Widget Accessibility
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The Appearances > Widget area has been turned upside to the point it is barely recognizable. Whatever WP Support did, would they PLEASE just give us back the old format? Because this new format is cumbersome and clunky. Now, “I” can manage it, although I really do not like it and it WILL take more time to do basic things. However, I know a lot of authors (and have referred a lot of authors to WordPress) who just do not have the basic skills to navigate this new layout. In short, many authors just cannot manage it. If you don’t give us back the old format, then you will lose a lot of potential customers because there are many authors who simply do not have the HTML skills to manage the new format. As long as this new format stands, I’m not sure I can recommend WP to new authors, especially the ones with meager computing skills. Sorry, but there it is. Can we have at last have the OPTION of using the old format?
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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I just checked out the new Widgets section, and to be honest, I don’t find it that much different than the old one. It’s more minimalistic and condensed, but it’s functionality seems to be exactly the same as the old one–drag widget from “Available Widgets” to the “Widget Area”, click on gear to edit. Still an inactive Widget section.
It doesn’t feel clunky to me, and it actually looks a little better on my tablet (but I still can’t actually use it on my tablet, since it involves clicking and dragging, which is difficult to do). If it changed the functionality of the section, that would be one thing. But it seems to be just a cosmetic change at this point.
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Hello there,
I have been here answering questions since before the day that the first WordPress.com widgets were introduced. The latest changes were to appearance of the Widget page ie. to the layout, not to functionality of the widgets. If it’s clunky then maybe you and your authors have a browser related issue.1. If you are not running one of the browsers and versions listed at http://browsehappy.com/ please try upgrading or switching first.
2. If you are using an IE browser in compatibility mode please disable that mode. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1196-internet-explorer-compatibility-view-turn-off.html
3. If you are running one of the browsers and versions listed at http://browsehappy.com/
(a) Try clearing your browser’s cache http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=32050
If applicable see here for instructions on how to clear the cache for Chrome and Safari on the iPad:
http://browsers.about.com/od/howtousemobilebrowser1/ss/safari-ipad-clear-cache.htm
http://browsers.about.com/od/howtousemobilebrowser1/ss/How-To-Clear-Browsing-Data-In-Chrome-For-Ipad_6.htm(b) Make sure that you have both third-party cookies enabled and JavaScript enabled
http://en.support.wordpress.com/third-party-cookies/
http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=12654(c) Disable all browser extensions or add-ons temporarily.
(d) Try enabling HTTPS: http://en.support.wordpress.com/https/
Add both *.wordpress.com and *.wp.com to your list of trusted sites under the Security tab. Make sure to uncheck the box for “Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.” http://en.support.wordpress.com/https/#frequently-asked-questions
4. Try using another browser.
5. If you are not successful let us know:
(a) Exactly what kind of device you are using to connect to the internet and to WordPress.com.
(b) Exactly which browser (and version of it) you’re using by checking here if necessary http://www.whatbrowser.org/
(c) And what any error reports you receive state. -
I appreciate the responses from timethief and ecumenicallife, but I’m afraid neither response is of much help in this instance. I am beginning to suspect that WordPress has changed the Dashboard in order to cater to the new (and right now very small) TABLET crowd. Tablets are “gadgets,” not computers. Tablets are fun and handy because they are portable and lightweight, but they are NOT workplace computers (at least not yet). And with the exception of one college physics student I know who has an ASUS, I just don’t know of anyone else in my sphere who has a tablet or intends to buy one in the near future. All of the authors, artists, and editors I know have either a full CPU workstation (I have two) and/or a laptop (I have one of those, as well). But I don’t have a tablet, because I need to do WORK. So if the majority (as in I would presume at this point to be 99%) of the authors, journalists, publishers, and artists out there are using desktops (i.e. CPUs and laptops), then changing WordPress to cater to the right now teeny-tiny tablet crowd is not smart. Everyone I know uses a desktop, so the layout needs to work for a desktop–not a tablet. And I strongly suspect at this point that this is the problem. FYI, I know how to work the firewall, adjust the cookies, AND block unwanted scripts, such as those that track mouse movements and key-logging. I can even program little HTML and Javascript, when needed, so that puts me way beyond the average user. The at hand appears to be that WordPress has fiddled with its main Dashboard to cater to tablet users (the 1%-ers) and that is a huge MISTAKE. Give me back my old Dashboard!!! <grrrr>
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Tablets are NOT a fad. Tablets are quickly replacing PCs and Tablet sales are likely to surpass PCs by 2015. The future is mobile. Nielsen says that over 60% of all mobile phone owners in the US use a smartphone. Walker Sands Digital study showed mobile traffic to its client base increasing by 171 since Q3 2011. Statista says that 5 billion people will use mobile phones by 2017. Read more here http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2013/11/10/responsive-web-design-the-gold-standard/
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I do work on both my desktop and tablet. That being said, while I do about half of my blog reading on my desktop and half on my tablet, I do nearly all of my blog -writing- on my desktop.
I took a look at the new widget tab on my tablet, and found that it is no easier to use than the old one, but neither is it any more difficult–it works the same.
All I can see that has changed with the widget tab in the Dashboard is its appearance–it still works exactly the same was it did before. The widget “pieces” are now condensed so one can fit more on the screen view at a time. The functionality is exactly the same. It only looks a little different.
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In response to Timethief, I never said tablets were a fad. I called them gadgets, because as yet (with the exception of higher-end ones like the ASUS) they are compact mobile units. They are not (yet) made for the kind of desktop work that I do running a publishing company. But they are great for ebooks. I have lots of ebooks for sale and will cheerfully sell them to any one with an eReader or a tablet. I will, however, NEVER give up my desktop with its firewall protections. <smile>
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