Wednesday, November 18, 2009

What they've done with the "Next blog" button

It was the ever vigilant Mrs. Linklater who alerted me to the change: Blogger has decided to see to it that when we click on the next-blog button up there in the left-hand corner, it will take us to blogs geared to our individual interests.
Now let me say first that anything would be an improvement over two or three years ago, when every third "next blog" at which you arrived was porn. I soon learned to leave that little widget alone.
I'm too lazy to hunt up the original source on Blogger, but Mrs. Linklater quoted them; so I'll just use what she had copied and pasted: "We've made the Next Blog link more useful, by taking you to a blog that you might like. The new and improved Next Blog link will now take you to a blog with similar content, in a language that you understand. If you are reading a Spanish blog about food, the Next Blog link will likely take you to another blog about food. In Spanish!
You might discover a cool blogger who has hobbies similar to yours, has similar taste in electronic gadgets, likes sports that you're into, or has similar curiosities and interests. We will finish rolling out the new and improved Next Blog link over the next week and hope that you will enjoy discovering blogs that are likely to interest you."
There's no more porn, for that I'm thankful. But guess what sort of blogs they think I'll like? Food blogs and mommy blogs. WRONG! I'm bored by food blogs... I don't even read PW's food section often. I'm not much on mommy blogs either. I'm thinking I'll trick them and log out of blogger, then use the next-blog button. Let 'em try and force their choices down my throat then.
Go ahead, you folks who are signed in to Blogger Try it. See what sort of stuff they think you'll like.

*note added later: I logged out and tried it, but Blogger still knew it was me. Food blogs galore.

15 comments:

  1. Does it also look at your links and text on the pages? I'll have to go to my house and try it. I'm a little bit scared. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. No Meadowlark, nothing like that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Guess I am dumb. I looked all over the place on the left corner and I don't see next blog listed. I will keep looking though. Helen

    ReplyDelete
  4. PS I clicked on blogger buzz and saw where it told about that but I still haven't seen any next blog button. Helen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another PS. I did click on a blog and saw the next button tab and clicked on it. Guess what??? A food site LOL.
    Helen

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for sharing the tip. Someday when things slow down a bit for me I'll have to try it out.

    ReplyDelete
  7. No thanks to food blogs. I've got all the recipe books I need in case I cook some day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, I like food. Does that count? heh heh

    ReplyDelete
  9. I tried that last week after it posted on Blogger Buzz. Nope, not the kind of blogs I like and some hadn't been update since '05.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Okay, I tried it and Blogger sent me to the website for a bicycle club in Santa Barbara. Needs fine tuning.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I got a blog about emergency medicine and the next was a blog by a person that suffers from Ocular melanoma which is a type of eye cancer.
    I'd go for food right about now.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Today the Blogger editors got their revenge. I think they read my complaint about their new policy/software. I clicked on Next Blog and expected to get medical/rare disease blogs like usual. Instead I got Italian blogs. Sixteen in a row.

    ReplyDelete
  13. How impertinent of them! The last time I clicked on the Next Blog button it brought up blogs in Spanish. I assumed it was a glitch, but haven't tried it since.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mommy blogs for me too, Donna...endlessly!!!!! Blech.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Clear your cache before hitting the 'next blog' button. That should work for not getting more food and mommy blogs. I stopped years ago from doing the 'next blog' button because I was afraid of hitting a site that would give me a virus. I'm paranoid that way.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!