Make A Background Image From A Favourite Photo

People like to customise their blogs - and some want to use a favourite photo - not one of the stock Blogger background images.

The problem, too frequently, involves file size.

I found a background image I really like (or at least I think it would work OK) - but when I resized it to the upload specs detailed in customizing your template, it said the file was too big!

Blogger limits background images, as supported by the Template Designer, to 300K.

You have to be aware of various details, of any image, photo, or picture.

• Colour depth.
• Physical size.
• Resolution.
• Compression type / file format.

All of these affect physical file size.

Physical image size (height x width) x Resolution yields number of pixels in an image. Colour depth x Physical size x Resolution yields the actual file size, as a bitmap (".bmp" and similar file types).

Reduce image content, to reduce file size.
Every non bitmap file type uses some type of compression, to make file size smaller than bitmap - and will generally produce a smaller file. The ".bmp" file type is the best known bitmap.

With some formats, if you improperly resize some images to be "smaller", the physical file size will increase.

To make a background image file smaller, reduce colour depth and resolution.
You need an image processing program that will make files smaller, when you resize the image.

If you have an image that you like, try reducing the colour depth and resolution. That is best, to make background images most useful.

A background image should only be semi visible.
If you're displaying a foreground image, in the Blogger lightbox or similar full size display, you would want full colour depth and resolution, to make the image content most visible.

If you're displaying a background image in a blog, you want the image to be - - background. Colour depth and resolution, when decreased, makes an image work, as a background.

If you use an image editor that properly stores your changes as reduced file size, it also makes the file size much smaller - and gives you a better chance of staying under 300K file size.

Use the Template Designer, to install any suitable background image.
When you have your favourite photo or picture properly prepared, use the Template Designer "Background" page, to add it to your blog. Select "Upload image" from the "Select background image" wizard, and follow instructions.

Making Mail-to-Blogger "email address" Changes

Occasionally, we see real confusion, involving the email address.

I can login to Blogger - but I can only change my email address, or remove myself from the blog.

This is a blog owner who is logged in as a blog author, who now sees just two dashboard menu pages.

• Posts
• Settings

In many cases, this will be a blog owner who is trying to recover access to the blog, having forgotten the account name - or who is inadvertently using a second Blogger account. Running afoul of the Blogger / Google blind login, the would be owner has just managed to login - but sees a very empty dashboard.

And, the confusion may not end there.

Someone, logged in to the blog in question as an author, who has not published any posts under that account, will have an empty Posts menu.

As an author, the Settings menu will have an "Author options" menu, with 3 entries.

• Posting using SMS/MMS
• Posting using email
• Permissions         Remove yourself from this blog

Not a lot of choices here, let's try changing the email address, maybe I can login again after that?


To someone panicking, because most of the dashboard is now missing, the "Posting using email" setting may look like an email address.

PublicAddress.secretWords @blogger.com

This looks vaguely like an email address - but an address with only one option.

"secretWords"

What happens next, I cannot say as a certainty - but once the "email address" has been "changed", who knows what additional confusion becomes possible? This may lead to the Blogger account edit mistake diagnosis. And, the beginning of the lament.

I can't login to publish posts - but someone else is posting spam!

Inadvertently enable posting by email, and who knows what horrors are possible?

Login Properly, To Avoid Many Dashboard Problems

Many problems with the Blogger dashboard are caused by the account / profile in use.

If the wrong account or profile is in use, the simplest solution - in many cases - is simply to logout from Blogger / Google, then login using the correct Blogger / Google account. This is less disruptive then advice to "clear cache, cookies, and sessions, then restart the browser" - when the latter sequence can be avoided.

A simpler solution is to use the Google multi account login menu properly, so you will not need to logout.

The login sequence will use Google "One account" login, and the Google "blind login" process.

Start with the Google "One account" login display / menu.

Start with the Google "One account" Sign in screen. You can start here if you are not logged in, if you just logged out - or just after you clear cache, cookies, and sessions, and restart the browser.

If multiple accounts have been recently used, on this browser / computer, you will find yourself at "Choose an account". If only one account has been used recently, on this browser / computer, your previously used account will be displayed.

• Icon / Name.
• Email address.
• Password entry box.

If you decide that you are using the right account, you "Enter password". If this is the wrong account, find the link to "Sign in with a different account" and click there. That will take you to "Choose an account".

Choose an account.

"Choose an account" will display all recently used accounts, on this browser / computer. If this is a shared computer, you may see some accounts that other people have used. You now have two choices.

• Choose any one account, listed.
• Click on "Add account".

Choose a previously used account.

If any previously used account is what you need, click on that account. This will take you to "Enter password".

Add an account.

Click on "Add account". This will take you to the "One account" screen, where you enter account name or email address. Having entered either, you are taken to "Enter password".

Enter password, if this is the right account.

Verify that you are about to sign in using the right account. Note that regardless of what blog or dashboard may have been displayed immediately before you started this exercise, it's up to you to verify that this is the right account - or to use a different account.

If this is the right account, enter the correct password for this account.

You will be logged in, if possible.

In any case, having either entered an email address or chosen a previously used account, then entered the correct password for the account, you should find yourself in either the Blogger or Google dashboard.

If successful, you should see the Blogger dashboard, with the correct complement of blogs listed in "My blogs" or "Reading List". If you do not see what you had hoped for, you can "Sign out", and try again.

Note the Blogger "blind login" policy - and remember that you have to provide or select the correct Blogger / Google account. This is part of the Blogger / Google security policy - and helps you keep your Blogger account, and your blogs, under your control.

In some cases, you may have no choice, except to "clear cache, cookies, and sessions - then restart the browser" - this simply can't be avoided. Having restarted the browser, continue above.

Setting Up Mail-to-Blogger For Your Blog

Setting up the ability to post to your blog, using email, is quite simple.

In Blogger - you just have one essential setting - the password. You setup the password as the "secretWords", in the dashboard page at Settings - "Mobile and email".

You can use any "secretWords" that you like - though if you have any concern about keeping spam out of the blog, you really should make the "secretWords" hard to guess.

Besides the "secretWords", you have just one decision to make, when you change the "Posting using email" option, from "Disabled".

• Publish email immediately
• Save emails as draft post

Then, setup your email client.


There's not a lot of options, here.



Setup and use your email client.

Having setup the blog, your next task is to setup your email client, to send the posts.

1. Write email.
2. Send to your MTB email address.
3. You can stop using MMS / SMS.
4. You're done.

Write email.

The Subject of the email becomes the post title, and the body of the email becomes the post content. There are no other options, in Mail-to-Blogger.

