Okay I have a blog post that is really one of my best posts! And because it's one of my best posts I have a tendency to link to it within my other posts.
It's called: Blog Material for Life - you can imagine my panic when I clicked on a hyperlink to it today and blogger.com told me the page does not exist!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggh! (that's me running around in circles)
So I sat down and put my thinking shoes on. First I began searching my hardcopy files on my computer (how many times have I lectured on the importance of backing up your blog posts????)
And I found it immediately - phew - okay load lifted.
Then I realized sometimes my "backup" versions aren't exactly well the final draft - eek!
So instead of spiraling downwards again I decided to see if there was some way I could locate the "vanished" blog posting!
First I went to blogger.com's help and had no luck whatsoever! Quite a shock to me! And then when I scoured their help page for a contact email I realized - THEY DON'T HAVE ONE! OMG! How did I miss that fact before?
So silently trying not to spin out of control I thought well they MUST have a contact email somewhere!
So I opened a google search engine and was prepared to type in: Blogger.com contact information
but then I was suddenly struck with inspiration - instead of going down that track (which would probably leave me more frustrated than when I began)
I decide to search this phrase in google: blogger.com post disappeared
And guess what?
I wasn't alone!
The second search result looked promising and so I clicked on the result.
And to my great surprise and relief it had exact details on how to find my post!
Phew! Man that was a relief!
Well on that page Ted said:
"You have searched the Edit Posts list to make sure it isn't there?"
And I thought, well no.... (instead I panicked!!! lol)
So that's what I did.
I went to the edit posts option and scrolled back through my posts until I found the one I was missing (I used CNTL + F to search for a word I knew was in that title)
And bam! There it was on the list still!
I couldn't believe it! I really thought it was going to be gone - but there it was! *picture me awed like a kid who got what he asked for on Christmas*
But I noticed that instead of the usual options on the left which are EDIT and VIEW
only EDIT appeared!
So I clicked on that and - like the wings of an angel I was swept back to my post!
And all I had to do to make it reappear was click: PUBLISH POST.
And like magic it was back as well as its permalink!
I still have no idea how or why it disappeared (although I have to admit for a moment there I thought there was a conspiracy to keep the information I was presenting in this post hush hush! lol!)
Well afterall it is very pertinent information that when applied could make a vast difference in bloggers success rates!
So, alas, conspiracy or not, my blog posting is nestled safely back in my blog's welcoming arms and I can rest well.
Breathing in a deep sigh of relief,
CB Webmaster
P.S. Go here for more info on backing up your posts.
Showing posts with label Tutorials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tutorials. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Permalink How To in Blogger.com
At this time Blogger.com does not clearly display the permalink on each blog posting for your readers to easily view.
You can fix this!
This is the method I came up with to show people how to find the permalink on my blogger.com blog postings.
First off, in case you didn't know the permalink for your blog postings IS actually at the bottom of the post - the problem is blogger.com has it labeled as the timestamp!
And trust me most people won't realize that if they click on the timestamp they'll be brought to the permalink for that post.
So here's how you can edit the text of your to timestamp to state it's a permalink.
In case you're thinking of using another word/phrase such as "Link to my blog post" -you should be aware that the reason I suggest the word "Permalink" is because it is the word most people will be looking for on your page when they want to link to your posts.
Steps:
Go to your layout page
In the center of that page it will have a large box labeled
"Blog Posts" and in the bottom right corner of this box it will
say: Edit
Click on that.
A window will pop up with a list of settings you can change (by
the way you can change any of these! Cool, huh)
Under: Select Items
Go to the third item on the list
By default it will say: at
and then there'll be a box next to it with the date/time options
Click into the box with the word: at
Now erase the word "at"
Then copy or type in this: <br><b>Permalink =></b>
Note: By default on my blog the comments were displayed right next the timestamp making it even harder for readers to distinguish the permalink.
At the bottom of this pop-up window you're in look for this phrase:
Arrange items
Then simply drag the comments box down to make it appear below the permalink instead of next to it.
I also dragged my labels down so they appear on their own line.
Then scroll to the bottom and click on: SAVE.
Then make sure you also click on the SAVE button on the Layout page.
Then your changes will be saved successfully.
Although it doesn't actually create a hyperlink for the word "Permalink" like most sites do - the little arrow we've created using the equal sign => should make it clear enough to people that the permalink is to the right.
When people place their mouse cursor over the timestamp a little label will pop up saying: permanent link
That will confirm to your readers that you're not making it up - that yes the time stamp is the permalink they need to use.
