Hearts, comments, new blog briefs!

On Mondays, Grandma's Briefs gets the most visitors of the week. I credit the GRAND Social link party and the grand grandparent bloggers who participate by linking and reading. Because today is Monday, there are likely more than a few folks reading this who are seeing the new and improved Grandma's Briefs for the first time since I announced a face lift in the works.

When I did the big reveal of the completed makeover last Friday, I shared some of the new and functional features. Today I'd like to point out some of the new features that will be of particular interest to bloggers, as many of today's visitors are such. 

Features bloggers will appreciate 

• When commenting on posts, adding your URL to the comment box creates a link from your name that takes readers directly to your site. Which is a great way to easily promote your blog (in addition to participating in the GRAND Social, of course).
• Speaking of commenting, some folks have mentioned the new commenting platform is a tad confusing. And they're right. So here's a quick tutorial on how to comment:

Your comment box is just below the blog post, not below the comments. Type up your response then hit POST COMMENT. Once you click post comment, a page will come up with space to add your name and other info. You do NOT need to add more than your name. But, if you want to subscribe to any comments on the post, you must add your email address. And if you want your comment to lead to your blog (as I mentioned above) you must include the URL of your site.

Now the part that can be confusing: YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOG IN TO COMMENT. Ignore that statement on the comment box. I am the only one who can log in (some blogs make readers register; I don't). All you do need to do is click COMMENT AS GUEST. Once you click that, your comment should be posted. If not, please click the black bar the top of the site to let me know things went wonky.

That should do it!

• Feel free to use the some process to reply to/comment on comments of others! Hover over the icons in the upper right of a comment box and hit the reply to share your thoughts on what others have said.
• One of my fave new features: You can click the heart below a post to like it... and be rewarded with an explosion of hearts upon clicking. A nice way to show you like a post but don't have much to say about it in a comment. 

There are several other new bells and whistles about the place, so feel free to poke around. And please do let me know (by clicking the black bar at the top of the site) if you have an issue of any sort while here, including missing photos or videos or broken links. Thank you!

GRAND Social No. 273 link party for grandparents

Though a lot about Grandma's Briefs has changed, the GRAND Social remains the same. Thank you so much for joining me! Enjoy!

How it works:

• All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog about grandparenting, just be a grandparent who blogs.

• Grandparents who do not blog (or want to share something other than their own post) are welcome to add links to other posts grandparent readers may be interested in.

• To link up a post, copy the direct URL to the specific post — new or old — that you want to share, not the link to the blog or website home page. Then click the blue button below marked "Add your link" and follow the directions.

• I reserve the right to remove posts I feel are inappropriate. (Which hasn't happened yet, but I feel obligated to note that, just in case.)

• Those who add links to the GRAND Social link party will be sent a weekly reminder when the party goes live. If you prefer to be removed from that email list, feel free to do so (and you'll still be more than welcome to join the party any time).

• If adding your own post, including a mention such as This post linked to the GRAND Social to your linked posts is appreciated. 

• The GRAND Social linky accepts posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

• If you're not a linker, you have the pleasure of being a reader. Those sharing a link would be honored to have you visit, read and, if so moved, leave a comment, even if just "Hey, stopping by from the GRAND Social." Bloggers who link are encouraged to visit and comment on the links of other bloggers, as well.