Send to your MTB email address.

The address, where you send the email is the blog address (that you can't change), followed by the "secretWords" (that you should change, periodically).

BlogAddress.secretWords@blogger.com

You can stop using MMS / SMS.

Stop using "go.blogger.com" - MMS / SMS has been deprecated.

You're done.

For all its simplicity, Mail-to-Blogger offers interesting possibilities. Neither the ability to publish anonymous posts, or to publish moderated posts, are provided in Blogger - except by using Mail-to-Blogger.

Just again, if you want to keep the blog spam free, make the "secretWords" hard to guess - and plan to change it, periodically. And be aware that, as easy as it is to use Mail-to-Blogger, it is subject to posting volume restrictions, similar to Post Editor.

Diverse And Large Blogs Require More Effort

An interesting attitude is seen, from some owners of large and unfocused blogs.

It's normal, with so many articles in a blog, to have some reports (DMCA / TOS complaints).

It's normal, yes. That does not make it acceptable - or beneficial. If you want to publish a large blog - and make lots of money - you have to focus or limit your efforts.

You need to spend as much time - if not more time - reviewing content for legality, than owners of comparable, smaller blogs. You can't take time away from reviewing, to create and publish more content - then justify your failure to stay within the limits, by implying that it's normal to have posts that push the limits.

With a large blog, you need to spend more time reviewing what you are publishing.

The larger a blog becomes, the more time you need, to keep the content focused. And the more time you need, to ensure all content is legal.

Crapola. Content of poor quality, low / vague / zero relevance to the subject of the blog, and / or blogs with cloned / copied / scraped content.

You don't want to see that verdict, when you request review - not that you want to have to request review, either.

A large blog requires more of your time, proportionally, than a smaller blog, for reviewing content. And content review is more important - because when the blog is classified as abusive, it will take longer for the blog to be reviewed, by Google staff.

The larger your blog becomes, the more effort is necessary, to keep it within the limits.

• A larger blog will be more important to you.
• A larger blog will require more effort by you, to keep the content focused.
• A larger blog will require more effort by you, to keep the content legal.
• A larger blog will take longer to be reviewed by Blogger.

A larger blog will be more important to you.
The larger the blog, the more traffic it will generate - and the more money it will make. And the more distressing it will be, to you, to have it taken offline, by Blogger.

A larger blog will require more effort by you, to keep the content focused.
Every post that you write - if you're not writing an encyclopedia - may contain material that is not relevant to the blog. More posts = more time spent by you, verifying that each post is consistent with the blog subject.

Subject drift is a normal human problem - but it can become your problem, if your blog is classified as crapola.

A larger blog will require more effort by you, to keep the content legal.
Every post that you write - if you don't write complete fiction - may infringe upon somebody else's copyright. More posts = more time spent by you, carefully checking each post for uniqueness.

Copying other peoples content is a normal human mistake - but it can become your mistake, if your blog is classified as scraping.

A larger blog will take longer to be reviewed by Blogger.
The larger your blog, the more effort required by Blogger Review staff, to review it for crapola or scraping. And the larger it becomes, the more chance it may be pushed backwards in the review queue, by reviewers who prefer to review many smaller blogs, instead of one larger blog.

It's your blog - and you set the standards for publishing.
You're allowed to do what pleases you, with your blog. If you have readers, though, you should spend some time thinking about what they are looking for - including, presumably, a blog that remains online, so they can read it when convenient.

You May Not Get A Notice, When Content Is Removed

Every day, blog owners report that their blogs (or posts) were deleted by Blogger.

Most blog owners have some idea why a blog (post) is deleted - but not all. Some even insist that they received no notice from Blogger - the blog (post) just vanished.

There are several possibilities, why you may not get email, warning you of DMCA / TOS necessitated content removal.

1. You publish your blog anonymously - and anonymity has a price.
2. The blog is owned by a different account, than what you believe.
3. Your email system bounces spoofed email.
4. Your email system filters abusive content.

You publish your blog anonymously - and anonymity has a price.
Too many people intentionally hide their identity - or separate their Blogger account and email address. Some people make their anonymity so complete, that they even forget their intentional identity obscuring.

The blog is owned by a different account, than what you believe.
Not everybody understands the connections between Blogger / Google accounts, and email addresses - and misunderstanding can lead to mistakes. And mistakes can lead to loss of important email.

Your email system bounces spoofed email.
Email messages from various Blogger services, which bear Google email addresses, can look like spoofed email - simply because not all non Google email systems will treat Blogger and Google as one entity.

Your email system filters abusive content.
No matter what service provides your email - and whether it's cloud or local network based - email can be misdirected. Everybody knows to check their Abuse / Bulk / Spam email folders, periodically.

Blogger will make an effort, but cannot guarantee contact.
If you cannot get the email, Blogger can do no more. You may see a dashboard notice - in some cases. Even that may not happen, if prevented by your security filters.

Only You Can Use The Quick Edit Links, On Your Blog

People worry about the Quick Edit icons - sometimes, needlessly.

I was logged out - but I can still see the edit tools!

or

My visitor logs show people clicking on the "rearrange" links!!

Fortunately, no matter what can be seen - or may be clicked - only administrators will get any result.

I use the "rearrange" links for many blogs, frequently. The links are unbelievably useful, when instructing a blog owner how to remove a misbehaving gadget on her / his blog.

Some blog owners wonder if I should be providing a Quick Edit link, in an open forum topic. So, I'll provide a challenge, for you unbelievers.

Here's a gadget - "Search Me, Direct" - from the top of the sidebar, on this blog.


Here's the gadget, "Search Me, Direct", from this blog.

https://www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=24069595&action=editWidget§ionId=sidebar-right-1&widgetType=null&widgetId=HTML12

That's the Quick Edit link, for "Search Me, Direct". Click on the link, and see what you get. Am I being wantonly foolish?

OMG, Chuck, you dare people to hack your blog!

If I'm not logged in, as a blog administrator, this is all that I see.

(No, I'm not so wantonly foolish, that I would show you my email address!)
If you get anything else, be kind.


That's what my blog generally looks like, to my readers - and sometimes, to me.



That's what my blog sometimes looks like, to my readers - and generally, to me.


Regardless if the tools can be seen, only I can use them. And even if the tools on your blog can be seen by somebody other than you, only you can use them.

Mail-to-Blogger Has Limited Composing Options

Blog owners have been asking, for years, how to use labels, with Mail-to-Blogger.

Mail-to-Blogger uses an email editor, for composing a post - and is going to lack features that are not provided by the email editor. Labels are one example of what you don't get, when you use email to publish a post to your blog.

