A Little Focus Goes a Long Way

Long-time BlogPatrol users have seen great changes with our website and service since the beginning of 2007. Despite the big improvements that have happened already, and the new features soon to arrive, it's the little improvements that can make a big difference.

In web development, one use of the term "focus" is to define it as a website automatically placing the user's cursor into the first data field of a web form. The benefits to a web visitor of having the cursor focus in the right place include:

• saving an extra click-and-point motion to get the cursor into the desired data field of the web form
• allowing returning visitors to begin using the web form as soon as the web page finishes loading because the visitors know the cursor will be focused exactly where they want it

BlogPatrol has four web forms that each require users to type data into form fields:

• Signup
• Login
• Lost password reset
• Contact by email form

I'm happy to say that all four forms now provide focus to the user so they can begin using the forms right away. With improvements big and small, a little focus goes a long way.

System Upgrade: Enhanced charts and New site design

June 17, 2007, 9:25 AM Eastern (UTC-4 New York): We are currently migrating the system to provide enhanced stats charting and an updated site design for BlogPatrol.com. The migration may result in system downtime during the morning of Sunday, June 17.

We will post an update when the migration is complete.

10:18 AM: We have completed our system upgrade. The upgrades provide:

• a more user friendly web site for easier navigation of our services and content
• enhanced stats charts and graphs that give you a better view of who's reading your blog
  

Having trouble loading the new web site?

• Problem: Your browser is likely referring to elements of the old web site along with the format of the new website. Specifically, your browser has the old javascript menu in its cache.
  
• Solution: Whether you're using Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers, simply hold down the "Shift" key and click on the "Refresh" or "Reload" button on your browser.

If you need assistance, please contact us through the contact form on our website.