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Of Blogger And Wal*Mart

One currently popular joke goes
If you don't think that God has a sense of humour, try shopping in WalMart sometime.
Some folks go on to add more, possibly redundant, advice
... and look in the mirror.


So how does this apply to Blogger? Blogger, like WalMart, caters to those with more basic human needs. WalMart, by carrying everything from grapes, to tires, to underwear, and vision care, is a one stop shopping center. And you'll see folks of all types there.

Blogger, with its One Button Publishing service, appears to be targeting the WalMart customers of the Internet. Many people, who barely know how to turn the computer on, and to use a mouse, are busy creating their own web sites, and learning as they go.

But there are some components of Blogger that aren't intended for WalMart shoppers.

Google Custom Domains
In the process of allowing us to setup a web site hosted on Google, using a non-BlogSpot URL, we have to setup a DNS referral. For those of us who understand computers (OK, some portion of computers anyway), this is a pretty simple process - two steps, really. No complex decision making, just A then B.

Most WalMart shoppers know to trust their car (tire mounting) or their eyes (vision care) to a professional. Yet some insist on making their own non-BlogSpot web site, and while doing so, request help with the requirement
I need it explained as if you were explaining it to a 3yr old


Some people just don't get it. They will have to involve a paid professional, to work with them in real time, in a one to one basis. Google Custom Domains just isn't a product that everybody can do, on their own. Even WalMart shoppers, who embody the Do It Yourself spirit, can't do everything on their own.

You pay for DNS Hosting, in most cases. Involve the Support Team of the DNS Host, and get the CNAME referral setup properly.

Custom Templates
Another issue that's relevant here is the Blogger Template. If the posts are the flesh of the blog, providing colour and shape, the template is the skeleton. Blogger has given us a dozen or so base templates to choose from, plus the ability to use our own. And, they have structured the template code, and added components (the "widgets") which make it less necessary to edit the template at all, if we need to add any of dozens of popular blog accessories.

Yet some bloggers insist
I'm a journalist, not a tech person, and BLOGGER shouldn't expect everyone who uses it to understand code talk.


And everybody doesn't have to know code talk. If you're going to drive your car, and fill the tank with gasoline, you can trust the maintenance to a qualified mechanic. And you won't need to own even a screwdriver or wrench. And you can add any of dozens of accessories to your blog, as page elements, without going near Template Editor.

But if you're going to mount a custom engine in your car, you better have a torque wrench, and know how to use one. And, if you're going to put a custom template in your blog, you better learn XML, and the vagaries of Template Editor.

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