Blogs Publishing Large NewsFeeds Can Cause Problems

We're seeing a few reports, which involve blogs with published newsfeeds with large volume, producing intriguing varieties of symptoms, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

My Followers are not getting email updates!

and

My blog does not update, on my Followers blogs!

and

My blog can't be viewed! All that I see is the gears turning!!!

All of these blog owners are publishing blogs which produce feeds, which are too large.

In general, a newsfeed can be any size necessary. There are two secondary details, however, which can make a Blogger blog, publishing a large newsfeed, problematic.

There is nothing basically wrong with large newsfeeds - but blogs which use dynamic templates, and blogs which produce feeds redirected through FeedBurner, can have problems when publishing large feeds.

We're currently seeing blogs with large feeds causing problems with dynamic templates. This produces one more case where we end up prescribing a non zero Timeout setting, for dynamic views.

Besides dynamic template display problems, blogs with large newsfeeds can produce problems, when redirected through FeedBurner. There are two approaches to making a feed smaller - use less posts - and alternately (when possible) format posts using Blogger post editor, instead of using Microsoft Office.

To diagnose a large feed problem, one can use any text browser, such as Rex Swain's HTTP Viewer, or maybe Web-Sniffer View HTTP Request and Response Header. Either product will provide a size display.

Feeds over 512K in size will be problematic, with either dynamic view, or FeedBurner redirection.

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Is A Sitemap Useful, For A Blogger Blog?

Occasionally in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?, we see evidence of confusion and doubt.

Do I really need a sitemap, for my blog?

This question, when asked, may help us to design our blogs better.

WikiPedia defines a sitemap as

a list of pages of a web site accessible to crawlers or users

Classically, a sitemap is a visual index, to help the people viewing a static website, to easily identify and access a specific article in the website.

A sitemap provides an alternate index, to a non Blogger website. Most websites are static, with a hierarchically accessed, single structure. A well designed sitemap allows people and crawlers to more efficiently locate specific articles (pages or posts), in a static website.

Most Blogger blogs provide much more than a hierarchical, single, static structure. By default, a Blogger blog links its pages and posts dynamically, using several alternate indexes.

• Archives (posts listed hierarchically, by date).
• Labels (posts listed hierarchically, by topic).
• Extended main page (posts listed sequentially, by "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts").

Any blog, which provides one or more of these features, is effectively its own sitemap - for viewer access.

For crawler access, the options are simpler.

• Archives (posts listed hierarchically, by date).
• Extended main page (posts listed sequentially, by "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts").

Label searches, which use a different URL structure from the base blog design, are not used for indexing a Blogger blog.

If you look at the main page of a typical blog, you can follow the "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links from page to page, repeatedly - and eventually, see every post in the blog. With a new blog, with few posts, and predominantly "first visit" viewer traffic, the main page makes a passible sitemap. For an older blog, with many posts, and more "repeat" viewer traffic, the main page makes a less efficient sitemap.

For crawlers, which will generally follow a limited number of links within any single blog or website, the main page makes a still less efficient sitemap. Most blogs with any appreciable search engine reputation, however, only need new posts indexed by the crawlers - as older posts are already indexed, and remain in search engine cache.

Blogger provides a good, default gadget which serves as a sitemap, on most blogs - the Archives index. Look in the sidebar of this blog, about halfway down, for the "Contents" gadget. This is an HTML based gadget, which produces a set of hierarchical, date structured links, exhaustively enumerating each post in the blog. It's an ideal structure, for search engine bots (crawlers) to follow. If your blog includes this accessory, that's probably sufficient for indexing.

Blogs which contain one or more features can provide search engine access, organically.

• Well written, regularly published posts.
• The standard Archives gadget.
• The standard "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links.

Such blogs may not need a sitemap, to provide good access to both people and crawlers.

