๐ข Today I Learned is on hiatus. Posting will resume on Monday, 23rd of May.
๐ Micromarks: Remember Domain
… so you donโt have to input your domain every time you want to login.
Very nice addition to the login screen. Robb also added a favicon.
Links:
- Robb’s Microblog.
- More Microblog tools on the blog.
๐โโ๏ธ You can use your Bookmarks to embed Quotebacks into your posts.
- Go to the web app ->
- Select the Bookmarks tab ->
- Find your bookmarked post ->
- Select the
Embed
button -> - Select the
New Post
button -> - Paste the copied bookmark ->
- When ready, select the
Post
button.
๐ Gluon
… highly opinionated, but customisable, cross platform app for Android and iOS built specifically for Micro.blog.
Well designed, well developed, and brilliantly supported. Made by Vincent Ritter.
Links:
- Development blog.
- Vincent’s site.
- @vincent on Micro.blog.
๐ Reminder: Accessibility
From alt-text to VoiceOver, font size to colour contrast; these posts cover the different features and ideas that make Micro.blog as accessible as possible.
See also: Core Assistance, by Justin Michael
๐ Ulysses
Write your posts in Ulysses, complete with featured images, tags, excerpts…
A brilliant writing app for Apple devices; with support for publishing, and editing existing posts.
Links:
๐ Full posts on Paper
… a setting now to display full post content on the homepage of the blog..
A great addition to this theme from Amit, with an opt-in setting to control it.
Links:
- Provide feedback on GitHub.
- Amit’s test blog.
๐ Reminder: Community Links
Sites and pages made by and for the community. Includes those on other social networks, groups, and blogs by specific type.
See also: Micro Monday
๐ Quill
… a simple app for posting text notes to your website.
A slick alternative editor for the web, including support for both short and long posts. Made by Aaron Parecki.
Links:
- Quill documentation.
- Aaron’s site.
- @aaronpk on Micro.blog.
๐ข 1.9.6: Additions, fixes, next steps
With this set of updates the current version of TIL is essentially complete. I’ll talk about the next step in development after we take care of the TL:DR of it all.
The Changelog
- Edit to the Pins Guide.
- Added to the list: Bookshelves, WWDC 2021, Micro Camp 2021
- Info and language edited for clarity.
- The Edits category is now Release Notes.
- Links edit.
- Manton’s plug-ins moved to Core.
- ๐ Additions in Core.
- ๐ Additions in Third Party.
- ๐ Addition in Open Web.
- Clarified language in Other.
- About page: clarified language for relevant information.
- ICYMI page.
- ๐ Post types added.
- Support info added.
- Clarified language.
- Theme edits.
- Membership banner removed from the top of the site.
- ๐ Central column in footer is now “Join”.
- Info and link added for membership.
- Remaining button updated.
- Membership edits.
- Now donation-only.
- Donor plan is now Supporter.
- ๐ Posts available for members.
- ๐ Reward tier: posts for Supporters.
- ๐ Free registration available.
- System emails: clarified language.
- Beta program closed.
The Details
The edit for the Pins Guide was overdue, and whilst still not as complete an update as I’d like to make, it is much more relevant than it was. I particularly enjoyed the recent release of the Bookshelves pin and am happy to have it included in the Guide.
To see Pins:
- Go to the web ->
- Select Account ->
- Move down and select “X pins”.
You are now looking at a Release Notes post, which are the updated version of the Edits category. I had become a little unfocused with this post type, having considered other ways to write about updates across TIL but I’ve since realised that it makes the most sense to consolidate that information with the rest of the site. As such this category includes short and long posts; that’s quick updates and announcements (like this one), and all previous announcements from my blog will be moved to this site and retroactively dated.
The Links directory continues to be updated as much as possible, since it is a core part of the site and TIL as a whole. It’s been great to see recent contributions to Micro.blog from existing members of the community and newcomers alike.
With regard to the weekly catch-up email newsletter, ICYMI, the subscription page was light on information and a little unclear, and that problem has now been resolved. Each post type is covered and I think the page is a good representation of the newsletter overall. I have published six consecutive issues and look forward to including this very post in next week’s edition.
Further away from the site, over on Memberful, is The Insight Program. This is the membership program for TIL and is now focused on a single plan for singular donations: Supporter. The homepage has been updated to reflect this and there are now some posts for members to see. Also, you can join for free to take a look inside. Finally, the membership section of the footer for the main site has been overhauled to better represent this updated version of The Insight Program.
