Hackosphere for Blogger Beta

Once upon a time, I took a course in HTML and something called SQL. That was back when a relational database was a new theory. Well, not really, but it sounds better that way.

Needless to say, my understanding of CSS, Javascript and all those web programming languages is cursory at best. When I started this blog, it was just for fun and going to be a personal mom-type blog (cue: All men frantically push the back button, screaming, "Not another blog about breastfeeding!!!") But, fortunately for my husband, I'm just not that into it. Airing my naked and bare personal life out there, that is. Blogging I do like.

What I found, is that I enjoy being a bridge between really techie types (which I don't consider myself, although my husband might argue with that statement) and people who don't know the Internet beyond sending and receiving email or searching on Google. Now part of my job is actually showing others how to promote themselves and their books online. And me, Ms. Impatient, "Hurry up why don't you get it already?!, actually enjoys showing people how to do it.

So I started exploring a little more. I started out with regular Blogger and switched to Blogger Beta not really knowing the difference. But the ability to drop and drag (rather than always moving code around in the template) was nice.

However, the templates are more limited and they sort of force you to play with the code. Ok, when I say play with the code, what I mean is:
1. Find someone who has already done it.
2. Read and closely follow their instructions.
3. Don't do much beyond that.

A couple of cool "Beta hacks" as I now find out they are called are to create a Label Cloud and creating a three column Beta template, versus the standard two they set you up with. Now I'm addicted. I want to see what is possible with free blogging software and hosting. It's almost a wonder why anyone actually needs to pay for web hosting anymore.

Have you hacked your blog's template? Have you found another cool hack?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm using Wordpress because the free Blogger hosting has so many down time issues.

I have used Blogger and did set up a Blogger Beta account. Blogger Beta is nice.

There are lots of hacks for blogger on this site:
beautifulbeta.blogspot.com
Unknown said…
Thanks for the tip!

It has been a little up and down, but so far, I guess I'm ok with that. I need an excuse to get up from the computer once in awhile!
Cristina said…
I'm finding problems when I try to comment on other blogspot blogs. I'm not in beta yet and they are. Do you have any idea why this could be happening?

In fact, I'm having trouble commenting here as well.

Mommy off the Record
http://www.mommyofftherecord.blogspot.com
Cristina said…
p.s. My comment here finally went through if I use my Google password, but it doesn't work if I use my blogger username and password. Weird.
Unknown said…
I changed my blog so it's not in a pop-up window anymore. Maybe that will help. For some reason the pop-ups show up really weird on a PC, but work fine on a Mac.
Anonymous said…
I was starting to wonder when you would change the header. Just because you had changed so many other things.
It's really cool..
Unknown said…
Thanks! I am not done yet, but it is improving. Next I think the gray has to go, it's a bit too industrial for me.

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