Great news, the Journals R14 release will be installed tonight.
We have added new features and made a few changes :
- Shared Journals - You
can now have your buddies add entries to your Public or Private
Journal. You control who can view/write to your Journal. Look for
the Add/Manage Writers
link on the Main page or the Edit Journal
page. With this shared blogging feature, you can create miniature
communities
(such as blog on weight loss or a fantasy football). Writers can add
pictures/videos/polls just like the owner. This feature has been asked
for quite a bit, and it's finally here!
- Journals Chat - We have created a
chat room for J-Landers. Click on the Journals Chat
link
on the Main page to enter the chat room. In
addition to text chat, the chat room supports audio and video chat.
(Right now, the link will only appear on US, Canada and Latino
Journals.)
- Entry Pagination -
Ability to paginate entries from main page and
other pages without having to go to the Archives page. If you have more
than 10 entries on your blog, you will see the
"Older Entries" or "Newer Entries" link at the bottom of your page.
This feature will allow your readers to more easily navigate your older
entries.
- Other changes
- New Search header with an additional option to search the Web.
- New colors for buttons -- green, blue and tan/orange.
- New AOL Journals logo on all pages.
- New look to the Atom/RSS Feed Reader.
- Banner advertisements on France, Germany and UK AOL Journals.
There
may be brief outages during the install period, but we're not expecting
any significant downtime. It should only last for 30 minutes or so.
Please let us know if you see any issues or have any feedback in the comments below or write to JournalsEditor@aol.com. Thanks, everyone!
---Malika
[Update 11/15] - The Journals team brought back the disclaimer text below the advertisement on all Journals. It was an oversight during the design stage, and the team would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. Also, UK Journalers should now have the Journals Chat link on their blogs.
~ Joseph
34 comments:
There has been a chat room for Jlanders for years. It is called Journals Cafe. There has rarely been anybody there throughout the years. Is there going to be a new draw to this journal chat room other than audio or video chat? Perhaps special scheduled events? Either by you all, or perhaps maybe some jlanders themselves, who may be inspired to schedule some chats? Just wondering what we could do to draw some participation, because chats can be informative and fun. I'm all for it, I'm just wondering how to get participation up!
Krissy :)
http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink
Some good features, Malika, some not so good.
Pity you put the entry out at 2 am UK time, which meant we had no warning at all of these changes. In the UK we're now landed with the much-maligned advertising above our blogs. You may be aware that the addition of ads to US journals exactly two years ago led to a mass exodus from AOL journals.
Pity too we in the UK don't get the Journals Chatroom, as Krissy said, we do have a Journals Room on AOL. Notice this one (accessible from US journals only) is AIM based. Will need to check out how it works.
Suggestion: could you find out how to back up the journal? The pagination is one method (based on RSS feeds I'm led to believe), but for someone like me with more than 3,700 entries, not practicable.
I am angry that your timing gave us in the UK no warning. I do not like ads on the top of my journal (blog). I remember the hundreds that left when you originally put ads on US blogs. As for "shared journals" - who in their right minds would want other people putting entries on our journals. They are not then "our journals". It then makes the whole thing a bit of a farce. I shall certainly not allow others access to my journal through this "manage writers" idea. Totally stupid in my opinion.
The least you could do, as we know you will not back down and take ads of UK and other blogs, is to issue us with a DISCLAIMER that we can put at the top of our journals so people know that we are do not approve and are NOT endorsing the ads.
Sorry for multiple comments, but can you please reinstate the disclaimer to the effect that the advertising does not mean endorsement by the blog owner? Thanks.
What is the reosoning behind sharing blogs how can they, then be 'our' entrys? I have just checked my bank statement and yes my direct debit is still there ,so I am paying for my peice of AOL ,I would like to see a disclaimer for any ads you plan to put on my journal /blog ....Jan http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeadie05/Serendipity/
Sorry but I don't like the "new" changes at all! Again, why aren't the journaler's ever asked before you screw around with them? And a chat room? Are you kidding? We've had one. Why don't you guys ever just come out and ask us what we'd like, instead of screwing it up for us?
Lisa
I myself will not allow anyone else to put an entry in my journal. It would not be mine then but the communities. If I want to read what others have to say then I will just visit their journals. Helen
Keep your bloody pants on, ladies. If you don't want to allow friends to add entries to your journals, you don't have to. You have the power to allow or disallow that. So quit your whining about it. It is a feature that many people have been interested in for a long time. Group blogging is very popular. In fact, the most popular blog in the entire world (Boing, boing) is a group blog.
As for the journals ads...welcome to the real world of AOL journals. The ads are there to stay. It doesn't matter how much you kvetch and complain, they're not going away. So...now you get to make a big decision. Should you stay or should you go? You decide...but do it quietly, OK?
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/
Oh, and add my request to Guido's that you reinstate the disclaimer at the top of the page.
