Friday, October 21, 2011

Dynamic view

Q: Is there any way I can get my old template back and get rid of this new "dynamic view" ?
A: I just went to the template designer again after trying it briefly, and there was a link in the top right, something like 'revert to last pre-dynamic template' (I forget the exact wording).  I did that and everything was restored. 


source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=19e461250d0a91c1&hl=en

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Stop following

Q:  I can't find a way to stop following a blog on my Dashboard.  I went to the blue manage button, and looked at the list, but there is NO link to stop following.  I went to the website to see if there was somewhere I could click, and I, once again, didn't see anything.


A: I had the same problem. I think I have found a solution. Go to your Google Account settings and click on your Google Reader account. It's under "My Products." Don't click "settings" - just Reader. On the left sidebar, you will find something that says "Blogs I'm Following." Click that. Highlighted in yellow at the top of that page is something that says "
The blogs you follow in Blogger have been added as subscriptions in Google Reader. You can manage the blogs you follow using the Blogger Dashboard." The words Blogger Dashboard should be blue, indicating a click-able link. Click that.

When I was signed into my Google account and clicked that link, it sent me straight to a page with all the blogs I am following, and then I could just pick the one I wanted to drop, click on the "settings" button right beside it, and another window popped up with several options, including "stop following this blog." And viola, it was done.

But I could not for the life of me find this on my Blogger dashboard. I found it purely by accident during an episode of intense cursing while trying to find some way to just get rid of one silly blog I was no longer interested in following. I hope this helps.

source:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=0adbd4e34c3ee6490004af4d9d03b3cc&hl=en

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Add friends

Q: How can I [add] friends?
A: Blogger is not really a social blogging platform like FaceBook. We don't "add" friends to our blog. 
You can "follow" a blog if you wish and you can place a follower gadget in the side bar to "allow" others to follow your blog. If you feel extra generous, you can also add a subscribe gadget in your side bar to allow your viewers to subscribe to your blog. It is listed as feed and subscription links (under gadget>>basic). All viewers need to do is click on these icons and choose the way they wish to receive feeds from your blog. This will activate an email to them every time you make a new post.


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Dashboard

Q: I have 4 blogs only 3 show up on my dashboard. Why?
A: It also took me a while to figure out my dashboard.













3 buttons: hide, always show and show all. 
Hide You click on this button next to your blog name in order to hide it temporarily on your dashboard. This is very useful when you have a large number of blogs like me (71 blogs) and do not have time to work on all of them.
show all You click on this button to see all your blogs on screen, including deleted ones, so that you can click on [always show].
Always show You click [always show] to select those blogs you want to see on your dashboard every day.

Now let's go back to your problem. The solution is simple.
On your dashboard:
1. click on show all
2. click always show next to the blog name that did not come up before.
Now all your 4 blogs should always appear on your dashboard.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=07b3e94fb3506716&hl=en

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Photos gone!








This week many bloggers complained that their photos were not showing up on their blog. They see a back triangle like a no-entry sign or a square as shown here. It is still a puzzle why this is happening. Some bloggers point the finger at Google+ because soon after they signed up for it, their photos disappeared from their blogs. We are still investigating whether this is related to Google+.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=25f919f486c86356&hl=en

Friday, August 12, 2011

Video codes

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rj9JVXzoOYQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Q: I have been trying to post a video on my blog entry. Instead of showing the video, it shows the embeded codes. Why?
A: On your post editor use the [edit HTML] tab; not the [compose] tab. Publish post. Then the video will show:

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=4c7f080cb28a4327&hl=en&fid=4c7f080cb28a43270004aa4572fe73bc

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Trolls

Q: What is a troll?


A: A troll is a person who joins a forum simply because he feels bored. He does not follow proper etiquette or normal behaviour. His presence is disruptive and unwelcome in most cases.

Wikipedia: In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4]

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

attaching an image

Q: How do I add an image to my post on the help forum?

click to enlarge








To add an image, click the down arrow as shown in the picture above.
You will see the following choices:
help articles
help forum
web
images
blogs
URL

Select [images]
type the word [images] inside the box
Click [search]
select [add]
This image will become an attachment to your posting.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=19e18d6b81c78cc1&hl=en

Monday, August 8, 2011

Helpers are not mind readers!