Both the Archives, Labels, and "Newer Posts" / "Older Posts" links are subject, on some blogs, to customisation. A blog with Javascript driven Archives, Labels, and / or custom pagination ("Newer Posts" / "Older Posts") gadgets may not provide easy crawler access. This also affects blogs which use dynamic templates. If you tweak your blog extensively, you may want to consider these issues.

There is one special case where a sitemap is always needed. Any time the URL of your blog is changed - whether to a new BlogSpot URL, or to a non BlogSpot custom domain - prompt re indexing, under the new URL, is a necessity to regain search engine reputation. A robust sitemap set, which directly references all posts in the blog, helps the crawlers to re index each post, under the new URL, much faster.

Other than that special case, a blog with standard, well designed, features may not actually need a sitemap.

A sitemap, setup through Google Webmaster Tools - and using the blog posts newsfeed, defined through "robots.txt" - is a simple accessory to add, and requires no ongoing maintenance. Given this reasoning, most blog owners simply setup a sitemap, and don't worry about the above issues and questions.

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One Spurious Technique For Publishing Your Blog Anonymously

Some blog owners wish to publish their blog anonymously.

One of the most obvious ways to achieve anonymity - and one of the least useful - is to not publish your name, in your blog posts.

Edit the "Blog Posts" gadget, in the dashboard Layout wizard, and de select "Posted By".

This solution will immediately remove your name from any posts published by you - as long as a dynamic template is not involved.

The dynamic templates do not reference the "Blog Posts" selections. This will be a problem, for achieving anonymity.

Any blog, at the option of the reader, may be viewed, in dynamic mode. No blog, even with the "Posted By" option un checked, will be anonymous.

This is the URL of this blog.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/

This is the URL of this blog, using a dynamic template.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/view

You - or any reader - can do the same with your blog. This will be a problem, if you use the "Posted By" selection in "Blog Posts", to make your posts anonymous.

Now, checkout my anonymity test blog - in non dynamic view.

http://nitecruzr-test-anonymity.blogspot.com/

And checkout the first post, in dynamic view.

http://nitecruzr-test-anonymity.blogspot.com/view

D'Ohh!

If you truly want to publish your blog anonymously, there are several issues which you need to consider - all of them necessary. The "Posted By" option is not part of these issues - since it has no effect on anonymity.

Having considered all of the issues required to achieve anonymity, consider the issues where true anonymity can be a problem. Blogger supports our right to publish our blogs, anonymously - and will not break our right to anonymity.

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Dynamic Template Instabilities Have Multiple Causes

For some time, we've been seeing reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about blogs using blogs using dynamic views, which display incompletely, and lack specific features.

Various blog owners have developed, and reported, a workaround to the problem, which involves using an unpublicised Blogger setting found in the template HTML code. This workaround sets a loading delay, known as Timeout.

There are several different causes of the dynamic view problem - some varying by the different blogs, others varying by the blog viewers - and some, varying by the Blogger / Google infrastructure. None of the causes will be universal in effect. This will result in varying success, when using a static Timeout setting as a workaround for the problems.

The current workaround for the problem - changing the Timeout setting - will have immediate success with some blog owners, partial or temporary solution with many, and no solution with others.

The inconsistency will come from the various causes of the latency - and from the variety of symptoms being reported. The latency is the cause for development of the Timeout tweak.


There are three details which cause latency, and which result in missing dynamic view content, of varying effect.

• Complexity of blog content - unique to each blog.
• Computer and network issues - unique to each different client computer.
• Server and network issues - unique to the Blogger / Google networks and servers which support dynamic templates.

Complexity of blog content is the only detail which can be consistently resolved, by a change in the Timeout. As any dynamic template blog becomes more complex, increasing Timeout improves the chance that all blog content - including gadgets and template customisations - will be packaged before the blog is viewed. Each blog owner will be responsible for evaluating the need for this workaround, on an ongoing basis - based on current blog complexity.