So who knew life could be this complicated? Maybe someday blogger.com will give us the option to clearly display permalinks at the bottom of our blog posts and then I'll celebrate being able to delete this post as it's purpose will become obsolete!
"Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates." Marquis De Sade
Being bold as ever,
CB Webmaster
You can fix this!
This is the method I came up with to show people how to find the permalink on my blogger.com blog postings.
First off, in case you didn't know the permalink for your blog postings IS actually at the bottom of the post - the problem is blogger.com has it labeled as the timestamp!
And trust me most people won't realize that if they click on the timestamp they'll be brought to the permalink for that post.
So here's how you can edit the text of your to timestamp to state it's a permalink.
In case you're thinking of using another word/phrase such as "Link to my blog post" -you should be aware that the reason I suggest the word "Permalink" is because it is the word most people will be looking for on your page when they want to link to your posts.
Steps:
Go to your layout page
In the center of that page it will have a large box labeled
"Blog Posts" and in the bottom right corner of this box it will
say: Edit
Click on that.
A window will pop up with a list of settings you can change (by
the way you can change any of these! Cool, huh)
Under: Select Items
Go to the third item on the list
By default it will say: at
and then there'll be a box next to it with the date/time options
Click into the box with the word: at
Now erase the word "at"
Then copy or type in this: <br><b>Permalink =></b>
Note: By default on my blog the comments were displayed right next the timestamp making it even harder for readers to distinguish the permalink.
At the bottom of this pop-up window you're in look for this phrase:
Arrange items
Then simply drag the comments box down to make it appear below the permalink instead of next to it.
I also dragged my labels down so they appear on their own line.
Then scroll to the bottom and click on: SAVE.
Then make sure you also click on the SAVE button on the Layout page.
Then your changes will be saved successfully.
Although it doesn't actually create a hyperlink for the word "Permalink" like most sites do - the little arrow we've created using the equal sign => should make it clear enough to people that the permalink is to the right.
When people place their mouse cursor over the timestamp a little label will pop up saying: permanent link
That will confirm to your readers that you're not making it up - that yes the time stamp is the permalink they need to use.
So who knew life could be this complicated? Maybe someday blogger.com will give us the option to clearly display permalinks at the bottom of our blog posts and then I'll celebrate being able to delete this post as it's purpose will become obsolete!
"Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates." Marquis De Sade
Being bold as ever,
CB Webmaster
Help I forgot to Add a Title!
Help I forgot to add a title and now the URL for my post is the first line of my blog post!
Yikes!
I know scary! That happened to me! (You won't believe it but I made this error when I first posted the Quote Posting Guidelines! lol! I know I know tsk tsk lol)
Here's what happens in blogger.com
If when you create your post and you do not create a title for it initially then it will by default select the first line of text in your post as the URL for the post.
Note: If you have tons of comments on your post - you don't need to re-title it - people have found it! That's the only reason to re-title a post's URL in the first place. Skip doing this whole process and just manually enter a title in your post's edit window.
To find out why is it so important to title your posts - click here
So Here's how you can fix your Permalink to display the Blog Posting's Title:
1. Copy and paste your entire blog post into a text file.
2. Delete the blog post.
3. Create a new blog post.
4. Copy and paste your entire blog post into the new post.
5. And most importantly remember to put a title on it this time!
Then click: PUBLISH POST
Oh and if this doesn't solve the error, if you're using blogger.com, make sure your: Show Title Field is set to ON. If it's off it will not use the title of your blog for the URL.
And If you need to learn how to copy and paste scroll to the bottom of Quote Posting Guidelines for instructions
(it's right under the text: How to Hyperlink).
And remember to add the existing labels before you delete your old post - because if this is the only post under a specific label that label will "disappear" from your labels and you'll have to do it over again! Just click: Show All. Add the labels THEN delete the old post.
And don't worry - even if you had tried to correct the title error by making a title after you posted it and now both the old and new post have the same title it won't affect the title. You'll still be able to create the "new" post even with an identical title and then be able to delete the old post as soon as you're done labeling.
Aaaagh but how can I tell which one's the old post when I'm deleting?
Good question.
Before you create the new post - make note of the timestamp on the old post.
That way you can differentiate which one's the old post (which you will be deleting)
and
which one is the new post (which will essentially take the old post's place)
What about existing comments and links to your post?
Well I don't know but I assume they'll be deleted so you'll have to copy those over to the new blog posting as well. Simple enough if you only have 1 or 2.