-Paul
Some interesting changes.... I think maybe you might want to do an entry explaining shared journals though ;p I think people who have only had AOL Journals don't really understand them. They think you want them to share the journals they -already- have as opposed to making a journal you -plan- to share from the beginning. I've seen some interesting shared journals on other platforms.... And the people from the UK have a legit beef.
In general, I like the changes. Just saw most of them moments ago.
Yesterday I completed entry 700 of my journal. Some months back,
wanting my journal to be organized sequentially, I created my own
system, giving each entry a number and other information by which
to identify it/ and making that the first part of each entry's address.
Accordingly, I created a Journal Codes entry wherein my alpha codes
are explained, a Journal Links Center (site map) entry, and recently
(as the result of a suggestion on another Internet blog) a Homepage
entry. I normally now begin each of my entries with the AOL number
assigned to it, my journal's name, a link to the site map, and a link
to the homepage: all of which I place on one line with specific spaces
between each.
-
I see that (at least for my journal, which is using a c0c0c0 background
entry color) the entry address information I input is now a much better
color on the entry proper: some darkish blue instead of black.
-
I also prefer the new horizontal arrangement for archives et cetera.
-
I have--over the years--come to dislike chat rooms and instant messaging.
So I don't know if I will try the Journal Chat feature, though I did take a
look at it.
-
My general colors are: black text for both the heading and the page,
the lighter of the two available grays for the page background, the
darker of the two available grays for the sidebar, blue for links, and
the lightest blue for the heading background. It is a simple design,
but it is clean and clear.
-
I use HTML. I am not familiar with Java, RSS, and other technologies;
but that may come later. I have placed a few scanned photos in my
journal.
Thank you, Brian A J Salchert
I'm real happy to have the chance to allow others I chose to access and post on my journal (as if me, albeit the one or two I'd allow, are ones who'd identify themselves). Great idea. Albeit, um, only to a NEW journal? Yes, please do clarify and expand upon this concept. I think I really like this option (and that some aren't grasping that it'd be an OPTION).
Having the disclaimer on top is something I feel is important, also. I also pay for my AOL. I'm not thrilled with ads all over it. Please re add the disclaimer that the blog author doesn't necessarily support the content of the ads or whatever it said.
Am not familiar with "aol journals chat room." May figure out the "main page" weblink some day and go in there, though, I prefer chatting when it's a pre-arranged time with at least some people I "know" already.
Oh, you mean all this came out LAST night? When you post at 9:32pm, many of us won't get this until the next day.
Thanks for the notices and hopefully you can find time to explain some of them a bit more fully as time goes on. -- Robin
So far, so good. I don't see any problems with the new additions..YET, but yes, a disclaimer below the ad is needed.
Question; Would it be possible to add a "preview" mode to check out our journal entries before they're actually posted and the feed goes out to everyone?
Laura
http://journals.aol.com/lpleas3333/AdensAdventures/
Comment #11 is from me, but:
-
1) Not realizing there is a 2000-character limit, I had to remove part of my first
message.
2) Because I did not notice the missing disclaimer regarding ads above my blog,
I have since placed in my All About Me section:
Special Note: Until
AOL's ad disclaimer
returns, this: The
ads above my blog
are approved
solely by AOL.
3) A few of my entries do use light texts I am reluctant to make darker;
but the reason I presently have a light page background and black texts is--
as an Internet friend recently enlightened me about--that his reader device
uses white for a background, making it impossible to read white and near-
white texts/ and nearly impossible to read certain other light texts.
Brian A J Salchert Thinking Lizard bajs
Just to clarify:
1) It is not necessary to share your Journal for writing. It is ONLY an option. If you don't opt to share, nothing will change for you.
2) You can share authorship or your EXISTING Journal if you so choose. You can share authorship with everybody or just a select group of people that you choose.
Some ideas for a shared journal (and I am sure you can think of more) :
- a shared journal for family or extended family to keep in touch.
- a shared journal around some common interest like photography, cooking, home schooling
3) You can also create new journals that you would like others to contribute to (a weight loss journal is one example, fantasy football was another).
Hope that helps. We should be coming out with a tutorial sometime soon.
I realise that you don't have to allow anyone to add to your blog but it would have nice to be informed of the changes. Also I too would like a disclaimer for the adds
and to PLITTLE we are allowed to express our opinions.
WHy does it look like the last word in each line of my blog is being cut off?
Sharon
I like the updates. I've already checked out the chat room. It has smilies! At one point during the 8 minutes I was there we had 4 bloggers in there. I even knew one. Cool!
Love the new 'veiw older entries' feature. Thats my favorite, so much more detailed than the list archieve. And while I see no reason to add authors to my main blog, I have already used the option to include all of my children on the blog I keep for my son in Iraq.