Computer and network issues causes problems, that may be partially resolved, by the blog owners. Each blog owner can make the Timeout relevant to the known audience. Any blog, with an audience known to have problems, can be tuned by the blog owner, as necessary. Each blog owner will be responsible for evaluating the need for this workaround, on an ongoing basis - based on the needs of the majority of the known blog viewer audience.

Overall load on the Blogger / Google networks and servers causes problems that cannot be consistently resolved, by the blog owners. It's possible that some portion of the latency problem is regional in nature - in that Blogger / Google resources may not be evenly allocated, world wide, to support dynamic template use. Blogger / Google will be responsible for evaluating the need for this solution - based on current complaint level and load on network resources.

Any action taken by Blogger / Google will present a challenge, for several reasons. Note the problems discussed here are unique to dynamic views - because of the unique design of the dynamic templates.

• The Timeout setting will have a global effect, for each blog with a problem - even though the problem may not be global.
• As more blog owners resolve their immediate problems, by increasing the Timeout, this will put more load on Blogger / Google resources.
• As more blog owners report their immediate problems solved, this will encourage still more blog owners to use dynamic templates, and to try increasing the Timeout on their blogs.
• More blogs using dynamic templates will put still more load on Blogger / Google resources - and this will necessitate still more Timeout increases.
• Some blog owners, using computers or Internet service particularly susceptible to causing the symptoms, may try the basic workaround ("500"), which may not produce results - and may falsely conclude that their symptoms are not caused by the problem. A few owners may persistently try "1000", or "2000" or higher - and may eventually observe an improvement - while other owners may not.

The only long term solutions to this problem lies with Blogger / Google. Blogger / Google has two options.

• Halt or restrict customisations of dynamic templates.
• Tune their network resources better, to make latency less of an issue.

The latter option will require supporting action, by blog owners and readers.

• People who view blogs using dynamic templates have to tune their own computers and networks, so they do not contribute to the problem.
• Some blog owners may have to accept reality - that their reader audience simply can't be properly served, given the level of customisation required by their blog design.

The bottom line is that some blogs will never be properly served, if the owners insist on using dynamic templates, and customising uncontrollably. Blogger / Google cannot provide the universal solution.

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Dynamic Template Instabilities Have Multiple Symptoms

Recently, we've been seeing a few reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about blogs using dynamic templates, which display incompletely, and lack specific features.

Various blog owners have developed, and reported, a workaround to the problem, which involves using an unpublicised Blogger setting found in the template HTML code. This workaround sets a loading delay, known as Timeout.

The currently recommended Timeout setting will force a fixed delay on blogs using the workaround, which may not be 100% effective in all cases. The effectiveness may vary, according to the specific problems reported by the various blog owners.

Problems reported by blog owners, which involve dynamic templates, center around several distinct areas.

• Absence of comments, displayed after the posts.
• Absence of multiple gadgets, in the popout sidebar.
• Absence of Pages entries in the display header bar.
• Absence of Posts ("No Posts Found"), with blogs heavy on photos.
• Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Add CSS".
• Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Edit HTML".

Each of these different symptoms will be caused by different needs, in publishing a blog - and the different symptoms will be observed by owners with different technical skill level.

Absence of multiple gadgets, in the popout sidebar is probably common to most blogs, as most blogs have more than one accessory gadget. Blog owners reporting this problem may be of very low technical skill level - and will likely have problems applying the workaround.

This problem may be more common than problem reports would imply - as not everybody with a blog, with this problem, will observe the unusually short accessory tab when the accessory bar is docked.

Absence of comments, displayed after the posts will be observed by blog owners who focus on comments, as part of their networking strategy. This will generally involve the more popular blogs (with lots of comments, making their absence more noticeable). Blog owners reporting this problem may be of low technical skill level - and may have problems applying the workaround.

This problem may be more common than problem reports would imply - as not everybody with a blog, with this problem, will observe the absence of comments, displayed after the posts. Some owners, with blogs which receive less comments than others, may not even care.