That's all for now folks,
CB Webmaster
P.S. To avert the title problem get yourself into the habit of adding your title before you begin writing your post.
Yikes!
I know scary! That happened to me! (You won't believe it but I made this error when I first posted the Quote Posting Guidelines! lol! I know I know tsk tsk lol)
Here's what happens in blogger.com
If when you create your post and you do not create a title for it initially then it will by default select the first line of text in your post as the URL for the post.
Note: If you have tons of comments on your post - you don't need to re-title it - people have found it! That's the only reason to re-title a post's URL in the first place. Skip doing this whole process and just manually enter a title in your post's edit window.
To find out why is it so important to title your posts - click here
So Here's how you can fix your Permalink to display the Blog Posting's Title:
1. Copy and paste your entire blog post into a text file.
2. Delete the blog post.
3. Create a new blog post.
4. Copy and paste your entire blog post into the new post.
5. And most importantly remember to put a title on it this time!
Then click: PUBLISH POST
Oh and if this doesn't solve the error, if you're using blogger.com, make sure your: Show Title Field is set to ON. If it's off it will not use the title of your blog for the URL.
And If you need to learn how to copy and paste scroll to the bottom of Quote Posting Guidelines for instructions
(it's right under the text: How to Hyperlink).
And remember to add the existing labels before you delete your old post - because if this is the only post under a specific label that label will "disappear" from your labels and you'll have to do it over again! Just click: Show All. Add the labels THEN delete the old post.
And don't worry - even if you had tried to correct the title error by making a title after you posted it and now both the old and new post have the same title it won't affect the title. You'll still be able to create the "new" post even with an identical title and then be able to delete the old post as soon as you're done labeling.
Aaaagh but how can I tell which one's the old post when I'm deleting?
Good question.
Before you create the new post - make note of the timestamp on the old post.
That way you can differentiate which one's the old post (which you will be deleting)
and
which one is the new post (which will essentially take the old post's place)
What about existing comments and links to your post?
Well I don't know but I assume they'll be deleted so you'll have to copy those over to the new blog posting as well. Simple enough if you only have 1 or 2.
That's all for now folks,
CB Webmaster
P.S. To avert the title problem get yourself into the habit of adding your title before you begin writing your post.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Create a Great Blogger.com Profile
I'm sure you want a profile that stands out from the rest! Well since I use blogger.com I can give you some pointers on how to make your blogger.com profile do more for you!
First off, did you know you have a profile? lol Well just login to your blog and you'll see an option on your dashboard to edit your profile. Click on that.
Now you're ready to plug in information about yourself so your readers can get to know you a little bit better.
So let me run you through the steps.
1. Check the box that says: Share my profile (trust me you want to share your profile)
2. Next decide if you want to disclose your name. To help you with this decision you may want to consult a blog posting by Lisa titled: Being Anonymous Can Hurt You
3. Check the box that says: Show my email address. (but wait I don't want everyone to know my e-mail address!! That's okay you can give them a way to contact you by providing an email address which forwards the emails to your private email address)
4. The next step says: Show my blogs (Select blogs to display) - in the event that you have more than one blog this option allows you to select which ones you want displayed on your profile - I suggest you display them all! Right now I have nearly 60 blogs on blogger.com and I've chosen to display them all on my profile. Why? Because it makes it easier for people to find blogs they may be interested in all at one place.
5. Next is identity - you may choose an anonymous name or enter your favorite nickname or even your real name if you like.
6. Then you get to choose a photo to display for your profile. This photo is very small and it can be of whatever you like. Instead of a picture of myself I made a little logo image and uploaded it here.
7. Then you can include an audio clip if you like. I haven't taken advantage of this myself yet but it's a great idea! Because it allows people to put a voice to the text they're reading! Just remember to keep whatever you say short and upbeat!
8. Next you can disclose if you are male or female and your age if you like. Personally I think the male/female can either work for you or against you depending on what your users opinions are. But then again if you feel it can work for you go ahead and disclose it. As for age, that's up to you, I did not disclose mine but I'm 31. So what happens when I told you that? Did you think - then this blogger is too.... you fill in the blank - you get my point.
9. Next comes your website URL. If you don't have a website you can make one for free. But you don't have to have one.
10. Next is a shopping "wishlist" - unless your blog is about shopping I don't recommend filling out this one.
11. Then you've got your location. Again this is entirely up to you - you can say exactly where you're from, or just be general as in USA or California, or not disclose it at all. The more "personal" information you disclose the more at risk you are for turning off someone who doesn't like people from Texas for example. Just think in terms of universal appeal to your readers.
