My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Monday, February 04, 2019

BLOGGER - SAFE as long as you do not have any features tied into G+ option ---- GOOGLE PLUS GOING AWAY

To preserve as much of your hard work as possible, please do this ASAP.

Because I've received several requests for assistance, and because one of my friends may have removed information from her Google Account unnecessarily, I am prompted to write this post. Sorry for how long this is, but there are several scenarios, even if you think you are not affected - you MUST be sure you don't have an old Plus ID somewhere that may be affiliated with your email address or account:

Google Plus features are being eliminated: see this link:

Already have a Blogger ID? Please see suggestions highlighted in yellow at the bottom of the post.

Blogger features should be safe AS LONG AS YOU ELIMINATE YOUR GOOGLE PLUS ID AND SWITCH BACK TO A BLOGGER ID before the deadline - please do this as quickly as possible to not lose your blog altogether:

IF YOU ARE USING BLOGGER WITH A GOOGLE + ID:

Because some Blogger users (like me) have enabled a Google + ID, but NOT a Google+ Blog format, the Blogger User/ID information is in the top right corner. I went to someone whose blog was Google + ID and clicked on the banner there to delete my Plus ID (the delete option is at the bottom of the page)

1. For Blogger Blogs using Google+ IDs in addition to Blogger ID, instead, do the following:
2. For Blogs using Google+ IDs also do the following:

  1. Go to Dashboard
  2. Go to SETTINGS (left column)
  3. Go USER SETTINGS
  4. On the right side of the page are some options. 
  5. Under GENERAL, select USER PROFILE.
  6. Make sure that BLOGGER is selected and NOT Google+ :
(click on the graphic below to better read those tiny letters)




Click on EDIT (directly under the BLOGGER selection):


A new window pops up:

NOTE:

  • if you are reading this on my blog, please click on the photo below so you can see the full size photo completely, and the writing on the right will not interfere with the photo. 

  • if you are reading this via email, I'm hoping it already is at full size for your viewing. If it is not, please click on the title of my blog post in the top of your email, and it will take you to my blog post so you can read it there.


MORE TO DO

A few disappointing things will happen when switching to Blogger ID from Google Plus:


  • Comments you left on any blogs using Google Plus ID will disappear. This means that if you left comments on my blog (or any blog) using your G+ ID, those comments will disappear forever.

  • If your photos are stored in Google Plus ID and NOT JUST A GOOGLE ID, then wherever those photos have been uploaded, they will disappear, including your blog posts. Check your photos stored in the Google Photos. If they are tied in with your Plus Account, DOWNLOAD THEM to your hard drive so you will not permanently lose them. As you have time, you could then revisit old blog posts that have lost their photos and upload from your hard drive.

  • You will lose all your Google Plus followers. Establish the gadget FOLLOWERS by:
  1. Going in into your dashboard
  2. Choose LAYOUT
  3. Click on ADD A GADGET
  4. Choose Followers, and Save:

  • It's ok to ask people to re-follow you using this feature, or perhaps you may want to offer other ways people can follow you. Try to put all your follow options in the same place on your blog, to make it easy for them to find. Remember, several of our blogging friends will be going through this transition, so let's be supportive and patient.

  • Because Blogger and Plus are two different platforms, you are also going to lose all your previous comments. Please don't be discouraged. Remind your blogging friends about this issue, and ask them to please help you rebuild your existing blog by leaving new comments going forward, and following you.

  • The sooner you switch over, the sooner your new blog posts will be safe from purging.


One other suggestion for Blogger ID:


  • If we all would enable our email address, it would allow for email replies from comments left on our blogs. For example, if someone leaves a comment on my blog, asking me a question, I cannot readily/conveniently reply if they do not have their email enabled. Instead, I see the "no-reply" option when clicking reply. To enable your email address for your followers or visitors:
  1. Go to your Dashboard. 
  2. Click on SETTINGS
  3. Edit User Profile > Show My Email Address (and be sure this is the correct address - many Blogger users have old addresses shown in there because they forget to correct it, and they forget to hit SAVE).

I hope this helps everyone. I will try my best to help you individually after you have followed these steps if you still have problems. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional, and do not know all the ramifications this may hold in store for us.

hugs,
de


21 comments:

Karen Dunbrook said...