Q: How do you deal with questions that don't offer details? It's difficult to guess what some of people are actually asking when they don't give details nor fill out the questions required of them.

A: This is exactly what helpers have to be prepared to deal with, on this help forum. A majority of the questions here are post by first time visitors. It is our job, as helpers, to try to educate all the new comers, in the best way that we know. I find [silent treatment] is a good strategy. It makes them think, why is there no response from any one. I find this method is very effective when used against thread hijackers, just ignore them when they are rude or trying to jump queue by using swear words, all capital letters (make noise), duplicate questions or some other tricks. I have seen them all.

Soon people will realize that helpers are not mind readers. They need to have specific data: URL, browser, location. A longer description of the problem never hurts. Many askers do not realize that helpers are unpaid volunteers. We are just bloggers who are trying to help a fellow blogger because Google does not operate a help desk; no email address and no telephone number available any where. 

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Stay signed in

Q: I have had a blog for 6 years. Why do I regularly have to sign in again?
Fix it!
A: 




(click to enlarge)







There is nothing for us to fix. The fixing is done by you!
On your computer, when you log in, your browser will show a small box for you to check [stay signed in] or [remember me on this computer]. You need to tick that box, otherwise your computer will assume that you are some hacker trying to break into your documents:

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=481f8bb0d81a9c05&hl=en

Blog for money

Q: How do I make money from my blog?
A: Here is a video:
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/static.py?page=ts.cs&ts=1233381

Template designer

Q:  I can't seem to find a place where I can easily change the font style of my blog description. How?
A: To change font under Advanced tab in template designer, you have to specify exactly which text you wish the font to change. It is not possible to change the font for every text all at once. Select one of these: Page, blog title, blog description, tabs text, date header, post title, gadget tile, gadget text, etc

*********************************************.
The answer to your question

design>template designer>advanced>blog description>font
Pick a font style
Click [apply to blog] to save changes

******************************************
design>template designer>templates
The permutations are unlimited under the template designer. No one has been to every corner of the template designer yet. Also, not every choice of template has the same features offered. Some times you may need to change the whole template, just to get a special feature you want:

On Blogger, we have 27 different templates under design>>template designer
Simple              7
Picture window  3
Awesome inc    6
Watermark        4
Ethereal            3
Travel                4

You can change the background, layout, adjust widths, advanced, etc to give you a unique template, different from everyone else. To save all your changes, click "apply to blog". 
**************************************************
Use a test blog
I would suggest starting a test blog and use that for finding your way around your blog:
On your dashboard, click [create a blog]. One Google account is good for 100 blogs
Here are my own test blogs: 

Blogging is really a personal journey of discovery. If we only have the help forum, the learning process will become too slow. We will be spending too much time asking questions and waiting for answers on the help forum. This is a slow way of learning. A quicker method is by using a test blog to try out ideas for ourselves. This is especially useful when we go into the the design tab to change the template in 1001 ways and we do not wish to screw up our main blog permanently. A test blog is very expendable. Please try using one or two test blogs. I know what I know now because I use test blogs, several of them.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=306e5795ccec1201&hl=en&fid=306e5795ccec12010004a9dd23d18f2c

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Water mark

click to enlarge
To add a water mark to your photos uploaded to the web:

On Picasa:
tools>options>web albums
Insert your name or your URL inside the box.
Click [ok]

From now onwards, all photos that you upload to your blog will carry this water mark.

Google help forums

Q: How many help forums are there?
A: Here is a full list: http://www.google.com/support/forum?hl=en

Friday, August 5, 2011

Stub blog

Q: i've changed the name of my blog and i want to know if is possible to redirect the old name to the new, how can i??
A: You cannot redirect a blog; but you can redirect all your followers.
Do not change the URL.
1. Create a new blog with the preferred address.
2. Export your blog to the new address (settings>basic>blog tools>export blog).
3. Convert the original blog into a stub blog:
Write a post with a message for your followers.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Legacy claims

click to enlarge











All legacy claims expired on 1st August 2011

Blog removed as spam

click to enlarge











If you see this screen, it means that the Google robots have got your blog. There is no need to get emotional, just use the link provided for getting back your blog. Click on:  'I can't find my blog on the web, where is it?' It will take you to this screen:
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=87065

There should be a link in your dashboard to request for restoration.