When you publish posts Using Mail-to-Blogger, you don't use Post Editor - and you bypass the many formatting features provided by post editor.

Mail-to-Blogger lacks various features, which are an accepted part of Blogger blogs, when composed in post editor.

• Back dated or scheduled posts.
• Custom permalink.
• Fonts and similar formatting options.
• Labels.
• Search description.
• Sharing to social media.

Back dated or scheduled posts.
With Mail-to-Blogger, posts will publish using the time published (or remain as draft). If you wish, you can back date posts later, using post editor - but scheduled posts have to be scheduled, using post editor.

Mail-to-Blogger won't provide the date setting wizard, used to set scheduled date / time.

Custom permalink.
With Mail-to-Blogger, posts will publish using the URL created from the title. You can rename a post, and you can change the URL, using post editor, when convenient.

Fonts and similar formatting options.
At best, you will be limited by the editor in the email client, for formatting. You can edit a post, using post editor, when convenient.

Labels.
Labels can't be added using email - they can only be added, when convenient, using post editor.

Search description.
The Search Description can't be added, using email. It can only be added later, when convenient.

Sharing to social media.
Posts can be shared, anytime after they are published. If Mail-to-Blogger publishes immediately, posts can be shared using any share buttons. Lack of access to post editor, and to the Posts menu, should not be a major inconvenience.

You can use Post Editor to add features, before or after publishing.
If you want to post by email, you may have to use post editor and the browser later, to make some posts complete and presentable. Otherwise, your posts will use the default Mail-to-Blogger formatting - or possibly, formatting created by the email client editor.

This is a common concern, both when using Mail-to-Blogger for anonymous posting - and for moderated posting. You may have to do some editing - before or after the posts are published.

You have, basically, 3 options.

• Publish using post editor.
• Publish using email, then add features / complete posts using post editor.
• Publish using email, and do without some features.

Each choice gives you varying ability to format posts - and each choice gives you varying convenience.

You can use multiple Mail-to-Blogger email addresses.
If you would find it better to publish some posts immediately - and other posts later, after you use post editor - you could setup your administrator account with Mail-to-Blogger, and select to publish incoming posts immediately.

You could also setup an author account - and select to save incoming posts as draft. Having a choice of two (or more) Mail-to-Blogger addresses to use when composing by email, you could use one address to add features, after publishing - and use another to add features, before publishing.

Using GMail, or any similar email client, you could have multiple address book entries to send posts by Mail-to-Blogger - and simply select the appropriate address book entry, when composing the email message / new post.

However you use it, Mail-to-Blogger is a more complete feature than go.blogger.com, and MMS / SMS.

Blogger Can't Limit Legal Action, By Your Policy

Some blog owners expect to get a slap on the wrist, for each TOS violation.

I had a notice on the blog.

If anybody objects to what I'm doing, just tell me - and I'll remove the offending content!

Why was my blog deleted?

These owners plan blog content, based on doing what they want - hoping that Blogger will make them a list, over and over again, identifying their mistakes.

Don't do that!

That attitude is similar to what we hear from some politicians.

It's not a crime, until I get caught!

Blogger abuse / copyright / TOS violation bots don't scan each blog, looking for instruction, how to handle any violations, provided by the blog owner.

Blogger takes action, according to their Content and TOS policies.
Blogger takes action, according their content and offense policies - and expects that you will objectively request them to review their action.

The first couple violations, in a blog, result in deleted material. Repeated violations result in a deleted or locked blog - then a deleted Blogger account.

Blogger has a responsibility to the owners of the blogs or websites, whose content you steal. They can't spend a lifetime, telling you, over and over

Don't copy that material improperly!

The owners of the blogs, who provide your material, have rights, too. They can't just sit patiently, while their search reputation drops, because of your content duplication.

If Blogger overlooks your personal suggestion, don't expect a reversal, later.
Blogger may detect your multiple infractions as defiant, non repentant abuse. If they fail to wait long enough after each offense, before taking the next action against you - or fail to notify you properly, because you can't be contacted - don't expect that they will restore your account, when you point out their mistake.

Blogger may not notify you, properly, per your requirements.
Communicating with blog owners, unfortunately, can be a challenge.

Blogger allows (and even encourages) anonymous blog ownership. Unfortunately, successful anonymity prevents communication - including notification when content is being removed, to satisfy copyright / DMCA action. Blogger tries to contact people, using email - but people who prevent email communication may not get the necessary notices.

Blogger won't communicate before taking action - simply because some people might ignore warnings, and other people never get warnings. They take action first, then notify the offending owners, as best able - and expect that anybody who disagrees with action taken will appeal.

It's your responsibility to know and observe Blogger / Google requirements.
If you want to publish a Blogger blog - and if you want to keep the blog online - it's your responsibility to review and observe both Blogger Content, and Google TOS, requirements. You're an adult, act like an adult.

Legacy Account Migration Is Less Likely, Each Year

In 2012, Blogger ended support for legacy accounts.

This year, we see that account recovery does not support legacy accounts, any more. People who don't remember their legacy account names / passwords are now unable to migrate - and are unable to recover account access, so they can migrate.

Every year, any account which remains unmigrated is less likely to be accessible, by the owner. As that happens, and with account recovery not working for legacy accounts, migration won't be possible - and the account will be unusable.

For many blog owners with unmigrated accounts, legacy account migration is simply not possible.

Migration may not be technically possible.
Thanks to a combination of account identity confusion, and plain old forgetfulness causing inability to remember necessary details, successful migration is unlikely.

Add to those issues the general confusion about which accounts require migration - and we see the wisdom in Blogger dropping support for migration, in 2012.

If you need to migrate now, you may have waited too long.
If you have a dormant Blogger account, which may or may not be in need of migration, and you now see the need to migrate but can't, we feel for you - really. However, your inability to migrate now is a direct result of your inattentiveness 2010 - 2015.

You should have migrated, by 2012. You ignored the repeated warnings - or maybe did not receive warnings, because of intentional or un intentional anonymity - and 3 years after migration support was ended, you are finally seeing the handwriting on the wall.

Unfortunately, it's simply too late. For some, 2012 may have been too late - and now, in 2015, it's too late for too many.

Some may manage to migrate, with enough effort - others may not need to do so.
It's possible that some folks may be able to recover / remember the necessary details, given enough time researching. And others won't need to migrate - though they may not realise that detail.

And too many simply won't be able to migrate.
If you do have a legacy account, yet unmigrated, you may want to consider an alternative policy. Time is not on your side - and it may simply be a waste of your time and money, to attempt migration.