12. Then you can list your job - again unless your blog is specifically about your job, or you job is a computer programmer or professional blogger I'd leave this one empty.
13. Now for the good parts: Interests, About Me, Favorite things. Let's start with interests - if you make a list of your interests here it gives your readers an idea of what you'll probably eventually be blogging about - but if one of your interests is crocheting and you have no intention of ever bringing this up in your posts then there's no need to tell folks about it in the first place.
Next we have "About Me" - this is my favorite and I believe most important section on your profile.
So what should you include in your "About Me?"
Well here's what I wrote in my about me:
(I'm showing it exactly as I wrote it with the HTML code and all, so you can see how you can customize this section on your blogger.com profile. To see the end result click here)
Click here to read more < a href="http://cbwebmasterblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/about.html">About Me< /a>
< br>< br>
< a href="http://cbwebmasterblog.blogspot.com/">Check out my personal blog!< /a>
< br>
< br>What does CB Stand for?
< br>< br>
It's Chatblog!< br>< br>
< a href="http://cbwebmasterblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-baby.html">See our Motto< /a>
< br>< br>
< a href="http://chatblog.net78.net/">Chatblog< /a> allows people to Blog and Chat! Members communicate through their own private chat rooms and through group blogs. The blogs may be viewed by the public, but only members have full rights to publish and comment in the blogs.< br>< br>< a href="http://chatblog.net78.net/signup.html">Sign Up for Free!< /a>
Please note in reality there should not be any space between the < bracket and the letter. For these html codes (which are normally hidden in web pages) to appear I had to leave a space.
Phew! That's it! It may seem long but look at how relevant the information is!
You may notice my about me section wasn't really about me as a person - that's what most people usually use it for - but as you can see you can write it up to address the needs of your readers instead of just blabbing on about how you like monkeys.
I think that's probably the biggest thing you can do for your profile - make it about your readers instead of making it about you!
As you saw in my profile instead of writing about me I hyperlinked to a blog posting about me - and actually if you followed the blog posting to the page about me called The Creator then you saw how even there although I spoke about my personal experience I made the entire story's goal to be about why I am like my readers and how every thing I do is about making the best possible site for them. One word of caution here - be sincere - people can spot insincerity instantly even on the internet!
As you may have noticed in my profile I took my readers on a little walk - I let them click on different blog posts and even go directly to my webpage to find out more instead of just letting them sit on my profile. Here's why I did that.
Then the last section is about your favorite things like movies, music, and books. You can list these of you like if you REALLY feel it's necessary to tell everyone you liked Planet of the Apes (just remember there's going to be at least one reader out there who didn't like that movie and will be turned off by you sharing that about yourself)
So that's it! Just click SAVE PROFILE and you're done! You can edit the profile any time you want - put a new photo on it, change your about me spiel and adjust your ever-changing list of interests.
I hope this post was helpful for you, if it was please click on the small box below this posting to leave your instant review.
Oh and if you want some feedback on your profile I'd be happy to look it over and give you some suggestions on it! You can email me at: webmaster@chatblog.net78.net
Oh and for help on HTML codes to use in your blog postings click here
Take care,
CB Webmaster
P.S. One more thing - and here's why your profile is extra important in blogger.com -because it will appear on each of your blogs (if you select that option in your blog's layout). Which means it's a very visible way to connect to new readers instantly!
First off, did you know you have a profile? lol Well just login to your blog and you'll see an option on your dashboard to edit your profile. Click on that.
Now you're ready to plug in information about yourself so your readers can get to know you a little bit better.
So let me run you through the steps.
1. Check the box that says: Share my profile (trust me you want to share your profile)
2. Next decide if you want to disclose your name. To help you with this decision you may want to consult a blog posting by Lisa titled: Being Anonymous Can Hurt You
3. Check the box that says: Show my email address. (but wait I don't want everyone to know my e-mail address!! That's okay you can give them a way to contact you by providing an email address which forwards the emails to your private email address)
4. The next step says: Show my blogs (Select blogs to display) - in the event that you have more than one blog this option allows you to select which ones you want displayed on your profile - I suggest you display them all! Right now I have nearly 60 blogs on blogger.com and I've chosen to display them all on my profile. Why? Because it makes it easier for people to find blogs they may be interested in all at one place.
5. Next is identity - you may choose an anonymous name or enter your favorite nickname or even your real name if you like.
