For best results in learning about blocks , go to my actual website. Unfortunately viewing this post in Reader will not display all of the blocks correctly. Also, it’s best to create your post on a computer if you want to use certain blocks .

1. How to Start Using Blocks
   1. Where do I find the Block choices?
   2. Basic Blocks
   3. Highlight Block
   4. Media and Text Block.
   5. Rows Block.
   6. Table Block.
   7. Spacer Block.
   8. Gallery Block.
   9. Accordion Blocks.
   10. GIF Block.
   11. Verse Block.
   12. Map Block.
   13. File Block.
   14. Buttons.
   15. Table of contents block.
   16. Author Block.
2. Closing Comments

How to Start Using Blocks

What is a block? Well, I am just an amateur website designer, but I think of a block as a separate unit of text or images or design element that can be moved up or down on the page. This makes it easy to change things later without having to copy and paste. If all you do is type words, every time you hit enter you will create a new block. If you didn’t mean to do that, just hit backspace. Blocks are so easy that you can use them with your very first post even with no previous experience.

Where do I find the Block choices?

You can access the Block selection in several ways.

• Just start typing some text and this will create your first block.
• Or if you don’t want to start with text, click the Plus Sign in the upper left corner to go to the Block selection box to get started building your post. This will open up a large selection of options. Then have fun!
• Once you have created a block, you can add a new block by simply pressing the enter key. When you do that, text will pop up and you can type “/” to open a short list of Block options.
• To access the complete Block list you must hover your mouse in a blank space until the plus sign pops up, then scroll to the bottom and click Browse all.
• Be sure to click Save at the top of the workspace after you get started. After that it will save automatically.

Basic Blocks

The most basic blocks are paragraph, heading, and image. You can write a perfectly good blog using only those blocks. But if you want to make your blog unique, why not explore all of the design options? You can always delete anything that you don’t like. There are many different ways to display photos and texts and also special kinds of blocks. You can also embed YouTube videos, your own videos, an audio player, podcast player, social media posts, and quotes. The following examples can help you move beyond the basics. Have fun! (Some of these blocks do not work properly on mobile.)

Highlight Block

As shown below.

Note: My blog uses the Apostrophe 2 theme. Your theme may use blocks differently.

Media and Text Block.

This is a nice block that allows you put your text beside your photo on either side, or arrange it vertically. However, on mobile screens it may display the text below the photo due to lack of space.

Rows Block.

Just one of manys way to lay out blocks. To change the block style, simply hover over the block until the tool bar pops up and then hover over the first icon and it will offer you a list of choices.

Table Block.

This block is handy for displaying data. Default Box option or this style.

Ideologies
Left	Right
Collectivism	Individualism

Spacer Block.

Want to add a little white space between blocks? Easy! Use the Spacer Block. Use the Block settings on the right to adjust the size of the space. The space below is actually a block which means it can be moved.

Gallery Block.

I was trying out the collage block, but I think these photos look better in Gallery.

Accordion Blocks.

A special block to make your post fancy! I always think of these as drop downs. Use the Block setting on the right to edit your accordion block appearance.

GIF Block.

Just click on the block and then search for a gif type.

Verse Block.

This handy block allows you to write without spaces. Use the Block settings on the left to change the text and background color and text size and boldness.

Big Brother
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Look for the cameras!
They're watching you!

Map Block.

It is super easy to add a map to your post. Just enter the address and this pops up! (Map not visible on Reader)

File Block.

Want to share a downloadable file? Use this handy block.

Buttons.

Buttons are great for making your links more visible. You can choose a few different button styles by clicking the Button option in the tool bar. You can also edit the text and background color of the button in the Block settings to the left of your page. (Click the gear at the upper right hand of the page if you don’t see the settings and then choose Block.) Be sure to add your link.

Table of contents block.

You can see an example of this at the top of the page. I’m so excited that I finally figured out how to do this! Just click the block and then it automatically adds all of your HEADING blocks to the list and creates the HTML anchors for you! So cool! If you get excited about that kind of thing which evidently I do. And don’t forget that you can change the font size and style and color of your headings. If you don’t see a list, your post may not have headings. Change your block style from paragraph to heading. Note! The anchors will not work in Preview mode. So if you click on your Table of Contents headings in preview, you will get an Oops! page.

Author Block.

You can make your own Author Block and save it as a reusable block. Just fill in your text and then click the 3 dots on the tool bar and choose Add to Reusable Blocks and give it a name like ‘author’. The nice thing is that if you edit a Reusable block, the changes apply everywhere it’s used.

Closing Comments

I had a lot of fun creating this post while exploring the different block options. I hope you found it helpful. Do you find the block editor useful or complicated? What is your favorite special block? Comment below and I will take a look at your blog!