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Hey folks! Does anyone have tips on improving your BLOX site's load speed? We just get crushed in our Google Search Console report for core web vitals. I did look for previous threads on this topic but the last one was 7 years ago. Safe to say things have probably changed since then. 

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YieldUp by TownNews is the fully managed programmatic solution for local media that delivers guaranteed CPMs, optimal sell-through, and ultra-fast payment. At this customer webinar, Anthony Humes, yield manager for TownNews, and Ryan Tornquist, director of new revenue programs, answered our most common questions and shared how YieldUp is already working for our partners.

https://townnews.com/news_room/webinar-explore-the-power-of-yieldup-by-townnews/article_3c90a5ea-9d9d-11ed-85c9-abf2edbe77e8.html

We use teaser images now SO often now - esp. with the new template - that it might be nice to have a shortcut button to apply an image you are using as a Child asset as the teaser, without having to do double the work. How possible would that be?

I want to focus a different image in a web story versus the print version, but I find that your system takes the top image used in the print version for the web. How do I change that?

TownNews:
We often use the "Utility: Image file (flex)" block to display landing page headers and other images on our site. The image in the block will conform to the width of the containing region, however, if the image is wide (750px to 1140px) it will often be hard to read when the site is viewed on a mobile device.

I'm wondering if you might consider a block that could include multiple images for responsive design. One image for a desktop view and one for a mobile view.

Desktop Website View:

Mobile Website View:

I wanted to make a feature request for Blox which I believe would help our staff, and may be helpful to other users as well. This request is for the back end form menu.

When reviewing our multitude of forms, many of which were created for one specific purpose, I was thinking that it would be helpful if forms could be searched the way articles can be. This way, a user could search "subscription" and bring up all forms with subscription in the title to narrow down the list. Or if they could be filtered by date created or whether they are enabled/disabled.

Additionally, I would like it if there was a way to organize them other than alphabetically by the name of the form, as sometimes our form titles are fairly long. If we could assign them to specific folders (contests, lifecycles, subscriptions, magazines) that would also cut down on the clutter and make identifying the correct form easier.

tell me why why why if i put an article in another article, it disappears from the home page???? seriously. Where is my story.

How do you insert a image into a table cell?

I placed this code in several different ways

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgNmS2Pdooc " title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

How can I get this to work

Increase your open and click-thru rates by changing up your newsletters for the new year. At this customer webinar, our panel of TownNews experts—Stacy Johnson, product manager, Doug Green, senior trainer, and Sarah Falkowski, design team lead—help you get the most out of your BLOX Email Reach templates.

We’ll cover how you can:

• Build a test page to see how an email will look before you hit send.
• Make smart design choices and customize blocks to create more impact.
• Switch up the feel of the email by changing page customization settings.
• Best practices for breaking news, daily digest, and other automated emails.
• And much more!

Watch it now.

I realize this is probably a little beyond a feature request and I'm sure many others have had this idea, but I think this would be a wonderful feature for Blox TCMS and a great time-saver for users.

What if we could place all stories on a page at once? 

I apologize if this is already a feature I'm not aware of, but If there were an additional setting that could tie a story package (element types with the same file reference) to an asset's "Display Priority," then another command could be added within the Blox menu, such as "Place All Stories," and Blox could then place all stories on a page at once by matching each story package with the display priority in the asset. Maybe there could be another Blox TCMS menu item for "Priority"?

I realize that print editions are a dying breed, but with all the staff cuts and hiring freezes, I think a feature that would allow someone to create a template snippet with multiple story packages and place stories simultaneously would be great. Page designers would be able to get a huge portion of that work done in a fraction of the time and go on and do another task while the stories were placing.

Anyway, it's just a thought I had. No need for replies. 

Thanks for listening.

It would be very helpful to be able to edit a subscription's start date, status or both. I used to be able to change the status to Disabled to temporarily remove access from a user, but that feature no longer works.

We have several "snowbirds" who want to pay in advance of their requested start date for their online subscriptions. I like to process those orders through Blox so that confirmation emails are automatically sent and their orders are entered into the system ready to go. The problem with doing this now is that the person receives immediate access to the site, and the only way to temporarily remove that access is by changing the expiration date to an expired date. If I could change the status to Disabled or change the start date to their requested date, the problem would be solved.

I have loved the location tab that allows users to quickly add a locator map to a story by plugging in the latitude and longitude. Until recently the base map was, I believe, Open Street Map, which added a  locator icon to the map that allowed readers to quickly zoom to or see the location generally.

The Google Maps base map does not add a locator icon - unless I am missing a setting or something. I have tried it several times. Is there any plans, or the ability for users, to add  an icon? Providing a map that only shows a general location does not make the map very useful. 

Thank you in advance for the consideration. 

Tim Doran

News editor

The Bulletin, Bend, Ore.