Some common operations that the website owner should ideally be familiar with:
- access Blogger Help: Help Center, Help Forum, and Video Tutorials
- backup blog to .xml file (or print to pdf)
- add photo
- resize photo using Picnik.com
- link to internal page
- link to external page
- add gadgets on right side (if right column is used for that site)
- change number of posts on main page
- re-order posts on main page (artificially manipulate date)
- add new page ('page' as opposed to 'post')
- access layout page to rearrange add/delete gadgets
- access template designer to modify background colors
The following from the old 'Nine Dollar Web Page' site 'Tips Page'.
Browsers:
- On Windows, use FireFox browser for editing. Explorer seems to have problems.
- On Mac, FireFox may be slightly better than Safari.
- 'Settings' tab, then on first line "Blog Tools", and link "Export blog" -- see Blogger Export Blogs Help Page .
- Resulting ".xml" file saves only text, not photos. When you build the blog page, however, Blogger automatically stores a copy of your photos in a Google Picasa album, accessible by your userid.
- Backing Up A Single Page:
Create or find an empty post, then copy the contents of the page to be backed up onto the empty page. Now you have a 'duplicate' of that page.
B. Saving New Posts First Time
- Recommend giving short title (01, 02, or aa, bb, etc), then save.
- Reason: The 'first-saved' title will be part of the URL for the page, so a long title makes a cumbersome URL.
- After the 'first save', then change the title. The URL won't change after the 'first save'.
C. Adjusting Post Date
- Newest dated post will be the home page -- positioned at the top of 'Edit Posts' window.
- If a page you save 1st time jumps to the top -- and thus becomes the home page when you don't want it to -- you can give it an older date to make it not-be the home page.
- To do so: Edit that page, than at the bottom click the "Post Options" link, and set the date to an older date.
D. Updating Links Within The Blog
- In the 'Edit Posts' window, click the 'view' link for that post, then copy the URL to the clipboard.
- Click the screwdriver/wrench icon to open the edit links window. Paste the URL from the clipboard to the page location you want to edit.
E. Adding New Link List On Right
- Click 'Layout' tab, then click 'Add a Gadget' on right, then about the 8th item down in the window that opens, select 'Link List'.
F. Viewing Photos In Picasa
- Photos you upload with your own ID, will be automatically also stored in a Picasa album. ((Default settings will make them inaccessible to the public.))
- To view these photos, go to picasaweb.google.com , and login with the same ID you use for Blogger.
- Note that if photos were uploaded by a different blog author and not you, then those photos will show up in HIS Picasa album, not yours.
G. Misc:
- Fake Registrars: Ignore letters to renew domain name from anyone other than your actual registrar (will be with GoDaddy.com or 1and1.com). Seems to be lots of people trying to trick you into paying for "domain services" you don't need.
- Author Privileges: Note we can optionally add an ID with limited "author" privileges (as compared to unlimited "admin" privileges), that can only edit 1 or 2 pages, and not change other settings.
