The Real Blogger Status

One naive attitude, about publishing a Blogger blog, involves adding features to one's blog - and the observation that every Blogger feature or modification is not uniformly available, with entry level instructions. We see the complaints, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue , too frequently. I can't get this feature to work! Why is Blogger so complicated? and I have no idea what I need to do. Please guide me, in simple language - as if I were 6 years old! Both attitudes show lack of understanding about technical projects in general - and Blogger features, and modifications, in particular.

We see this question, in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I? , a couple times / year. Can I keep using a Classic template on my blog - or must I upgrade? Right now, Blogger won't require anybody to upgrade. You can stay with a Classic template, if you want. That said, there is no guarantee that the next major Blogger problem will not leave Blogger Engineering deciding to cut their losses, and move forward. If we can get Blogger back online with Layout and better today - as opposed to Classic templates, next week - let's drop Classic templates, and bring it back, today. They've moved forward, this way, in the past - and next week, they could, again. Eventually, this will happen. One day, Blogger will come back online - but without your blog.

Too many Blogger blog owners ask what is allowed, when they publish a Blogger blog. Asking what is allowed is a waste of time . We have explained, repeatedly, that whitelisting of blogs is not possible . It would be better to ask what is required, when requesting advice or assistance, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken . Since the purpose of publishing a Blogger blog is to have content for people to read, what is required is unique content , that is composed to satisfy the targeted reader population .

When you go to the doctor to report a health problem, you'll likely tell him Doctor, I have a pain. and he will likely ask you Where does it hurt? If you tell him My stomach hurts. he will probably ask When does it hurt? and How long has it been hurting? None of these are formalities or mere protocol, they are systematic problem identification procedures. We diagnose problems with Blogger, using similar techniques.

Periodically, in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I? , we see the naive request. Please, take a minute and let me know how safe my blog is. Here, the blog owner wants to know whether it's possible that his blog might be classified as a spam host, in the near future. This is a request that, no matter how genuine a blog, and a blog owner, may appear now, cannot be fulfilled with any degree of accuracy and authority.

Have you, as a car owner, ever had the privilege of purchasing a new car? Maybe you budgeted / planned / shopped around for months, to buy the car of your dreams - certain that you would be so distinctive in the purchase of that particular colour, model, trim level, what have you? Maybe, the day after you took delivery of your new car, you drove it to the nearby shopping mall - and there, to your dismay, you discovered reality. You are not the only owner of that particular make / model / trim level. Look at all of the other people, driving your same car! Where did all of the other cars come from? People with blog problems, needing technical assistance, will go through the same reality adjustment.

When you go to the doctor to report a health problem, you'll likely tell her (him) Doctor, I have a pain. and he (she) will likely ask you Where does it hurt? If you tell her My stomach hurts. he will probably ask When does it hurt? and How long has it been hurting? None of these are formalities or mere protocol, they are systematic problem identification procedures. If you write in BHF: Something Is Broken and report My readers can't access my blog. or maybe I can't access Blogger! you'll likely get similar questions.

Blogger / Google is becoming a common fixture in the lives of people around the world. Google tries to create forums of relevant subject, and language, to support its customers. Unfortunately, there will always be those issues, and languages, which are not uniquely addressed in a special forum. In some cases, the people needing help gather in the main forum for help with Blogger issues, Blogger Help Forum . In Blogger Help Forum, we try to be tolerant of those whose primary language may not equal the native language of the forum. Even so, when you ask technical questions, and expect coherent and helpful answers, it helps us greatly when you attempt to write answers in grammatically correct English . That way, we don't have to guess at what you are trying to say . If we don't seem to be properly respectful of you, or of your questions, this may be because we are trying to understand your problem, which may not be the same as what you are trying to say about your problem. I...

