Here’s a terrific tutorial I found for using drop caps for your blog posts. I have been wanting to do this on one of my blogs for quite a while! It’s for Blogger blogs, but saavy bloggers could figure out how to do this with Wordpress. I am going to tinker with it! Drop Caps look so classy. 
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
I’ve pulled away from Blogger for the most part (at least for the blogs I monetize), 
but I do still have a few blogs with them, and I do still pay attention to what they are doing. The latest feature just released is the ability to pre-schedule posts. Wordpress has had this feature for a long time, and I’m glad to see Blogger take it on. It’s a wonderful feature, and I use it a lot with Wordpress. This is from their news release post:
Scheduled post publishing, which we talked about testing on Blogger in draft last month, is now live for everyone. If you set a post’s date into the future, Blogger will wait to publish until that time comes.
Have you ever wanted to announce something on a certain date but knew you wouldn’t be at a computer to make a post? Or you wanted to keep posting regularly but knew you’d be on vacation for a few weeks? Scheduled post publishing is here to help you out.
There are a few extra steps to take for “bumping” posts, but anything is an improvement here.
I kind of lost repect for Blogger after hearing that Google was arbitrarily deleting or suspending accounts they didn’t feel were “worthy.” Sure, some sites were probably spam– I’ve come across a lot of them– but not all of them were! If you had a harmless blog about the wonders of wood shutters and dared to monetize your blog without Google’s AdSense, you risked deletion. With a week after I heard about Google’s actions, I hopped on over to Bluehost web hosting and Wordpress. The transfer from Blogger to Wordpress was agonizing, but the risk of losing a year’s worth of posts just because I monetize my blogs was too great.
Anyway, Blogger is introducing new features every few months, it seems. They are doing a good job of keeping up with the big dogs. And Blogger is a terrific place for a beginner blogger. Plus, it’s still FREE!
Jenn at FrugalUpstate is hosting the Second Annual Improve Your Blog Month at her blog. It’s a wonderful way for us all to do a little e-cleaning for our cyber-homes. I am in the process of updating everything amongst my SEVEN blogs, lol. I recently migrated two Blogger blogs onto my own domain- using Wordpress and Bluehost web hosting service (an EXCELLENT hosting service!). It was an interesting experience, lol! The hardest part was getting my old Blogger links to match my new Wordpress links. I wanted the urls to remain the exact same. More on that later!
I thought I’d contribute to the event by publishing some of my old tutorials that I have posted here. These links are simple tutorials, many with pictures, that make improving your blog a little easier. I had originally written such tutorials not because I know more than some of the geeks out there, but because I am a simple lady and I need simple tutorials. I’ve tried to make thesr tutorials geared for the simple people whose lives don’t revolve around html code, but who like to have a nice blog or website. I hope they are a blessing to you.
Free Blogger and Wordpress Templates and Links to Helpful Tools (this is on my NY Traveler blog)
Helpful Sites for Designing and Decorating Your Blog
How to BackUp Your Blogger Blog
How to Add StumbleUpon Button to Your Blogger Blog Posts
How To Customize Your Header in Blogger- a Thorough Guide
How To Put Blogrolls in a Scrolling Box
How To Add Custom Text in a Wordpress Blog Category Page
Photo-Dropper Flickr Plugin For Wordpress
How To Add Custom Text in a Wordpress Blog Category Page
As always, feel free to leave your comments or ideas, or other thing that have proved helpful for you. This may help the next person. Have fun!
Please bear with me. I have just changed this blog to a new server, and things will be up and down for a few hours. I am working on this as quickly as I can to get things back to normal. I’ll be back!
I’d found some disturbing information while doing some blog and news research this morning. Reports that Google is deleting Blogger blogs (and possibly de-indexing others) are alarming. I don’t see how this can bode well for Blogger at all. Perhaps Google’s takeover of the popular blogging platform was with this very thing in mind– to have more control over the blogosphere.
There’s this story:
So let’s assume I make a blog on blogger.com/blogspot.com - let’s say I tailor it towards one particular narrow field. It could be about a product, it could be about one subject like cars, or it could be a personal blog. It doesn’t really matter because recently, from personal experience, and from scanning the blogosphere, it appears that Google/Blogger/Blogspot is now deleting people’s blogs for absolutely no reason.
