Its been over a year since WordPress launched its revolutionary content editor The Gutenberg Editor
Initially I found it… distracting all I wanted was simply to write up my articles and hit the [publish] button, simple. The Classic Editor did what I wanted and was easy to work with as any of the traditional word processing softwares.
Then WordPress dared to do for content creation what Johannes Gutenberg a 15th century printer and publisher for whom the editor is named did for print industry by introducing a movable type printing system which ignited the print revolution.
Re-imagine the internet
“The web up until this point has been confined to some sort of rectangular screen. But that is not how it’s going to be. Gutenberg has the potential of moving us into the next time.” Morten Rand Hendriksen
What is Gutenberg?
Gutenberg is the WordPress editor that uses content blocks with preset layouts and formats such as paragraph, image and many other options to customise posts and pages.
I have been using the Gutenberg Editor from before the official launch (Nov 2018), I was a bit skeptical at first, as one who does not appreciate unsolicited upgrades but I have grown attached to the editor which allows one to make dynamic content fusing multimedia layouts.
If you have been using it for a long time you will notice that subtle changes have been going on in the Gutenberg editor.
Whats New Gutenberg?
The editor has undergone redesign with layout and interface changes making it simpler and there’s a new range of blocks
You can now change the colour of a target selection in a block
Before this you could only manipulate the colour of all the words in a block but not target single words or letters. Now you can.
Just select a word(s) and click on the drop down menu and choose the colour you want
Block patterns
Gutenberg has a wide range of blocks and now the editor has predefined block layouts called Pattern Blocks giving you ready to tweak combinations of blocks.
Be explorative don’t be afraid to check out what the other blocks can let you to do from embedding a tweet to various other options, your site is not a black and white newspaper, even now some newspapers compete with magazines.
Spice up your site, the internet is a digital canvas and your blog is your very own blank canvas…
A few quick tips
When you are sharing a link instead of simply copying and pasting the whole internet like this:
https://becomingthemuse.net/2019/11/14/of-blogging-to-blog-or-not-to-blog/
Why not make it neater:
Use the format options to insert a link on a selected text.
You could use a button block for something more visually striking
Did you know you can share an image as a clickable image which will direct you to another link?
What I love about Gutenberg
I usually draft up my articles in Microsoft Word and then copy and paste into the WordPress Editor where all the paragraphs automatically become individual blocks then I can simultaneously proofread and edit block by block..
The spotlight feature makes it easy to focus on one block at a time
**If you want all the text you copied to appear in one block use the [paste as plain text] command
Improvements I would like to see:
*I love how you can customise the colours of words and blocks but I want to see it show a larger range in the colour picker or allowed you to customise the quick picks or at least remembered the custom colour you selected so they would be available for quicker selection and you would not have to struggle to match that favourite colour you chose the last time was. (yes you can just copy the hex colour code but still…)
Concluding thoughts
I think WordPress is onto something, Gutenberg is going to revolutionise the internet and trust me one day, WordPress is shaking things up, currently 35% of internet sites are powered by a WordPress core.
Gutenberg still has kinks that need ironing out but they are on the right path once upon a time we speculated on how Gutenberg could either make or break WordPress looks like its going to more of the former than the later.
A digital revolution is in progress
How has Gutenberg been treating you? Suggestions and questions can be asked in the comment section below ^_^
~B
…for those stuck trying to get back to the Classic Editor click the three dots at the top right corner and scroll down to Switch To Classic Editor, you are welcome.
Becoming The Muse 
🙂 I have been using the Gutenberg Editor since it was in beta and never looked back.
It may appear a bit strange in the beginning, but it is one of those things that a person can learn how to use and enjoy.
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You are right Renard from what I gather Gutenberg is not just another editor, websites are going to be built entirety using blocks I was looking at some of the block patterns and it looks like we are in our way there too.
~B
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It does make everything more entertaining and engaging.
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This site is powered by Gutenberg Editor
~B
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I still have to learn more about Gutenberg
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Gutenberg is going to be more than a content editor it’s going to be an internet building block 😂😂
~B
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Gutenberg Editor. Is that what it’s called? I once used the block editor in WordPress. Recently actually but it was tricky for me navigating and I went back to classic.
But reading your blogs today, I’m inspired to try again. I really want to up my game!
Are you offering more classes on using the Gutenberg editor?
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I admit it feels a bit intimidating to use but once you know what’s supposed to be happening it becomes easy.
If you are going to try out the editor I recommend that you first draft up the post somewhere else than copy into the Gutenberg editor (it’s a bit tricky to create in Gutenberg not because it’s hard but same reason it is difficult to try and edit every word you are writing as you are writing, first you draft then you figure out what works)
~B
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Thanks B. I’m definitely going to give it another try. And you’re right about it being tricky to edit within the block editor. I’ll try your suggestion. Let’s see how it turns out.
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How do you normally create your posts do you write directly into WP or you write elsewhere?
~B
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Both. When I use a laptop, I first draft in word then transfer. If I use my phone which is what I have been doing for the past few months ,I use WP directly.
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You never stop learning. I didn’t know about the clicking image to go to a post, it’s kinda dope
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In the WinterABC circles today is a day off learning 😂😂
It’s a super neat trick I rarely see bloggers use it, so I take it not a lot are aware of it.
~B
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I am going to make us of it next week 😆😆
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Very good tips. Thanks B.
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Glad to share the tips around
~B
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I started using it early this year. It makes things better.
Been struggling with adding links, had to switch back to the classic editor for that, so I appreciate this lesson. Thank you uncle B.