It's so simple to setup a Blogger blog, and publish posts . A "stock" Blogger blog takes maybe 5 minutes to setup, and half of that involves choosing an available blog name , and writing your first post. Generally, after you have published a few posts, you should start to think about the fun stuff - such as making the blog more attractive, or about getting more readers. And now, you have a chance to learn, about blogging in general, and about Blogger blogging specifically. And if you want to learn, Blogger Help Forum: How Do I? is a great place to start. Just keep an open mind. Learn how to ask for advice, accept advice, and ask intelligent questions about advice provided . Please, when you ask for advice, don't start with I need more traffic to my blog. Please make simple instructions, as I don't want to learn anything - I just want a checklist. or I want my blog published to a working custom domain. I bought my domain from Domains-R-Cheap, and it d...

As we work on various issues in Blogger Help Group , we discuss various issues with many different bloggers, with many bloggers operating on different schedules than we do.

Every day, well intentioned bloggers post anxious demands in Google Blogger Help Group This person listed their blog in several forums. As an admin of two of them, I have had many complaints over it about spamming. We have blocked his address from our forums, but it seems he has many of them and he keeps spamming it hourly. Please shut this blog down. http://bigspamblog.blogspot.com So getting "bigspamblog.blogspot.com" removed should be such a simple task, but it's not. The problem is that, for everybody who reports a spam blog in BHG, someone else reports that their blog was just falsely accused of being a spam blog . Not every blog reported to be a splog actually is a splog, and not everybody reporting a splog actually is reporting a splog to get it removed. So Blogger has to verify each spam blog report, before acting on a demand posted here. Many spammers post in BHG OMG, remove bigspamblog.blogspot.com! and while we wait for Blogger to take action, they watch th...

Blogger Help Group is the forum where bloggers help each other - and Blogger Support has even recognised that, with various links to Blogger Help from their Blogger Help database , and their Blogger Known Issues blog . Sometimes, though, the questions exceed the experience level in Blogger Help. Occasionally we see the irritated query I posted this question last week, and I haven't gotten an answer. What's up with that? or Are you folks deaf? Why isn't anybody answering my question??? as if all knowledge is here, and everybody is always present to answer any possible question. Everybody doesn't know the answer to every question - that's why there is more than one helper posting occasionally. Maybe the questions which you are asking haven't been asked yet. Maybe one of the helpers knows the answers, if you are able to ask the questions objectively . And while you're pondering the reason for the lack of response to your question, consider how unique you...

In another techie forum, far, far from Google Groups: Google Blogger Help, there are a couple sub forums dedicated to providing advice about Computer Networking. Every couple months, somebody will post in there Can you provide explanation of how Ethernet works, and how was it developed. or What are the advantages of using WiFi over Ethernet? Please cite 5 major factors. These questions are easily recognised by the experienced helpers there, and are quickly labeled, as "Homework Central". And there's an unspoken competition among the experienced helpers there, to quickly and imaginatively label such questions, so no newbie forum members might confuse the threads with others containing serious content. Such threads are not completely unwelcome, when they are occasional, as they provide some relief from the tedium. The experienced helpers will occasionally come up with witty responses - sometimes more questions, sometimes mildly helpful answers. Homework Central trolling...

Every week, JohnBlogger or some other indignant blogger posts in one of the Google Blogger Help forums Hey, you need to get rid of blog http://obnoxiousblog.blogspot.com . In most cases, they are doing a good and noble thing - informing Blogger (through the forum) that obnoxiousblog needs to be purged. Sometimes, a Blogger Employee will cruise through the forum, see the post, and remove obnoxiousblog. But this won't happen all of the times, and it won't happen immediately. And until obnoxiousblog is removed, JohnBlogger is helping the criminals that provide obnoxiousblog, and others like it. And obnoxiousblog (and others like it) are part of immense groups of splogs , that are used for hacking, and providing you with more spam in your email, in your online discussions, and in the web in general . And, even if it does happen, and Blogger purges obnoxiousblog, there will be 10 like it to take its place , almost immediately. Hundreds of splogs like obnoxiousblog are posted dai...

John X (name changed to protect) writes I post regularly in another Google Group, which deals with other aspects of Google products. In that group, we generally get 2 - 3 spams daily. Here, you get almost none. Why is that? Well, John, it's not a coincidence. There are a few regular posters here who, some time ago, became fed up with the spam problem. And they started doing something about the problem . It appears that threads in the forum, with a subject of "Another Spammer" or "Spam", get less casual traffic than "Free Music Downloads" or "Hot Babes Under The Covers". With some spammers starting threads using the latter titles, the antispam posters here would reply, and change the Subject to one of the former values. This would make the spammers feel less welcome. By re labeling the threads, thus cutting down on the traffic to their web sites, they get hit where it hurts - in the wallet. A win for the good guys. So the spammers dec...

