Blogging Basics 101

My real name is showing up on Bloglines from my TypePad account. Any idea where I change that?

Many bloggers like to maintain their anonymity. Part of this is not inadvertently telling people your real name because you didn't know what options you have in your Author Profile.

TypePad

1. Go to Control Panel > Profile > Author Profile.
2. Type in the appropriate name in the Nickname field. If you leave the Nickname field blank, your real name will show up on feeds and such.
3. Click Save Changes.

Blogger

1. On your Blogger Dashboard, choose Edit Profile.
2. Uncheck the box next to Show my real name if you'd like to keep that secret; check the box if you want your real name to be shown.

How do I back up my template?

It's especially important to back up your template before you export your content or make changes to your design because once you make a change and save it, there's no going back (unless you know exactly what you did and can undo it).

Blogger

1. Log in to your account and click Layout.
2. On the Template tab, click Edit HTML.
3. Highlight and copy all of the HTML in the box.
4. Open your word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word or Pages) and open a new file or document.
5. Paste the HTML into your new document.
6. Save. Remember to make a note of where you saved this information.

TypePad

1. Log in to your TypePad account and click on Design.
2. On the Design tab, click Saved Designs.
3. Click the box next to the design you want to back up (there should be a check in the box after you click it).
4. Click the button that says Duplicate.

You now have a copy of your design. I would suggest working on the duplicate instead of the one marked Current Design. This will allow you to make changes and preview them before going live.

WordPress.org provides a tutorial for backing up your database.

Is changing from one blog provider to another difficult? Will I basically be starting over or is there a way to import my old posts, links, blogrolls, etc?

The process of changing your blog provider isn't terribly painful. Plenty of bloggers have done it and we've all lived to tell the tale. Just about every blog provider gives clear instructions on how to import or export content and I'll point you to those tutorials.

The first thing you need to do is backup your content. Then you'll need to follow the directions of the relevant provider (links below).

TypePad allows you to import/export content from several other providers:

• Import from Blogger/Blogspot
• Import from WordPress
• Import from Moveable Type and other providers

Blogger does not offer an import tool so the only reliable way to change from a provider to Blogger is to cut and paste your entries. The Real Blogger Status offers a work-around, but it seems a bit complicated.

WordPress.org provides instructions for importing content from various other providers. Be aware that WordPress.org only allows users of WordPress 2.2 and higher to import from Blogger. In addition, Jordan at Momma Blogga has written The Ultimate Guide to Migrating from Blogger to WordPress. You'll definitely want to check her out.

I have been blogging for a few months now and would like to switch from Blogger to Typepad. I am ready to add my own originality to my blog and feel that Typepad may offer a few more options for creativity. Is this a good idea?

Many bloggers who have decided to take the plunge and write on a regular basis (What? Who said addiction? Wasn't me.) usually move to Typepad or WordPress.com or WordPress.org because it's a little more professional (whatever that means--I know a few big bloggers who still use Blogger and don't use domain names either). In the beginning, Blogger was down a lot, and people moved away from it. I think they've resolved that problem for the most part.

To me, the question you have is really about being able to have total creative control over the look and feel of your blog. Having more creativity also means needing to understand and know more CSS, HTML, code-y stuff. Blogger actually is great because it allows you to change your HTML and CSS as you see fit. You can do it no problem with a few tutorials found online.

If you are looking at moving to TypePad, you should know that you must have at least a Pro level account ($14.95/month) to change your CSS. You can upload a banner and change the colors via the Design page with the Plus level ($8.95/month), but you can't make significant changes without the Pro account or higher. In addition, you need to understand CSS and be able to make modifications yourself. There's a learning curve there, but it can be done.

My advice is to look closely at each blog provider and how much you'll pay for which services. We have an article that links to many of the popular blog hosts. If I were you, I'd see if Blogger already met the expectations I had before switching to a paid service. Also, I have heard only great things about WordPress.

What say you, bloggers? Do you think you really have more freedom with TypePad (or another provider) than with Blogger? Weigh in!

Tomorrow I'll tell you how to transfer your current blog content to a new provider.

Scraping

I received the following e-mail:

From time to time I find a link back to a post I made (either on my WordPress dashboard or Technorati) in which the blog linking to me appears to be just links to other posts surrounded by Google ads rather than a real blog: there is no original content, just series of links and ads. Many times they use my name, but sometimes they have really weird names attributed as the author of my post. The link, however, does go back to my original post. I don't mind when real bloggers link to me -- I love it -- but I don't want my posts just used for ad revenue. Is there anything that can be done about this kind of thing or is it best just ignored?

What you are describing is called scraping and is illegal. Scraping is essentially stealing a blog's content and using that content to gain revenue. Needless to say this hurts you because you are the owner of the stolen content, it messes up your search engine rankings, someone is making money off your content and it ain't you, they may have content on their site that you wouldn't approve of (including adult content), and they may link back to you thus reinforcing that you are associated with said inappropriate content. The list goes on and on.

I'm terribly sorry this is happening to you.  It's a practice that should not be ignored. Three things you can do are send an e-mail/letter to the offending site's owner, contact the site's ISP, and/or seek legal council. John-Paul Micek has an excellent article with more in-depth information on these three options. Be sure to read the comments because his readers offer even more advice.