Absence of Pages entries in the display header bar will be reported by blog owners who have setup a complex structure of dynamic and static pages, and a Pages index to index the pages. The blog owners reporting this will have medium skill level, with the ability to use the Pages wizard. These owners may not necessarily have the ability - or desire - to use the Template Editor effectively. Some of these owners may have problems applying the workaround.

Absence of Posts ("No Posts Found"), with blogs heavy on photos, will be visible in blogs using "Flipcard", "Snapshot", and similar views. Blog owners reporting this problem may be publishing photoblogs. These blog owners will be those who spend a lot of time providing photos - and who may not notice other symptoms, like missing header or sidebar features. These blog owners may be of low technical skill level - and may have problems applying the workaround.

Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Add CSS" will be reported by blog owners who carefully applied appearance and style tweaks, using the Template Designer. The blog owners who apply these tweaks will have medium technical skill level, and the ability to use the "Add CSS" feature in the Template Designer. Some of these owners may have problems applying the workaround.

Absence of template tweaks, applied using "Edit HTML" will be reported by blog owners who customised the blog appearance, using the Template Editor. These blog owners will be of the highest technical skill level. These owners should have no problem applying the workaround.

With the assortment of problems to be fixed by Blogger Engineering, we will likely see each problem worked on, separately. As each problem is solved, we'll likely see new problems become more visible - and existing problems become more urgent, in the eyes of the blog owners.

The number of different possible symptoms, in combination with the number of possible causes of the problems, will create an apparently infinite number of differing complaints - and inconsistent visibility of the problems. Blogger Engineering will be busy, for a while, resolving these problems.

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Dynamic Templates, And Network Problems - #2

We're been getting problem reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from various dissatisfied blog owners, who chose a dynamic template for their blog.

The problems reported involve various symptoms.

• Blogs displayed will lack various gadgets, in the slideout gadget bar.
• Some blogs, when customised, will display using default layout and template settings.
• Some customisations, applied recently, just won't show up.

Various blog owners have discovered a solution, based on code present in newer dynamic templates. This solution has been publicised, in forum discussions - and in various blogs and web sites.

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript'>
      setTimeout(function() {
        blogger.ui().configure().view();
      }, 1000);
</script>

The solution, as proposed, involves a very simple change - but the change won't be immediately, or permanently, 100% effective.

The solution, being publicised by various blog owners and forum helpers, involves a very simple change, using the template editor.

Once you have a secured a back up of your blog template, click on Edit HTML and you will see the html editor come up. Scroll down to the bottom of your template to where you see code that looks like this.

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript'>
      setTimeout(function() {
        blogger.ui().configure().view();
      }, 0);
</script>

Change the 0 to 1000 so it looks like this.

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript'>
      setTimeout(function() {
        blogger.ui().configure().view();
      }, 1000);
</script>

Click on Save Template.

Here, as always, I will strongly recommend that you backup the template, twice - before, and after, you make this template change.

This solution - changing the Timeout setting - will have immediate success with some blog owners, partial or temporary solution with many, and no solution with others.

The number of possible causes of the problems, in combination with the variety of possible symptoms, will create a visibly infinite number of differing complaints - and some complaints will continue, even with the workaround applied. Blogger Engineering will be busy, for a while, resolving these problems.

Once again, I'll suggest that you consider the functional and historical reasons for existence of the dynamic templates. Consider exercising some restraint, when customising your blog. Be part of the solution.

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Dynamic Templates, And Network Problems

We're getting a few problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from blog owners who chose a dynamic view for their blog.

My layout has one colour - yet when I view my blog, it's another colour. The accessory bar is missing gadgets - and there are various tweaks missing. I tried updating, using the Template designer, unsuccessfully. When I finished updating, the preview looked good - but when I saved and viewed my blog, it was still incomplete.

This blog owner, like many owners, may not understand the unique design of the dynamic templates - nor how the design affects what is seen by the readers.

The complexity of a Blogger blog is not truly appreciated by anybody, until possibly when a blog has to be backed up or re built.

