Some members lost a heap of points when the site broke a few weeks ago. Many of the older Picks had become corrupted in the upgrade and so no longer counted towards profile points.
However, I took the difference between your amassed points as at 18 Feb 2010 and your current total, and added any that you had accrued since then. Hopefully, the result is the amount of points that you should have had if nothing had changed.
I'm sure you'll let me know if they aren't!! ;-) lol.
It seemed fitting that the Popular pages were taken off to the dry-cleaners over the past few weeks. They've been pressed, darned, de-odorized and freshened up. Furthermore, they've come back from the cleaners with an added extra - a brand new page called Blogs on the Rise.
This page highlights some of the new movers on the block who have been Faved the most in the past 24 hours. It puts the new "dogs on the plot" into the spotlight and gives us some new, fresh faces to admire. So, if this list shows some unknown blogs, take the time to check them out and meet the people behind them.
The Most Faved and Most Visited blog lists have also had a "once-over" and don fresher, user-friendly looking interfaces.
NB: If you have some of the Popular pages saved in your browser's Favourites/Bookmarks list then you will need to update them so that they work again.
Now here's a feature improvement that most of you, especially the seasoned campaigners, should enjoy. You now have the ability to read posts without all the flouncy graphics, massive logos and slow-loading images. While we all enjoy seeing how each of us decorate our blogs, when it comes to reading posts these things can become a big distraction.
So, for those who have traversed Blotanical for a while you will now notice the "Pick Settings" button in the far-left corner on the Picks page.
This is your license to SPEED!
The button takes you to a very simple form with two options on it. Here's an image of what the form looks like;
The first option is to "Show Posts as Originally Formatted". If left checked this will allow you to see the posts as you currently do already and is the default setting. Uncheck the field and it will only present you with the post's content but will continue to show you any images that are included within the post.
If you don't want the images to show either, thereby making the post load even quicker, you can leave the "Show Images in Altered Format" unchecked (by DEFAULT). Checking this field, in combination with unchecking the first field allows the post to be stripped down but the images to remain.
How will this affect blog owners?
Firstly, it won't result in as many pageviews for the owner. The stripped down version works directly off the feed content without delivering the page. However, because readers will be able to access these posts much quicker it should mean that more people will actually get to read your posts - even those on...dare I say it...dial-up!
Second, if your feed settings are set to Partial Feeds instead of Full Feeds (this is usually altered within your blogging platform - ie. Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad etc) readers may only get a summary of your post via this avenue. How this affects you and/ or your readers is something that only time will tell.
For those who like to comment on blogs as part of the Picks view you are still able to access the blog's post by clicking the "Read in New Tab" link directly under the Pick button.
Observant members have been noticing, and mentioning, some of the changes that have been occurring over the past few weeks. These are to aid a few major changes that are in the pipeline but also to tweak some user-requested features.
I'm keen to unveil a few that you may, or may not, have noticed. So here they are with the reasons for the improvement.
Join instead of Submit
Unless you've joined Blotanical since the past weekend, chances are this one wouldn't have come up on the radar. In fact, it's more of a change for my benefit than yours but will ultimately streamline a few other projects already in progress - namely Reviews which work will start on next week.
The problems that have been remedied are;
My Posts with easier Ordering options
Until now, My Posts were always ordered by the number of Picks each post attracted. Thanks to Helen - The Patient Gardener, and others, the suggestion was made to order these by date as well. Now it's possible to order them by date (ascending order) or (descending order).
In the future, you may also be able to order them alphabetically and by number of Picks ascending.
TANGENT ALERT!!!!
While we're on the subject of My Posts, some members have been pointing out that they're seeing posts from other blogs showing up in their list. The reason for this is because some of our members are multi-tabbed picking. That is, rather than waiting for the blog post to load they may open multiple separate tabs with different posts opened from the Picks lists.
This happens because each tab opened holds a session variable, ie a piece of data such as the title of the post, the blog id and other information. The problem occurs when these variables get caught up and used at different points in time relating to the wrong blogs. Unfortunately, this is a programming limitation so it is outside of my control.
The way to combat the problem is just to expect that everyone is happy to sit and wait while your blog takes 20 minutes to download all the uncompressed images, sidebar gadgets and title banners. But this probably isn't going to happen.
The solution that I would suggest is that we offer members the option to view picks in formatted text only - as an opt-in/opt-out preference. This would mean that after clicking the post link that takes you to the Picks page you will see only the post as formatted text instead of all the other images and gadgetry. Those who are happy to remain with the current arrangement can do so while those who are on limited time schedules will have the choice. Plus, you can always click the "Read in a New Tab" link to open the page as the owner formatted on their own page. (This will be the only way you could add comments as well).