Renewing A Google Domains Registered Domain

All good things must come to an end. So did the first year of my Google Domains registered domain.

Fortunately, renewing took but a few minutes.

Just login to Google Domains (or, click on a bookmark) - and start with "My domains", and the domain in question.


Find the domain, in need of renewal. Click on the expiry period. Here we see "366 days", because I already renewed.



Find the Registration wizard, and click on "Add years".



Select a time period. You can select from 1 to 8 years - no more awkward yearly renewal, for those who like to reduce the stress.



Then, Review your purchase. Change the bank account, if necessary. And, hit "Buy".


The next message said "A receipt has been emailed to you.", and that was that.

The receipt is in my Inbox, and Registration now shows expiry at one more year in the distance (as above).

It's taken way longer to write this, than it did to Buy the registration renewal.

It looks like Google Domains is one of the better designed Google Services. The renewal portion of the Registration wizard certainly could not be simpler.

If you do not live in the USA, my condolences.

You Cannot Change Your Blogger Account Name

Changing your Blogger account name is like changing your birth name - it can't be done, without legal complications.

You can have a nickname - I have several, depending upon who's calling me. But when a cop stops you, you're going to need your government issued vehicle operator certificate - and there's no nickname there. Just your birth name.

If you don't like your current Blogger account name, you transfer control of the blog - using two browsers - to an account that you like.

If your Blogger account uses a Blogger profile, you have three Identity elements, to consider. Two of these can be changed.

1. Username
2. Email address
3. Display name

None of these lets you change the account name - or the email address. There are other profile items - but these three are most important, to the future of your blog. And, it helps to know how to update and identify yourself.


The Username.

The "Username", can't be changed - period. That is the account name - and that is what you use, when you login.

The EMail address.

You can change the "Email address" - from a non GMail address, to any other non GMail email address. This won't change the account name - or change how you login - nor will it eliminate the account name email address, when recovery is necessary.

You can change the email address, from one non GMail account, to another non GMail account. You are not supposed to be able to change to a GMail account, period - though there is some confusion about the term "GMail account", and more confusion about the term "Google account", that may be relevant.

At any rate, changing the email address does not change the account name! If you want the blog(s) owned by a different account, you transfer control to a different Blogger account.

The Display name.

You can change the "Display name" to anything you wish. This is like your nickname - which is useless when legal identity is needed. This won't change the account name, or change how you login.

If you change the display name, you'll have a different name, in any future posts published using that account. It won't change any previously published posts - nor will it affect posts published by team members.

Google and Google+ profiles provide more options - and less flexibility.

If your Blogger account uses a Google or Google+ profile, you'll have less options - and people who change to a Google+ profile have more opportunity for confusion. And there is confusion, when considering Blogger and Google accounts, and email addresses, in general.

Misuse of the profile editor causes various challenges.

There are 3 scenarios where we try to use (or misuse) the account name or email address - and where many problems start.

1. Logging in to Blogger.
2. Recovering account control.
3. Transferring control of a blog, to a different account.

Logging in to Blogger.

Thanks to the Google "One account" login menu, and the blind login process, people who are not familiar with the login menu may think that they are only permitted to login to certain accounts - and surmise that Google has merged their accounts.

Managing to login to a "permitted" account (but not the necessary blog owner account), the dashboard will, of course, lack the desired blog.

Some blog owners may create new blogs, with contradicting or duplicate content - and with similar names, when unable to find the desired blog(s) in the "My blogs" dashboard list. Multiple blogs will lead to more confusion, later.

The Google "One account" wizard is used in both recovering account control ("Forgot?"), and transferring blog control ("Permissions") - and this causes more confusion.

Recovering account control.

The blind account recovery process requires you to simply identify a resource (blog name, or email address) - and Blogger sends email, with instructions for the recipient.

If you only know the blog name, you're not told what email address gets the account reset token - nor do you get a choice what email address is used. This is where the "Email address" becomes relevant.

You should get email at the "Username" and / or "Email address" Inboxes. The email may or may not tell you the "account name".

If you only know an email address, you get a list sent, to that email address, of blogs associated with that address. Again, the email may or may not tell you the "account name", for each blog.

In neither case, will you actually receive email, when either "Username" or "Email address" refers to a non accessible or non existent address - or when the address is owned by someone else.

If you're logged in to Blogger using an author account, instead of your owner account, don't be confused by the "Posting using email" setting in "Author options". That's not an email address that you can change, for any benefit.

Transferring control of a blog, to a different account.

If you try to transfer control of a blog, but use only one browser, you can get your current account mixed up with your new account email address.

Here is where the Blogger account with a different "Email address" causes more confusion, when later attempting to recover blog control. And where confusion is caused, by the Google "One account" login process.

Confusion compounds confusion.

Each of the three above scenarios may involve, or be involved by, the other two. Confusion in one process may sometimes continue into one, or both, of the other two.

Blogger Authentication Uses Demographic Details

If you use Google Two-Step Verification, you will have a better chance of being able to recover Blogger account access, if you forget the account name or password.

Alternately, use of 2-Step Verification may prevent account hijackings and blog theft, when you must use a computer that's not yours, or when you travel - as long as you carry your authentication device / tokens with you.

As an alternative or complement to 2-Step Verification, Blogger recognises us using demographic details. People who consistently use the same browser, on the same computer, in the same location, and from the same Internet service, are easily recognised, are trusted more - and are less likely to receive secondary challenges.

Demographic detail authentication was first seen by people who travel, when asked to prove identity.

Recently, this policy appears to be used when you need to recover account access, when you login using a different computer, or possibly when you return to a long unattended blog.

Degree of difference, from normal, varies need for authentication.

Any changes in demographic detail, such as using a different browser or computer, a different Internet connection, or in a different location, appears to result in a different level of need for extra authentication.

A routine login would represent a small need for authentication, while an account recovery (caused by forgotten account name or password) would represent a greater need. Using a different browser, on the same computer in the same location, may cause a small need for authentication.

Using ones own computer, in a different location in the same country, would cause a moderate need for authentication; and using a different computer in that country a slightly larger need. And using a coffeeshop computer, in a foreign country like Nigeria or Ukraine, would cause a much larger need.

A different level of need causes different secret detail requests.

Based on the level of need for authentication, Blogger may present a secondary challenge, and request one or more secrets from the supposed blog owner - or possible would be blog thief. Here's where the annoying detail questions - about use of other Google services, and dates first and last used - become relevant.

