Half of this stuff I didn't even know was possible. I just signed into Blogger, set up an account, selected a template and let loose whatever was on my mind. I nearly had a stroke trying to get a counter downloaded and to this day, my analytic reports are totally screwed up. It was only recently that I was able to take down my post-it note with the copy/cut/past directions for my computer.
Fancy clip art? I haven't a clue, I just look around the house for something that relates to my post, take a photo and download it, otherwise no pretty pictures to look at here. (I think that's pretty obvious today!) If it hadn't been for the kindness of Kimi at So Many Kids So Little Time (BTW, she has a great blog and I'll fall over if this link I just added actually works!), I would not be able to proudly display the two awards in my blog margin.
Just so you know, I admire your personalized icons, I see your links to this and that, sharing info and just shake my head wondering how you guys have figured all this stuff out.
Please don't think I'm a snob if I don't hook up to your links or download your clever icons in my margin. It's not that I don't want to or that I'm ignoring you, dislike you or can't stand you, I just don't know what I'm doing half the time. If it wasn't for the "Follow" button I wouldn't even be able to do that!
Just wanted to put that out there so now with that being said, I guess I should jump into our truck and head to the nearest bookstore to see if they have the latest edition of "Blogging for Dummies" on Apple!
31 comments:
About the blog add-ons, I would like to politely say to everyone in blog world that the music buttons added to some blogs are not enjoyable (to me). If a bog contains music, I ALWAYS "mute" the songs. I just like to read the blog posts with my own thoughts... I find the music is too distracting. I wonder how others feel about that.
Having said that, there are so many lovely and talented bloggers out there... my problem with reading the blogs is that it is keeping me from reading my books!!! Oh well... have a great day everyone!! Hugs from Anchorage, Alaska. xoxo
Hey the link does work. Look at you go! Seriously if you need help messing about let me know and I'm happy to help with anything I can.
I agree with Ina on the music. For some reason it makes me a little crazy. But I'm weird like that...and I used to have it on my blog so I'm guilty of using something that irritates me, lol.
I also hate the music and always mute it. Irritates me. We forgive you!
It's all not really as hard as it looks... some of use just spend WAY too much time (and many late nights) playing with our blogs instead of doing important things like... oh, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc!
Hi Ina, thanks for commenting. Yes, sometimes the music can be annoying, especially when I'm blog surfing late at night and everyone is sleeping, that sudden blast of music has made me jump more than once!
Hi Kimi, hope I get an A+ for getting that link to work, sure surprised me when I tried it! Thanks for helping me out :)
Hi Lee, thanks for stopping by and for commenting. I loved your post on your daughter's ear piercing! BTW, what are you going to do if she wants to get anything else pierced??
Hi Martha, You hit the nail on the head about the housework piling up because we spend so much time on here Lol! Thanks for commenting!
I didn't know a thing when I started either. Lots of trial and error and google searching. I still can't really do that much. I had to pay somebody to design my blog. :(
99% of us don't do this ourselves. We pay people.
Coming over from KYS's place.
I'm with you. I got my Dummies book, spend a lot of time on the Internet looking for answers. Also hired my friend. I stumble into just enough that I totally screw her up and it takes about an hour for her to understand where I am. It kinda makes me feel good that I might actually be learning as I'm going. This week it took the two of us two and a half hours to update my new WordPress theme. It has taken me another week of playing with it. I had hoped to be going "live" with my new and improved look this week.
Now I'm thinking of paying someone to help me. :-)
I was lucky enough to have a son that does this stuff. So he found all the stuff that is on my blog! AND we have had many a crazy coversation over what I did to screw it up! So I take absolutely NO credit for the half witch or dancin' boots or twinkle dust on my page! I am learnging something new on this stuff everyday! I love reading about ohters and this has become so much fun I almost forget about SCHOOL! =0)
I'm envious, too! I luckily had a reader from the beginning who takes college classes in some kind of computer-something, and she advised me (via email) on several to-dos and not-to-dos. And some things I've just stumbled onto and figured out myself. My husband, who considers himself a computer expert, TRIED to figure out for me how to embed a video diretly onto my site, but he finally declared it couldn't be done. I waited til he went to bed and had it done in ten minutes!
I agree about the music, but I feel so guilty about muting what someone has obviously gone to a great of time and effort to install, that I usually just end up listening. That is, for a minute or two, then I just HAVE to mute it!
When i started blogging, i didn't know too much. And still trying to figure out new things everyday.
Thank God my Married Boo and Son In Boo helped me when I first started. There wouldn't have been a blog. I would've canned it a long time ago.
I also am not one for listening to the music. I usually mute it as well. I don't need anything to make me jump and wet my pants! :)
Hi Blueviolet & Martinis or Diaper Genies, Whew! I feel so much better knowing that most of the bells and whistles have been installed and designed by pros. There are some very talented people out there!
Hi Corrie, thanks for stopping by and the follow :)
You mean there really is a blogging for dummies book? That made me laugh out loud, I was just making it up! Hope to see your new look soon and I may have to actually go find that book!
Hi KaLynn, yes most of today's kids navigate the web and computers so much better than we did. In my day, a computer took up an entire room and everything you did screwed them up. No back buttons!
Hi Ethel, Laughed out loud at your hubby story, so typical! Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
Hi Yonca, I'm with you. I'm learning something everyday like that link I installed that actually worked! Freaked me out!
I don't know anything about techy stuff or blog design. I don't have any time to learn either. I'm just a plain Jane doing my thing.
Hi Chocolate Covered Daydreams, we must have posted at the same time! My other half is worse at computers than I am so is the one asking for help. I do my best but I should take a course.