Until this change occurs, I will have to manually remove any impending Picks meaning that the Pickers will lose points and it may have effects on the Popular Picks as well.
New Garden Blog Posts
This page has undergone some changes in order to help promote those blogs that are new to Blotanical. A list of Popular Picks for the Newest 200 Blogs and also a pictorial survey of some of our new Blotanists are the key improvements. Would love to know your thoughts on this, especially from some of the new bloggers.
Terms of Service (TOS)
Since every other social media site has a TOS, it seemed like something worth offering here as well. Basically it outlines the unwritten community guidelines that we're trying to project with this site - except that they're no longer unwritten. New members have to agree to them before they can join Blotanical and in the next few weeks all members of Blotanical will have to agree and abide by them. They're not onerous but they should clear the air and let you know where you stand in relation to the use of this site.
Also, you may remember the username change that happened just before Christmas. Each member was confronted with a screen requesting them to make their username conform to the new standards and promised that they would only see this once. Well...it seems that I forgot to update the Display Name field in the About Me section of their Plot and some members have gone and changed them back or to other names that no longer conform. For these members you will, once I've fixed the loophole, have to revisit this page again in the near future.
It's time to unveil a new feature that has been a dream of mine since the commencement of Blotanical. It's partly been available to you ever since this site began, but its usefulness has been somewhat limited.
I'm talking, of course, about the Experience tab that you find in your Plot. Up until now it's been nice to fill in the dots but hard to find others who may have similar gardening experience to you.
Well, this has all changed with the advent of this new feature - the ability to find others all over the world that share similar styles of gardening. It will become a powerful tool for you in making friendships with bloggers and gardeners who, for example, may have similar skills in Container Gardening as you. They may even have more ability than you in this area and could become a very practical font of knowledge if you want to further your skills.
I'm very excited about the possibilities and how links and networks may be further enhanced through this feature. I'm hoping that you will embrace it and find it equally useful in making new Blotanical friends.
So, how does it work?
You will notice that the Experience section has had a little facelift with easier to view results and a few new buttons;
While in your own Plot you will still be able to click the Edit button and alter your selections. Alongside each area of expertise you will notice a possible 3 new buttons. Some will only show 2 buttons depending on your choices and this will become clearer as I explain it.
Obviously, if you have selected the Top Level of experience then the UP arrow won't be displayed and the opposite occurs if you've chosen the Base Level of experience.
Clicking one of these buttons will take you to the world map with flower icons pointing out positions of Blotanists who fit your selection criteria. At this point it may be worth reviewing How to use the Maps before continuing.
Once you click on an icon (* Red Gerbera for bloggers; * Blue Gerbera for Members) you will be provided with a link for the location of that Blotanist.
Click the link and you will be displayed a list of all relevant Blotanists in that location fitting your selection criteria. In this case there is just one and they are a Member.
Finally, click on the OWNER'S PLOT button and you will be taken to their Plot where you can leave them a message, read about them, view their blog (if they have one) or Fave them. Hopefully you will find this a great tool in making heaps of new online gardening friends.
Many of you who have been enjoying the 100 Current Posts have found at some stage in your Blotanical journey that the page won't load and returns a blank screen. Why this happens is anyone's guess? I've been scouring forums around the web asking for answers with none forthcoming.
So, in order that you might not become too frustrated with my inability to solve the problem, I offer an alternative - Current Posts in List form.
Why wasn't it made this way in the first place? Because us gardeners love to lust after gardening photos like it's some sort of addiction and lists are very boring - but they are practical. And they are quicker to download.
You will notice that it takes a few seconds (those with broadband!) to download this new list. And while that may be a little time-consuming spare a thought for how long it takes to download the 100 Current Posts in its PHP form ( you will notice that it's the only page on Blotanical with an .html extension.
The 100 Current Posts is a .php file that aggregates all your feeds, sorts them and ignores the ones that don't fit into the filtering process. The it tries to deliver them in a timely process - albeit rather slow and clunky. If Blotanical were to deliver this page to you in its current form it would take anywhere between 1 and 5 minutes to download (far too long in most online users experience!)
So, to avoid this wait, the page is set up automatically to run every 5 minutes and then delivers a 'snapshot' of the feeds at the time - basically 5 minutes ago. While it initially produces a dynamic page it eventually returns a static .html page (hence the reason all your login tabs disappear - because Blotanical suspends your identity while you're on this page).
