Starting a blog can seem overwhelmingly complicated. The internet is host to huge amounts of information; step-by-step guides, articles, blog posts, Pinterest Pins. But most of the information available online is written by professionals who have been in the business for years and know everything there is to know about starting a blog. I started…

Beginners Guide to Starting a Blog in 2021 (From Newbie to Newbie)

What’s New in the Block Editor: New Page Layout Picker, Better Block Transformation Options, and More

From a new page layout picker to a more streamlined writing prompt, we’re bringing you the latest round of editor improvements. April 15, 2021

Ola Bodera

Here’s a peek at the latest changes in the block editor — subtle-yet-practical enhancements that help you create beautiful posts and pages more efficiently:

• New page layout picker experience.
• Convert text and images into Columns block.
• Improved spacing options for social links and buttons.
• Streamlined behavior of the writing prompt.

Let’s dive in!

New Page Layout Picker

Page layouts are pre-designed templates that make creating beautiful pages a breeze. In this update we focused on improving the layout picker, making it easier to quickly browse different categories and select your layout.

Convert text and images into Columns Block

Transforming one block into another is a nifty trick that can greatly improve the editing experience. With the latest update, text (and images too!) can be automatically converted to a Columns block with the click of a button.

Select two or more blocks (these could be Paragraph, Heading, Image, etc.), click on the grouped block icon, and select “Columns” from the list of transformation options. The number of blocks selected will correspond to the number of columns.

Improved spacing options for Social Links and Buttons

Get creative with new ways to arrange your social links and buttons. This update brings you greater control over spacing and unlocks some neat layout ideas.

The correct alignment will be visible once you finish editing the Social Icons block.

Streamlined behavior of the writing prompt

You’re probably familiar with the writing prompt that greets you every time you start a new post or  page. Until now you’d also see it on every new line in your document. We’re happy to report that’s no longer the case! To streamline the writing process the prompt will now only appear once. There will be no subsequent prompts with every new line — just space for you to write your thoughts without distractions.

You keep building, we’ll keep improving

We can’t wait to see what you build with the improved block editor. In the meantime, we’ll keep new updates coming your way.

Happy editing!

Source: https://wordpress.com/blog/2021/04/15/block-editor-updates-3 loaded 18.04.2021

Lifestyle

April 16, 2021

The invention of social media and the subsequent rise in popularity has opened endless social reach opportunities. Distant relatives can remain in contact regardless of their whereabouts, friends can share posts and photos to reconnect, businesses can promote their products or services, and entertainment is accessible for users across the globe.

One unintended ‘side-effect’ of social media popularity is the impact of use on mental health.

The majority of frequent users are young and impressionable. The often warped portrayal of reality can have a detrimental impact on perception and self-worth. Spending excessive time on social media can also distract users from the present. This may influence overwhelming feelings of guilt and anxiety.

It is important to implement healthy social media habits in order to maintain stable mental health and wellbeing. Healthy social media habits will look different for everybody. What works for you now may not also work for you in the future.

Social Media Free Time

Time away from social media can look differently for everybody.

If your job includes social media use, you might assign a couple of hours in the morning or evening to wind down and relax. Some people like to have ‘social media free days’ during the weekend and holidays to spend time with the family.

Take a look at your schedule and figure out where you can take a break.

Usage Limits and Notifications

iPhones have a feature called ‘Screen Time’ which allows you to look at the number of minutes spent using each application throughout the day, week, and month.

Usage limits can be set to constrain the amount of time spent on each application. This can be a great way to control your social media usage if you’re finding it difficult to distract yourself.

Turning notifications off can also reduce the amount of time spent engaging during social media free time.

Clear Out ‘Friends’ and ‘Followers’

Most people have had a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter account for a number of years by 2021. Over this time, an accumulation of ‘Friends; and ‘Follows’ who may not be beneficial to your mental health is likely.

Go on an unfollowing spree and remove any elements of your social media feed that do not make you feel happy, confident, or motivated. Social media use should not encourage feelings of jealousy or insecurity so remove any posts that do.

