Simple Tech Series #3: Blogger

I get a lot of emails and messages asking for help on websites I frequent. In response, I thought like a teacher: if a few people have these questions, a lot of people might have the same questions! So, for your convenience, and mine too, I guess, I am writing a series of tutorials for popular websites. Over the course of this series, I will cure your ails with Pinterest, Twitter, Blogger, Google Reader and Picnik. I will give you the basics on the problems that are troubling you most, and if you have any other questions or sites you would like me to explain, please let me know in the comment section below.

Have you ever thought about starting your own blog? Maybe you want to use it as a virtual scrapbook for your life, your kids, your grand kids. Maybe you want a place to share all of your recipes or craft tutorials. Perhaps you’d like to showcase some of your photography or publish your opinions on issues that matter to you. Maybe you just need a place to let it all out. Whatever your reason, a blog is a therapeutic and easy way to document any sort of information in your life.

So, how do you start? I chose to use Blogger as my platform because it syncs well with my Gmail account. You might choose to use WordPress, Typepad, Tumblr, SquareSpace, Posterous, LiveJournal or any other of the hundreds of blogging sites. This tutorial is for Blogger because that is the site I know best.

1. First, visit www.blogger.com

3. Fill out the form with your information

4. Choose a blog name. This should reflect what you’re going to write about. (ie The Brown Family Adventures, Cooking with Kathy, A Life in Photos) I would suggest matching your url with your blog name too.

5. Choose a template. You can change this later if you’d like.

To create a post, sign into Blogger and hit New Post in your Dashboard. Then, follow this photo (click to enlarge):

1. This allows you to view your blog as others see it
2. You can create a new post, edit one you have already started, or add new pages to your blog
3. If you want to add a usable website to your blog, click Link to add it in
4. Click here to add a photo to your post
5. Click here to add a video to your post
6. This is called a jump break. If you want your readers to only see a preview of you post and then have to click to read the rest, use a jump break. Add it in where you want the preview to end.
7. Edit HTML is for advanced blogging. I wouldn’t recommend touching this unless you know how to code.
8. Use labels to add tags that your readers can click on to see other similar posts. For example, this post is labeled Simple Tech Series. You can click that label and see any posts that are under that label as well.
9. If you want to schedule your post to publish at a later date, click Post Options. Then, click Schedule and type in when you want your post to be published.

Using Your Dashboard
The Dashboard is where you control most of your blog. Follow the numbers below to decode how each function works.

1. This is where you can edit your profile to tell readers a bit about yourself. You can add as little or as much information as you are comfortable with. You can even add a photo of yourself.
2. When you save a post, go to Edit Posts to edit it or publish it when you are ready. To view your actual blog how readers see it, click View Blog.
3. Click here to moderate your comments. You can delete comments, block commentors or just read what people have to say. You can also read comments under each post on your actual blog.
4. In the Settings tab, you can change how readers view your blog, how people leave comments, how people view your blog from a mobile phone, and many other options. If you leave your blog as is when published, it will work just fine, but if you are looking to modify things, go to Settings.
5. Design allows you to change your template or add custom HTML code. Unless you are advanced in computer language, don’t worry about custom HTML. Hire a professional or email me and I’ll see what I can help you with.
6. Monetize allows you to add advertisements to your blog through Google AdSense. Each time someone click on the add on your blog, you make money (we’re talking fractions of a penny). After a certain amount has been accumulated, you receive a check. Unless you get thousands of views a day, this option might not be all that lucrative.
7. Stats is one of my favorite features of Blogger. In Stats, you can see how many people are reading your posts, where they are reading from, what type of device and browser they are using, your most popular posts and trends over the life of your blog. These stats are fun to look at when trying to grow your blog, but they become even more important when you analyze them in order to create more meaningful content for your readers. Don’t worry about this too much if you are just writing a blog for you and close friends.
8. Click the Help option for a variety of questions. It will lead you to a forum of other Blogger users. I almost always find someone who has the same problem as me, and most of the time I find an answer as well.

Adding Gadgets
Gadgets are tools that you can add to the sidebars of your blog to enhance a reader’s experience. I have a poll, Google Friend Connect, options for following me on various social media sites and other ads and things. To add a gadget:
1. Click Design on your Dashboard
2. Click Add a Gadget on the sidebar
3. A window will pop up where you can search for different gadgets
4. Some of the most popular are:
    Follow By Email: Allow readers to get your blog posts by email
    Followers: Allow people to follow via an RSS readers (we will go over that next week)
    Slideshow: Add photos to your blog’s homepage

Keep in mind, blogging sites offer all kinds of options. You can add templates, customize fonts and banners, add other pages and anything else you can think of. To cover all of these would be another series all together. So, if there is an option you are curious about, tell me in the comment section below. I will do my best to help!

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