Skip to main content

Location Data Passes Through from Blogger to Google Buzz

A while back I tested the blog location feature on Blogger to see if the info would pass through to Google Buzz. It didn't. When the Blogger app for Android came out, the info wouldn't post either.

Today, I put up a post with no location and then went back to add it. By the time I checked Google Buzz, location info was showing, which is good. I even made some more edits to fix formatting problems on Google Buzz. It was surprising how quickly the edits updated the Google Buzz post.

Maps and Blogger for Android allow you to select specific locations to Buzz about; the Blogger editor only allows you to choose the city.

This probably doesn't matter to most people. I like location data to pass through because it allows me to attach blog posts to locations using the Android App, or at the very least a city using the web editor. This is very useful for local event announcements. People who browse Google Maps with the Buzz layer turned on can see what's coming up in town.

Buzzes with physical location are great for public events. For one, it allows people to see exactly where the event is taking place. Secondly, it adds hype for those who decided not to attend.

Can you imagine if news stories attached location data to news articles? You could walk around town and view the history of the areas that surround you, with a link back to the publication that wrote it.  Your blog can also have a quasi-physical component by attaching posts to a location, almost like a point of distribution.

There are so many potential uses for Buzzes with location if people get on board and start building the content.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Blogger blocks excessive posting

A while ago, I tried uploading a blog post via Android App. The upload kept failing. Not to be deterred, I deleted the app and reinstalled, to find no better success. I thought that perhaps I could email the post to Blogger. That did not work either. The email bounced back with the following: Technical details of permanent failure: You have exceeded the the allowable number of posts without solving a captcha. This happened because I imported quite a few blog posts from another blog I discontinued just yesterday. It has been less than 24 hours since the import. It makes sense. I'm rather certain the captcha speedbump is also why the mobile app refused to publish my posts. The problem can be circumvented if you post directly on the Blogger site and solve the captcha. This problem will likely resolve in the next few hours and all will be right with the universe once more.

Before Getting Out of the Gate

Tonight, I was working on a new blog project. Google and Blogger have been good platforms for me in the past. I was able to get the domain pointed and was working on the layout and template. Suddenly, the website was blocked. I had searched for ways to publish that were not subject to censorhsip. I wound up on the Hive blockchain. It's great for censorship resistance, but it's not without its problems. In any case, I was thinking that maybe I was being too paranoid. Now, before getting out of the gate, I have a blog censored. I'm trying to think of what I could have posted, reposted, or even been associated with that could have caused the blog to be blocked. I can't think of anything. If this doesn't pan out after review, I may need to look for an alternative hosting option. I was already looking at Publii as an option. It only requieres simple FTP updates. I prefer not to use Wordpress as experience has taught me that you an customize a theme and add plugins ...