How to get the most out of Web Series Today #4

Click on the image above to see it more clearly!

A few new "authors" have had a hard time making posts using Blogger.  Below you will find some tips and also a request for some feedback from our readers.

The first thing to notice is that there are two editing modes: "Compose", and "HTML". If you are pasting an embed code you should use the HTML mode. If you want to see what your final post will look like or make changes to the final appearance then use the compose mode after you have pasted your embed code.

If you are going to add text below a video you want to make sure that you first have an html tag called a "div". A quick way to create one is to switch to the compose mode after you have added the embed code in the html mode. Then switch back to the html and continue with your post.

Then make sure you have added a title for the post as shown in the graphic above.


Finally make sure that you have added the appropriate labels. You do this by clicking on the "Labels on the right under "Post Settings" and then adding your labels in the box that opens up.








NOTE: as part of the ongoing live beta test we have change the blog design to allow for embeds that are 640x360 rather than 560x315. We hope that this displays content better. However we need our readers help to tell us how well this works.

There are two areas of concern.

1. Screen size. Most modern computers should have a screen resolution that can handle the new width of the blog. If you have a problem with the new width on your screen size, let us know in a comment below.

2. Load time. Web Series Today has never been a fast blog to load. The reason for this is that there are approximately 12 posts on the front page of the blog at any given time. We do this to try and ensure that any given post gets at least 12 hours on the front page (sometimes it might be considerably more, other times it might be less). Video embeds tend to be more demanding on computers, so the more posts with video embeds, the slower the page will load. For that reason we encourage "authors" not to put more than 4 videos (and preferably less) in any given post except in special situations.

The size of the video embeds also has an impact on how well the page loads. For this reason we previously restricted the size to 560 wide. As computers get more powerful they are better able to handle larger embeds and it is our hope that we are now at a point where most of our readers computers will be able to handle 12 posts at the new 640 width. If on the other hand this causes a major problem leave a comment blow and let us know. Include the following information:

Technical issue encountered:
Operating System:
Version of operating system:
Browser used:
Version of browser used:
Other information you think will be helpful:

If you are new to Blogger then it is very easy to create your own blog if you need to experiment. Once you feel comfortable go ahead and post on Web Series Today, but make sure you have carefully read all the tips and studied the frequently asked questions before you start posting.  This is a shared collaborative space and you are responsible for making sure that your own post is done well.

Always remember that this is a community blog. This means that its survival is dependent on you, the community. If a fellow member of the community needs help, try and give it to them. If they ask a question about how to do something, try and give them the best answer you can. These posts are intended to help everyone: "authors", commenters and readers so we are all better informed and can work effectively together to fulfill the mission of Web Series Today: keeping the community up to date with what is going on in the World of Web series.