I have found a new toy that I had to share. I use it with every single net post (including Facebook!) and couldn't live without it at this point. And it's free!
If you are posting through blogger in the enhanced mode, you will have noticed by now, there is no longer a spell check feature. Drove me insane for the longest time trying to find it. Guess what. It doesn't exist. Why, who knows.
After many hours of digging in the how-to blogger archives, someone mentioned downloading iespell.
I went for it, desperate to get my spelling mistakes tweaked for me once again as I make many.
The outcome? LOVE!
iespell is a must have. It checks anything to comment on when online. Anything! Once downloaded, it hides in your tool menu. For example, after writing this piece, while this window is open, I'll simply go to tools along your upper menu bar and iespell will magically be there to select. The drop down menu offers you alternatives as well as dictionary meanings if you allow for that option when downloading. I just said yes to all. What could it hurt?
Here is a screen shot from iespell's site on how user friendly it truly is.
I won't go through all the motions on how to download it as it's very self explanatory.
For iespell, click HERE and start. You will LOVE it.
But just know, this is for IE users only.
Now. I hope you don't mind me slipping in a couple inquiries I'm having with the enhanced blogger new post feature which I cannot find answers for.
How do you link a url to a pic?
When I select the picture, and go to add a url to attach to it, my post is simply left with text under the picture. It is not not not working for me like it did in the old method of posting in blogger.
The archive help menu says select the picture and you get dots around it that indicates the picture is selected. I am not getting that. No dots. No matter where I click.
Why doesn't a little pic show up in my blogroll dashboard at times?
I always have pictures in my posts. Why do they show up sometimes and not others?
(perhaps I'll have a 'what frustrates you in blogger' post sometime soon.. heh)
If you're feeling particular geeky today, here are some other blog helps I have archived...
centering widgets
adding a signature
adding a link within
removing those little dotted lines that separate sidebars
taking better blog photos
Click HERE for all of the above blog tips in one shot.
Anyway, here's to improved www spelling in 2010! Enjoy!
Don't know if you've heard about this before or not, but try using Live Writer. I just heard about it recently and immediately downloaded it, because I never liked writing in blogger. Live Writer is much more user friendly and so easy to figure out! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Angela, I have indeed tried Live Writer. And for the life of me I can't remember why I didn't care for it... how frustrating is a bad memory bank?!?
ReplyDeleteI tried it when blogger only had the old option to post. When blogger enhanced that feature, I switched back. And lost spell check and linking pics in the process... maybe it is time to go back.
Live Writer is indeed something worthy of trying if you haven't yet. And many prefer it. But caution... one reason I didn't care for it is if you wish to edit a post, you have to open Live to do that. (correct me if I'm wrong here) It was an extra step I didn't like taking because it took a long time to open on my dinosaur computers.
FJ Donna
Funny that you posted on this today. After leaving my comment last night, I realized that there were at least 3 typos. OOps! Could you kindly delete my comment from last night to spare me looking like a big dummy? Also, thanks for the tip :)
ReplyDeleteLOL Rene, I didn't notice but I'll go check.
ReplyDeleteBTW, so you know for future, you are able to delete your own comments. After your comment, I believe there's a little garbage can feature. What I do is cut and paste my comment, delete the comment, then go back in and repost and adjust the spelling or wordage.
Yes... I think we're due for a blog tips Q and A. I love this techy stuff. :)
FJ Donna
I have been using Windows Live Writer for about six months now. You can edit on Blogger without reopening WLW. I do it all the time. Not my photos, because I like to send them back to Live Writer to "tweak." But I edit text on Blogger if I notice something I missed when I sent it to Blogger before publishing. The photos are sooo much better when you post from there in my opinion. People either love it or hate it. I didn't like writing from Blogger. So I happen to be one of those who love it. Thanks for the other info. I'm going to check these out!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
What can us mac users use? It looks this product. I would love to have spell checker back on blogger...and facebook.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I'd hate to guide you the wrong way as I don't have a Mac, but after I typed Mac spell check in google, it came up with this..
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ehow.com/how_5667608_use-spell-check-mac.html
... and a hundred other options as well. Perhaps a Mac user can hop on and share what they use that works well for them.
Any takers?
FJ Donna
I read all of your tips and they are FANTASTIC, as is your blog! Thank you so much for sharing them with us!
ReplyDeleteNow, can you teach us how to make the "snow" that is falling across your blog?
Merry Christmas!
No prob, Pam!
ReplyDeleteCheck out this post at Shabby Blogs for the snow code...
http://shabbyblogsblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/add-snow-to-your-blog.html
FJ Donna
Hey Donna! Are we skipping the SNS this week?? I just realized that it is Saturday! Taking the week off due to the holiday?
ReplyDeleteHi Missy,
ReplyDeleteI announced it in the last highlight post that SNS would commence again Jan 2 weekend. Sorry, meant to also post that info with the widget. Whoops! Will do it now. Thanks!