The reason -I- was told, that 5 of my blogspot blogs were deleted was because of link spam. I wasn’t spamming. I was actually focusing on narrow fields, talking about products from one particular company for each blog. The articles were real, I wrote them out by hand, it wasn’t some stupid piece of software.
The reason given to this blogger? None.
The reason given to this blogger’s friend? Read more…
This blogger had his blog deleted for no reason, and is trying to garner support. He got it fixed though.
More information here, and here’s a forum thread for Blogger help.
If you have Blogger blogs, you may want to check into this.
MilehiMama over at Mama Says is asking for help with a new ‘do. Template tutorials are always difficult over long distances (like the Internet), but there are thousands of people with websites who can help. I was sifting through my free Blogger templates links, and found a very nice and simple Blogger tutorial. Check out Blog Flak for some really great lessons and how-to’s on basic template techniques. The site hasn’t been updated in a while (life and writing tutorials with pictures sure can consume time; boy, do I know that!) but what is there is very good.
I’m hoping Mama gets a really smashing (not crashing) new template– her site will look like a million bucks when it’s over, I’m sure!
P.S. Her posts are very good! Check it out.
A customized header is not difficult. You just need to know what you are doing. Because templates vary, header widths and heights vary. You’re going to have to find your templates’ allowance for the header width and height and make a header the same size– or– make a header and adjust your template’s width and height measurements.
Neither one is difficult. However, if you are brand-new at this and are worried you’ll wreck your template, you can back up your template by downloading it to your computer (and uploading it if you want to revert back to it). If you don’t know how to backup your template, go here for a quick tutorial.
I am assuming that you 1) have a new header already made and 2) that this new header is in the dimensions according to your template. For example, if your template has an existing header that is 950px wide and 167px high, you need a header that is 950px wide and 167px high. 3) your new header is already uploaded to a photohosting website.
Another thing is… your template may not even have a header. I have had templates that had nothing about a header, because all it had at the top was space for your blog title. There are ways to change that, but that is a whole different tutorial and goes beyond the scope of this post. You’d have to build a section of html code within your template to make a header. It’s up to you; but if it was me, I’d just get another template with a header, so I could adjust it. It’s so much easier.
So, before you continue on in this tutorial, you should have:
OK, with your template saved and your header ready to go, it’s time to get our hands dirty.
Sign in to Blogger and go to your dashboard. For the blog you want to change, choose “Layout.” This will take you to the Layouts page, showing many options. The page you automatically go to is “Page Elements.” You’ll see other pages, like “Fonts & Colors,” “Edit HTML,” and “Pick a New Template.” Choose “Edit HTML.”
You can see the guts (the html code) of your blog’s template in the window, below where it says “Edit Template.”
What you need to do is expose more of the code than is showing. You do this by checking the “Expand Widget Templates” checkbox. The page will reload.
Now, in this window, scroll down and look for this line of code:
<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’true’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>
It is usually right after the
</head>
<body>
part of your template.
Here’s a tip. Your browser has a search function built in it, using CTRL + F. If you press the CTRL key and the F key, a little window will pop up (for Internet Explorer, a separate window pops up; for Firefox, a section of the status bar enlarges). Type in the word “locked” and click “next” or “search.” Keep clicking until you find the string of code I specified above. This will find your code much quicker than scrolling through endless symbols. There are several areas in a template that have the word “locked” in it, so be sure you have the correct section. Like I said, every template varies slightly.
You are basically looking to unlock your header. So this keyword “locked” will be in an area that determines information about your header.
Once you’ve found the code, changed the word “true” to the word “false.” For example, if your code says this:
<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’true’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>
Change it to say this:
<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’false’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>
What you are essentially doing is telling Blogger that you want to be able to remove the Blogger header. You want to get rid of the old header and put in your new customized one. Save your template changes by clicking “Save Template.”
This part of the template work is done. Go to the page that says “Page Elements.” At the top, see where your header is located? (Right below the NavBar). Click on the “edit” link. A new window should pop up.