Have I lost you yet? Still with me? Great. The problems with the 'white page' as some have been referring to it, is that in the process of altering the .php page to the static .html page, errors occur. And who knows what these could be? They could be problems with blogger's picture resolutions, timeouts from certain blog feeds, or a plethora of other variables.
So, while I'm still working on trying to deliver the best aggregated feed from gardening sites I realised that I can't keep stretching your patience with this site.
The solution, for the time being anyway, is this new list of the 200 Current Posts in list form. It's not as pretty as the 100 Current Posts but is far more stable and only takes seconds to download rather than minutes.
It works just the same and allows you to still view the post from within Blotanical and Pick them if they're worthy recipients.
You will also notice a change in navigation when you click the Picks tab. Whereas before it would automatically direct you to the 100 Current Posts page, now it points to the current Top Picks. The reason is twofold, (1) it provides more exposure to the posts that are gaining in popularity, and (2) you want get the 'white page' as often.
You can still use the 100 Current Posts to view your feeds but if it stops working and produces the dreaded 'white page' you have an alternative to keep reading your favourite posts.
Hope all this helps. If you have any questions please use the comments below and if any issues or problems arise please us the Help desk.
As Blotanical gears up to allow non-blogging gardeners join up too, one of the features that have been on the To-Do list is to reward those members who are most active.
Why? Because they're the people who have been propelling Blotanical forward. Blotanical is an online community, a hub of social interaction, that grows only because its members interact and share with each other.
Therefore, those members who do the most interacting can now gain points that offer incentives and more benefits with the site. Progressing from the starting Blotanist one can now become a Patron Blotanist and moving through being a Fellow Blotanist, a Master Blotanist and eventually being rewarded with the title of Guru Blotanist.
Each level offers more incentives which are explained here and you can view the Most Popular Users here.
So what are you waiting for? Go and interact with these wonderful bloggers.
Well it's been over a week now since Blotanical was launched publicly. Even though there have been a few problems (hopefully most have now been sorted out with a couple to go) I'm keen to sit back and distill your feedback and comments.
Was it everything that you hoped it would be?
Will you be back to use this site more often?
Will it affect the way you blog and build online friendships?
What are your favourite parts of Blotanical? What aren't?
Are there areas that need to be explained more?
Is it too much?
Is it not enough?
It's an interesting experience letting a site of this size free and not being able to quantify users feelings, preferences and how they view the site.
So, if you have suggestions for improvement, feedback and even problems that you want solved, then I'm keen to hear from you.
Thanks to all the wonderful bloggers who have picked up some of the new widgets and banners for their blogs, wrote positive posts or who have dropped me an encouraging email. All have been much appreciated.
Thanks.
My sincerest apologies to all our members who tried logging in from the dodgy email they received yesterday. Unfortunately, the link contained within the email was faulty and so nobody was able to get in and start their Blotanical journey.
What happened?
Good question. After much testing to make sure that the email would do as it said, for some unknown reason it decided to change the link on sending. Whereas everyone should have received a unique link we all ended up with the same useless one.
After realising what had happened, from a few persistent bloggers' emails, I sent out another text based email with the users personalised link again. However, it seems that most people didn't receive that email! Aaagh - technology!
So, if you still haven't been able to crack the Fort-Knox-fortified-site known as Blotanical, then here's a few options.
1. Go to the LOGIN tab and under the LOGIN button you will notice a link that says "Did you forget your password?". Click on this and then enter your email address. Another email shall be sent to you with the valid link. This one should work.
2. Failing this, send me an email expressing your deep remorse for not being able to enjoy the fruits of Blotanical.com ;-) lol and I will send you the valid link.
I'm hoping that the first option will work as it's supposed to!!!
Apart from that, Happy Blotanicalling.
PS. Thank you to all those wonderful bloggers who wouldn't take 'NO' for an answer and informed me of these problems.
Welcome to Blotanical - the much improved version of the Garden Blog Directory.
It has certainly been a labour of love putting this together but I think the results far outweigh the effort. This new site has heaps more to offer the garden blogging community in a way that could never have been achieved at the GBD.
Let me walk you through some of the new features:
Submitting Your Blog
The old GBD would take me nearly 2 hours to add half a dozen blogs to the system. With the new systems in place I processed nearly 120 blogs in less than 10 minutes. This can only be good news for all of us.
