Tips & Tricks…

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

Thanks for putting up with me in the changing of themes over the last few months. Several of the classic themes are not working correctly for me, which makes me wonder how long we will have access to the classic themes. WordPress says, change to a different theme!

Plus, I’ve had some eye strain to deal with and my doctor suggested darker backgrounds would take care of the strain.

The classic themes on WordPress are limited now… but I’ve returned to the Edin theme, as I found some work arounds that might help others.

I found two Chrome extensions (on the Chrome Web Store) that really helped me. The first is Black Ink Little, which will bold the print on websites so you can read easier. The link will take you to the Chrome Web extension featured at the top of the page. You can turn the extension on and off as you need.

So many of the sites now feature a pale gray font on a white background. It’s difficult to read! This makes the font bold and readable.

The other Chrome extension I found was called Dark Reader. This extension automatically changes the background to black (or gray) with white and colored fonts you can read. You can turn the extension on and off as you need.

On Chrome, the extension is FREE… but on Safari you have to purchase the extension. That’s why I use Chrome, and the DuckDuckGo Security essentials extension for added protection.

On my iMac and iPhone, I have the dark theme system preferences selected, which makes it easier to read.

Do you have any additional tips & tricks? If so, please share them in the comments below. Thanks.

28 thoughts on “Tips & Tricks…”

  2. I use the darker theme on my phone and I try to use black print instead of the default on my theme on my blog. That can sometimes take a while in the block edit.
    Some changes WP are making have not been helpful for those of us who have eye issues.
    Good luck in finding the best for you Colleen and thank you for those tips to look into xxx 💕💖

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I will watch carefully what you do. My WP is also a classic theme though working nicely so far. I have a guy who maintains it for me and does a good job. Good luck with the changes!

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    1. Thanks Jacqui. I fear I will have to teach myself how to use those full site editing themes. I’m not impressed, and the themes don’t seem ready for prime time, from what I’ve read. But… that’s where WP is headed.

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      1. I bought a theme for my education blog (Ask a Tech Teacher), but it’s also WP.org so that made it easier. I was thinking of switching back to WP.com to save money and then saw all the problems with themes! Good grief.

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        1. You know… that’s what I did. I think this is another way to get us in the higher paid category. Most of the themes they feature now are paid… WP.org, not wp.com. That tells me the platform is changing. If you bought your theme, can’t you have more than one blog attached to the paid one?

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  4. I guess I don’t know the difference between a classic theme and non-classic? Do you not use the block editor, Colleen? In any case, I agree about the eye strain. I have Ixiom theme which allows me to use different background colors. I have to be careful when I change the colors because it might change the font color, and I like to put a gradient box around quotes or lists, but certain color changes can make the font disappear–oops!

    You bring up an important point about aging eyesight and the WordPress audience. I bet more people over 50 read via WordPress than younger folks. That would be an interesting stat to find out.

    I downloaded the new Jetpack app on my phone and now I’m not getting pingback notifications for links. Hugh mentioned that this has been a problem of late. The good change is I can read posts straight from my outlook email account now, without having to log in to WP every time, so that has helped. Sigh. I’m sure these glitches will get worked out.

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    1. I’ve been using the block editor for years. I was one of the first to switch. LOL! All the themes we use Edin, Ixion (which was one that didn’t work for me) etc. are considered classic themes now. The new themes are all FSE (full site editing). My issue is all the white space and the gray fonts. Once I fixed those issues my eyes improved greatly. Like the classic editor, the classic themes will eventually be retired. We will have to move to the new themes eventually. You know, I can’t use Outlook mail at all. I’m on a new Mac, so I don’t know if that is causing compatibality problems or what… And, reading posts on my iphone. OH yikes. That is really bad. LOL! I hope all the glitches get worked out. I do use the JetPack app on my phone if its necessary. The times they are a changing! 😀

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      1. Thank you for that update, Colleen, I figured you used the block editor…so I’m using a classic theme, I will need to make that switch soon! I wonder if that’s why there are glitches with mine? I spent an hour with a happiness engineer on Monday but s/he found nothing wrong with my notifications. Onward and upward!

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  5. It’s the opposite for me, I can’t read the text on dark grounds. These old eyes don’t work so well for all of us.
    I did my blogs so long ago I don’t even know if I have a theme…I guess I/we must. I would be afraid to change a thing though. I’m sorry they are giving you such a hard time. It’s getting less and less user-friendly. (K)

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  6. Thanks for the recommendations for those Chrome extensions, Colleen. I’ve added Black Ink Little to my Mac. Likewise, I’ve been having problems reading some blogs because the font is either too small or is a faded grey which doesn’t help anybody.
    I also magnify my screen on both my Mac and iPhone, so I can read better, although I do all the reading on blog posts on my Mac.

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    1. Yes! I like to read the news but even that is difficult on my iphone now. I have a small Macbook I’ve been using to read the news, check email, when I’m on the treadmill, etc. I still have to use black ink little, but at least I’m not struggling to see the print. I’m on my iMac for my business a lot of hours. I’m learning to pace myself. LOL!

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