Other articles to read:

• Four Ways to Enforce Your Copyright via SEOmoz
• Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act
• Copyright via Wikipedia
• Website Spidering and Scraping: A Legal Minefield

Not sure if you're being scraped? You can try MyBlogProtector. Before you sign up, though, read their Terms of Agreement and Privacy Policies thoroughly to see if it's the right site for you.

Some ways to help prevent scraping on your own site:

• This one is for advanced bloggers: How to Create the Perfect .htaccess File
• John-Paul also offers some advice to help yourself avoid being scraped. Following his advice doesn't mean you won't get scraped, but it may help you discourage the practice.
• Cloaking to Stop Scraping via Plagiarism Today.
• Antileech is a WordPress plugin via Weblog Tools Collection.

How do I backup/download/save/transfer my blog files?

I receive many questions asking how to preserve blogs. It's a good idea to back up your work no matter what you're doing. If you've ever lost work because you didn't save (even if it was just in a word processing program), you know how painful it can be to lose your stuff. Computers and servers crash. Not as much as they used to, but there is the occasional loss of work even now.

Today I'll tell you how to back up your files from Blogger, TypePad, and WordPress.com so you can either save them to your computer, move them to another blogging platform, or make them into a book. Tomorrow I'll tell you about two companies that will help you make your blog into a book so you'll have a keepsake forever.

Blogger doesn't have a backup program, but you can log in to your account and create a file that contains all of your blog posts. Blogger provides instructions for making this backup file. Before you start, make a copy of your template and save it to your computer so you can restore it later (the Blogger instructions remind you of this, but I thought it was worth mentioning here too).

TypePad has an article on why you should backup your content. TypePad also has an export tool so you can create a text file of your blog content. This file will include posts, comments, and trackbacks. Those using Basic Templates will not be able to backup your template; users with Advanced Templates can copy and paste your template into a new text file and save it.

WordPress.com is pretty easy. Click on Manage > Export.

WordPress blogs should use the WordPress Database Backup plugin.

Additional help for backing up your blog:

• Bloggerdesign.com
• ScrapBook: a Mozilla Firefox extension.
• GetLeft: a PC utility.
• Site Sucker: a Mac utility.

How do I add a link to my archives on Blogger?

This is a great question for a Friday. It's easy to answer and easy to implement.

1. Log in to Blogger.
2. Go to Layout > Template > Page Elements.
3. Click Add a Page Element.
4. Scroll down until you see Blog Archives and click the Add to Blog button under it.
5. Click Save.

That's it. No kidding. You're a rock star.

If you want to customize how your archives are shown just click the Edit link on your Blog Archive page element. You'll see a whole slew of stuff you can play with.

I've set up a new blog that really needs to have the oldest posts on top. Is there a way I can reorder the entries so that they begin with the oldest entry on top?

TypePad

1. Log in to TypePad.
2. Go to Weblogs > Configure > Preferences.
3. Under Post Listing Preferences you'll see an option labeled Order of Posts.
4. Choose Oldest First under Order of Posts.
5. Click Save.

You can find more in-depth instructions about configuring your posting preferences in the TypePad Knowledge Base.

Blogger

Unlike TypePad, Blogger does not have a way to mark your publishing preferences so your posts show up in chronological order (instead of the usual reverse chronological order, i.e., newest first). To have your posts publish in chronological order, you will have to change the publish date of the post so it shows up in the order you want it to.

1. Log in to Blogger.
2. Go to Posts.
3. Click Edit by a post that needs the date edited.
4. Click Post Options (found at the bottom of the Compose box).
5. Change Post date and time as needed.
6. Click Publish Post.
7. Repeat these steps as necessary so your posts appear in the correct order.

To change your archives to list the oldest post first:

1. Log in to Blogger.
2. Go to the Template > Page Elements.
3. If you do not already have a Blog Archive element, add one now.
   1. Click Add Page Element.
   2. Scroll down to find Blog Archive.
   3. Click Add to Blog.
4. If you already have a Blog Archive element, click Edit.
5. Under Options, check Show Oldest Posts First.
6. Click Save Changes.

WordPress
I searched for "reverse order" and "oldest post first" in the WordPress database. It looks like there is a plug-in for this type of publishing preference.

I'm searching for info on how to back up my blog. Can you guys help me?

Depending on which blogging platform you use, there are various ways to backup your blogging data.

If you are using Blogger, they provide instructions for you on how to make a single file of all your blog posts to save to your computer. If you are a Firefox user, there is an extension that will make backing up your posts even easier.

If you are using WordPress, Chris McDermott has a post that tells you how to back up your posts the easy way or the hard way.

If you are using TypePad, their Knowledge Base provides instructions on how to back up your blog posts, type lists, images, files, etc.

Lifehacker offers advice on how to mirror your site on your computer (for both Mac and Windows users). You'll end up with a working version of your blog on your computer that you can view off-line.

Blogger recently established a box at the bottom of comment sections that you can check to get follow up comments sent to you. I don't want to read "everyone's" comments in the string, only if the author responds. Is this the way it works?

No. If you check the box to be updated (via e-mail) with new comments or responses, you will receive all comments/responses (including those posted by the author). Depending on the discussion topic, the site's traffic, etc. this may or may not inundate you with e-mail.