Thanks so very much Donna for this info...very helpful.
x Karen

KarinsArtScrap said...

thanks Donna

gr karin

Mac Mable said...

So very helpful and thank you so much for taking time to do this....I appreciate it x

Beebeebabs said...

Thanks for sharing my friend and have a great week!!!

Wendy L said...

I think all mine are ok Donna. I have done like you said and mine are all just Google not plus. I hope this is going to be ok,
Thanks, xx

Linda Simpson said...

Thanks Donna, already done this but thanks for the information and the time you took to prepare this.
Hugs
Linda xxx

*Vicki* said...

Thank you for sharing all of the info, you are always so good about that! Although I do not have a blogspot blog, I do have my profile set to "blogger" which was the "old" way that I had always preferred anyway! :) Not sure about You Tube settings though as I know the two accounts are linked, so was wondering if You Tube will change anything.

Sue said...

Thanks Donna.

Jackie T said...

Thank you Donna this was very useful. Take care. Hugs Jackie

pam said...

Thank you for this De, was going ask you about this, have checked mine and think I`m ok as just Google ticked, I was`nt using Google + ..
Hugs Pam x

Leslie Miller said...

I hope I'm okay. Following your instructions I deleted my Google+ ID. I don't use it for my blogging platform. I use Blogger, so I'm hoping nothing is tied in that I'll lose on my own blog. I guess we'll see. I really appreciate all the time you took to share this info, Donna.

SD pooja said...

Hi Donna ! I don't have a Google plus id but my blogger friends have ,I will share your post with them ,Thanks a lot for sharing it and saving efforts of many .

Creaine said...

xx thanks for this
bye Ine

Diane said...

Thank YOU so much Donna, I did receive an email I had google +, why I don't know as I don't even know what it is lol. I did successfully delete it and went back in and checked and it is now gone. Thanks so much, it's nice to have a very knowledgeable Tech person, because I am NOT!! Thanks again!!

Verna Angerhofer said...

Thanks so much. I hope I have my blog all ready to accommodate all the changes now.

J said...

Thank you Donna, managed to delete my google +, thanks for explaining it all,so clearly

Conniecrafter said...

Thank you Donna, this was very clear and easy to understand, I really appreciate all the time you took to explain it all to us.

Shoshi said...

A well-thought-out post, very helpful, thank you. I didn't have my blog linked to Google+. However, I use Open Live Writer for composing my blog posts, and over the past couple of days, I was unable to publish any post with photos in it. I have found a workaround online, which works OK but is time consuming - I am hoping Google will sort out the problem and get back to holding hands with Open Live Writer again.

My main problem now, though, is that ALL my photos on posts prior to the latest one (using the workaround) have disappeared. I had uploaded them all from my hard drive and thought that would make them secure. I am wondering if there is a way to restore them without having to upload every single one of them again - I have had my blog for 8 years and there are literally thousands of photos in that time. Any suggestions?

I am really hacked off with Google for messing us around like this. I've had problems in the past with OLW not working properly when Google has changed things, and I am hoping they will sort the problem but if not, I can see I've got a huuuuge amount of work ahead of me.

Shoshi

Shoshi said...

Hi Donna, thank you soooo much for your very supportive comment on my blog, and for your kind words about my blog! I really appreciate this. (I can't think why email isn't enabled - I thought it was all working OK.) Regarding the loss of all my photos, I've searched online for answers to this and only get instructions for restoring them all again one by one, but with 8 years' worth, this really isn't an option. Thank you for the advice about the orange "send feedback" button - I have now done this and told them about both problems - the OLW publishing problem, and the loss of all my photos, and regarding the latter, I've asked them to restore all my photos! I am so, so annoyed about all this messing about the Google puts us through. Thank you so much for following my blog, and I shall definitely return the favour! I found your blog through Shaz Silverwolf who's on the weekly WOYWW blog hop I'm on - she's always got lots of advice about loads of things, and I'm so glad I followed her link to your blog. Again, thanks so much for your support!

Hugs, Shoshi

Shoshi said...

Thanks for your lovely return visit to my blog, Donna! Thank you also for the instructions on how to enable my email address, which I have now done. I just hope I'm not inundated with loads of spam emails as a result... Anyway, we shall see!!

Hugs,
Shoshi x

Mia said...

Thank you Donna. Your post helped me to add my email address. I did not know how to do it. Thank you.