Reader changed?
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To clarify— you’re referring to visiting WordPress.com on your phone’s version of IE and not the Windows Mobile WordPress app, correct?
Just want to be sure :-)
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This might just be me, but does anyone find that even in the Freshly Pressed reader that posts don’t always show up? It used to be that there were 6+ new posts per day on Freshly Pressed, but now it seems like there are only 1 or 2 on some days. Is that just a new thing WordPress decided to do or is it yet another problem with the reader?
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Hi, I mainly use the windows mobile wordpress app. It is clunky and has a few issues but generally it works OK and I like it (or did before recent changes). I get to the reader from the app by clicking into the ‘view admin’ tile on the apps home page then click on the wordpress icon in the top left hand corner and choose the reader from the drop down.
The problems start here as each post takes up the whole screen, so I get one post per page and this then requires LOTS of scrolling to work down through the recent posts. Then clicking the post title gets me the popup. The workaround for word count is not so effective on the phone as I need to first zoom in to get the word count big enough to click on.
Clicking on the post title in the reader pops up a new window and in the top left hand corner next to the close X there is a blank space where on the home PC I get a ‘view original post’ link. With this missing it is tricky to view the original post unless the blogger has chosen to prevent whole posts showing in which case I then get another link to choose. In this popup window the scroll is not working so I can only view the first page of text or pictures, anything below is not reachable.
So in summary the wordpress reader is no longer usuable on our windows phones whereas before the reader changes it worked perfectly.
I believe the same problems exist even if I access wordpress via the phones IE browser rather than the app. I will double check tonight when I get home.
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@mud4fun:
Thanks for double-checking. Once we know if it is only within the app or while using the website directly, I’ll report upstream to either (or both) teams.@carrieslager: We’re still Freshly Pressing a handful or so posts each day. I haven’t fielded reports of that page not displaying posts, but I’ll keep an eye on it. To confirm, I tested both the grid and the “normal” view at http://wordpress.com/fresh/
Thanks!
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I have logged in to my wordpress account via IE on the phone (NOT via the WP app) and the reader suffers from the exact same issues:
1) no view original post link in top left hand corner of popup
2) broken scrolling in popup, impossible to scroll down to read whole post (for those blogs that have not restricted to summary only)
3) reader entries take up virtually whole screen so effectively only one post per page which results in excessive scrolling. Not so bad on a PC with a mouse but less good on a phone where the act of scrolling with jestures can often accidentally hit a link and open a post etc. The image needs to be made smaller and moved to the left or right with the first paragraph of the post placed next to it. The title needs to be in a smaller font too. In bloglovin’s reader I can see 5 or more posts per page in their mobile app on my phone and that is what I would call comfortable as all the text is still readable.
Many thanks for your time and replies to this matter.
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Oh, the phones back button returning to the admin home page instead of back into the reader is a WP windows phone app specific issue as the back button in IE on the phone works fine and does return to the reader.
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Hope you had a good weekend. I’ve reported this list to both teams.
Since the Windows Mobile app doesn’t have a native reader (not relying on a webpage behind the scenes), once the Reader team processes it, it should resolve in both places.
Regarding the “more words” breakpoint, we use the post’s excerpt based on when the remainder of the post is of a sufficient length to justify using it (or if the RSS settings are set to summary only).
The except is automatically generated, unless you self-create the except (more about that at http://en.support.wordpress.com/splitting-content/excerpts/ ).
Hope y’all had a great weekend!
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I have published two new posts over the last 24 hours and having watch my OH (mud4fun) use the exert on his latest post and saw that he suddenly had a word count, I did the same thing when the word count failed to materialise on either of my posts.
Step 1: Activate exert – check
Step 2: copy section of text into exert box on editor – check
Step 3: Insert more tag to ensure only section of each post shown under categories on my blog page as I have done with every single post I’ve published – check
Step 4: Update post – check
Step 5: Check post in reader …… Arrrgggghhhh still no word count!!!I then spent the best part of 15 minutes trying to get the darn word count to appear on last nights post and finally I managed it although I have absolutely no clue as to how I achieved this!
Todays post, however, refuses point blank to show a word count.
I have deleted the exert and re copied a smaller section – failed
Deleted exert and re copied a larger section – failed
I’ve removed the more tag completely – no luck
I’ve located the more tag further down the post – still no luck!!!!!I am really, really frustrated now and would be grateful if someone could please tell me exactly how the word count is programmed to work because there appears to be absolutely no reasoning behind it at all!!!!!!!
Many thanks a thoroughly fed up Mrs Mud (thelandroverownerswife)
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Okay literally published the above and went back to the reader and SUDDENLY the word count is there – I need to find a darkened room, somewhere quiet ……
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Okay, seriously annoyed/confused as the word count is now NOT showing on the reader when I view on my windows 8 phone! Haven’t the chance to recheck the PC yet but can only assume the count will be missing from there too!
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Just resign yourself to the fact:
1. They decided what was better for all.
2. Doesn’t matter that most feel they broke it.
3. Doesn’t matter what platform, the results will be unpredictable.
4. Lip service doesn’t change programming mistakes. -
I’m seeing the word count on both posts via http://wordpress.com/read/blog/id/35043647 .
We do use caching to help ensure the fastest experience possible, so that likely accounts for what you saw and why you’re not sure what did what. With the caching, changes made to the post aren’t applied instantly to the reader, but are after a few minutes.
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Hello and thanks for replying. I do understand about caching but you have missed my point. I don’t know what combination triggers the appearance of the at time of first publishing. I use exert and more tag and yet when I publish the post the count doesn’t always appear.
I have to go back and tweak things and, frankly, even doing the exert bit is yet more steps to follow.
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You don’t need to do the excerpt step, but can if you want to ensure where the breakpoint will be.
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@timethief: Beating the ghosts of dead horses who have long turned to dust is a useless enterprise.
We’re still listening and I’m working with the Reader folks with feedback.
We look at a number of different elements—usage data, user feedback, and others—to help us improve our service (either in new ways or correct places we’ve gone wrong).
When the feedback is more exact, the more we can do with that information. @thelandroverownerswife details about the “X more words” addition is helpful as we can use that to iterate on how that is added now—both in terms of the code used behind the scenes and areas to improve documentation.
I understand the changes hasn’t been welcomed with a parade by many in this thread, we have been making many tweaks and changes to improve it. There are a number of different slight difference being used with a small percentage of folks to help determine if a change makes a positive or negative difference on the experience and the changes to the Reader aren’t launched with weeks of real-user usage, even if only in small numbers.
In short, while we’re not perfect, we’re trying hard for y’all.
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I’ve tried to get used to it but I can’t. The new reader, along with the fact that you have to go through another window instead of going straight to the blog, is just irritating and impractical. :-(
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I’m happy that the staff are working on it though :-).
If it’s helpful to give more info: the headers are too big; the window with the View Original button is very, very annoying; and it would probably be best to have a font without serifs. Again, hope it helps. :-)
P.S. (I meant to put in one comment but accidentally submitted my comment before it was all written)
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