Login Features
One of the other obvious benefits of Blotanical is the ability to login and have your own space at your My Plot. This will open up the garden blogosphere to new dimensions for meeting new bloggers and finding others that you have more in common with than you first suspected.
The ability to login also allows Blotanical to be personalised to your tastes and interests and as this site develops this will become much easier and far more interesting.
Picks
This is the piece d'resistance in the Blotanical update. Firstly, you can read all the current posts that have been published from garden bloggers and keep up with what's going on and the things others are writing about.
Plus you can Pick them based on whether you like the post. The more Picks a post receives, the higher it ranks.
Favourites
This is basically your blogroll on steroids. While most garden bloggers have a roll of links they usually are sorted alphabetically rather than by preference. With Favourites you can choose your whole blogroll, plus a few more, and rank them according to your preference.
This is turn acts as a weighted vote to that blog and lifts them up in the rankings as well.
To Come
Over the next few weeks I hope to explain a few more of the changes that you will find at Blotanical and answer any questions and problems that users may encounter.
I would love to hear your thoughts, both positive and negative, about this new site and hope that you will enjoy it and be able to use it heaps.
For those who have been hiding under a rock, or perhaps too busy in the garden, Google now offer personalised search pages. This customisation allows you to turn the simple Google page into a useful inventory of gadgets that will, supposedly, add benefit to your online activities.
Updated weather reports, digital and analog clock faces to keep track of the time, feed readers of your favourite blogs and so on. There really is no limit to what is available and how you personalise your page.
Well, I'm happy to announce that the Garden Blog Directory now has its own Google Gadget that randomly presents you with a featured Garden Blog - from this directory - every time you reload your Google search page. Click on the image and you'll be taken directly to the featured blog.
This is just another way we're trying to make this site easier to find great gardening blogs.
Firstly, you must have already signed up to have an account with Google. Once you have, it's a fairly simple process;
With more than 170 blogs on offer, and growing, you shouldn't run out of blogs to visit. You may even see your gardening blog featured on occasions.
Today marks the start of a new beginning with the blog directory.
You can now see how popular your blog is compared to others by seeing how many visits you get from this site. Sure, it's no real analytical comparison - it just means there are more people visiting you.
Over the past few months I've been testing and trialling this feature that's been running in the background. It's been keeping score every time someone clicks on a link that takes them to a gardening blog and compiling them for me to analyse. Well, after the testing has finally finished it's now available for everyone to see and use.
What are the features?
If you click here you can see who has been getting the most visits in the past 24 hours. Go here and you can see who's featuring prominently over the past week. And, finally click here and the most popular blogs will list for the past 30 days.
Every time you click a blog's listing -whether it be the "Visit this site" link, the blog image or the blog title - you are effectively voting for that blog.
Caution
Now we all know that everyone wants to be at the top of any listings, so the temptation is to click as many times on your own blog and 'game' the rankings.
I've already thought that one through and those who try to 'game' the list may be de-listed from any future rankings with the possibility of losing your inclusion in the directory.
You are allowed to click on your blog listing here on the directory no more than once per day but after that it will be seen that you are trying to 'game' it.
Are there other ways to get to the top?
Sure. Some listings you will notice a red star which is for those blogs who the directory considers as friends. It's not an arbitrary procedure and anybody can become a friend. Friends are sorted at the top of the rankings for the number of visits they've secured.
To find out more about becoming a friend, click here.
This is the start of things to come.
A blog about blogging - garden blogging, that is.
Rather than send out newsletters, I will endeavour to update this blog from time to time (not as regular as my Gardening Blog) with everything that's being updated.
New Garden Blogs
If you've lost track of all the new blogs that keep turning up on the map and you're looking for some new reading material this is where you will find them. Every time I do an update of the Directory, I will highlight the new blogs and provide links for you to go and welcome them.
Updates and Modifications
There have been a few slight modifications that have happened with the Blog Directory since its inception but there is far more being planned. Some of the new updates will be rolled out within the next few weeks and other bigger ones, soon after.
Subscribe
To keep up with all that's going on it will definitely be worth the effort subscribing. On the right hand-side of this blog there is a RSS Subscription item. Click on it and then choose your feed reader (Bloglines, Google Reader etc) so that when a post has been included here, it will automatically prompt you to find out what the buzz is about.
Comments
Use the comments section to leave your feedback for the directory. Suggestions, feedback, complaints, kudos. It's all welcome provided it aims to move this site forward.
It's great to have you on board and I'm looking forward to seeing where the journey will continue...