For more detailed information regarding spam blogs:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=2bd8ad2932edafa2&hl=en

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=34d02b654390d03a&hl=en

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Terms Of Service

Q: What are Blogger's terms of service (TOS)?
A: http://www.blogger.com/terms.g

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=4192a8e4292f8cfd&hl=en&fid=4192a8e4292f8cfd0004a996c2968191

Formatting, Tx

click to enlarge


Edit your post
Select all the text (highlight)
Click on Tx (second last icon on the tool bar)
All default formatting will be removed.
Reformat your post, using [backspace] and [delete] keys
Publish post

reference: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=433426282d63f36f0004a8dcf734bf20&hl=en

53,000 followers

dog
Allie









This blog has over 53,000 followers! http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
I do not understand why there are so many followers. I will try to find out the real reason for the popularity of this blog. I came across this blog on the help forum: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=760ba80bbbadaee80004a98b1761e0a1&hl=en

Update:
Here are some useful tips given by Allie the author:

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

[Blog this] button

There are various ways to upload a photo to your blog:
1. Blog this on Picasa
I used the [blog this] button to add this photo here.

photo 1
Posted by Picasa
On Picasa there is a [blog this] button. First I select a photo and put that in the tray. Then I press [blog this]. A new window opens, allowing me to select the blog where I want to upload this photo.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Template background colour

Q: How do I add a solid background to the blog title and description?
A: Remove your header image and choose a light colour background:
design>template designer>backgrounds

The permutations are unlimited. No one has been to every corner of the template designer yet. Also, not every choice of template has the same features offered.

You can even decide to change the whole template, just to get some special feature:
design>template designer>templates 

I would suggest starting a test blog and use that for finding your way around your blog:
On your dashboard, click [create a blog]. One Google account is good for 100 blogs
Here are my own test blogs: 

Blogging is really a personal journey of discovery. If we only have the help forum, the learning process will become too slow. We will be spending too much time asking questions and waiting for answers on the help forum. This is a slow way of learning. A quicker method is by using a test blog to try out ideas for ourselves. This is especially useful when we go into the the design tab to change the template in 1001 ways and we do not wish to screw up our main blog permanently. A test blog is very expendable. Please try using one or two test blogs.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

Layout tab

Q:  I have lost my layout tab and i cant seem to get it back even after I have put up a new template.
A: There are two [layout] tabs:

The old [layout] tab has been replaced by the [design] tab:
template (2004)>customize>layout>design (2010)

The new [layout] tab is here:
Design>template designer>template,background, adjust widths, layout, advanced


[Show all], [hide] and [always show] buttons

Q: How do I use the [show all], [hide] and [always show] buttons on my dashboard?
A: You may have a large number of blogs. To find a particular blog, you may need to scroll down a long way on your dashboard. It is possible to create a shorter list to show on your dashboard. You hide those blogs which you do not visit often.

The [show all] button:
You use this button to view all your blogs, including hidden and deleted blogs.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Storage space

Q: How do I find out how much memory space do I have available? Is it possible to add (buy?) memory?
A: The blog is free; but any photos or videos that you upload to your blog will automatically create a Picasa web album on the internet. The first 1Gb for Picasa is free. You can buy more Gb if needed

When you have used up 80% of your allocated free allowance you will receive an email alert from Google. On your Gmail screen, near the bottom click on [manage] to see how much storage space you have left.


Some useful links:
http://picasa.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=43879
http://picasa.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=39567

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Is blogger and blogspot the same thing?

Q: I did the "start the blogger thing", but it came out "Blogspot". What do I do now?
A: There is nothing to worry about. It is just the terminology used by Google. When you open a Blogger account, you use your Google account for doing that. The blog you create will have an address (URL) like this: http://xxx dot blogspot dot com (never dot blogger dot com). A blog can have many posts. Some are just text. Others are just photos. You can also have a combination of both (text with images)

When is a blog not a blog?