For people who have had their Blogger account hacked and blogs stolen, or people who fear this fate, demographic detail authentication may be seen as a positive direction for Blogger / Google to take, For people who fear "Big Brother", with the never avoidable cameras and total lack of privacy, an authentication process which tracks each of us, as we login, may be considered a privacy threat.

Privacy threat or security enhancement - demographic verification is here to stay.

Whether a privacy threat, or security enhancement, demographic detail verification appears to be part of Blogger / Google Security - and may enhance or substitute for, Google 2-Step Verification. And that should reduce the threat of stolen blogs.

Blogger Magic - Changing Your Custom Domain

The process of changing one custom domain URL to another is similar to the task of changing the BlogSpot URL.

The risk of identity theft is not as great, when you change a custom domain. You will continue to "own" any previously used domain, even when unpublished - but the risk of technical error is just as real.

If you care about blog accessibility, you will plan this process, with some care.

Changing one domain, for another, will take some work.

Because a domain change involves worldwide services, a domain should be verified over a longer time span.

1. Register the new domain.
2. Setup the new domain, with proper DNS addresses.
3. Give the new domain time to stabilise.
4. Click on the "X", and publish the blog back to BlogSpot.
5. Change BlogSpot URL, if desired.
6. Publish the blog to the new domain.
7. Verify the blog, published to the new domain, is working.
8. Re direct the old domain, to the new domain published URL.
9. Publicise the new domain.

Register the new domain.

Choose a registrar who can provide the necessary services - such as email, if that's important to you.

A properly chosen registrar won't be free. You are unlikely to get a free domain, that will be reliable.

Setup the new domain, with proper DNS addresses.

Just as important as a reliable registrar is a proper address complement. You need a reliable registrar, for a dependable domain - but even a reliable registrar won't necessarily understand what DNS addresses are needed.

It's up to you, to ensure that your domain DNS addresses are properly setup. Nobody can do this, for you.

Give the new domain time to stabilise.

The DNS addresses need to propagate uniformly, through the worldwide DNS infrastructure. Having some computers able to access the domain, and others not, may lead to Google database corruption.

If the domain was used previously, and repurposed, you'll still have to wait - while any previous DNS addresses expire, from the many DNS servers, worldwide.

Click on the "X", and publish the blog back to BlogSpot.

If you wish to publish the blog to the new domain, it must be first published back to BlogSpot. Skipping this step may be another cause for database corruption.

Change BlogSpot URL, if desired.

Having prepared the new BlogSpot URL, now you swap the operational blog and stub blog URLs - if desired. This is the simple 1 - 2 - 3 swap that must be done in one uninterrupted 5 minute session, to reduce the risk of identity theft.

Publish the blog to the new domain.

Now, you see how well the DNS addresses are setup, and hope that the addresses have propagated uniformly. And be prepared to verify domain ownership. This is what follows, when you click on the "X".

Verify the blog, published to the new domain, is working.

Test all 3 URLs - the BlogSpot URL, the domain root, and the "www" host - and ensure that all work. Use multiple browsers, multiple computers, and various online services.

Verify from multiple locations, using services like GeoPeeker, and What's My DNS. And do this over hours, if not days.

Be diligent and thorough, here - don't get caught, unaware, when your readers in another country contact you, complaining of the blog being offline.

Re direct the old domain, to the new domain published URL.

If you are retaining the old domain, at least temporarily, redirect it to the new published URL. This must be done from the DNS host, it's not a Blogger option.

If done properly, redirection from the old domain URL, to the new URL, will provide some initial search engine reputation, and traffic. This can't be done until the new URL is working - but should be started shortly afterwards.

Publicise the new domain.

As you did when you started the blog - and as when you published to the first custom domain, the blog needs to be re indexed under the new URL. Make the reputation of the new domain justify the effort involved in the above process.

Email, For Your Blog Or Domain

Periodically, we see questions about email delivery, in Blogger Help Forum: Learn More About Blogger.

How do I setup email delivery, for my domain?

Long ago, this was fairly easy to setup. It won't be so easy for everybody, however.

Email delivery starts with the required DNS addresses - which are domain and registrar specific. Email for BlogSpot URLs is not possible - and email for custom domains will require specific domain services. Not all DNS hosting services will, automatically, provide email.

Domain email services are not part of custom domain publishing, as provided by Blogger.

They require specific services, provided by the DNS host / registrar, before any setup work can be done by a domain owner.

Email services requires 3 components, to handle incoming email for a given domain,.

1. DNS addresses defining incoming email servers.
2. Servers to handle the incoming email.
3. Servers to provide desktop clients access, to read the email - or to forward incoming email to GMail or similar client services.

GMail - and possibly other desktop clients - have settings which let outgoing email use a domain specific email address, and which accept incoming email, forwarded by a registrar hosted email server. But the domain requires services provided by the registrar.

Google Apps provided email addresses, and email forwarding.

Long ago, many blog owners registered domains through Blogger, using "Buy a domain" - and Google Apps accounts, which provided email services for the domain purchased, were included in the domain registration. Setting up email for a domain was a simple 15 minute task in Google Apps.

In 2012, Google stopped packaging free Google Apps accounts - and later stopped providing domain registration through "Buy a domain". "Buy a domain" was actually discontinued in mid 2012 - then restarted shortly before Google Apps free accounts were discontinued.

Now, Google Domains provides email addresses, and forwarding.

When Google Domains started service in early 2015, we noted that they offer incoming email services, similar to Google Apps email. For Google customers in the USA, this is a good solution; but Google Domains is not offered outside the USA.

Google Domains is not universally available - or desirable.

For blog owners outside the USA - or blog owners who do not wish to register domains using Google Domains - any email service must be provided by the DNS hosting service / registrar.

Many new domain owners, who ask about email setup options, are not Google Domains customers - and are therefore at the mercy of the DNS hosting service, or registrar.

Help Your Readers Index Your Blog By Date

One of the most useful accessories for listing posts, in a blog, is the Archives retrieval gadget.

Titled "Blog Archive" in "Add a Gadget", the archive gadget provides an automatically updated index of all blog posts, sequenced by date. It is an enhanced version of the first accessory for Blogger blogs, provided when the blog home page was previously no more than the most recent post.

The original Blogger blog was no more than a sequence of posts, strung together, one post at a time.

The "Archives" gadget, that replaced "10 Previous Posts", was provided to index the posts.

Archives, unlike a label index or a linklist, requires no updating. Each post, as published, is automatically indexed by the Archives gadget.

The gadget has 3 display modes.

