the more sophisticated scribbles blog
background
J doesn't need a sophisticated bells and whistles website for her pottery hobby. She doesn't need e-commerce and card payments because she's not bothered about selling her craft online. She just needs a place to direct people to see her craft fair schedule, and perhaps do the odd post to showcase what she has recently made, or is working on.
Basically, it just needs to be 'Instagram Plus'. Simple 'look at what I did' posts and pictures, but with more control over what she can have on it, and that readers can see whenever they want, not just when Instagram decides they can see it.
Basically, a blog would be enough.
I haven't used Bear blog for her site though, even though as a paid user here I could easily add another blog, because of Herman's generous allowance for additional sites on the same account.
I had imagined she would maybe want to do the posting and updates herself at some stage, and explaining Bear's 'simple' markdown format and editor to her would likely not go down well – what is simple to a long-time computer user may not actually be the right sort of simple to an Android-powered tablet or phone Instagram user.
For example, I was not looking forward to explaining that she'd have to type an asterisk either side of any words she wanted italicised in the post, because although I'm used to it, she would definitely think it's a stupid way to do such a thing and shout at me a lot, as if it was my fault it was "so stupid!" when in everything else you highlight the text and press an i button.
scribbles.pages
I did use scribbles.page myself a couple of years ago, when development was first started. Like many, I'd got a bit tired of trying to use WordPress simply for writing, and found all the Gutenburg editor 'enhancements' a complete and utter disaster. So it was the right time then to look at new alternatives.
I tried Scribbles as an early adopter when it first came out, and quickly bought a Lifetime account (that's the kind of impetuousness that keeps me poor). The simple approach to Just Writing On A Blog was a relief then, having just come from the WordPress kitchen-sink 'you're a web designer now' approach.
In the end I drifted away from using it, mainly because it lacked much customisation at all in its early days. Accent colours were about it. You had the one font. The one layout size and style. Every Scribbles hosted blog looked pretty much the same.
You might be an individual, but your blog style couldn't reflect that, and although there was always development, frustratingly it wasn't to this bit.
This, for as much as I was pleased with the simplicity at first, did not satisfy my ADHD, novelty-seeking brain. I wanted to tweak some stuff.
I found Bear blog. I have tweaked. I can still tweak when I want to. Brain satisfied.
But for J, I thought Scribbles may suit.
many changes
Looking at it again late last year, on J's behalf and for her use, things have moved on. There were now options available for much tweaking, so around eight or nine months ago I started her blog site for her using Scribbles.
I've often had reason to question the developer about some behaviour or appearance option of the site by email. I have always got my answers, and often adjustments to how the site worked to accommodate my suggestions, later the same day.
In the last two weeks a complete tidying up of all the blog's settings menu has taken place. There are lots of options – there are simple layout controls, but a completely custom theme method is being tested now – and good logical layout choices in the editor. There are niceties and conveniences.
In fact, the editor is simple enough for formatting a post that J will not be calling me names when she uses it. If she ever does. But in addition to that, it completely understands it if I slip into markdown and just parses that on the fly instead.
Font choices have been extended greatly, and you can add your own. And some basic analytics at least matching Bear's are there, and easy export/back ups of your blog are all there if you want them too.
I think it's a great product for a simpler user now and worth a look. If you do have friends and relatives asking for blog platform recommendations, of course Bear... but if they're not a CSS and markdown fan (or at least if you're not wanting to be 'support' until they are), I think Scribbles is well worthy of another look now, even if you had the same reservations I did two years ago.
J's site is here:
jaynerandallpottery.com
post link for sharing: https://skryblans.com/the-more-sophisticated-scribbles-blog
Email Me or Contact via Letterbird
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