I hear you on the music, when I'm blog surfing late at night and everyone is in bed, I jump right out of my seat when the music starts!
Hi Kys, We must all be on here at the same time! Your posts don't sound like they are written by a plain Jane to me! Glad to hear that not everyone feels the pressure to keep up with all the technical mumbo jumbo!
Love the title of your blob, just popped over from kys.
If this book exists let me know...I never thought I'd need to know code but I'm limited in the blogging world because I don't.
Come check out the respite sometime, I writing my history on spirituatity...LOL! not to light but you'll get to know a lot about me.
much love
Fortunately for me I have a 13 year old son that figures blog stuff out for me. I just tell him what I want to do and he'll either do it for me or show me. I've been blogging almost two years now and I still feel like everyone knows so much more than me! Oh well... I'm having fun. For me, that's all that matters!
Hi Stacey, Thanks for finding me. I've checked your blog and will definitely be following. A lot like my sister's blog so I have stayed up plenty a night talking about this stuff over a glass of wine (or two or three) with her.
BTW, you can see that I'm pretty limited myself in the blogging world.
Hi JAM, Isn't it great that the kids today can just whiz around the computers, can't wait until my 3 1/2 year old is better at this than me which should happen in about another 3 1/2 years Lol! And yes, I'm having a blast here too which is all that matters at the end of the day :)
Thanks for stopping by!
You'll be surprised how fast you'll learn a lot. Before you know it, you'll be a blogging pro. ;)
Thank you for the follow. I'm following you also and looking forward to it. Don't feel bad,I'm still learning about blogging too.
Found you via How to Survive Life in the Burbs and glad I did.
The bells and whistles are like any other collection, in my opinion. You just start gathering them as you go. Every now a then I'll read a blog post where someone shares how they've done this or that and I copy!
I think your blog looks just great the way it is. Am a new groupie. :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who envies all the creative stuff on other people's blogs.
I'd love to change mine, but everytime I sign on, I'm more interested in reading blogs than being technical, which by the way, I was a computer programmer many years ago. lol
I dibble and dabble a little at a time. Eventually, I'll rank up there with the experts.
My only fear: I was reading a Q and A blog, and saw that a woman deleted her whole (3 years) blog by mistake when she was just trying to delete her gmail address. Yikes! She was asking about recovery. That was scary. I'm sure we all are very "attached" to this "new baby" of ours. :)
I think your blog is great as is. Sometimes when bloggers get wrapped up in too many widgets etc. they don't seem to concentrate as much on the writing and I really love reading everyone's posts.
It took me a lot of trial by error to get my blog where it is. I like it but sometimes even I wish I spent more time on writing and not as much on technicalities.
Oh, we definitely need to go to lunch. The name of my blog says all you need to know about me!
I've gone through a few different stages of 'dressing up' my blog. It was a lot more complicated at one time; but it felt claustrophobic to me. But I am never going to be a 'real' blogger, so adding all the extras has become less important to me as time goes by. I can't even believe I paid someone to make a header.
That's just my opinion. I love seeing all the different blogs and all the talented people and the clever things they come up with.
I've read parts of the dummy book for macs and I am still too dumb. It helps to get to know people who know stuff. :)
A lot of us are in the same boat. You learn a little along. Fun though, plain or not. I'm all about menopause if you need to talk...or scream!
Theta Mom, I don't know if I'll ever be a pro but I'm lucky to have found some very nice people here who are helping me along.
My Aimless Infatuation, thanks for the follow. Yes, I've heard from a lot of bloggers who are learning the ropes too, nice to know we aren't alone!
Hi Stacey, thanks for the thumbs up on my plain Jane blog. I'm learning but for now, I'm enjoying reading everyone's blogs so would rather spend my time doing that than fighting with my settings.
Yikes Anita, I didn't know it was possible to delete my entire blog! Isn't that what the back button is for? I've nearly worn the letters off mine!
Hi 2 Toddlers and Me, Again, thanks for the thumbs up even though my blog is pretty plain. I think you have a point though, content is always going to get more attention that the bells and whistles. I'm envious of those who have both!
Hi Mama-face, I'm all for going out for lunch! I'll never be a 'real' blogger either. Just happy to vent once in a while and read what others are up to.
Thanks for all your comments ladies!
I have to admit, music drives me nuts. But...I don't know how to do it, so I guess they know a bit more of the technical stuff than I do!!
I think simpler is better. Too busy a page gives me a headache.
Great post! I just built a blog for my mom recently and she is just as new to all this as you are. I get a kick out of the "newbies" coming into this and the enthusiasm they bring to the table (my first blog dates back to 1997). It is so cool to see the blogging community grow by leaps and bounds on a daily basis.
And thanks for the comment on my blog about my ghosties! Much appreciated!
Take care of you!
Rabbit
It is an incredible amount of info to take in...isn't it. I feel like I'm always 10 steps behind. Someone asked me today if my blog is on Facebook. I couldn't for the life of me figure out a how or why for that. It may be great...but doesn't make sense to me. Fun post. Holly at lifelaughlatte.blogspot.com
Hi Just Playin', thanks for stopping by. You're right though, the content of the posts is more important than the bells and whistles. You want to talk menopause, you've come to the right place. Also check out Anita at Beyond the Diapers and Spills. She just did a great post on it!
Hi LZ, thanks for commenting. Funny, not one comment giving the blog music a thumbs up, at least not yet. Maybe some sunglasses will help with that headache from the bells and whistles!
Hey Rabbit, Wow! You can build a blog? I'm keeping you in my favorites! Yes, the blogging community is growing so fast, so many nice people out here. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Holly, Yes, only I'm about 30 steps behind. No way I would connect this to facebook, I'm confused enough as it is!
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