Think Before Sharing

It is important to maintain a positive and motivational atmosphere on social media platforms. Whilst engaging with controversial topics that you care about is important, be careful that the things you say are not malicious or hurtful.

Prospective employers may read the content posted on your social media platforms before hiring you, so it is important that the image reflected is uplifting and positive.

Feelings of anger and sadness may be better expressed to family and friends directly.

Read this post for mindfulness book suggestions that may provide a much needed break from social media! Try to find new and productive ways to fill your spare time.

Source: https://dailyescapades.co.uk/2021/04/16/healthy-social-media-habits-and-how-to-implement-them loaded 18.04.2021

April 10, 2021

By Matthew Piepenburg

When it comes to the topic of banking risk, well…one can only lean back in a chair, sigh and say: “Where to begin?”

A Rich and Deep History of the Absurd

Banks, and hence banking risk, come in a wide variety of flavors, largely because bank mismanagement and short-sighted absurdity comes with equal frequency. As such, a fuller discussion on banking risk would necessitate hundreds of pages and hundreds of examples.

From the woefully arrogant and even more woefully mismanaged central banks, to the equally arrogant and mismanaged commercial banks, the long history of almost unbelievable hubris, risk, and over-bonused (and over-touted) bank leadership is almost endless.

Perhaps this is what prompted Henry Ford to observe that if ordinary citizens actually knew how banks operated (i.e. from fractional reserve banking to arms-length derivative deals with over-levered hedge funds), there would be immediate revolution in the streets.

Although such observations may seem like an exaggeration bordering upon the sensational, one only needs to look beneath the surface of things to realize that reality (and banking risk) is indeed stranger than fiction.

In prior reports, we’ve written about banking risks that date banks centuries, even millennia.

In short, it’s never difficult to put a finger on the map of history, locate any major moment of financial crisis and then find a banker (be he in a toga, French silk ruffles or an Armani suit) sulking in a corner somewhere, head down and hoping not to be recognized or caught.

This is simply because global history, as well as the history of bankers and major financial disasters, from the money lenders of the Old Testament to the S&L Crisis of the 1980’s or the Lehman Moments of 2008, are, sadly, all too common, all too familiar, and all too inevitable.

Again, volumes can be, and have been, written on such a sordid, but all-too-confirmed, trail of absurd banking practices leading to horrific consequences for nations, financial systems and of course, individual investors.

Modern Banking Risk: No Less Absurd

Today’s level of banking absurdity, and hence banking risk, of course is no exception.

The amount of non-performing loans (NPL’s) sure to stream out of the post-COVID (and self-inflicted) gunshot wound to small businesses and commercial real estate owners and tenants are just one among many risks facing the current banking system, which, as we’ve written elsewhere, is quietly (and not surprisingly) coming under greater and greater governmental command control.

In fact, the level of banking risk which lies beneath the so-called bank “recovery” from the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 is higher than most pundits, sell-siders and media pablum-sellers would otherwise have the vast majority of investors believe.

After all, good news, even artificial news and artificial bubbles, sell stocks and make investors (and bankers) happy.

The spin behind healthy banking news is no different, which is to say, no less mis-reported and bullishly comforting.

As all bankers wishing to remain employed know, the financial world spins on calming stories, tweaked data and comforting delusion. Today, such market delusion (in everything from Tesla stocks to negative yielding bonds), as well as banking risk, has never been higher.

As markets distorted by desperate central bank policies reach record highs on balance- sheet challenged, debt-soaked securities, the mad crowds continue to chase return, completely blind to risks hiding in plain sight.

In fact, and due to modern uses of leverage and equally modern weapons of mass destruction in the form of financial derivatives colliding with a central-bank-created debt tsunami the likes of which the world has never seen, banking risk has never, not ever been this high.

And yet the vast majority of TikTok savvy and Tweet-educated investors have zero idea of the risks lurking beneath the current market wave.

Market sentiment, despite a global pandemic and historically unprecedented debt crisis, has never been higher.

As I like to say: The ironies do abound.

But rather than pen hundreds of pages of this banking history here, let’s just consider one screaming, flashing, neon-red symbol of banking risk that is hiding in plain sight this very second.