6. Then you get to choose a photo to display for your profile. This photo is very small and it can be of whatever you like. Instead of a picture of myself I made a little logo image and uploaded it here.
7. Then you can include an audio clip if you like. I haven't taken advantage of this myself yet but it's a great idea! Because it allows people to put a voice to the text they're reading! Just remember to keep whatever you say short and upbeat!
8. Next you can disclose if you are male or female and your age if you like. Personally I think the male/female can either work for you or against you depending on what your users opinions are. But then again if you feel it can work for you go ahead and disclose it. As for age, that's up to you, I did not disclose mine but I'm 31. So what happens when I told you that? Did you think - then this blogger is too.... you fill in the blank - you get my point.
9. Next comes your website URL. If you don't have a website you can make one for free. But you don't have to have one.
10. Next is a shopping "wishlist" - unless your blog is about shopping I don't recommend filling out this one.
11. Then you've got your location. Again this is entirely up to you - you can say exactly where you're from, or just be general as in USA or California, or not disclose it at all. The more "personal" information you disclose the more at risk you are for turning off someone who doesn't like people from Texas for example. Just think in terms of universal appeal to your readers.
12. Then you can list your job - again unless your blog is specifically about your job, or you job is a computer programmer or professional blogger I'd leave this one empty.
13. Now for the good parts: Interests, About Me, Favorite things. Let's start with interests - if you make a list of your interests here it gives your readers an idea of what you'll probably eventually be blogging about - but if one of your interests is crocheting and you have no intention of ever bringing this up in your posts then there's no need to tell folks about it in the first place.
Next we have "About Me" - this is my favorite and I believe most important section on your profile.
So what should you include in your "About Me?"
Well here's what I wrote in my about me:
(I'm showing it exactly as I wrote it with the HTML code and all, so you can see how you can customize this section on your blogger.com profile. To see the end result click here)
Click here to read more < a href="http://cbwebmasterblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/about.html">About Me< /a>
< br>< br>
< a href="http://cbwebmasterblog.blogspot.com/">Check out my personal blog!< /a>
< br>
< br>What does CB Stand for?
< br>< br>
It's Chatblog!< br>< br>
< a href="http://cbwebmasterblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-baby.html">See our Motto< /a>
< br>< br>
< a href="http://chatblog.net78.net/">Chatblog< /a> allows people to Blog and Chat! Members communicate through their own private chat rooms and through group blogs. The blogs may be viewed by the public, but only members have full rights to publish and comment in the blogs.< br>< br>< a href="http://chatblog.net78.net/signup.html">Sign Up for Free!< /a>
Please note in reality there should not be any space between the < bracket and the letter. For these html codes (which are normally hidden in web pages) to appear I had to leave a space.
Phew! That's it! It may seem long but look at how relevant the information is!
You may notice my about me section wasn't really about me as a person - that's what most people usually use it for - but as you can see you can write it up to address the needs of your readers instead of just blabbing on about how you like monkeys.
I think that's probably the biggest thing you can do for your profile - make it about your readers instead of making it about you!
As you saw in my profile instead of writing about me I hyperlinked to a blog posting about me - and actually if you followed the blog posting to the page about me called The Creator then you saw how even there although I spoke about my personal experience I made the entire story's goal to be about why I am like my readers and how every thing I do is about making the best possible site for them. One word of caution here - be sincere - people can spot insincerity instantly even on the internet!
As you may have noticed in my profile I took my readers on a little walk - I let them click on different blog posts and even go directly to my webpage to find out more instead of just letting them sit on my profile. Here's why I did that.
Then the last section is about your favorite things like movies, music, and books. You can list these of you like if you REALLY feel it's necessary to tell everyone you liked Planet of the Apes (just remember there's going to be at least one reader out there who didn't like that movie and will be turned off by you sharing that about yourself)
So that's it! Just click SAVE PROFILE and you're done! You can edit the profile any time you want - put a new photo on it, change your about me spiel and adjust your ever-changing list of interests.
I hope this post was helpful for you, if it was please click on the small box below this posting to leave your instant review.
Oh and if you want some feedback on your profile I'd be happy to look it over and give you some suggestions on it! You can email me at: webmaster@chatblog.net78.net
Oh and for help on HTML codes to use in your blog postings click here
Take care,
CB Webmaster
P.S. One more thing - and here's why your profile is extra important in blogger.com -because it will appear on each of your blogs (if you select that option in your blog's layout). Which means it's a very visible way to connect to new readers instantly!
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