April 8, 2017 10:53
Hi there, WordPress subscribers!
Have you looked at you WordPress Reader lately?
It’s been reformatted once again! The WordPress Reader is now using combined cards and it’s probably going to kill a lot of your favorite sites. I just thought everyone might want a little advanced warning.
See, here’s how combined cards work. Let’s say that there’s a wordpress site — like this one — that publishes multiple different posts during the day. In the past, each post would appear separately in your reader, as a “card.” However, someone apparently thought that prolific writers — like me for instance — were posting so much that the WordPress Reader was getting crowded.
So, now, we have combined cards! Instead of getting a card that reads, “TV Review: Twin Peaks On Through The Shattered Lens,” followed by another card that reads, “Why Lisa Is Currently Furious,” you’ll get a card that reads, “Two new posts on Through The Shattered Lens.” If you want to just casually click on the like button or get a quick preview of the images used in those posts, you’ll no longer be able to do that. Not with combined cards. Instead, you’ll have to click on the combined card and then click on one of the posts listed.
Does that help to “clean up” the reader? I have no idea. I really didn’t know that there was apparently a “cluttered reader” crisis going on.
What I do know is that this new format only serves to reward writers who only post, at most, once a day. Meanwhile, people like me and sites like this, will be punished for having a lot to say. With this combined card nonsense, WordPress has pretty much destroyed the benefits that many sites got from people casually browsing their reader.
And who is going to suffer?
Only the most active and prolific writers. I’ve already heard from many other WordPress users that, since the introduction of combined cards, both their views and their likes are way down.
I mean, what the Hell? HOW IS THIS A GOOD THING!? In the end, the only thing this reformat is going to do is unfairly deprive sites of hundreds of potential views, likes, and comments. Why punish those of us who are actually willing to put in the effort to make our sites worth visiting!? And, perhaps even more importantly, why do this without giving us any say or advanced warning?
No. I am not happy about this at all.
Posted by Lisa Marie Bowman
Categories: Editorial, Lisa's Editorial Corner
Tags: Editorial, Lisa Marie Bowman, Lisa's Editorial Corner, wordpress
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If it ain’t broke, why “fix” it?
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By chuckl8 on April 8, 2017 at 11:04
The problem with this (and other) WordPress changes is they (whoever “they” are) don’t bother to ask the bloggers whether they want the changes! I still don’t use the newer “fast-edit” way of writing drafts, preferring the (to me) easier version, which is still found in my WP Admin. I agree with you, Lisa, the updated Reader does multiple-writer sites a disservice. I wish I knew the solution to this issue. Any thoughts?
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By gary loggins on April 8, 2017 at 15:19
My suggestion is old-style, but it works way more than you might think. Publish a good email address for Word Press. Better yet, publish as many email addresses for Word Press that you can find. And then tell everyone you know, especially others that use Word Press, to send emails, … LOTS of emails. Even phone calls can make a difference.
Maybe they’ll ignore us, but I’ve seen something simple like this work, even with TV networks, and I mean the Big Three, not just the smaller networks. You’d be surprised how seldom people complain about this kind of thing, and more surprised at how even a few complaints can make a big difference.
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By chuckl8 on April 8, 2017 at 15:33
Reblogged this on crackedrearviewer and commented:
My friend at “Through the Shattered Lens” is currently angry – how do you other bloggers feel about this latest WordPress change?
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By gary loggins on April 8, 2017 at 15:21
[…] Realizing that I needed to be cheered up (and perhaps not wanting to ever have to hear the term “combined cards” ever again), Jedadiah Leland showed me this earlier today and it worked. I mean, this video may be five years old but it’s a cat and it’s a cute song about cats! […]
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By AMV Of The Day: I’m A Kitty Cat (Nichijou) | Through the Shattered Lens on April 8, 2017 at 16:21