That is, let’s toe-dip into that clever, banker-invented timebomb otherwise known as the global derivatives market.

The OTC Derivatives Trade: The Real Killer Virus

One does not need to pass a FINRA exam or spend years working the prop desks at a major commercial bank to understand the broad strokes of the otherwise extremely (and intentionally) complex, opaque and non-reported world of derivative instruments circulating like an Ebola virus through the modern banking system.

The fancy lads call this the OTC market—or “Over the Counter” derivatives trade.

“Over the Counter,” by the way, is just a euphemistic way of saying a highly, highly illiquid trade, one not executed on an exchange, but conducted instead among over-paid bankers and other institutional counter parties on a daily basis.

You know, the so-called “experts” …

The gross value of this OTC derivatives market is nearly impossible to define, as the various contracts, swaps and options that compose this tangled web of obfuscation and arbitraged markets are in fact valued (marked) by the banks and counterparties themselves, not the open market.

That’s clever, no?

But hey, if you’re going to be guarding (i.e. valuing) your own hen house, it helps to be a clever fox, and bankers are certainly foxy.

Keeping Derivatives Simple

Conservatively, however, it’s fair to say that the current OTC derivatives market is in the neighborhood of $1.5 quadrillion in size, a number I’m not even sure how to type on this page.

Yet despite such an almost fantastical valuation and size, none of these zeroes are reported on the balance sheets of the fancy banks who trade them. Like I said, bankers are clever little foxes.

So, how do these little foxes get away with this? How do they hide the risk and size of these trades from their own books?

This too, involves a bit of complicated banker (and book-keeping) lingo which would make both your eyes (and mine) glaze over if entirely unpacked here.

But as Einstein liked to say, if you can’t explain even the most complex concepts to a five-year-old, you aren’t a very good teacher.

Simple Arbitrage, Simple Leverage, Simply Crazy

First, we need to address that lovely little banking term known as “arbitrage,” which basically boils down to buying and selling the same asset simultaneously and pocketing the difference—hopefully, a profit.

Recently, for example, I purchased a horse saddle on line, and then decided to sell it to another buyer hours later for more than I originally contracted. Voila: arbitrage.

In that brief period, however, between when I bought the saddle for $X and then contracted to sell it for $X + $100, I was in what the fancy lads at places like Deutsche Bank or Goldman Sachs call an “open position”—or stated more simply: I was between trapezes.

That is, if I didn’t get the saddle delivered when I needed it, I’d fail on its subsequent delivery to the next buyer, who would be angry to say the least.

Such failure to perform is what those same fancy lad bankers call “counter-party risk.”

Fortunately, I delivered the saddle as contracted and the counter-party risk was minimal. Easy peasy.

It’s the same for banks buying and selling futures contracts, swaps, call options, put options and all those other shrewd derivative instruments they arbitrage to the tune of billions every second…but with one minor exception: Unlike my simple horse saddle purchase, those fancy lad bankers use 100:1 to 300:1 leverage to buy and sell their sexy little contracts.

A Side-Market Premised on Only Good Times

In normal market conditions, counterparties to these grossly levered derivatives perform as expected. All goes well, and trillions pass between computer screens on arbitrage desks from London to New York, Frankfurt to Tokyo.

But derivative trades are a lot like water skiers being dragged behind a speeding boat: If the boat rides straight and steady, and the water has no ripples, the skiers (i.e. counterparties) glide blissfully, rapidly and safely across a sea of easy money.

But this, of course, is where the entire concept as well as reality of the derivatives trade gets scary, and frankly, just plain absurd, for its entire survival and risk-less future assumes that speed boats never turn sharply, seas never get rough and accidents never happen.

In short, the derivatives trade depends on a best-case scenario of perpetually smooth riding and smooth seas to avoid fatal risk among counterparties.

But as anyone, and I mean anyone, who has traded or studied markets for more than a half hour knows, nothing about financial markets is a perpetually smooth ride free of frequent ripples or an occasional tidal wave.

Despite such obvious common sense, the entire derivatives market (and its buying and selling of premiums, counterparty-spreads etc.) is premised on the self-delusional fantasy that seas are always smooth and water skiers never fall.

