WYSIWYG!

If you’ve been around the tech world for a while, you will have come across WYSIWYG.

I remember the first time I heard the word.

WYSIWYG!

I am still fascinated by the sound the word makes as it slides off your tongue.

Wait – You haven’t heard of WYSIWYG?

WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get

Think – WizzyWig, and you’ve got it.

Never mind what it means, it just sounds cool, doesn’t it?

But WYSIWYG is more than just a pretty face word.

I’m a blogger. I know other bloggers. And we all spend a lot of time writing blogs.

So why would we want to spend heaps of time putting code into a website?

Don’t get me wrong, I love using HTML!

But I’m not trained in HTML – I just dabble in it.

Like:

“Google – What’s the HTML for a heading?”

There is something romantic and mysterious about using HTML, but it’s like drinking decaf coffee…. Why would you bother?

I built my website the easy way – on the WordPress platform. And WordPress has Gutenberg. Using Gutenberg is as easy as building with blocks.

That’s a very simplistic description because Gutenberg does a heck of a lot more than that.

If I want to add a Heading with Gutenberg – I just select the heading I want, and Gutenberg does the HTML for me.

WordPress didn’t always have Gutenberg.

Gutenberg launched with WordPress 5.0. I’d been hearing about it for a while at Meetups and WordCamps, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. So when a Beta version plugin was announced prior to the launch, I installed it on my main website. But not without some deliberation.

From the first encounter, I was hooked. And it was the WYSIWYG that snagged me.

Sadly, some of the platforms I write for don’t use Gutenberg, so I still get to dabble in some of the romantic HTML stuff.

But for the rest of my writing?

I love WYSIWYG!

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6 responses to “WYSIWYG!”

  1. hafong Avatar

    Sadly, Maureen, I don’t know what you’ve said. I use WordPress, too. I press different buttons till things work out. I like and still use the ‘old’ WordPress format- whatever I started with. My favourite phrase is it’s good enough.

    1. Maureen Avatar

      Lily, WordPress is so easy to use, whichever format you choose.
      I had been to a few Meetups and heard about Gutenberg and thought it sounded good, so I was keen to try it. A lot of people still use the classical version, but after trying Gutenberg, I loved how easy it is to reposition blocks of text and insert images. Although, I might have to look at the images I’ve put in lately; I’ve had a few error messages that I need to give some attention to. I may have created my own shortcut that didn’t quite work….
      And you are absolutely right with the phrase – it’s good enough. If it ain’t broken – don’t fix it…. 🙂
      I won’t stop reading your posts just because UBC is coming to an end… Keep blogging!

      1. hafong Avatar

        Thanks, Maureen. I thought I had heard some warnings about Gentenberg early on. So I stayed away. Also I’m cheap. I’ve reverted back to the free version. I’m not promoting or selling anything. Keep blogging, too. I’ll visit. ????

        1. Maureen Avatar

          Yes Lily, there was some apprehension about the early version of Gutenberg but I didn’t have any trouble with it. And now that it’s been going for a while, I think it is reasonably popular.
          Gutenberg is a free update that came with Version 5.0 (I think?) of WordPress.org, but you have the option to switch between Classical and Gutenberg on the .org sites.
          It’s what you are used to that matters.
          One good thing about the January UBC is that I think I may have narrowed down a niche to write about. I’ll certainly give it a go and see what happens…
          Thanks for joining me on this journey… 🙂

      2. hafong Avatar

        I sent a reply. Did it disappeared? Keep blogging, too. I’ll visit. ????

        1. Maureen Avatar

          Thanks Lily – I was just a bit slack today with approving comments. I’ve been in and out of meetings all day. 🙂 At least I can catch up on some paperwork at home tonight – and hopefully write a final blog… 🙂