The only thing I don't like is the ommission of the ad disclaimer, which conveniently got left off of the heading. I've got a suggestion for a new disclaimer: "Your Thoughts, Your Blog, AOL's Ads!' No? Okay, how about the old disclaimer then.
Judging by some of the comments, not everyone is as excited about the changes as I am. I participated in the 'wish list' a while back, so yeah, actually some of us did ask for some of these additions. Since you folks obviously can't please everyone, why don't you just please me. You're already half way there. Now yank the ads and you'll be done with it. Or at least, as mentioned before, put the disclaimer back.
Dorn~
Hmmmmmmm, a spell check for blog comments would be on my next wish list....
Dorn~
As a follow-up for Journalers --
* The disclaimer text below the ads has been added (again). This was an oversight during the design aspect of this update.
* AOL UK Journalers should now have a Journals Chat link on their blog, now. Currently US, UK, Canada and Latino Journals can join the chat room.
Among other things, just want to let you know that Group Blogging (or "Multi-author blogging") is actually a popular thing among bloggers and many users have requested it for a while. This feature is completely optional and only you -- the blog owner -- can choose who you want to edit your blog.
We'll work on explaining how group blogging works in a future entry. In the meantime, feel welcome to experiment and have fun. :-)
Thanks again for your candid feedback on this release!
~ Joseph
I think most browsers now have ad-blocking software you can add on. It's handy. Granted, it's not as handy as aerosol cheese, for example, but it does work nicely nonetheless.
-Dan
http://thewisdomofadistractedmind.blogspot.com/
Thank you for putting back the disclaimer sentence below the ads.
Brian Salchert
Thank you for putting the disclaimer on our journals, nice to know we are taken seriously. Also thanks for the chat facility although I went there and nothing was happening, nobody was there it would seem although two names were listed.
As for P. Little, we are perfectly entitled to air our views, as far as I know we still live in a free world. You do not have to agree with other people's views but there is no need to be sarcastic.
I second jeadie05 with the comment she has made and any similar to this one.I think the adverts just spoil the look of many of the journals which are so pretty.I also tried the link to the chat room and got an error message, to close aol and restart my computer grrr problems again.So thats one thing I won't be trying again in a hurry.Many of these changes are all well and good if one understands them all ,many pensioners like myself do not, when we are self taught with no help at all on things.Dissapointed in quite a few things.Take Care God Bless
astoriasand http://journals.aol.co.uk/astoriasand/MYSIMPLERHYMES
Sweet new toys!
I wonder what constitutes a Shared Blog Superpower around here?
h
I have been wanting this "Entry Pagination" forever! I am so very happy to see that AOL has finally given it to us. I love it.
Kathy
I would like to see us be able to add our own blog header. (Ex: a photo at the top header portion as blogspot has).
Malikas, today we keep getting "journals unavailable" and I have to try two or three times to get in. Also Krissy from Sometimes I think wrote and asked me whether I had posted as she had an alert from me but then told me AOL had deleted it. Please can you get this situation looked into. No good us posting if people do not know. Thank you ~ Jeannette
http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/
Also when I visit journals, I do my comment and press sends. It comes up then also as Journals Unavailable and yet when I check my comment has been posted.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/
Malikas, I had to leave chat tonight. Lots of digusting language and behaviour. If something is not done to monitor this room or put up some rules, I shall not be using again.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/
I think I'm in the right place to find out how to take the ADD/MANAGE WRITERS beside Public Journal O F F ! I cannot find how to do it in Edit Journal. It was not there before these "changes" were made. I thought that was why we visit other people's journals. This is my journal, not other people's. And it does have a place to leave a coment so I see no sense at all in this or the "chat" . There has to be a way to take it off because I have not seen this on the other journals I read. Please let me know how to do this........alice
Hi gitterdunna,
You will see the Add/Manage Writers link only when you are signed in and looking at your journal. This is the "Edit" mode. You will NOT see the links in "View" mode, which is what you see when you visit other people's journals. So, when people visit your journal they will not see the link. To try this, sign out of journals and just type in the url of your journal. You cannot remove the Add/Manage Writers link from your journal. If you do not want anything to change about your journal, ignore the Add/Manage Writers link
As for the Chat link, not much we can do either. Everybody gets the link.
Hope that clarifies things a bit
Vish
Hi Magic Smoke!
I like everything about Journals R14. However the Add/Manage Writers link on the main page of my journal does not appear too often. When it does not appear, I don't receive the "Edit Journal, Journal Entry, Delete Journal, etc. boxes. Therefore, I can't enter the Journal to post an entry.
I love everything else, but I simply can't "enter my journal." This is an off and on deal. Sometimes I can, and sometimes I can't. Very frustrating. Please help me. I have phoned AOL about this, and AOL hasn't been able to help me. I have every faith that you can.
Thank you,
IKOWSKY'S JOURNAL, PART II
AKA Nancy Andrew
Screen name IKOWSKY@aol.com
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