A Ticking Timebomb

Thus, despite massive amounts of leverage, massively low “OTC” liquidity (every market crisis, by the way, is at heart a liquidity crisis), massive counterparty risk, and massively obvious macro risks (as evidenced in everything from broken central bank policies, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical risks to zombie credit markets marching daily toward default), the un-noticed and un-reported ($1.5 quadrillion+) derivative trade just keeps ticking away at a major commercial bank near you—ticking, that is, like a financial timebomb.

Timebomb?

Yes. Time. Bomb.

But if this seems sensational, once again, let’s just do the math and resort to numbers not adjectives.

Take the example of Deutsche Bank, that oh-so notorious bad boy of the otherwise media-ignored derivatives sand lot.

Like all major commercial banks trading in home-made derivative instruments, Deutsche Bank values its exposure not based upon the leverage used or the true dollar amounts at risk, but rather based upon derivative contracts whose value, as well as risk, is not “marked” (i.e. placed on the balance sheet) until the contracts themselves are exercised.

The book keepers at banks like Deutsche Bank call this the “net” value of their derivative trade.

In the case of Deutsche Bank, whose overall balance sheet asset valuation last year was around $800B, the ledger regarding its “net” derivative exposure was a measly $1B. In short, not the least bit scary at all for a mega bank’s balance sheet or risk profile.

But here’s the rub: The “net” value of derivative exposure reported on the books by banks like Deutsche Bank deliberately and completely ignores the truer derivative exposure and valuation known among the fancy lads as the “gross” derivative value, which more accurately accounts for the actual amount of leverage, premium spreads and counterparty obligations behind their trades.

Again, this more accurate “gross” valuation (and risk exposure) is not marked on the balance sheets of these water-skiing banks…

Turning back to the Deutsche Bank example, we discover that this bank, with a total balance sheet asset value of $800B, marks its “net” derivative value down as $1B, yet neglects to report its “gross” derivative exposure of $40T.

Please: Read that last line again. It’s not a typo.

That right; the “gross” (yet legally unreported) derivative exposure at Deutsche Bank is $40T, despite an enterprise asset value of just $800B for the entire bank itself. In fact, Deutsche Bank’s derivatives exposure is greater than 3X total GDP for the entire European Union.

That’s Banking Risk

So, do you still think there’s no banking risk out there?

The horrific, yet entirely ignored reality is that the current banking system is literally nothing more than a balance-sheet mosquito roosting on a nuclear bomb of levered derivatives exposure set to explode the moment any number of potential and “nuclear” red buttons go off in an otherwise completely distorted global market.

In fact, the list of potential “red-button” moments pointed at this derivative mega-bomb is so long, that the odds of a derivatives implosion, and hence banking implosion, is not just high, it’s closer to 100%.

For the sake of brevity, just consider the following potential red-button triggers:

-Counter-party risk (mere hints of which we’ve seen at Long Term Capital Management, Lehman Brothers, AIG or Bear Sterns in the past, or more recently in headline-making leverage factories like Archegos Capital, whose recent derivative swap trade (co-authored by commercial banks) lost over $10B in shareholder money almost overnight.

-Supply Chain interruptions (as already hinted by oil futures trading negative, or actual gold deliveries failing in the COMEX market);

-Central Banks imploding under the weight of their own balance sheets and losing control of interest rates, which turn zombie bond pits into cemeteries;

-Any black swan, happening at any time.

In short, if there is any counter-party error (ripple or tidal wave) of any genuine and collective magnitude in this over-levered minefield known as the global derivatives market, the silly little net derivatives exposures on the seemingly yet deceptively “safe” balance sheets of the major commercial banks could morph into a gross exposure, and hence a gross loss, of greater than 5X the total valuation of the banks themselves.

After all, the Deutsche Bank is hardly the only bank playing this dangerous game of derivative-roulette. One can easily add JP Morgan, Goldman, Wells Fargo, Soc Gen, BNP or Morgan Stanley to the list.