Unlike other blogging platforms (word press, my space, typepad, livejournal, multiply, facebook, orkut, friendster, hi5), on Blogger, we do not call a blog, a blog. We call it a post. This has caused a lot of confusion with new bloggers. When you wish to make a new blog, you should click on "new post". Other wise you would be creating blog after blog, unintentionally. This is terrible. No one will read your blogs arranged that way, all over the internet.

1. Sign on to your blog using your ID and password here: www.blogger.com
2. On your dashboard click on "new post"
3. Type inside the post editor (large box) or upload a photo
4. Publish post.

Your blogging area will be filled by your posts as you add more posts (no limit). The side bars are meant for adding gadgets: About me, archives, labels list, link list etc. Continue to add posts to your blog. One blog is usually enough for a new blogger. Please do not create too many blogs today. What you need to do is add more posts to the blog that you have now. 
I do not recommend that you delete any blog for whatever reason. Very often I find that deleting anything in Blogger, merely puts the item out of your own reach and does not give the desired results (peace of mind). Quite often you will have to back track, in order to solve the original problem. Some times this will involve the Google team and help from them is not so easy to get (no email address and no tel No:)

If you like, you can make unwanted blogs into a stub blog or a test blog. You may take a peek at mine to get some idea:

Blogging is really a personal journey of discovery. If we only have the help forum, then blogging will become too slow. We will be spending too much time asking questions and waiting for answers. This is a slow way of learning. A quicker method is by using a test blog which is expendable. Do not use your main blog for testing.

Find bloggers with same interests

Q: Why Can't I Search All Blogs and Bloggers, e.g. by Subject or Location? I Want to Find Like Minds!
A: Update your own profile interest list in [About me]. Each word becomes a link which allows other bloggers with similar interests to find your blog and for you to find theirs. You do this by clicking on words in your own interest list on your profile e.g. writing, fashion, cooking, golf, photography...
Similarly, you should also indicate your location on your profile. It is also a link to other bloggers near you.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Comments problems

Q:  It seems impossible to make a comment to my articles; some readers have already complained.
A: Apparently the problem can be solved by not using embedded comment box. Instead use a pop up window as suggested by Katney here:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=0dc59b3876e0449d0004a7e92602beb7&hl=en

Here is a full explanation from Chuck:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=03f8bf8ff0b491d3&hl=en

A blog with 53,000 followers!

Today I came across a blog with over 53,000 followers!
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

source:http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=760ba80bbbadaee8&hl=en&fid=760ba80bbbadaee80004a7e81f056afb

How to find my blog?

Q:  I set up my blog, posted it and now I can't find it nor do I know how to tell my friends how to find it. Please help me.
A: There is no need for any one to search around to find your blog when they know the address. They can go straight to your blog by pasting your blog address (URL) inside the address bar on a computer and press refresh.

However, if you wish to do more than just view your blog, you can because you are the owner (admin). If you wish to work on your blog, to change (edit) something or add a new post, photo or gadget, you will need to sign on here every time: www.blogger.com
The different text colour indicates that it is an active link. If you click on a link here now with your mouse, you are taken instantly to that web address. Book mark this last one or add it to your favourite list. You will need this link to go to your control centre (dashboard).
To see your blog, click [view blog]. Your blog address will be displayed in the address bar, near the top. You can also see it here: settings>publishing>blogspot*address

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=0817bc27104f7a29&hl=en
source: 

My posts disappeared

Q: Every time I create a new post I alter the date and time so that it will appear in chronological order, but everytime I do that the page disappears entirely and I can't access it from my homepage, how do I fix this?
A: It is possible that you are creating a scheduled post, unknowingly. The post will not appear until the scheduled date. To fix this error, always hit [publish post] after you have finished composing your new post. Then immediately edit the post to change the date as required.Do not use a future date because that is the way to create a sticky post!

