Q&A for 7/1/09

I received an email from Stacy requesting some info on how to go about changing your blog template. Since I ONLY use Blogger so this is a post geared to Blogger blogs only.

As most of you know, finding a template that is functional for your needs is overwhelming. There are probably 500 templates out there for free and almost as many sites where you will find them. So whether you revamp your own blog or have someone do it for you here are the things that I consider when working on a template.

1. Back up your current template before doing anything. Never ever be sorry for not taking the 2 minutes it takes to do this.

• Log into Blogger
• Click "LAYOUT"
• Click "EDIT TEMPLATE" along the top edge after "LAYOUT" page loads
• Immediately under that look for: "Backup / Restore Template
  Before editing your template, you may want to save a copy of it. Download Full Template"
• Click on "DOWNLOAD FULL TEMPLATE" and save it to a file on your hard drive or put it on a thumb drive, external hard drive, etc. The point is to save it SOMEPLACE where you can find it. I rename my file something like "ATS Backup 07022009" and save. Easy to see what the file is and when I saved it. 

2. Find the template you want to use and download it. Usually it is named something that doesn't quite make sense. Again, I make a file on my hard drive and name it "ATS Blog Template 07022009". Again, I can easily find it and know when I downloaded. Most templates are in a zip file so you'll need to unzip it and make sure it is unzipped in the same file as the zipped version.

3. TIME SAVER: I open a word document file and name it something like "ATS Blog Sidebar Elements". Then I go through each one of my blog template side bar elements and copy and paste all of the HTML code into that document. I give each element the same title in the document as on the blog. If I didn't title it, I somehow identify it. I also add which sidebar it came from. Now I have created a backup of my elements with a "roadmap" of sorts to be able to quickly reinstall my elements roughly where they were to begin with.

4. I install the NEW template to my test blog. I do NOT install to my actual blog yet. I use the test blog to set all of the colors for the entire blog FIRST before anything. On the template you see me using, there are literally TONS of color and font controls. It took me about 2 hours to set them the first time. Once the colors are set in the TEST BLOG and you are happy you are ready to upload to your actual blog.

5. I put up a post that I am going to be working on my blog and that I will post again when it is complete. I ask for feedback on the complete makeover for FUNCTION only. I don't ask for feedback on if they like it or not. I veiw my blog as my office. Making over a blog needs to be pleasing to the user but it also has to be something you can live with for a fairly long time.

6. Open two windows....one with your actual blog and one with the test blog. Upload your new template to your actual blog and once uploaded you are really gonna start rolling quickly. On the test blog, go back to the settings page and then duplicate the colors and fonts on the actual blog. DUPLICATE/COPY what you did on the test blog. SOOOOOOO much faster this way.

7. Start reinstalling the sidebar elements and get all that info back on your actual blog. You can drag and drop those elements later if they need to be rearranged. Just get the info up so you don't lose traffic.

8. Start with just a text only header. Get that up so your blog has a title. Work on the graphics later. If you have old graphics, go ahead and use them for the header. I'd personally hold off on the button if you are redoing your graphics. If not, make sure your button is up too.

9. Make sure that your Blogger nav bar is GONE! See the sidebar for a link to remove.

10. Make sure that you have used no more than about 2 types of fonts. It is more pleasing to the eye.

At this point, your blog should be pretty much back to normal though you'll want to continue to tweak. If you are redoing graphics, well, be prepared to rip your hair out and go bald if you've never done it before. I am NOT a graphics person. I have done my own because I am CHEAP and FRUGAL and really don't want to pay for loads of graphics. I did pay for the Target header and button. The ALC Blog Schoool header and button I made myself. Kinda elementary school looking but hey, it's FREE.

If you want to make your own, dig around and find your fave pics to work with and save. I get a lot of stuff for free from Google images. That is where this blogs graphics came from but you can pay for graphics.

I use the following graphics programs to make the things I use.

InfanView
PhotoShop - Now you know why graphics are pricey. There is a version of this same software for college students that is about $200.00. This is how we got our copy. We have a daughter in college that had to have this software for a class. Naturally, I got a copy! It allows for 2 installations.




Clockmaker Icon Generator - FREE

PhotoBucket.com - Where I host my graphics but also they have a pretty powerful editor. You can resize, add titles, words, borders and much much more. FREE but I did get a paid account since I have a lot of traffic. You do NOT want the graphics to go down on your site if you host them. When you hit about 500 subscribers, you need to get a paid account. I think I got mine for about $20 for a year. Google to find deals.
PIXresizer - FREE! Fast, simple and a great little program for a fast resize.
Paint - FREE! It's already on my computer.

You are gonna have to fight it out for yourself how to use these programs. No one taught me and I am certainly no graphics teacher. There are plenty of tutorials to be found and YouTube how-to videos to walk you through it. If you don't know how to do anything. PLEASE, use Google, YouTube, the how-to sites etc. This is how I learned everything I know. I am completely self-taught.

Size of header can be determined by looking at the code in your template. I think this one is about 900 pixels wide. I keep the height at 200-250 high and no more. Remember you need the real estate.

Size of the button is 125 x 125

Stacy asked about the navbar. The navbar is already installed on this template. SIMPLE! If any of you want to install one, you'll have to use the links provided or Google how to do it.

Is any of this hard? Well not especially. Is this time consuming? OH YOU BET! I think I spent about 12 hours on the Target blog when I made it over. That was using the old graphics. When I threw this blog up, I knew more about the template, figured out how to use the test blog to copy my color and font settings and it was still about 10 hours with me making the header and button. I would say you can break it up into about 3 days with the help of your test blog. You could save all the elements on one day. Find, upload and set the template up on one day to your test blog. Find graphics, make the header and button in one day. By the time you have done all of this you can pretty quickly set up your actual blog. Practice makes perfect. I've made 8 versions of this blog in total. Brandy has used this template and now Stacy is going to use it.

Plan on farming out the kids, put the pets out, get your day started early, have some fast food handy, some drinks chilled a meal or two you can nuke and go for it. If you are staged up to make it a good experience you will have an easier time of it.