Needless to say, the cost of bailing out these Too Big to Fail (TBTF) banks in such a derivative implosion would dwarf the TBTF bailouts of 2008, and force central banks to create even more currency destroying dollars out of thin air to save the banking sinners while leading to even more centralized, government control of our banking system.

When, not if, a crisis occurs in this toxic commercial banking system sitting above a home-made derivatives time bomb, do you want to hold your gold, or any precious metal asset, in such esteemed, globally recognized and balance-sheet savvy commercial banks?

Decades ago, we created Matterhorn Asset Management so you wouldn’t have to.

Source: https://goldswitzerland.com/banking-risk-the-real-killer-virus loaded 18.04.2021

Handwashing and hot tea: Eswatini celebrates roll out of solar-heated water

New stations at health clinics improve hygiene in locations where warm water seen as ‘an absolute luxury’, helping to tackle Covid

Acting prime minister Themba Masuku performs a ceremonial handwash to mark the completion of the Lobamba clinic. Photograph: Courtesy of Frazer SolarGlobal development is supported by

About this contentSaeed Kamali Dehghan@SaeedKDFri 16 Apr 2021 08.00 BST

In Eswatini, the southern African country which lost a prime minister to Covid-19 in December and where most people have no access to hot water, handwashing – a key weapon in the fight against the pandemic – has been a problem.

No government health clinic in the kingdom, formerly known as Swaziland, had hot running water for patients. Nine out of 10 didn’t have hot water for operations and cleaning instruments.

But in just nine months, a solar sanitation project has reversed that, bringing hot water to all 92 clinics scattered across Eswatini. “To places we’d never have dreamed would have hot water,” said Lizzie Nkosi, minister for health.

Hot water stations have been set up outside clinics with solar-powered tanks drawing cold water from the mains.

“In 25 years working as a nurse, I have never had hot water in a clinic. Not for patients, not for nurses,” said Lindiwe Magongo, head nurse at the Ezulwini clinic, 14km away from the administrative capital, Mbabane.

“Not only have all my patients had clean, hot water, I have also had a hot cup of tea every single day.”

The country has 14 hospitals but because of the poor state of the roads most people rely on their nearest clinic to deal with everything from emergencies to minor illnesses and vaccinations.

Read more

Eswatini has the highest incidence of HIV in the world, according to Unicef, and among the lowest life expectancies. Levels of tuberculosis and obesity are high and 63% of the 1.3 million population live in poverty.

Ezulwini, and the Lobamba clinic 20km away, each have a dozen staff who live on-site. They each treat 200 to 300 patients daily, who will often have walked 10 to 15km and queued for hours to be seen.

Robert Frazer, managing director of Frazer Solar, the German company behind the tanks, said the impact is “massive”.

“We take hot water for granted in the west but in Eswatini it’s an absolute luxury,” he said.

Hot water is a luxury in Eswatini, where 63% of people live in poverty. Photograph: Courtesy of Frazer Solar

The system needs no electricity or moving parts. The water from the mains is fed into the storage tank using water pressure. The coldest water flows to the bottom of the solar panel, which traps the warmth of the sun, heats the water and sends it back up to the tank in a cycle that takes the temperature of the supply to between 80 and 90C. No servicing should be required for 20 years and the system benefits about 10,000 people every day.

The project, which cost €300,000 (£260,000) , was finished last month. At the Lobamba clinic its completion was marked with a ceremonial handwash for the cameras by Themba Masuku, the deputy prime minister who has been acting PM since the country’s leader, Ambrose Dlamini, died in December after testing positive for Covid.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/apr/16/handwashing-and-hot-tea-eswatini-celebrates-roll-out-of-solar-heated-water loaded 16.04.2021

Last updated on January 2nd, 2020 by Editorial Staff 690 Shares ShareTweetSharePin

In WordPress 5.0, the classic content editor was replaced with a brand new block editor, known as Gutenberg. Since then, several of our readers have asked us to create a comprehensive tutorial on how to use the Gutenberg block editor in WordPress.

WordPress block editor is a totally new and different way of creating content in WordPress. In this tutorial, we will show you how to use the new WordPress block editor and master it to create visually stunning blog posts and pages.

What’s The Difference Between Block Editor (Gutenberg) and Classic Editor?