If we use each Google Blogger Help forum for its specifically intended purpose , each forum will be more effective. When people have individual problems, those problems will be easier to find and to solve. And when there are widespread problems (like the WildFires from the past weekend ), those problems will be easier to identify, and to show to Blogger Support for resolution. You can have any content in your blog that isn't against the Blogger TOS . But advertise your blog in a forum where advertising is welcomed, not in the Google Blogger Help forums. If you advertise your blog using gibberish, posted as technical advice, you'll be seen as a spammer too. Helpers here have no patience for gibberish, or similar trollish activity. The Google Blogger Help forums are for asking for help with technical blog problems, and for providing genuinely useful advice to others who report problems. They aren't for advertising your blogs, worthy though they may be of promotion. Shar...

Online forums, which are part of the Internet (in general), and the Web (in particular) (and no, the two are not the same) are used for many purposes. Some are advertisements, others social, and still others for requesting, and providing, advice. Since they are part of the Internet, many folks find it useful to provide some information (advice, discussion, or other content) in the forum itself, and link to additional information elsewhere on the Web. The discussion of whether to provide advice in the forum itself, or in linked articles, is a constant issue in many forums. Some argue that it's more friendly to the one seeking advice, if the help is provided in the forum thread. Others think that it's more effective when provided in a linked article. Only one thing is known for sure - you can try to help everybody, but don't expect to please everybody . These are all results which can be obtained from a Progressive Publishing strategy. Accurate . The post itself, and...

Blogger Blogs, and similar online and other IT products, use peer support to help their customers. Blogger, similar to other companies, provides Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken , where Bloggers with various problems can write in and say I have a problem [My Problem]. Can anybody help me? If you properly compose your problem report in Blogger Help Forum, and state your version of [My Problem], one of several things may happen. A solution will be known, and will be instantly provided by one of the many helpers. A solution will be derived, from subsequent questions by one of the many helpers. You will be advised to report your problem, to Blogger Support . Now, if you are so fortunate to have scenario 1 or 2 apply in your case, it is possible that the solution can be found in either Beta Known Issues , Blogger Help , or Blogger Status . It's possible - but not too likely - if it was, you (or someone like you) would have found it, and publicised it, long ago. If...

The Google Blogger Help Group is the official help area for (Google) Blogger Blogs, where the users help themselves (with slight exception). There are 6 forums in Google Blogger Help . How Do I? Something Is Broken Publishing Trouble Login Issues Customizing Templates Share Your Blog Some people occasionally confuse the first 5 with the last. How Do I? Something Is Broken Publishing Trouble Login Issues Customizing Templates are for providing help. People write in when they need help, they ask for help, and the helpers try and answer their questions. The contents of these forums is generally relevant to current issues , as all properly provided advice from the helpers is posted as answers to the various questions. Share Your Blog is a different forum. There, everybody gets up and yells, Hey everybody, check out my blog! Hey everybody, check out this neat article that I just wrote! Hey everybody, here's some useful advice! Some people ignore the amenities of Share Your Blog, and...

These forums are for getting, and providing, help in using Blogger one button publishing. They are not forums for advertising whatever commercial products or services you supply. Spam is simply not permitted here. Spam is like dog shite. The longer it stays: The more it stinks. The more dog shite you end up with. The harder it is to remove completely. You have to remove the spam immediately. The quicker it's removed, the less return the spammer gets, and the quicker he moves on and leaves his shite somewhere else. The less everybody complains (the stink), the less other spammers feel encouraged (the quantity), the easier it is to remove (the cleanup details). If you see it, get rid of it. Only Blogger Support can remove it, and they will only do so when they get enough reports about it , and it rises to the top of their queue. So everybody reading the forums, and this article, has to do their part, and report the spam . We laugh at, and curse, Blogger and Google, almost da...