Things To Do Before Making Your First Post/Weblog Entry...Part 5

Now that we're done with SETTINGS, let's move on to the last item to manage on your Dashboard--i.e., LAYOUT. There are four sub-menus, if I can call it that, in Blogger's Layout menu:

1. Page Elements

I don't think I would err if I say that the template you choose in a way "limits" what you can do with it. For example, suppose you pick a two-column template today then realize later down the road that you'd like to have a second sidebar, after deciding to monetize your blog (you need space for more ads). I don't see how you can add a third column unless you know how to do XML coding.

That's not to say, however, that you're up a dead end. Not at all, because the Page Elements feature of Blogger gives you the flexibility you need in blogging. When you click the Layout tab, you'll be taken, by default, to Page Elements. Take note of 4 main items there:

--Header (the long rectangular block at the top, just below the Nav Bar);

--Content (the largest block below the Header, with the label "Blog Posts");

--Sidebar or Sub-content (depending on your template, this is the column to the left or to the right of the Content block, with the label "Add Page Elements"); and

--Footer (another long rectangular block at the bottom, with the label "Add Page Elements").

The drag-and-drop nature and the variety of the available elements are what makes Blogger a very user-friendly platform for first-time bloggers. Let's run through now the usual configuration that a blogger does on the Page Layout tab before making the first post.

On the Header

When you click the "Edit" link, you'll be taken to a new window, whose screenshot is shown below:














If you have configured your SETTINGS as I discussed in Part-3, you'll find that the "Title" and "Description" boxes in the above form would already be filled up. If you have not done yet, now is the time to do it here. The same advice I gave in Part-3 applies, i.e., you can still change the title which you gave to create your Blogger account, and use as many of the keywords that you want your blog to be tagged with in the search engines.

The "Image" feature is something optional. If your template has a header you already like, there's no more need to upload a photo. On the other hand, if you'd like to change the image that you presently have, the easiest way to do it is by uploading a photo in your computer file. To do this:

--Click the radio button next to "From your computer";

--Choose the "Placement" you want (two choices available);

--Click "Shrink to fit," especially if you have a bigger picture than the header;

--Click "Browse";

--Find the picture you want to upload from your computer files;

--Click "Open," then wait for the following image to appear:








When the picture you uploaded appears, don't forget to click "Save".

Another mode for uploading an image is via the Web. This will require you to first have a URL address for your image or picture before you can use Blogger's upload feature. If you are a non-techie first-time blogger, like I was when I started, the challenging task is getting a URL address for your photo. Why don't I discuss it in a future post. For now, don't complicate your life as a newbie blogger; just upload a picture from your own computer files.


TO BE CONTINUED...

Things To Do Before Making Your First Post/Weblog Entry...Part 4

In Part 3, I shared some pointers on the Basic, Publishing and Formatting SETTINGS that a totally brand-new blogger using the free Blogger platform needed to do prior to his first post. Today, I'll continue where I left off last time:

A. SETTINGS:

A.4 Comments

My own rule-of-thumb here is simple. If you'd like to engage and interact with your readers, the settings that you'll need to make on your blog have to be consistent with this objective. That means:

--Choosing "Show" over "Hide" in "Comments";

--Choosing "Anyone-includes Anonymous Users" in "Who Can Comment?";

--Choosing "New Posts Have Comments" in "Comments Default for Posts";

--Choosing "Show" over "Hide" in "Backlinks"; and

--Choosing "New Posts Have Backlinks" in "Backlinks Default for Posts".

The Blogger platform provides options for comment moderation and a word verification process that theoretically helps reduce comment spam. I didn't avail of both options in my first blog for two reasons. First, if I moderated the comments, that would be stifling the freedom of expression that a reader is entitled to under a democratic society. Second, my friends and relatives, all of whom were non-bloggers, found the word verication step cumbersome.

So, I took the risk of comment spam just to guarantee the freedom to express one's self online and to make my blog reader-friendly overall. I have been lucky so far--no spams. I don't know how you feel about this, but this was the point I was driving at when I mentioned above that your settings should be consistent with your objectives in blogging. After you're done with the Comments settings, don't forget to save them.

A.5 Archiving

There are only two settings needed here. The first is Archive Frequency, where you have 4 choices--No Archive, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. Your choice will, of course, depend on how prolific you are as a blogger and if you want keep your old posts for, well, posterity. My own preference is Monthly archiving since I could hardly blog daily on a regular basis.

The second setting allows you to give each of your posts its own unique web page. Unless you don't want to keep an Archive, set this to "Yes". Have you tried locating a house without a specific given address? It's the same case with blog posts. After a webblog entry leaves your front page, I doubt if anyone else--and that includes search engines--could locate it without a specific post "address". That's how important this setting is in your blog. As usual, save the settings you make here.

A.6 Site Feed

A feed allows a blogger to publish his post beyond the limited confines of his blog site and a reader, to read, partially or fully, the contents of a blogger's post without necessarily visiting the blog site. A feed comes in two varieties--RSS (or Really Simple Syndication) and Atom. Blogger's default feed is Atom-based. I'll devote a separate post regarding feeds.

There are 3 alternative settings for blog feeds in the Blogger platform: None, Short and Full. I think "None" and "Full" are both self-explantory, while "Short" needs a little explaining.

When you select "Short", in effect, you are choosing a partial feed. A partial feed is a truncated post which operates much like a movie trailer. It teases you, gives you a flavor of the contents of a blog post, but compels you to visit the blog site itself if you want more of it.

The second setting here (i.e., "Post Feed Redirect URL") applies to those with a Feedburner account or those who use other third party service providers to process their feeds. When filling this box, make sure you input the exact, correct address of your Feedburner or other third party feeds. Otherwise, your blog feed cannot be published or redirected to these sites.

For advanced bloggers, the "Post Feed Footer" box is a useful customization tool. If you're a beginner, don't worry about this yet. Again, save your settings here when you're done.

A.7 Email

You can have your post or weblog entry automatically sent to up to 10 email addresses whenever you publish by filling up the box provided for under "BlogSend Address". As for remote posting, you can do this by filling up the "Mail-to-Blogger Address" box provided. Once you're done with the settings, click the orange "Save Settings" button.

A.8 Open ID

This is a recently added feature in the Blogger platform. OpenID eliminates the need for multiple usernames across different websites. The technology involved is not proprietary and is completely free. Filling up the box here is largely self-explanatory.

A.9 Permissions

This is an important feature for blogs with multiple authors (up to 100 authors) and/or selective readership (up to 100 readers). By default, however, your blog is open to all readers unless restricted otherwise.

TO BE CONTINUED...