1. Dropdown Menu
2. Flat List
3. Hierarchy

The most useful option in Archives, "Show Post Titles", only works in Hierarchy display - even though both it and "Show Oldest Posts First" appear to be offered for all 3 modes.

This blog displays Archives in Hierarchy mode, with "Show Post Titles" enabled. You'll see the Archives gadget, in this blog, halfway down the sidebar, and titled "Contents".

Hierarchy mode, when displaying titles, opens to match page display date.

In Hierarchy mode, and with "Show Post Titles" enabled, the Archives gadget automatically opens, with an expanded titles list, to match the date of the top post in the page. This makes it functionally similar to the classical "10 Previous Posts" accessory, from long ago.

Right now, and with this post being the most recently published, the "Contents" gadget opens with an August 2015 title list. If you were to open my earlier post about making a static main page for the blog, you would see July 2015 open, in "Contents" - since that post was published in July 2015.

The most recent post in "Home Page" (right now) is from July, 2015.

Since my earlier post about making a static main page for the blog is (right now) the most current entry in the "Home Page" label set, a "Home Page" label search will open "Contents" to "July 2015", also.

If I were to publish a new post to the "Home Page" label, that would change. Similar index page lists would produce differing results.

Other options are available, to suit the blog.

Other gadget options include the date grouping (monthly, weekly, or daily), and the date format (a variety of displays). These options appear to affect all display modes.


The gadget has 3 display modes.

• Dropdown Menu
• Flat List
• Hierarchy

And it appears to have 2 options, selectable for each mode.

• Show Post Titles
• Show Oldest Posts First

The 2 options only work in Hierarchy mode.

The date archives retrieval gadget is a useful component in a dynamic retrieval blog strategy. Owners of smaller blogs might complement the archives date index, with an archives title index.

Blogger Magic - Renaming Your Blog

Renaming a blog is not difficult - but it can produce unwanted side effects.

We've seen a few problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.

I renamed my blog, last year - and I have had no new visitors, since then!

or

I looked at the old URL, and it's got my posts, and lots of spam!

These blog owners did not plan the renaming process.

The basic renaming process is quite simple.

Just use the Publishing wizard, in the Settings - Basic page, and Edit the "Blog Address".


Just Edit "Blog Address".



Type an available blog name.


There's no way to probe for an available name - just try for what you want. If you type an available name (and Save), your blog will have that name, immediately - and your current name will become available.

You will need a stub blog, though - so why not start with setting up the stub blog, before you rename your blog?

1. Make a new stub blog, picking the best name available.
2. Alert your readers that you will be changing the name.
3. When convenient, swap URLs between the stub blog and your current blog.
4. Add a single post, stating the new URL, to the stub blog.
5. Add a custom 404 page, to the stub blog.
6. Add a post feed redirect, to the stub blog.
7. That's it, really.

Make a new stub blog, picking the best name available.

The "Create a blog" wizard won't tell you what's available, for many reasons. The best that you can do is have a list of alternatives, then go down your list, trying for the best name available.

When "Create a blog" gives you a URL, you have a new stub blog, with your new name.

Alert your readers that you will be changing the name.

Publish a post, or add a welcome post, to the current blog.

This blog will be changing the name, to mynewblogname.blogspot.com on whatever date.

Just a brief warning. You know the URL, already, so why not prepare your readers?

When convenient, swap URLs between the stub blog and your current blog.

Plan 5 minutes of uninterrupted time, to swap URLs. Do this quickly - and don't allow interruption.

Add a single post, stating the new URL, to the stub blog.

You can't use an automated redirection - but you can have a clickable link.

This blog has moved, to mynewblogname.blogspot.com.

And the search engines will be able to follow the link.

Add a custom 404 page, to the stub blog.

For readers who have bookmarked specific posts, a custom 404 page will provide the same information as the stub post.

This blog has moved, to mynewblogname.blogspot.com.

The search engines won't point directly to each renamed post - but they won't see a post as "404", and trash the reputation of the blog, either.

Add a post feed redirect, to the stub blog.

Anybody who has subscribed to the blog can continue to read the posts. Just add a post feed redirect, for the stub blog, pointing to the post feed for the new URL

That's it, really.

Finally, identify and update all external references and services. That part will be different, for every blog published.

None of the above techniques will transparently redirect your readers, or the search engines, to the new URL - but used together, they will do far more than just renaming the blog, and waiting. Just again, plan to swap URLs during a single, uninterrupted 5 minute task.

Unlike changing the title of the blog - a very simple change - changing the address should be planned, just slightly. The best way to prevent spammers from cloning your blog is by preparation and prevention.

If you're doing this as part of a custom domain rename, you'll continue with the custom domain republishing.

Owner Recovery Ability, Of Deleted Blogs

A deleted blog can be restored, only after an owner successfully requests restore / review.

Since only a blog owner can request blog restore / review, deleted blog recovery can only start from the owner dashboard, with proper use of the "Restore" / "Review" button or link.

The dashboard requirement ensures that no blogs will be restored, without being under control by the owner.

Blog review is only possible, if the necessary dashboard button or link is present.

Button / link presence will vary, depending upon the reason for the deletion.

• Deleted by owner.
• Deleted by Blogger, as suspected abusive content.
• Deleted by Blogger, as a claimed copyright / DMCA violation.
• Deleted by Blogger, as team membership content.
• If there is no button or link, a deleted blog can't be restored.

Deleted by owner.

A blog, deleted by the owner, will have a "Restore" button on the owners dashboard. If the blog is under team ownership, the "Restore" button will be on the dashboard of the person who deleted it. The other team members may or may not have a button.

The "Restore" button, when provided, will be present for up to 90 days following deletion - if "Delete permanently" is not used. After 90 days, or if "Delete permanently" is used, restore will be impossible.

Deleted by Blogger, as suspected abusive content.

A blog, deleted by Blogger as suspected abusive content (malware, porn, spam) will have a "Review" button on the owners dashboard. If the blog is under team ownership, all team members should have a "Review" button.

If the blog was deleted by Blogger, suspected of hosting malware, the dashboard button will initially be "Restore". Once the blog is restored, it will be Locked to the general public. It will be visible to the owner / team members only, until all malware is removed, Review is requested, and the blog is Unlocked.

Deleted by Blogger, as a claimed copyright / DMCA violation.

A blog, deleted by Blogger as a copyright / DMCA violation, will have no dashboard entry at all. Only successful DMCA Appeal will restore the blog.

Deleted by Blogger, as team membership content.

A blog under team ownership, with another team member account deleted for abusive activity, may disappear from the dashboard of all team members. No Button or link is provided - and no restore will be possible, without the team members account being reviewed, and restored.

