Customize Your New Blogger Blog with New Templates

Customizing your blogger blog is very easy. Blogger has a user interface that is new user friendly. You don't have to know HTML to make blog sites. Most options for adding things to your blog have little menu boxes for you to choose what you want to do. For the more advanced user there is a lot you can do if you're familiar with HTML.

When I first started my blog, I knew a little basic HTML from college so that helped and I also have a Myspace page which uses a lot of HTML also.The backgrounds and layouts are all in code so it is easy to apply. Just copy the code once it's been generated by the software and place in your edit HTML code box. This is actually a text editor and will place the code for you.

I created a very basic blog to start, using the layout provided on the Blogger site. It was OK, but I am used to graphics and music used on my other pages. A friend of mine was designing a website at the time and we were discussing backgrounds and layouts. I started wondering if I could change the Blogger layout to my own design or another one. After all it is still just HTML. Well sort of.....I discovered much later that it was XML.

I did a Google search for layouts that were compatible with Blogger.This is easy, just go to Google and type in "Blogger templates" in the search box.There will be a few sites generated, the one I chose was called PYZAM.com, they have templates for Blogger, Myspace, and Friendster. I had tried a few others before I realized it would have to be compatible software. It made my page come out looking funny with a bunch of little tiny boxes all over that said"Oops", so back to the drawing board. A more experienced user with a little more HTML coding knowledge may be able to make other templates work with Blogger. I chose this one because it was easier for me, but you may be able to go a little further.

This time I did it right and found some nice looking layouts and backgrounds. I chose a couple to try out since you can make changes as long as you don't save the template before your done. You can add the code, then hit preview to see how it will look. If you like it and are satisfied, then hit save template. If not just go back and try a new code.

I found a template that I like and went well with the theme of my blog, a little green fairy, for my Frugal Living blog. To apply your new t4template to Blogger, sign in to your Blogger dashboard, click on settings, then choose the layout tab,then go to edit HTML. Once you have your code copied to the clipboard just remove all the code from the template box and paste your new code in there and hit preview, this will show you what it looks like.If you like it then hit save template. That's it.

Since I had posts already on my blog it kept them so I didn't lose any of my saved work. But I did have to replace all of my ads and links and favorite sites since that was part of the template. But it turned out quite nice and I am very happy with it. I also changed my Wiccan and pagan blog as well. Gave it a nice shadowy blue background, a nature scene, and added a little music player to it. I like it much better than the plain dull Blogger background. Now it has style, my style! And you can personalize yours with your own style. I am doing another part to this article since there is a lot to go over. I will go into a little more detail in the next article on how to add elements and links to other sites, as well as RSS feed.

If you'd like to see an example of what I was talking about, visit my blogs listed on my profile. It's easier to understand something if you can actually see what the person is referring to.