There are many components of a Blogger blog - not just the comments, posts, and template.

• Accessories.
• Comments.
• Decorations.
• Gadgets.
• Posts.
• Layout / Template.
• Third party hosted accessories and tweaks.
• URL.

With a non dynamic ("Designer" or "Layout") template, the blog is packaged for viewing, from the many components, on the Blogger servers. When you get a page of a blog, on your computer, it's already packaged - and what you see is immediately ready for viewing.

With a dynamic template, the comments, the posts, the template, and the various other components all arrive separately from the various Google and non Google servers, which provide the blog content - and the blog page is packaged, for viewing, on your computer.

If any piece of the package does not arrive at your computer as soon as the other content, the blog page is packaged, from what is available - but it's going to be missing pieces.

This is why some folks see the posts without the tweaks applied using Template Designer - or the layout lacks a key improvement made using "Edit HTML" - or maybe the accessory bar is short. A piece of the package did not arrive, before the packaging was complete - and the blog was displayed, incomplete.

The alternative would be to have the packaging process wait longer - but how long do you want to wait? What happens if your computer (or your reader's computer) cannot connect to one key Blogger server, to download that one essential component?

How long should a moron wait, before giving up, and asking for details? Or at least clearing cache, and restarting the browser, before trying again?

Packaging a blog page, on the reader's computers, has benefits - and drawbacks. If you occasionally see an inconsistency in your blog, imagine your various readers, with some seeing your tweaks and others seeing only a basic (Blogger standard) template - and you never knowing what everybody is seeing.

For best results, you need to keep the dynamic views simple.

---

(Update August 2013): We have a workaround to the problem - but the workaround is not going to be 100% consistently effective. The lack of consistency is going to be especially noticeable, because of the several different symptoms being reported.

---

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Dynamic Templates, And Jump Break

We see occasional evidence of confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from blog owners who are using a dynamic template.

Why does the Jump Break not show up, in the blog display?

or

Why can't I see the entire post?

Not all blog owners understand the limited options, in the dynamic templates.

Compare the main page of this blog, to a formatted feed page of this blog.

Do you see the differences? I use Jump Break consistently, on my main page posts. Unfortunately, newsfeeds do not include the Jump Break, because the newsfeed standard was developed before Blogger developed their post summarisation feature, Jump Break.

Since dynamic views format the display using the blog posts feed, they have no way to include the Jump Break. The posts feed contains each post, in its entirety. The "Jump Break" snippet code is part of the main page display, not the posts.

This is just one more reason why dynamic templates won't be chosen, on all blogs.

If you want to display your main page as I do, you can't use a dynamic template. Dynamic templates format their posts without using jump break. Some dynamic template "main page" views include text, broken; others include text, unbroken; and still others include only photos. None of the dynamic views include the Jump Break.

Remember that to use dynamic views, you have to set the blog feed to "Full". If you set the feed to "Until Jump Break", dynamic views won't work. The dynamic views format the post displays to the requirements of each different view (selected by the reader), and require the complete post content in the feed. Here's an example of what happens, using "Until Jump Break" - and with a Jump Break included.

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All Template Changes Won't Always Be Visible, When The Blog Is Published

Not all blog owners appreciate the differences between using the various template wizards, and what they will actually see, once the blog is published.

The confusion about the various template wizards, and what is actually seen, expressed in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, is numerous.

Why aren't my changes to the template being saved?

This question is expressed in a number of ways - and has a number of causes.

There are a number of causes of template problems, in general.

• Some problem are caused by Blogger Engineering, as they manage the Blogger application.
• Some problems are caused by the blog owners, as they use (and yes, misuse) the Blogger application.
• Some problems are simply caused by the perception of the blog owners, and will never be resolved, to everybody's expectations.

If you're viewing this blog using a desktop / laptop computer, with a "normal" browser, and you can find the "View Source" control, take a look at the source for this page. Compare what you see there with the display in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard (and allow for some confusion, when using "Edit HTML").

• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Designer" / "Layout" template, you'll see a lot of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Dynamic" template, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog using a redirected "mobile" browser view, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
• If you're using a "mobile" computer, you probably won't even have an option to "View Source".

The bulk of the options in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard, in the "Layout" wizard, and in the Template Designer, are intended to change the "Designer" / "Layout" template views. The three wizards have much less effect, against the "Dynamic" / "Mobile" template views.

If you tweak the CSS settings in "Edit HTML" or the Template Designer - or if you change the layout using "Layout" or the Template Designer - you may not see all of the changes reflected in either a Dynamic or Mobile view.

Sometimes, this is because you have already tweaked the template improperly, preventing the wizard from saving your latest changes. Other times, it may be simply because the Dynamic and Mobile templates are not designed to let you tweak the settings in question.

We've also seen vague suggestions that having the mobile template active can cause the Template Designer font and style selections to be non operational. Font settings, made using the Template Designer, won't be saved and won't appear in the blog, when published. Right now, we're unsure whether the Live Preview window updates reliably.

And recently, uncontrolled customisation of the blog accessory complement, and of the dynamic template code, have caused instability in network access, when viewing blogs using dynamic views.

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Some Blog Owners Reporting The Template Designer Changes Do Not Update On Their Blogs

For several weeks, we're been seeing various reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, mentioning problems with template updates, being made using the Template Designer wizard.

The reports are not so widespread to indicate a complete malfunction - but neither can we dismiss the problem, as being unique to one browser, one template type, or one particular update pattern.

It's likely that we are looking at a number of problems, aggregated and compounded, into one common symptom.

I cannot Save changes in Template Designer.

With a problem report like this, some examining of the details may be appropriate.

The Template Designer wizard, which is a component in the Blogger Dashboard, is a complex and sophisticated collection of menus and utilities, which runs on the blog owners computers.

Like most Blogger code, the Template Designer is subject to the effects of other programs, and various security settings - which may be installed or set on each individual computer, with or without the understanding of the blog owner and / or computer owner. In some cases, the blog owner and computer owner may be different people.

If you are seeing a problem with the Template Designer, when trying to update the layout on your blog, there are several tests which you can make, which may help to isolate the problem.

• Try making the same updates, using another computer.
• Try making the same updates, using another browser on your current computer.
• Try setting up a new blog, with the same template, and make the same updates to the new blog.

If you're able to make one or more of the above alternate updates, that will help to eliminate some, or many, alternate suspects, as the cause of your problem. If other people are reporting this problem, their results from the above tests may or may not correspond with yours - because their base problem may differ from yours.

Right now, we're seeing seven different causes of these problems.

1. Changes made by Blogger Engineering, to support new browser versions and browser updates, and to provide new template features.
2. Changes inherent in new browser versions, made by the browser vendors.
3. Third party browser add-ons, installed by the owners of the various computers.
4. Security settings, inherent in new browser versions and third party add-ons.
5. The cumulative effects of various template tweaks, both made using "Edit HTML" and the Template Designer itself.
6. Unrealistic expectations of blog owners, about effects of Template Designer settings, against all templates provided by Blogger.
7. Unrealistic expectations of blog owners, about effects of Template Designer settings, against templates not provided by Blogger.

Of these possible causes, only #1 (and possibly #2 and #6) are the sole responsibility of Blogger Engineering. The blog owners (and computer owners) must assume some partial responsibility for #2 - and sole responsibility for #3, #4, and #5. The blog owner, and the developer of any custom, third party template, must jointly assume responsibility for #7.

Recently, Blogger Support acknowledged the problem, in part.

Some users have reported that the Apply to Blog button in the Template Designer is non-functional for some Dynamic View templates.

We also have a Rollup Discussion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, where individual details are being provided by various blog owners.