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It takes a bit of getting used but once you get the hang of it you will never go back to the classic editor.
Here is another quick tip did you know there’s a Classic Editor block which means if there is a specific function that you want only found in classic editor, instead of switching editors totally you just use the Classic Editor block for only that section ( but these days I dont think there’s anything which the blocks cant do I havent had to use that function in a very long time)
If you face any issues be sure to look me up, I might not be an expect exactly but I have had over a year to play around with this editor
~B
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Don’t be modest. You’re an expert. You is a pro. Can’t wait to try playing with that feature this weekend.
Thank you for the detailed explanation.
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Not being able to change the color of single words in a block is what put me off a year ago (my sign off includes a single word in “gold). But I was told by another blogger that you now CAN do exactly that. So it made me happy.
Just the other day I tried to post with the block editor but could not find the box that you can type a few words in to have the post show up on Twitter. Apparently, that shows up once you hit publish. Do you know of the way to make it appear before that step?
For now, I’ll keep jumping around.
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Your sign off is a very distinct… If you tinker around with the Gutenberg editor you can creator a custom reusable sign off block.
I am not sure I understand your question about twitter you mean the one which embeds a tweet and shows it the way it does on twitter
You can search for a block called Twitter embed (there’s a search bar the top of block directory) and paste the twitter link there
Or you can just paste the twitter link in a new paragraph block it should automatically show that it’s embedding and convert to a twitter block.
There’s also an interesting block that will display “click to tweet”
where the published post will have a text which you can “tweet” if you click.
~B
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I asked another blogger. Apparently, you have to click on “Publish” to get a pop-up asking if you want to publish your post on Twitter. Problem solved.
Yea, I saw this feature in one of the posts I read today. I thought it was awesome!
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Oh yes, that prepublish pop up is also where you get sharing options across various platforms from Facebook to Twitter and it’s especially useful when you are posting a scheduled article (which you also set up on same pop up screen under where it asks you if you want to publish immediately or set)
…Or if you want to cheat the system and republish an old post.
~B
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The Gutenberg editor has grown on me a lot since I started using it, which was pretty much as soon as it was released. In fact, I had to write a post on a site that was still using the classic editor the other day, and I found it to be a jarring experience compared to Gutenberg. I don’t know how I ever used the classic editor for so long…
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Gutenberg Editor is very artistic it lets you break down the internet into primary blocks which all come together to form the big picture…
Although almost everything you can do in the Classic Editor you can do with Gutenberg, Gutenberg seems to me to make it easier to be more creative and to have things where you want them to be.
The only thing that seems to be limiting Gutenberg is the WordPress themes and they have had to retire several which are not compatible…
I dream that eventually even the theme customiser will be in the block format (….it already is but just hasn’t unleashed the full freedom yet)
~B
PS
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Yea, I had some issues with theme compatibility when I first started using Gutenberg, but those have all been taken care of now. More theme customization options would definitely help, though.
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Hey Beaton, I enjoyed your Gutenberg review but about that editor, I did try it maybe a year ago and hated it. I found their idea of blocks to just be something else to worry about without any benefit for my trouble. I’ll let it stew a while longer and maybe they will teach it to treat spaces and tabs to be what they are (almost) everywhere else rather than truncate or ignore them. Thanks for the write-up, but the best part is not closing note about how to stay back on the one I know if not love.
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Thank you Gary
A year ago I found it absolutely terrible too … at first but I think they have (somewhat) fixed it to better respect some of the spaces and tabs into something closer to the universal.
From my “research” people who have experience with code and programming are the most likely to struggle with the way Gutenberg handles things.
It’s definitely a work in progress but I can see how it will inevitably take over not only as a content editor but as a website builder.
~B
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It took me a while to get used to the editor, but I kinda love it now.
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It is a growing pain
~B
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Thanks for all these wonderful tips! I think I’m using Gutenberg as I write in WordPress only and use all these blocks and WordPress recently showed me a tutorial on my site and I discovered how I can click on gallery to post 2 or more photos together which I am SO HAPPY I figured that out… I didn’t know about the different colors for blocks or words. I just keep it simple. But it all sounds so cool! And I should experiment more! If I run into any trouble I may ask you if you don’t mind? I sometimes need help, don’t know who to ask or bother.. but it’s all about learning so I shouldn’t be so silly or shy! Thanks again! Excellent post!! 😀
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Glad to see you are having fun tinkering around with Gutenberg, it makes it very easy to do some super cool stuff.
If you get stuck feel free to reach out I dont mind at all.
~B
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Thanks B!! If I get frustrated, I’ll be asking! 😀
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Hey B, thanks for walking us through this new editor. I started using it three months ago, at first it was a huge distraction with blocks popping into my face all the time . Now it is a learning and exciting process with each blog . I love it better
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You are welcome.
Haha the blocks don’t seem to pop up so much though they are more subtle.
I love the way it makes it easy to do some creative designs and formats
~B
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It is so cool.
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Am stubborn nope I do not like it I cnt see the feature I want to use lol
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Which feature are you looking for?
Hahaha it takes a bit of adjusting but once you get over the initial discomfort you’ll find there’s nothing to it
~B
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the embed I found it but it wnt let me write it just shows the whole link
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What you want to do is:
•first write the word or phrase you want as your link text (not the actual link)
•then highlight it
•then click on the link icon next to where the Bold and Italics option are
•a box will pop up and that’s where you will paste the complete link
•press enter
And your have created a link text with a linked URL
~B
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Oh thanks will try
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