Before we dive into the new editor, let’s first compare and understand the differences between Gutenberg Block Editor and the Classic Editor.

Here is what the classic editor in WordPress looked like:

If you upgrade to WordPress 5.0, then this is what the new block editor looks like:

As you can see, they are two completely different editors for creating content in WordPress.

The old classic editor was a text editor with formatting buttons very similar to Microsoft Word.

The new editor uses a totally different approach, called ‘Blocks’ (hence, the name Block Editor).

Blocks are content elements that you add to the edit screen to create content layouts. Each item you add to your post or page is a block.

You can add blocks for each paragraph, images, videos, galleries, audio, lists, and more. There are blocks for all common content elements and more can be added by WordPress plugins.

How is the new WordPress block editor better than the classic editor?

The new WordPress block editor offers a simple way to add different types of content to your posts and pages.

For example, previously if you wanted to add a table in your content, then you needed a separate table plugin.

With the new editor, you can simply add a table block, select your columns and rows, and start adding content.

You can move content elements up and down, edit them as individual blocks, and easily create media-rich content.

Most importantly, the new WordPress block editor is easy to use and learn.

This gives an immense advantage to all WordPress beginners who are just starting their first blog or building a DIY business website.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to use the new WordPress block editor like a pro to create great content.

Here is what we will cover in this Gutenberg tutorial:

1. Using Gutenberg – The new WordPress block editor
2. Creating a new blog post or page
3. How to add a block in Gutenberg
4. Working with blocks in the new editor
5. Saving and reusing blocks in Gutenberg
6. Publishing and post settings in Gutenberg
7. Plugin settings in new editor
8. Adding some common blocks in Gutenberg
9. Exploring some new content blocks in Gutenberg
10. Bonus tips on using Gutenberg like a pro
11. Adding more blocks to Gutenberg Block Editor
12. FAQs about Gutenberg

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Using Gutenberg – The New WordPress Block Editor

The block editor is designed to be intuitive and flexible. While it looks different than the old WordPress editor, it still does all the things that you were able to do in the classic editor.

Let’s start with covering the basic things that you did in the classic editor, and how they are done in the block editor.

Creating a New Blog Post or Page Using The Block Editor

You will start creating a new blog post or page like you normally would. Simply click on Posts » Add New menu in your WordPress admin. If you are creating a page, then go to Pages » Add New menu.

This will launch the new block editor.

How to Add a Block in Gutenberg

The first block of every post or page is the title.

After that, you can use the mouse to move below the title or press the tab key on your keyboard to move down and start writing.

By default, the next block is a paragraph block. This allows users to start writing right away.

However, if you want to add something different, then you can click on the add new block button on the top left corner of the editor, below an existing block, or on the left side of a block.

Clicking on the button will show the add block menu with a search bar on top and commonly used blocks below.

You can click on tabs to browse block categories or type in the keyword to quickly search for a block.

If you don’t want to use a mouse to click on the button, then you can use a keyboard shortcut by typing / to search and add a block.

Working with Blocks in The New Editor

Each block comes with its own toolbar which appears on top of the block. The buttons in the toolbar would change depending on the block you are editing.

For example, in this screenshot, we are working in a paragraph block which shows basic formatting buttons like: text alignment, bold, italic, insert-link, and strikethrough buttons.

Apart from the toolbar, each block can also have its own block settings which would appear in the right column of your edit screen.

You can move blocks up and down by simple drag and drop or by clicking the up and down buttons next to each block.

Saving and Reusing Blocks in Gutenberg

One of the best things about blocks is that they can be saved and reused individually. This is particularly helpful for bloggers who frequently need to add specific content snippets to their articles.

Simply click on the menu button located at the right corner of each block’s toolbar. From the menu, select ‘Add to reusable blocks’ option.

You will be asked to provide a name for this reusable block. Enter a name for your block and then click on the save button.

The block editor will now save the block as a reusable block.

Now that you have saved a block, let’s see how to add the reusable block into other WordPress posts and pages on your site.

Simply edit the post or page where you want to add the reusable block. From the post edit screen, click on the add block button.