A new window should pop up. What you should see now is a button that gives you the option to “Remove Page Element.” This is the result of that html coding we did in the template.
The next step is to remove this page element. You want to get rid of the old Blogger header and put your own in here. It is very easy– but I’ll admit that I still tread very carefully when I do this. But there is really nothing to be nervous about, because you can always add the old header back: just click “Add a Page Element.” When the window pops up, scroll down and you will see the option to add a Page Header. See?
So, now that you have dumped the old “Page Element” header, You’ll want to create a new Page Element. Go ahead. Don’t worry if you don’t see at option to add a Page Element in the header area. Just pick one from the sidebar. When the new window pops up, choose “HTML/Javascript.” This will enable you to link back to the header image on your photohosting site, with the added bonus of making your new header linkable to your blog’s homepage.
Here’s what my code looks like:
You’ll need to change a few things here. For example, my header image is hosted at Photobucket. When people click on my header, I don’t want to direct them to Photobucket! I want them to return to my homepage. So you’ll need to change your code as I need to change mine. This is what I did. I changed this:
<a href=”http://photobucket.com” target=”_blank”><img
src=”http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/mrsmecomber/
headerimage.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket”></a>
To this:
<a href=”http://mightytemplatetester.blogspot.com”><img
src=”http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/mrsmecomber/
headerimage.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Mighty Template Tester”></a>
I just changed the URL to direct the header’s link back to my blog’s homepage. I also got rid of the target=”_blank” coding because this would only reload my blog’s homepage into another browser tab or browser window. The reader would find that very annoying. Finally, I changed the text from Photobucket hosting to something more appropriate for my blog.
Once you have the code configured, save the changes.
Now return back to your “Page Elements” page in Blogger, You’ll probably see your new header (called “HTML/Javascript”) in the sidebar! You have to guide it to where it belongs. Drag the box up toward the header. get it in the right spot, and it will drop in. When you’ve finished, click the orange “SAVE” button near the top. View your blog and you’ll see your new template header, complete with a link back to your homepage!
If you plan on doing any html work in your Blogger blog, it is wise to backup your template. Here’s a very quick and easy way to do it:
Sign in to Blogger and go to your dashboard. For the blog you want to change, choose “Layout.” This will take you to the Layouts page, showing many options. The page you automatically go to is “Page Elements.” You’ll see other pages, like “Fonts & Colors,” “Edit HTML,” and “Pick a New Template.” Choose “Edit HTML.”
You’ll see an option that says “Backup/Restore Template.” Underneath, it says “Before editing your template, you may want to save a copy of it.” This is what you want to do. Click the link “Download Full Template.” Choose a safe place, like My Documents, to store this file on your computer’s hard drive.
If you make a mistake or don’t like the work in your new template, you can always come back to this page and upload the file you stored. This will take you back to your template.
Now, I have uploaded, downloaded, copied, and pasted a lot of templates. I have noticed that when I do a complete template change with a non-Blogger template, Blogger wipes out my widgets. Therefore, I recommend that you save all the information in your widgets before switching to a new template. I regularly save the information in them, anyway, as a precaution.
Note that just changing a few things in your existing template does not wipe out your widgets. And changing a Blogger default template (for example, you had Minima and now are going with Blogger’s Rounders) does not wipe out your widgets, either. It only occurs when you switch to a different, non-Blogger template.
I love StumbleUpon. It’s a type of social network, but of websites, not people. Created originally as a Firefox addon, it has expanded into a whole community meetinghouse. There’s a great toolbar you can download at the StumbleUpon site. You can start up an account with StumbleUpon, choose your interests, and surf websites under those topics. But it has a catch:
StumbleUpon will only take you to the websites that have been submitted by StumbleUpon users.
So, there are gaps. If users have not submitted a good deal of, say, travel blogs, then the surfing of your interest in travel blogs will be quite brief. I posted about this here, at my travel blog.