Right now, we're starting to suspect that some "problems" are actually caused by the blog owners, who are simply not aware that not all changes made, using the Template Designer (or the Layout or Template "Edit HTML" wizards), are designed to update all templates used in viewing our blogs.

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Let Your Readers Decide Which Dynamic View To Use, When Viewing Your Blog

Some time ago, I pointed out that our readers should provide the final voice, in deciding how to view our blogs. Not everybody seems to agree with me.

I have been told by my readers, having viewed my blog, that they have the option to change which dynamic setting - because the drop down menu is accessible to them. I have tried this myself when not logged in, and it completely messes up the view I want. How can I fix this so only I can change the settings?

This blog owner believes that only he knows how his readers should see his blog.

It is possible, through the use of the right CSS, to remove specific view selections from the View Select menu, in a dynamic template. Your knowledgeable readers, though, know that the dynamic views are directly accessible through the proper URLs.

Here are three views of this blog. Today, you'll see this article, at the top.

1. This blog, in non dynamic view.
2. This blog, in Magazine view.
3. This blog, in Sidebar view.

Click on the second link, in the list. That should open a new tab or window in the browser, showing this blog, in Magazine view. Look at the browser address window.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/view/magazine

Now, type "sidebar" in place of "magazine", in the address window, and hit Enter.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/view/sidebar

Your readers can do the same, when viewing your blog. Why not allow them the convenience of doing just that, without typing?

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Dynamic Templates, As Part Of Blogger History

Recently, we've seen people who want to use a dynamic template on their blog - but are unwilling to put up with the limitations.

Why can't Google make its Dynamic View Template easy to customize?

and

Why can't I choose who I want reading my blog, and let my readers use a dynamic view?

and

Why should I publish my blog to a "Dynamic Template" - which appears to be Google speak for "It doesn't work at all."?

Not every Blogger blog owner realises why the dynamic templates work as they do, yet offer as few options.

To understand why dynamic templates work - or don't work - as they do, one should understand the history of Blogger blogs, and use of templates.

Creating A New Blog

In terms of questions which seem, to me, to be on the level as the legendary question

Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

the question, asked by some folks in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?

How do I setup a new blog?

would seem to be at the top of the list. But, it's not necessarily so, for everybody.

The process of setting up a new blog, using the New GUI "New Blog" wizard, seems reasonably obvious - for those who have already done one, anyway.

• Hit "New Blog".
• Enter a Title.
• Enter an accepted and available Address.
• Pick a Template.
• Hit "Create blog!".
• Get started - develop your blog - and make it valuable.

But, there are details, which not everybody gets the first time. And Blogger blogs are all about the details - unpleasant at they may be, sometimes.

If you're like me, and create new blogs periodically, note the limit of new blog creation per Blogger account.



The Title

The Title (sometimes referred to as the "Name") is entirely your choice. Any number of blogs can have the same Title - and you can change the Title of your blog now, or any time in the future.

The Address

The Address (also sometimes referred to as the "Name" or "URL") is your choice - but subject to acceptability, and availability. Even with an acceptable and available address verified in real time, if you take any more than 0.00 seconds to hit "Create blog!" after verifying availability, somebody else may steal your choice.

You can change the Address later - but again, subject to acceptability and availability. And if the Address / Name / URL acquires any reputation, you will do well to plan the change, before making the change.

The Template

This is the most daunting selection, for many people - but it's easy enough to change, later. One mistake made sometimes involves people creating a blog intended to be private, and selecting a dynamic template ("Dynamic Views").

Just remember, the longer that you take to get from entering the address, to hitting "Create blog!" - even 1 second - may be too long for some popular blog names.

The Button

One of the most mysterious parts of "Create a blog" is the button

Create blog!

Sometimes, you hit the button, and it does nothing - just sits there looking at you. What now, is Blogger broken? Most likely, you have failed to enter an acceptable and available blog address. Go back to The Address, and try again.

More Advice

You may find more advice, in Blogger Help: Getting Started Guide, and Blogger Help: About URLs.

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