Post dates
1. Hit [publish post] after finished composing. The post will appear on top (normal post).
2. Compose a new post. Change date to a future date, then hit [publish post]. A scheduled post is created. The post will appear automatically when the date arrives. This feature is used by busy people who still wish to post regularly at fixed intervals. Whenever they are free, they create a few posts, each one scheduled to appear at a fixed date in the future.
3. Hit [publish post] then edit the date to a future date (e.g. 2012). A sticky post is created. It will stick to the top of your home page until next year!
4. I think you may have done this which is none of the above:  
Compose a new post. Change date to a past date, then hit [publish post]. The post appears today but it will be slotted in chronological sequence on the blog.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=0eaced157666c6ac&hl=en&fid=0eaced157666c6ac0004a7e5fd35ba5f

Monday, July 11, 2011

Formatting problem

Q: No matter what I do, blogger always posts my blog post with too many spaces in between paragraphs. Suggestions?
A: Edit your post. In the post editor select all your text (highlight). Hit the Tx icon on your tool bar (2nd last from the right). This will remove all formatting. 
Re-format manually. Publish post.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Any appeal possible?

Q: I received this reply from Adsense. Is there any possibility of appeal?
Thank you for your interest in Google AdSense. After reviewing your application, our specialists have found that it does not meet our program criteria. Therefore, we are unable to accept you into our program.

We have certain policies in place that we believe will help ensure the effectiveness of Google ads for our publishers as well as for our advertisers. We review all publishers, and we reserve the right to decline any application. As we grow, we may find that we are able to expand our program to more web publishers with a wider variety of web content.

Please note that we may not be able to respond to inquiries regarding the specific reasons for our decision. Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team



A: I think you just have to accept the decision made by the Adsense team which is final. A blog may be many things. It is definitely not a short cut to obtain easy money from the internet at all. Your motives are very questionable and the assumptions you have made are completely wrong.


On further investigation I found this: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2007/09/before-you-apply-to-adsense.html

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=464426b5786ece08&hl=en

When is a blog not a blog?

Q: Is there a difference between blogger and blogspot?
A:
There is nothing to worry about. It is just the terminology used by Google. When you open a Blogger account, you use your Google account for doing that. The blog you create will have an address (URL) like this: http://xxx dot blogspot dot com (never dot blogger dot com). A blog can have many posts. Some are just text. Others are just photos. You can also have a combination of both (text illustrated by images)

When is a blog not a blog?
Unlike other blogging platforms (word press, my space, typepad, livejournal, multiply, facebook, orkut, friendster, hi5), on Blogger, we do not call a blog, a blog. We call it a post. This has caused a lot of confusion with new bloggers. When you wish to make a new blog, you should click on "new post". Other wise you would be creating blog after blog, unintentionally. This is terrible. No one will read your blogs arranged that way, all over the internet. Your readers prefer to read posts all placed conveniently together in one place, with the latest post stacked on top. 

1. Sign on to your blog using your ID and password here: www.blogger.com
2. On your dashboard click on "new post"
3. Type inside the post editor (large box) or upload a photo
4. Publish post.

Your blogging area will be filled by your posts as you add more posts (no limit). The side bars are meant for adding gadgets: About me, archives, labels list, link list etc. Continue to add posts to your blog. One blog is usually enough for a new blogger. Please do not create too many blogs today. What you need to do is add more posts to the blog that you have now.

A blog does not have pages, just posts arranged in chronological sequence, with the latest post on top. Pages in Blogger, refer to static pages. These have very limited uses. They can be arranged as links in the side bar or tabs under the header: [About me] [contact me] [photo galleries] etc.

Delete blog
I do not recommend that you delete any blog for whatever reason. Very often I find that deleting anything in Blogger, merely puts the item out of your own reach and does not give the desired results (peace of mind). Quite often you will have to back track, in order to solve the original problem. Some times this will involve the Google team and help from them is not so easy to get (no email address and no telephone number available)

If you like, you can make unwanted blogs into a stub blog or a test blog. You may take a peek at mine to get some idea:

Blogging is really a personal journey of discovery. If we only have the help forum, this learning process will become too slow. We will be spending too much time asking questions and waiting for answers. This is a slow way of learning. A quicker method is by using a test blog to try out ideas for ourselves. This is especially useful when we go into the the design tab to change the template in 1001 ways and we do not wish to screw up our main blog permanently. A test blog is very expendable. Please try using one to see whether you like it.

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