To those who have been reading my blog for the last four days:
I apologize for the schizophrenic nature of my templates and layout. I recently submitted some writing samples to two guide book companies and I thought it would be best to present them with a more impressive look (assuming they take the time to look).
Turns out it is actually harder to make a faux website out of a blogger account than I had originally thought. I have no knowledge of html and was hoping that it would as simple as finding a layout I liked and then applying it. But computers and technology do not work like this. It is like the opposite of Occam's razor...
I literally downloaded about fifteen different templates from sites like:
Are you starting to see a pattern with the names? I don't think there's much variation out there...
I didn't realize that the more spiffy templates require you actually adding lines of code in various places and tweaking other bits of code to add your own pictures/posts.
Plus: A lot of helpful html beginner sites out there and the end result is pretty
Con: Ridiculously time consuming
The main issue is that some of the templates come with so many space filling gadgets/widgets (I still don't know if there is a difference between the two). For example, a ton come with "AdSense". This allows you to capitalize on your blog by putting in ads that will generate revenue. You know the annoying icons that trick you into thinking you are clicking on the blog but are actually clicking on an ad that takes you elsewhere? Yup, that's AdSense. I imagine that this Google version isn't as bad as the ones that require you to click before being able to see what's on the page, but I did not need them bloating the layout section.
What's more, I felt like previous templates kept messing with the ones that came after. I finally managed to just delete all of the unnecessary stuff. (Go into the html, find the widgets and delete the code. When you save, you will be asked if you meant to get rid of these: click YES).
*Incredibly important note: SAVE A COPY OF YOUR TEMPLATE! In case you accidentally delete some pretty important html, it's good to have a backup that you can just copy and paste back in. That's actually what fixed the problems listed below the yak heads.*
Anyway, my blog is FINALLY working and I've rarely felt so accomplished. Sorry again for how odd my site looked.
I leave you with a couple of pictures of yak heads. I found these in Yak meat alley (not the official name, I just thought it was fitting) which is located on the outskirts of the Barkhor. It is quite literally a street which is lined with butchers on either side. Yak alley transforms into street noodle alley (also not the official name) halfway through. I've passed that way a couple of times on the way to Tarpoling Temple and Karmashar Temple (I'll write about them later) but three days ago was the first time I saw yak heads! Strangely enough, even though the butchers were not in the shot, some wouldn't let me take pictures of the heads... I hope you enjoy the morbid shots.
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| Buddies! |
*I just spent the last three hours trying to fix other various issues with this blog: repeating my name twice, posting the same post twice in the same post, and squashed thumbnail image. I have fixed two of the problems and am working on the third. This had better be worth it!*
I don't find the heads morbid at all. Very interesting stuff about the pros and cons of setting up the blog.
ReplyDeleteRick
Awesome post.
ReplyDeleteMost people just don't have to worry about butchers or animals to eat meat. But if you walk into a Hong Kong butcher shop--I've seen your photos--you know what I mean. Hearts, pig heads, feet, organs . . . I grew up in eastern Kentucky, and I was raised on a farm. We had cows, pigs and chickens, and they were food. So were deer, squirrels, and deer. So, anyone who is eating a BLT thinking how morbid these pictures are would be what we grew up calling "citified."
I'm a great blog template exploiter. Blogger is a bit harder because you don't have a full CPanel control for your blog. What you CAN do is set up a sub-domain using your domain host. So, first figure out who is your Blogger host. Then, log into your hosting domain and go to the CPanel (usually can access it through your google aps). Create a subdomain (like articles.ceciliahaynes.com--and be sure to set up a URL redirect for www.article.ceciliahaynes.com). Then, go back to Google, set up a new blog on Blogger using a custom URL using that URL, and then use the templates and bells and whistles you'd like without endangering your blog on the main URL.
I'd be happy to set you up a WordPress blog at something like intrepidphilosopher.com/ceciliahaynes if you'd like something like that to show off your photos and more. I can set up a nice looking template and then pass Admin Access to you. If you'd like more detailed info about setting up a subdomain and using Blogger, just let me know and I can send you more info or instructions.
Blogger can be really, really frustrating. I spent five hours today trying to get a Contact Me form up. The free wordpress has a widget for it but blogger doesn't. I didn't want to sign up for an unreliable service and it took me googling really specific html language stuff before I was finally able to find a site that produced a free code for me.
ReplyDeleteThat is SUCH a good idea! I was already planning it for pictures and stuff but I hadn't actually thought through to building and naming a separate blog like that... I think I am tired of dealing with this stuff today and I would rather end on a victory!
We can definitely discuss adding a section to your wordpress. Either use my fancypants new Talk to Me form or I'll just shoot you a message.
Cheers!
It took me forever to locate this conversation!
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to find your fancypants Talk To Me thingee.
In the meantime, you can e-mail me at jarrod at culturalconsultantsinternational dot com and I can provide you with really specific directions for your Blogger account OR just create a spiffy Wordpress blog to hand over to you. Blogger might be better since it would look like it is on the same domain (but search engines will actually treat something like photos.ceciliahaynes.com as a totally separate domain than .ceciliahaynes.com).
If you want directions for Blogger, first see if you have ENOM or a GODADDY hosting for your unique Blogger URL. With that, I'll create a quick document to guide you through the set-up quick and easy, and then you can just use your existing Blogger account to set up another blog.
I Webmaster and edit these two Blogger-based Websites like that:
cambodiatravel.southeastasiatraveladvice.com
www.southeastasiatraveladvice.com
They are totally separate Blogger-based Web pages but use the same theme and some custom HTML for crosslinks so users don't "feel" like they are going somewhere else as they go between them. Oh, yeah--in case you want to submit to them, let me know!