When You Create A Blog, Only Type The Blog Name, To Check For Availability

Too many would be blog owners are unable to create a blog, because they don't understand how to check for availability.

I can't seem to type in a URL, without it saying it's not available.

Some people don't understand that you do not type a URL - you just type a blog name, when checking for availability.

This is the (BlogSpot) URL of this blog.

http://bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com

This is the (BlogSpot) name of this blog.

bloggerstatusforreal

If I was going to use the "Create a blog" wizard, and create this blog, I would type the name - "bloggerstatusforreal". If I typed the entire URL "http://bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com" - even if "bloggerstatusforreal" was available (and no, it is not ever going to be available), I should expect to see

Sorry, this blog address is not available.

It's that simple - only type the name, to check for availability.

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Fluctuations In Stats Pageview Counts Are More Obvious, To Owners Of Newer Blogs

Some owners of newer Blogger blogs spend time reading their Stats logs, and worry that their "All time" pageview counts don't always go up - they go down, too.

Why do the counts go down? Is there one number, that I can believe?

They don't understand that with Stats, you need to look for trends - not absolute readings. In the beginning, fluctuations are more obvious, and trends are less obvious.

Thanks to the referer spam war, and to normal visitor activity, even the "All time" numbers will go up and down - for newer blogs, which have less genuine and constant visitor traffic. And the constant rise and fall is scary - until you get used to it.

Newer blogs have less established readers, which makes both the periodic referer spam and normal visitor activity generated spikes more visible. With the 4 limited time ranges (Now, Day, Week, and Month), the spikes will "move" in and out of context - and make pageview counts in these time ranges fluctuate. When a spike in numbers "moves in" to a time range, the pageview counts will rise, suddenly. When a spike "moves out" of a time range, the counts will fall, just as suddenly.

With newer blogs, the fluctuations exert a "double whammy".

1. The fluctuations are more visible, because overall genuine visitor activity is lower. Less readers = less visitor activity.
2. Worrying over the fluctuations takes time away from working on the blog. Less time working on the blog leads to less blog content, attracts less new readers, and leads to less visitor activity.

More experienced blog owners know to use Stats to watch for trends - not immediate numbers.

The answer is simple, really. Monitor Stats periodically - not constantly. Watch for trends, and know how to interpret the trends. Spend more time working on your blog, because that's where the value of your blog lies.

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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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