FJ Donna
Bot, Donna... I never mak speling mistackes! LIL opps oopps oops LOL
ReplyDeleteYou know, I tried the enhanced blogger, and ended up going back to the original. I'm much more comfortable with it and it has everything I need! I feel like I have more control over my posts...
ReplyDeletexo
Claudia
I just edit the HTML code by hand to link to where i want it too. lengthy but i don't know how else to do it. i love everything else about the new blogger except that and no spell check- i am a good speller but a fast and often sloppy typer- frustrating- especially when leaving commetns that you can't edit. :)
ReplyDeleteI use Firefox as my browser...it catches all my spelling errors - ANYWHERE.
ReplyDeleteNo extra downloading required.
I love your site...making scraps into something gorgeous!!!
Blessings to you!
lana @ ilovemy5kids
Thanks Donna! I appreciate all your blogger tips! ~Lisa
ReplyDeleteI've been using LiveWriter for quite some time, and just like Brenda, I often edit a published post in Blogger, but only the text. Photos are sooooo much easier in LiveWriter...you can put them where ever you want to without dragging them down, and you can crop and edit them in the post. So if I need to edit a photo, I open LW.
ReplyDeleteAs to your question about linking a photo, I'm not sure. I always just put the link underneath it. I'll have to look into that.
Holy cow, I just looked at LiveWriter, and I know it's not what you're using, but when you're in the photo editing mode, there is a place to link the photo to a url!! I never noticed that!
ReplyDeleteSorry I can't help with Blogger :/
Many thanks again for all your helpful tips
ReplyDeleteblessings
barbara jean
Love bloggy tips especially when it comes to spelling :). I have a Mac so I'll need to look up that link. I'm also sure that it's just a matter of time (and complaint) before blogger adds the spell check back. Ridiculous that it was eliminated.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Beth. I also read alot of the glitches in old blogger when posting new posts was due to the spell check so that's why it was eliminated. I personally don't see the corrolation but it is what it is I suppose.
ReplyDeleteIncidently... I didn't know this until now but the iespell didn't allow me to spellcheck THIS COMMENT. WHAT. EVER. :P
FJ Donna
thank you sooo much for posting this! I recently "upgraded" to the newer function and thought I was going crazy not being able to find it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this information! I just recently switched to new blogger and was horrified to find there was no spell check. I too kept looking and looking! I am not a horrible speller, often when I would spell check up would pop the thing that said no miss spellings found but at the same time often there would be bad spellings. Now I have been trying to re-read my posts better but I am sure I am not catching everything! So I will try this soon!
ReplyDeleteGad zooks! You've read my mind! I just learned a ton from this lovely post and all my fellow commenters! Thank you all for the tips! I too have kept the origional blogger.. I depend on that spell check!
ReplyDeleteI just downloaded live writer yesterday and I'm looking forward to using it. I have noticed that my little pic doesn't show up in dashboard but everyone else's does ! I don't know why ?!
ReplyDeleteI have been trying for day to get Window Live Writer to work. Is this what you use or something else?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Tammy, thanks!! Now I remember why I didn't care for Live Writer. I couldn't get the pictures to work either.
ReplyDeleteAnd as you can see in this post, I asked the same inquiry. It happens at times within blogger too. Frustrating when you don't know the reason. I'll dig abit and see what I can conjour up.
Laura, I used the updated editor in blogger for posts.
For those that don't know how to access the updated editor, go to:
-dashboard
-settings
-basic
Scroll down until you see
-Global Settings
go to
-SELECT POST EDITOR
and choose
-UPDATED EDITOR
scroll down and select
-SAVE SETTINGS.
You will love it. :)
FJ Donna
great idea--Thanks
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a marvelous Christmas.
Cheri
Thank you so much for all these tips! As a fairly new blogger, I am still learing! I intend to clean-up my blog with some of your tips. I have a question though and since I just added your button, maybe you can help. I know how to add a widget and get it to link back, but how are people doing that within a post? I cannot for the life of me seem to figure out how to add your button, inside my post that will link back. I am sure it is an easy fix and I am just being lame, but someone please help!
ReplyDelete#29 Gay,
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing a post on blog buttons sometime in the near future as well. Thanks for the reminder!
For now...
There are two ways to add someone's button within your post. I'll assume you mean the html version of a button you see with a scroll bar code under it
1. Cut and paste the scroll bar code
2. Go to your post and while in compose mode, switch to html
3. paste the html code into your post at the bottom (doing it mid way can cause major mayhem if you paste it in the wrong place)
4. Switch back to compose mode, click on the button and drag to desired area within post.
Tadaa!!
FJ Donna
I knew it HAD to be an easy fix! With your information...I think I can do it! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteGay
hey donna.
ReplyDeletei read this post right when you posted it & i downloaded with ease the iespell. thank you so much for posting this.
just letting you know, i included your link back to this post i just wrote on my blog for people to download the spell check. just spreading the love for iespell.
thanks again!