The Future
I am relieved to have updated the membership; it now better represents what is needed for TIL, as well as TIL as a whole. There will be continued updates to it, alongside the rest of TIL, and I hope to only make everything clear as further progress is made.
Speaking of the future, as I alluded to at the beginning of this post, next up is… 2.0.
I’m currently working on the next major version of TIL, and am willing at this point to say that it is entirely focused on the site itself. It’s more than a little exciting to split my focus between maintaining steady publishing for regular post types in public and then privately building the next batch of significant updates. At this point I have never felt better about TIL and have found it easier to clarify my thinking on what should be done.
With that in mind, any updates between now and 2.0 will be small โ likely in the form of the single-line posts I’ve previously used โ and infrequent. Therefore this is the last batched update for version 1 of TIL.
Thank you all for reading.
โ Simon
๐โโ๏ธ Pins are a fun way to challenge yourself with blogging, whether for organised events or your own goals.
To see your current and unfulfilled Pins:
- Go to the web app ->
- Select the Account tab ->
- Move down to the bottom of the page ->
- Select the
X pins
button.
๐ Reminder: Social
Conversations, following people, Discover, community groups, and everything else regarding the social side of Micro.blog are covered in these posts. Including the ins and outs of @-mentions.
See also: Let’s talk about: Discover
๐ Micromarks
Manage your Micro.blog bookmarks.
An alternative web app for your Bookmarks; with a well-considered, attractive design. Made by Robb Knight.
Links:
- Micromarks repo on GitHub.
- Robb’s site.
- @rknightuk on Micro.blog.
๐ Hain’s Point theme
A customizable newsletter-focused theme for Micro.blog.
Includes support for several plug-ins and settings for customisation. Brilliantly made by Jason Dettbarn.
Links:
- Hain’s Point repo on GitHub.
- Jason’s site.
- @endonend on Micro.blog.
๐ Reminder: Theming
Themes, plug-ins, custom CSS, templates, pagination, and all other aspects of designing your site are covered with these posts.
See also: Theming feed
๐ Plausible Analytics
Adds Plausible Analytics to a blog hosted on micro.blog.
A great way to create simple access to privacy-focused analytics. Made by Lukas Rosenstock.
Links:
- Plugin Plausible repo on GitHub.
- Get started with Plausible.
- Lukas’ site.
- @lukas on Micro.blog.
๐โโ๏ธ You can quote anything from the web using the Posting Bookmarklet, made by Colin Devroe.
- Install the bookmarklet ->
- Find the text to quote ->
- Highlight the text ->
- Select the bookmarklet ->
- Use the pop-up to edit the post ->
- (Including
Preview
.)
- (Including
- Select the
Post
button.
๐ Reminder: Third Party Links
A variety of resources provided by the community; extensions, guides, apps, and more.
See also: How to customise Micro.blog
๐ Red Oak theme
Sometimes all you need is a two vertical columns - one for your post content, one for a sidebar.
A classic design from Colin, made for the modern web.
Links:
- Red Oak repo on GitHub.
- Red Oak on Colin’s site.
- Demo site, hosted on Micro.blog.
๐ Reminder: Lookup
Definitions of the language used by the community, including the technical phrases concerning the social web.
See also: Lookup feed
๐ Reply by email
Let readers reply to your blog posts using their default email app.
A great way to encourage alternative quality conversations for your posts. Sven has included support for flexible design.
Links:
- Reply by email repo on GitHub.
- Sven’s announcement.
๐ NetNewsWire
Itโs like podcasts โ but for reading.
A brilliant reader for blogs and websites that support feeds. Made by Brent Simmons and contributors.
Links:
- Subscribe to Micro.blog feeds.
- Sharing to other apps.
- NetNewsWire repo on GitHub.
- @NetNewsWire on Micro.blog.
๐โโ๏ธ You can use the Categories editor to quickly find posts within your Settings.
- Go to the web app ->
- Select Categories ->
- Choose the category of posts ->
- Select the
X posts
link -> - View the relevant posts.
๐ Reminder: Introducing
A spotlight for members of the community; includes relevant links โ to their blogs, projects, etc โ and an associated screenshot.
See also: Introducing feed
๐ Cypress theme
… a clean, simple portfolio template made for Micro.blog.
A great theme โ the first ever third-party theme โ from Colin that includes responsive design for the photos page.
Links:
- Cypress repo on GitHub.
- Colin’s announcement.
- Demo site, hosted on Micro.blog.