If there is no button or link, a deleted blog can't be restored.

Blog restore can only be initiated from a dashboard button or link, to protect the owner(s) of the blog. If no button or link is present, it's possible that the owner is logged in to Blogger, under the wrong account. Any supposed owner must check all Blogger accounts, and find the account with the required button or link.

In some cases, finding the right Blogger account may reveal a locked or deleted account - and the initial cause of the blog deletion.

Blog Thieves Like Abandoned Blogs

If a Blogger account or blog has been dormant for a while, a sudden burst of activity can just as easily indicate a blog thief at work, as a legitimate owner, recently returned.

When you go on vacation, and are going to be away from your house for an extended amount of time, you are urged to have the lawn attended to while you are gone, suspend mail / newspaper deliveries, and take other precautions. Why? So the house won't appear unattended.

Just as burglars like abandoned houses, blog thieves like abandoned accounts and blogs.

• With no owner activity, the owner is not likely to inconveniently change the account password, or update the blog, while the thief is at work.
• With no owner activity, the owner is less likely to notice any changes - and to report the theft.

When you return from vacation and are opening the house up for the first time in weeks, an attentive police officer, protecting your neighbourhood, may stop and verify who you are.

Similarly, when you return to your blog after a long period of inactivity, Blogger may check on you.

Prepare to authenticate yourself, when publishing to a dormant blog.

If you login to your Blogger account, and start updating your blog, after the account and blog has been dormant for weeks or months, you may be asked for additional details, to prove that you are the rightful owner.

This is similar to additional details required, when you travel to a distant land, and use Blogger from a different computer. This is not Blogger being vengeful, because you have been inattentive to your blog - it is Blogger protecting your blog, on your behalf.

Research previous Google activity, before starting.

When you return to a long dormant account and blog(s), take some time and again, research your Blogger / Google history.

Be prepared to provide background information - and when you are asked, don't be unhappy. Relax - because this is Blogger, protecting your account and blogs.

And if you don't use Google 2-Step Verification, start using it. I suspect that all of this increases your paranoia - but it shouldn't.

Plan Blog Recovery, After Bogus Spam Classification

Abuse / Malware / Spam classification of Blogger blogs - and the inevitable bogus fuzzy classification - has been a part of Blogger life, for several years.

Recently, we explored known effects of bogus classification, upon reader and search engine reputation. It's not a pretty picture - but it's also not likely to go away, as long as abusive persons, such as spammers, operate in the Internet world.

Owners of blogs spuriously classified are not likely to be very objective - but we cannot avoid reality.

Owners of blogs, spuriously classified as abusive, frequently report decreased blog activity, following a blog, recently restored.

We know of the inevitable effects of spurious classification. Recovering from the effects of spurious classification is similar to the process of changing the blog URL - either from BlogSpot to BlogSpot, or from BlogSpot to custom domain.

Consider the entities who access your blog - and the ways they access it.

• Followers - People who find your blog because of recommendations by other people.
• Search Engines - Robotic processes which methodically surf your blog, and provide dynamic indexing to people who search for information.
• Subscribers - People who read your content from their newsfeed reader, such as the dashboard Reading List.
• Viewers - People who read your content from their browser.

When the blog comes back online, you will need to address each, differently.

Planning the recovery, now - while the blog is offline - will help your blog recover faster, from traffic loss caused by the unplanned outage.

• You'll start with a known URL, which should be periodically indexed by the search engines.
• The search engines are getting "404"s as they try to re index the blog, right now - just remember that is a temporary problem, if you're able to get the blog recovered.
• You'll end up with the known blog, re indexed.

While the blog is down, look at ways to improve it. Maybe give it a fresh look, with a new design. And write content.

Setup a test blog, with a similar or different template. Experiment with different new features. Find different ways to engage your readers.

Write new posts, regularly, while your blog is down. Your readers won't get to see your posts, immediately - but writing new posts will help keep you in shape.

Plan how to add your additions and changes to your blog, once it comes back. Posts and template can be easily exported from the test blog, and imported to your permanent blog. Accessories and gadgets will take some effort. Decide what you will do, immediately - and what you will do, later - once the blog comes back.

Consider the sources of blog traffic - and the effects of temporary blog suspension.

• Blog Feeds - Automated processes, that help your readers track changes to your blog, using a newsfeed reader.
• Following - The two way community process, that lets you see who your readers are.
• Google Webmaster Tools / Search Console - Key diagnostic and management utilities, that - among other things - enable indexing of the blog by the search engines.
• Search Engines - Robotic processes which methodically surf your blog, and provide dynamic indexing to people who search for information.
• Viewers - People who read your content from their browser.

Each of these traffic sources will have to be updated, when the blog comes back. Think about how each can be used, in the best ways possible, to get your reputation back to previous levels.

You won't have a fun time, with the blog down - but you don't have to waste your time, either.

"Trust Me! - It's My Blog!" Is A Useless Tactic

Some blog owners make no effort to remember their account name / password - then become unhappy when Blogger won't bend their rules, to accommodate them.

Google cut off my access to my account, when it went through changes several years ago. I can't login - and I really want access to my blog!

As long as account / blog recovery has to be restricted, to protect us against blog theft, some blog owners will be unable to use the recovery process - because they don't have the necessary details, to verify themselves.

Blogger needs to protect everybody's Blogger accounts and blogs, against people who want to misuse the recovery process.

Similar to identity verification required when you travel to a distant land, and try to login to Blogger, you should expect some extra security when you try to resurrect a dormant account and / or blog.

Regular Use Allows More Reliable Identification.

If you use your Blogger account daily, and from the same computer in the same location, every time that you login, Blogger can pretty much trust that you are the same person, each time.

Short of breaking into your house when you're not home, figuring out your accounts and passwords, and using your computer during the breakin, nobody is going to successfully pass themselves off as you, and hijack or steal your actively used account and blogs.

Some Blogger Use Is More Common To Abusive Activity.

Conversely, if you use the same computer, from the same location - then one day travel to Nigeria or the Ukraine, and use a computer in a coffeeshop, Blogger is going to suspect that you may not be a legitimate blog owner.

Chances are, when a coffeeshop computer in Nigeria or Ukraine is being used, it is not a legitimate blog owner using it. This is simply because too many account and blog hijacks have been conducted, from coffeeshop computers in Nigeria and Ukraine.

Similarly, when you try to login to a long dormant account or publish an inactive blog, Blogger will require extra effort by you, to prove that you are the owner. The longer the account or blog remains dormant, the more problem this will present.