At the StumbleUpon website, you can download the handy toolbar and learn all about it there. I’m here to show you how to install the StumbleUpon button to each and every post in your Blogger blog. If you have a different kind of blog (like Wordpress), do a Yahoo! search and you’ll find a plethora of tutorials to help you there. Or you might find this helpful.
What you need to do is tinker with your Blogger template here. The first thing you need to do is get the SU button and download it. You need to upload it onto a photohosting service in your own account (say, Photobucket). You can find an assortment of buttons here at SU’s site.
If you have an old Blogger blog, there are some good instructions here. But if you have a New Blogger blog, those directions won’t work for you.
Once you’ve got your SU button uploaded, go to your Blogger Layout page. Click “Edit HTML.” Look for the small checkbox that says “Expand Widget Templates” and check it. The page will reload right away. Now, before you start changing your template, be sure to save it. Click on the link “Download this template” and save the file to a safe place in your computer. Should your template tinkering go wrong, this template can be uploaded and you’ll have your old template back. (It is also a good idea to save any important widgets you have. Blogger wipes out widgets whenever you change your template).
OK, so in the template html code box, you’re going to carefully scroll down, maybe halfway or so, looking for this line of code:
<div style=’clear: both;’/> <!– clear for photos floats –>
</div>
<div class=’post-footer’>
<p class=’post-footer-line post-footer-line-1′>
Below that area, put this in:
<!– StumbleUpon Button Begin –>
<a expr:href=’”http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=”+ data:post.url + “&title=” + data:post.title’ target=’_blank’><img alt=’Stumble Upon’ src=’YOUR_STUMBLEUPON_PHOTO_URL_HERE’/></a>
<!– StumbleUpon Button End –>
Where you see the YOUR_STUMBLEUPON_PHOTO_URL_HERE, put in the URL of the little StumbleUpon button you’d uploaded to your photohosting site. Be sure is is inbetween the apostrophes in the code above, and be sure it begins with http://
Before you click on “Save Template,” click on “Preview” so you are sure you have the button just where you want it. Now, everyone’s template is different. If the button is in the wrong place for you, try putting the StumbleUpon button code in a different (but nearby) area. Because I have a photo of my signature at the end of each post, and I wanted my SU button after my signature, I had to paste the code below the URL for my signature.
When you are sure you have things just as you like, click on the “Save Template” button and the changes will be saved and made permanent.
It is not hard to add a button (or anything) to the code. For me, the hardest thing is getting it exactly where I want it, because I am picky.
Now, whenever anyone browsing your site thinks your post is worth sharing, they can add it to StumbleUpon’s collection of favorited sites. And if you enjoy an exceptionally good post on a blog, be sure to stumble theirs, too!
A web development agency is not only responsible for coming up with new web templates for the site, but is also responsible for its seo. Using powerpoint templates is the thing of bygones. Anyone with even a basic web development degree can work out a beautiful script in no time. The use is as easy as taking a prepared resume template and entering your details. With more web development courses, you can mould any template as easily as a cv template.
I’ve seen a lot of ugly templates out there in the the blogosphere. It ain’t pretty. The Blogger default templates are OK… but boring. In preparation for my upcoming series on How to Customize Your Blogger Blog, I’m going to assign you a little homework. I’ve presenting you with a list of websites that offer free Blogger templates. There are a lot to choose from. Some are better than others, of course, and not just in style. Some are easier to use, easier to customize, and some are in other languages. Here’s my list:
Gecko & Fly
Free Blogger Skins
Blogcrowds
Final Sense Blogger Templates
Template Panic
50More Beautiful Blogger Templates from Mashable
Free Blogger Templates
Blogger Templates Directory
Blogger Templates.org
Free Blogger Templates
I personally recommend the great choices from the first three links.
Tip: if English is your first language, get a template in English.
I had once downloaded and installed a template made by a Spaniard. It was a beautiful template, and I can read Spanish. Mostly. But after playing with it, I decided I didn’t want the template anymore. When I went to a new (English) template, I found some traces of Spanish still in my widgets html. So my date read “lecha” for a while until I finally noticed it, lol.
Anyway, look around at the templates in the lists below. Get a plan and I’ll soon show you how to fix up your boring, default blog into something that says you.
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