You will find your saved block under the ‘Reusable’ tab. You can also find it by typing its name in the search bar.

You can take your mouse over it to see a quick preview of the block. Simply click on the block to insert it into your post or page.

All reusable blocks are stored in your WordPress database, and you can manage them by clicking on the ‘manage all reusable blocks’ link.

This will bring you to the block manager page. From here, you can edit or delete any of your reusable blocks. You can also export reusable blocks and use them on any other WordPress website.

Publishing and Managing Options in Gutenberg Block Editor

Each WordPress post contains a lot of metadata. This includes information like publish date, categories and tags, featured images, and more.

All these options are neatly placed in the right column on the editor screen.

Plugin Options in Gutenberg

WordPress plugins are able to take advantage of the block editor’s API to integrate their own settings within the edit screen.

Some popular plugins are already available as blocks. For example, WPForms, the best WordPress form builder plugin allows you to add forms into your content using a widget block.

Here is how Yoast SEO allows you to edit your SEO settings in the new editor:

WooCommerce also comes with widget blocks that you can easily add to any of your WordPress posts and pages.

Adding Some Common Blocks in New Editor

Basically, the new editor can do everything the classic editor did. However, you will be doing things way quicker and elegantly than before.

1. Adding an image in new WordPress editor

There is a ready to use image block in the new WordPress editor. Simply add the block and then upload an image file or select from the media library.

You can also drag and drop images from your computer, and the editor will automatically create an image block for it.

Once you have added an image, you will be able to see the block settings where you can add metadata for the image like alt text, size, and add a link to the image.

2. Adding a link in new block Editor

The block editor comes with several blocks where you can add text. Most commonly used one is the paragraph block which comes with an insert link button in the toolbar.

All other commonly used text blocks also include a link button in the toolbar.

You can also insert a link using the keyboard shortcut, which is Command + K for Mac and CTRL + K on Windows computers.

3. Adding an image gallery in Gutenberg

The gallery block works like the image block. You add it and then upload or select image files.

4. Adding shortcodes in WordPress posts using Gutenberg

All your shortcodes will work just like they did in the classic editor. You can simply add them to a paragraph block, or you can use the shortcode block.

Exploring Some New Content Blocks in Gutenberg

The Gutenberg editor promises to solve some long-standing usability issues in WordPress by introducing some new blocks.

Following are some of the favorites that we believe users will find immensely helpful.

1. Adding an image next to some text in WordPress

Using the old editor, many of our users were unable to place an image next to the text. You can do this now with the Media & Text block.

This simple block comes with two blocks placed side-by-side allowing you to easily add an image and add some text next to it.

2. Adding a button in WordPress posts and pages

Adding a button to your blog posts or pages was another annoyance in the classic editor. You either had to use a plugin that created a shortcode for the button, or you had to switch to HTML mode and write code.

Gutenberg comes with a button block that allows you to quickly add a button to any post or page.

You can add a link for your button, change colors, and choose from three button styles.

3. Adding beautiful cover images in blog posts and landing pages

Another cool feature that you may want to try is the ‘Cover’ block, which allows you to add cover images to your posts and pages.

A cover image is a wider image often used as a cover for a new section in a page or the beginning of a story. They look beautiful and allow you to create engaging content layouts.

Simply add a cover block and then upload the image you want to use. You can choose an overlay color for the cover or make it a fixed background image to create parallax effect when users scroll down the page.

4. Creating tables inside articles

The classic editor didn’t have a button to add tables into your WordPress posts. You had to use a plugin or create a table writing custom CSS and HTML.

New Gutenberg editor comes with a default Table block, which makes it super easy to add tables into your posts and pages. Simply add the block and then select the number of columns and rows you want to insert.

You can now go ahead and start adding data to table rows. You can always add more rows and columns if needed. There are also two basic style options available.

5. Creating multi-column content

Creating multi-column content was another issue that the classic editor didn’t handle at all. The block editor allows you to add Columns block, which basically adds two columns of paragraph blocks.

This columns block is quite flexible. You can add up to 6 columns in a row and even use other blocks inside each column.