• Dormant accounts and blogs attract hijack attempts.
• Dormant accounts and blogs are harder to recover control.

This is a simple Blogger security precaution. It's not Blogger being capricious, pedantic, or vengeful - because you've been inattentive, or lax in your duty, as a blog owner.

Dormant accounts and blogs attract hijack attempts.

Some blog thieves target dormant accounts and blogs. It's easier to steal a dormant blog - and to keep what is stolen - simply because a dormant blog is more likely to never be missed, by the lawful owner.

The longer you leave your blog unpublished, the more chance there is that somebody will try to hijack it.

Dormant accounts and blogs are harder to recover control.

The longer that you leave your blog unpublished, the more chance that you will change. You will move to a different location, get a new computer, get a new phone, change jobs and have a new email address, and so on.

The longer that you leave your account or blog owner dormant, the more chance that you will be unable to recover control, because you won't have the necessary backup identity tokens.

For reliable use of Blogger, use it regularly.

Like the muscles in your body, which atrophy when you don't use them, it is going to involve some pain when you try to re activate an unused Blogger account and blog(s). This is simple reality.

And if you use Blogger irregularly, setup Google 2-Step Verification.

HTML Based Accessories, For Individual Posts

Blog owners are constantly asking how to add post specific accessories, from third party services.

How do I add a Like button, for my posts?

Adding many post accessories requires adding XML code, to the post template.

Adding code to the post template is scary - and it can cause problems, when incorrectly done. The easiest way to add a per post accessory is to add an HTML gadget that references the post by the URL, as displayed for the page.

The problem with an HTML gadget is that it simply references the page displayed. If your posts are read from the main page, or an archive page - and somebody uses a Like accessory, what happens?

A Like button, used from an HTML gadget with the main page displayed, applies to the blog - since it's the main page that's displayed.

If you want your readers to Like your individual posts, they need to use the Like button with the post page displayed. You need three tweaks, for this to work best.

1. Use Jump Break on the posts.
2. Tweak the Like gadget, so it only displays in a post page.
3. Add a second Like gadget, in the sidebar, to apply to the blog.

Use Jump Break on the posts.
With Stats displays and main page content, you get the most accurate post pageview counts when your readers read each individual post. Similarly, encouraging your readers to Like your individual posts will be more successful when the Like is used from the post page.

A Jump Break, added to each post, will encourage the reader to click to the post page, where the Like gadget will be visible, immediately beneath the post. Clicking on the button in the gadget, the Like is applied to the post.

Tweak the Like gadget, so it only displays in a post page.
If you want reliable individual post Likes, you want a Like gadget that is only visible from the post page. You can add a CSS tweak, using the Template Designer "Add CSS" wizard.

Add a second Like gadget, in the sidebar, to apply to the blog.
You can have Likes that apply to a main page - but what happens when a non home, index page is displayed? Have you ever looked at the non home URL, for a secondary main page segment?

Add a second Like gadget, in the sidebar, to pick up the home page of the blog, instead of the current page. Then, tweak that gadget, so it only displays on an index page - again, using CSS.

And, you're done.
When all of this is done, you'll have two Like gadgets - one that applies to the blog, the other to the individual posts. And your readers will read each post from the post pages. And you'll do all of this, without tweaking the post template.

Logout Then Login, To Solve Dashboard Problems

Many problems with the Blogger dashboard are caused by the account / profile in use.

If the wrong account or profile is in use, the simplest solution - in many cases - is simply to logout from Blogger / Google, then login using the correct Blogger / Google account. This is much less disruptive then advice to "clear cache, cookies, and sessions - then restart the browser".

The login sequence will use Google multi account login, with the well known Google "blind login" process.

Sign out.

Start with the "Sign out" button or link, that you see after clicking on your dashboard icon in the upper right of the screen - or the "Sign Out" link in the navbar. Click on the button or link.

That will clear the current login - similar to clearing cookies, except you only clear the Google cookies.

Now, sign in again.

Having Signed Out, you will find yourself at the Google "One account" Sign in screen. Now, you need to sign in, using the right account.

With no other problems, you should be done.

If you are able to successfully login, you should see the Blogger dashboard, with the correct complement of blogs listed in "My blogs" or "Reading List". If you do not see what you had hoped for, you can return to "Sign out", and try again.

Alternately, return to the old fall back, "clear cache, cookies, and sessions - then restart the browser" - which may be the only solution, for some problems.

Blogger Magic - An Adult Blog Within A Blog

From time to time, we've had various queries about content segregation, in Blogger Help Forum: Learn More About Blogger

How do I publish adult content, in a section of my blog?

Previously, the best answer would typically start with a blog cluster.

Publish a second blog, with different content - then merge the two blogs.

That's an interesting answer - but it's messy - and two blogs don't aggregate search engine traffic properly.

Using a combination of custom redirects, label searches, and static pages, you can make a blog within a blog, to host your mildly adult content.

You can use the blog within a blog concept, to host any controversial content, as a section of a Blogger blog.

1. A blog within a blog.
2. A custom, redirected Home page.
3. A static page hosting the Content Warning.
4. A link to the static page.

A blog within a blog.

Any content, that you judge to be controversial, you can publish using the "SecretStuff" label (or anything innocuous, if you wish). Then, make sure that no Label index gadgets reference your "SecretStuff" label.

A custom, redirected Home page.

Publish everything that you want to appear on the main page (whatever is not SecretStuff), using the "Home" label. Make sure that any Label index gadgets are updated to reference "Home", as you wish.

Then, add a custom redirect.

From:  /
To:  /search/label/Home

A static page hosting the Content Warning.

Create a static page, "Secret Stuff", containing a warning.

The content that you are about to view may not be suited for everybody here. Do you want to see it?

Then, add two buttons, to the page. Maybe arrange the buttons, using nested tables.

• "No thanks, I'll pass!!", linking to "/search/label/Home".
• "OK, let's see what you got!", linking to "/search/label/SecretStuff".

And Publish your page.

A link to the new static page.

Use "Configure Page List", and in "Pages to show", select "Secret Stuff". Or add a link, anywhere in the blog, to "/p/Secret Stuff".

That's it.

Did you think it would be really difficult? Just do one piece, at a time.

Just use this for slightly controversial content - you won't be protected by the Blogger / Google "Adult Content?" warning, after you de select the dashboard setting. You could try this with porn - but the blog may end up, firmly behind a Blogger Content Warning.

Now, all of the content is in the one blog, and can be indexed by the search engines properly. Just manage the "Home" and "SecretStuff" labels, actively - as you work on your blog.