Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Tweaking

Tweaking the layout of my blog that is.....what did you think I was gonna say?

Besides, I prefer my illegal substances to be on the downer side, not the upper.  Unless they're combined.....but that's another blog.  Oi.

Anyway, let me know what you think.  It's kinda fun looking through all the layouts available for free online and fiddling with all the bells and whistles in the Blogger template designer.  I get to playing with it all and before I know it a few hours have been sucked from my existance.

It's kinda like that with drugs too, but at least playing on the computer is legal.  Heh.

I learned how to add a reply button to comments, if you want to be able to reply directly to each comment.  Thank you for the help, Kev!

The instructions are here and you only have to be mildly computer literate to follow:  spice up your blog

Note:  this will only work if you have your comments embedded directly beneath your posts.  It won't work with the pop up box or full page comment setting.

Oh, and for anyone who has tried to embed your comments directly underneath the blog but it wouldn't work, I figured that out, too (I'm looking at you, Kimmie).  Apparently the embed setting doesn't work if you try and do it after you've already installed a custom template from an outside source.  So here's what I had to do to fix mine:

Go to Design, then Edit html.

If you want to use the same template you have now, copy and paste all of the code in the box to Word or something so you still have it.  Done that?  Good.  Now.....delete all the code in the edit template box.  Trust me.  Then save template.

Now click on template designer and pick one of the bland generic formats Blogger offers.  Don't worry, it's just temporary.  Apply to blog, go back to blogger, and save. 

Now go to your Settings, then comments (underneath, not in the tab) to click embedded below post, and make sure post pages are enabled (check this under Archiving).  Save.

View your blog to make sure it worked.  Throw up a few test comments, just cuz it's fun and I said so.

Working?  All comments are showing underneath your post?  Good. 

NOW you can go back to Design and edit html and put your customized template back in, or go find a new one.  Save.

I know, I know, it's a lot of work.  But it'll be worth it in the end.

Just be sure you do all of these steps BEFORE you try doing the add-a-reply-button thingy above, if you're going to.  Trust me.

*edited to add:  well, it seems there's still technical glitches with the embed-below-blog comment thing, so ignore what I said above.  still working on it.

Happy (and legal) tweaking!

Oh, and have a great Thanksgiving.  Eat lots of pie and turkey and stuff, watch football, bicker with your family and watch Uncle Frank get schnockered.  Just don't let him fondle the turkey.