Bonus Tips to Use Gutenberg like a Pro

Looking at the new block editor, you may be wondering whether you will be spending more time adding and adjusting blocks than creating actual content?

Well, the new editor is incredibly fast and even very basic usage for a few minutes will allow you to instantly add blocks without even thinking.

Pretty soon you will realize how much faster your workflow will become with this new approach.

For power users, here are some bonus tips to help you work even faster with the new WordPress editor.

1. Move the block toolbar to the top.

As you may have noticed in the screenshots that there is a toolbar that appears on top of every block. You can move this toolbar to the top of the editor.

Simply click on the three-dot button at the top right corner of the screen and then select the Top Toolbar option.

2. Use keyboard shortcuts

Gutenberg comes with several handy shortcuts that will make your workflow even better. The first one you should start using right away is the /.

Simply enter / and then start typing, and it will show you matching blocks that you can instantly add.

For more shortcuts, click on the three-dot menu on the top-right corner of your screen and then select ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’.

This will bring up a popup with the list of all the keyboard shortcuts that you can use. The list will have different shortcuts for Windows and Mac users.

3. Drag and drop media to automatically create media blocks

Gutenberg allows you to just drag and drop files anywhere on the screen and it will automatically create a block for you.

You can drop a single image or video file, and it will create the block for you. You can also drop multiple image files to create a gallery block.

4. Adding YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, and other embeds

Gutenberg introduces new embed blocks to the block editor. There is a block for all supported embed types including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and more.

However, you can just copy and paste the embed URL at any point, and it will automatically create a block for you.

For example, if you added a YouTube video URL, it will automatically create a YouTube embed block and display the video.

Adding More Blocks to Gutenberg Block Editor in WordPress

The new block editor in WordPress allows developers to create their own blocks. There are some awesome WordPress plugins offering block bundles for the new editor.

Here are a few of them:

1. Advanced Gutenberg

Advanced Gutenberg comes with several blocks for popular content elements like WooCommerce product slider, testimonials, maps, counter, tabs, accordions, and more.

It also gives you advanced control on which users can access blocks based on their user roles. You can create user profiles and select which blocks they can add.

2. Stackable – Gutenberg Blocks

Stackable – Gutenberg Blocks is a collection of beautifully designed Gutenberg blocks that you can use on your website. It includes blocks for the container, posts, feature grid, accordion, image box, icon list, call to action, and more.

3. Editor Blocks

Editor Blocks is another neat collection of Gutenberg blocks that you can use. It comes with useful blocks like author profile, hero image, pricing table, brands, features, and more.

FAQs about Gutenberg – The New Block Editor in WordPress

Since Gutenberg became the new WordPress editor, we have been getting a lot of questions. Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Gutenberg.

1. What happens to my older posts and pages? Can I still edit them?

Your old posts and pages are completely safe and unaffected by the Gutenberg. You can still edit them, and Gutenberg will automatically open them in a block containing the classic editor.

You can edit them inside the old editor, or you can convert older articles into blocks and use the new block editor.

2. Can I still keep using the old editor?

Yes, you can still keep using the old editor. Simply install and activate the Classic Editor plugin.

Upon activation, it will disable the block editor, and you will be able to continue using the classic editor.

Please note that Classic Editor will be supported until 2022.

3. What to do if the new editor doesn’t work with a plugin or theme I am using?

Project Gutenberg was under development for a long time. This gave plugin and theme authors plenty of time to test their code for compatibility.

However, there is still a chance that some plugins and themes may not work well with the new editor. In that case, you can install the classic editor plugin, request the developer to add Gutenberg support, or simply find an alternative plugin or theme.

4. How to learn more Gutenberg tips and tricks?

WPBeginner is the best place to learn about the new block editor in WordPress. We are the largest WordPress resource site on the internet.

We will be publishing new articles and updating our old resources to help you master the new block editor.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us by leaving a comment or by using the contact form on our website.

We hope this Gutenberg tutorial helped you learn how to use the new WordPress block editor. You may also want to see our complete WordPress performance guide for improving your website speed.

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Source: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-use-the-new-wordpress-block-editor loaded 15.04.2021