can place on their blogs allowing readers to pick it straight from there. You may have seen it in action at the bottom of my gardening posts and it shall start coming out in other blogs in the near future. (You can click it without actually voting if you want to see how it works.)
If you are willing to be a guinea pig for this project please let me know either through comments here or from within the Help Desk and I shall start to get them onto your blogs.
Now, it's my turn to ask for your help.
I have been perplexed of late as to why some of the Blogger blogs that have burned Feedburner feeds are still producing URL's with blogspot addresses in them. Some like Nancy's, Soliloquy, still do it as does Mr Subjunctive's, Plants are the Strangest People. Yet blogs like Esther in the Garden and the The Home Garden show the expected Feedburner URL. You will notice this if you hover over their post titles in the Pick's lists.
The first person who can correctly address this problem will get an extra 1000 bonus points and help me sleep much better at night!!!
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Comments
I'd love to be a guinea pig for the picks project.
For the feed address, I assumed it was something with a feedburner setting, but I can't find it. oh well!
Posted by: Amy | June 17, 2008 12:08 AM
Hi. I think the last issue may have to do with this: http://www.shankrila.com/tech-stuff/blogging-tip-turn-off-feedburner-redirect-in-rss-feeds/
I didn't do an experiment yet to confirm, but I'm guessing that's it.
Posted by: ChrisND | June 17, 2008 12:19 AM
I don't understnad all about Feedburner but now that I have signed up, my posts are showing and everything seems to be just fine now. I just don't see any of my picked posts. Not a problem, I didn't have that feature before anyway.
I'd like to be a guinea pig for the "pick me" button. I think a direct pick from the post sounds like a good idea.
Posted by: Jane Marie | June 17, 2008 5:08 AM
Chris - cheers Chris. This worked a treat and I appreciate your speed at answering the question. Enjoy the bonus 1000 points.
Posted by: Stuart
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June 17, 2008 6:19 AM
I'll gladly be a guinea pig for the pick button. Sorry for all the troubles going on. I hope things smooth out soon with these issues.
Posted by: vanillalotus | June 17, 2008 7:54 AM
Thanks Stuart... Couldn't resist a technical puzzle and as Amy said -- it had to be Feedburner something.
Glad to help the community, well at least one member of it.
Posted by: ChrisND | June 17, 2008 10:39 AM
I would love to host a button on my site. Just let me know what to do and I will put it on if there is something I have to do. Thanks Stuart.
Posted by: LetsPlant | June 17, 2008 11:58 AM
I will try out the picks button on my blog. I gave yours a try this morning and it worked fine.
As for the feed thing ... mine doesn't show feedburner etc when I mouse over, just a whole bunch of other stuff. I'll try out the ping button too. Thanks for everything you do here.
Posted by: Crafty Gardener | June 17, 2008 6:47 PM
Oh wow! I've just posted and pinged and one minute later was at the No 1 spot on the current list - for the first time ever (I usually come in on p2 12 hours later!) Thanks Stuart - you've done it again.
And yes please, I'd love to try out the button.
Posted by: Sue | June 17, 2008 6:54 PM
I agree this is will be an excellent inovation.
I would very much like to be amongst the 'Pick Me' button guinea pigs.
Esther Montgomery
ESTHER IN THE GARDEN
Posted by: Esther Montgomery | June 17, 2008 11:38 PM
Stuart, I would love to have a Pick Button on my blog, but not at the bottom in the blog footer. I keep 5 posts to a page, so that wouldn't work well for me.
Could I put one in the sidebar just below the Blotanical logo banner thing that I have already put there?
Posted by: Barbee' | June 18, 2008 6:46 AM
Unfortunately not Barbee'. The Picks button is POST related rather than BLOG related therefore the button would only work if it was aligned with one of your posts.
Posted by: Stuart
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June 18, 2008 8:48 AM
As usual great improvements Stuart.
The 2 posts per blog doesn't work for me, especially at the moment when I have just got back from a holiday. I don't usually read blogs over the weekend, so for someone who posts daily I would miss their Friday post. I agree with you about the people who post lots of posts each day but I wouldn't have them on my Favs!
But you can't please us all and I am a fan of Blotanical. Best wishes and many thanks Sylvia (England)
Posted by: Sylvia (England) | June 19, 2008 8:34 PM
Hi,
Have the people with the odd feeds updated their Feed info on their Blogger Dashboard?
I use blogger and I think mine comes through OK too, having had problems until I followed your advise on News a while back.
Just a thought?
Posted by: Zoë | June 21, 2008 2:08 AM
Thank you, thank you, Stuart, for the 2 post limit! Those single-photo posts--well, say no more.
I don't use Blogger, but with Typepad, we first had to sign up on Feedburner, then go back to Typepad and override its feed, letting it know that we were Feedburner folks now. Does Blogger also require 2 steps, and if so, is it possible that some people are only doing step 1?
Having now revealed the depths of my web-related ignorance, I will sign off.
--Kate
Posted by: theManicGardener | July 2, 2008 4:10 AM
Kate - there is actually a 3 step process because once you've done as you've stated you must come back here and update your new feed address in your Plot.
Posted by: Stuart
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July 2, 2008 9:38 AM
Ok, I think I'm a bit dense in understanding the details. You wrote: we have decided to limit the number of posts displayed within Picks from any one blog to just 2 posts. So, does that mean:
(1) I cannot post everyday?
(2) -or- I should not post more than two per day?
(3) -or- That if I have two posts floating around in all the picks lists, I must wait until one cycles off before I may post again?
I hate being so dense, but could you please explain more.
Posted by: Barbee' | July 3, 2008 5:57 AM
Barbee - please understand that Blotanical DOES NOT rule how you blog. You can post 500 blogs per day if you really want to. The issue is more about what Blotanical will display within the Picks pages.
The limit that has been set is a maximum of 2 posts from any one blog. Therefore, if you publish 3 posts on one day then the latest 2 will be displayed with the third being hidden. Then, if you publish another 2 posts the following day while your other two posts are still being displayed, then the latter will become hidden while the new ones will be shown. I trust this makes sense.
Posted by: Stuart
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July 3, 2008 9:18 PM
Yes, I was thinking Picks Lists/Pages; I should have been clearer.
I got it now, thank you for your patience. That was what I thought it meant, but wasn't sure.
Posted by: Barbee' | July 5, 2008 12:27 AM
There are so many great ideas being bounced around.
Stuart, I'd be delighted to be a picks button guinea pig.
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