wonky is as wonky does and an amateur's guide to blog reconfiguration
i'd like to say it was a thoroughly "enriching" experience,
re-configuring my blogfrom scratch ... but i'd only be lying.
/// READ THE REST HERE
tis easy tolie perpetuate a white-lie, especially online ... you spin fables where once facts existed and create fiction from the mundaneness of a utilitarian act, such as reconfiguring a blog. well, the fact is; it was a real pain-in-the-ass. and without regaling everyone on the finer negativities of ever attempting such an act, i have only two words of wisdom to share: HTML SUCKS ... or rather, my pathetic lack of knowledge for it ... *heh*
so what happens when you press UPGRADE TEMPLATE? everything in your sidebar items disappear. NOTHING is left behind, no links, no pics, no sitemeters, nothing - everything that you might have added unto the blog (besides the posts) are gone ... so folks, if you intend to give it a go (crossing my fingers for ya, Kirkland! go for it, dude!) - i would advise you to copy+paste the contents of your "OLD" template (which you can still access later on the blog) and save it somewhere - you will need to reference it when you attempt to reconfigure the new blog (at the very least your links-URLs :p) - hell, i depended on it ...
but i haveta say; seeing you blog which you've worked hard for before, in that "newborn" stage was both intensely surreal, and at the same time heartwrenching ... *tear* :p
for sure it wasn't as hard to fill-in the necessary blanks/fields in the new blogger-template, and the simple ability to change the font, size and color was a very welcomed function, and reprieve (i remember mucking about "manually" in HTML whenh i started URGH) - but of coz there are limitations, like line-weight/space between sentences - which can be worked around in the Edit HTML-section ...
a suggestion: if you have an old blogger or even register a new blog account, so that you could "experiment" on it first ... feel your way around the template and html (NOTE: this is suitable for folks like ME who's knowledge of HTML sucks goats' testicles, yeh?) ... and maybe one day, i'd be able to attempt a 3-column blog-template .... (anybody has any tips, please?)
the one that nearly broke my spirit, was the collapsible/summarized post-function. the hacks didn't really make much sense with the new HTML (not that it did the old LOL) and t'was thru utter trial-and-error which i could achieve the best function as i could. (yes, when you re-configure the template, all previous hacks are also gone)
... but/and in actuality (after all is done - but not "before" LOL) im grateful for the self-given opportunity to dust away the virtual-cobwebs, to tidy-up the messy cyber-abode (not that it's any tidier now LOL - it's like stacking-up a buncha stuff when instead you should be chucking them away :p) and maybe put on a wee shine here and there ... and basically chuck any deadweight-info, while burdening it with more new ones! LOL
new stuff added on the sidebar:
- new links to new blogs created over the weekend (the PLAN is afoot): TOYSREVIL CUSTOMS and TRANSFORMERS, ROLL OUT!, and generally sweetening out some older blogs :)
- new links to some of my more "personal" posts - remembering this blog wasn't all about "news" not too long ago :p
- i'll let you folks "discover" the rest ... *heh* :)
for sure there's loads more to be done, but meanwhile tis back to blog-business! thanks for coming back y'all :)
re-configuring my blog
/// READ THE REST HERE
tis easy to
so what happens when you press UPGRADE TEMPLATE? everything in your sidebar items disappear. NOTHING is left behind, no links, no pics, no sitemeters, nothing - everything that you might have added unto the blog (besides the posts) are gone ... so folks, if you intend to give it a go (crossing my fingers for ya, Kirkland! go for it, dude!) - i would advise you to copy+paste the contents of your "OLD" template (which you can still access later on the blog) and save it somewhere - you will need to reference it when you attempt to reconfigure the new blog (at the very least your links-URLs :p) - hell, i depended on it ...
but i haveta say; seeing you blog which you've worked hard for before, in that "newborn" stage was both intensely surreal, and at the same time heartwrenching ... *tear* :p
for sure it wasn't as hard to fill-in the necessary blanks/fields in the new blogger-template, and the simple ability to change the font, size and color was a very welcomed function, and reprieve (i remember mucking about "manually" in HTML whenh i started URGH) - but of coz there are limitations, like line-weight/space between sentences - which can be worked around in the Edit HTML-section ...
a suggestion: if you have an old blogger or even register a new blog account, so that you could "experiment" on it first ... feel your way around the template and html (NOTE: this is suitable for folks like ME who's knowledge of HTML sucks goats' testicles, yeh?) ... and maybe one day, i'd be able to attempt a 3-column blog-template .... (anybody has any tips, please?)
the one that nearly broke my spirit, was the collapsible/summarized post-function. the hacks didn't really make much sense with the new HTML (not that it did the old LOL) and t'was thru utter trial-and-error which i could achieve the best function as i could. (yes, when you re-configure the template, all previous hacks are also gone)
... but/and in actuality (after all is done - but not "before" LOL) im grateful for the self-given opportunity to dust away the virtual-cobwebs, to tidy-up the messy cyber-abode (not that it's any tidier now LOL - it's like stacking-up a buncha stuff when instead you should be chucking them away :p) and maybe put on a wee shine here and there ... and basically chuck any deadweight-info, while burdening it with more new ones! LOL
new stuff added on the sidebar:
- new links to new blogs created over the weekend (the PLAN is afoot): TOYSREVIL CUSTOMS and TRANSFORMERS, ROLL OUT!, and generally sweetening out some older blogs :)
- new links to some of my more "personal" posts - remembering this blog wasn't all about "news" not too long ago :p
- i'll let you folks "discover" the rest ... *heh* :)
for sure there's loads more to be done, but meanwhile tis back to blog-business! thanks for coming back y'all :)
