If you’re using the Blogger platform or plan to use it, here’s a list of resources available to assist you. As we discover more resources we’ll add them to the list, which is short for now to simply get you started!

Buzz Blogger

The official place to get many of your questions answered on how to use the Blogger blogging platform.

Blogger in Draft

The place to learn about everything you need to know about Blogger in Draft and for getting their newest updates for handy tools and gadgets! One of the best features about using Blogger in Draft is the fact that you can automatically publish a blog post with a future scheduled posting date and time! Not familiar with Blogger in Draft? Just follow this link directly to your Blogger in Draft dashboard!

Blogger Known Issues

Ever had one of those days when you were frustrated with something on Blogger? You can do a bit of research here and discover if the issue has been reported and what the resolve may be and when it will be fixed. The site is easy to navigate with the keyword tags listed at the top.

Blogger on Your Own Domain Video

A handy resource to get you started on your own domain using the Blogger Platform. This video makes it a quick and easy place to get started today!

Blogger on Your Own Domain Summary

This will give you more details so you know what to expect when establishing a blog on your own domain using the Blogger platform. Blogger refers to using your own domain name with their platform as “Custom Domain”.

Blogger Support

When all your options seem to fail for resolving an issue with Blogger, you can use the link above to access notify Blogger support.

Link and Blog Blogger Posts

To locate our blog posts regarding anything to do with the Blogger platform, simply check out the link above to get you started.

You’ve noticed I’m sure that many of our recent posts here are about some of the improvements that the Blogger platform has been making. This is due to the fact that I recently converted two of my blogspot blogs over to my own domains using the Blogger custom domains option. Well, Blogger just got better again!

Using the new Blogger in Draft option, you can now write blog posts in advance and select the specific date and time you want Blogger to publish the post AUTOMATICALLY! This of course means that you can now hang out at the beach and leave your laptop behind, while Blogger does the work for you to publish your posts automatically! Awesome feature Blogger! Way to go!

Earlier today I tested the auto-publish feature on my new Blogger custom domain blog, Money Illusions, and it worked great! Here’s how to auto-publish a post at a later date and time using the new Blogger Draft dashboard:

STEP 1:

You need to get to the correct dashboard! You may not have ventured to this new Blogger Draft dashboard I’m referring to, so pay close attention! Normally when you’ve posted in Blogger you’ve gone to this url:

Once you’re in the normal Blogger dashboard at the url above, the logo looks like this, which you’re already familiar with:

But, the dashboard with the logo above is NOT where you’ll have access to the auto-publishing feature for your Blogger blog posts! You need to go to your OTHER dashboard available only on Blogger Draft, which you will find at this url:

You’ll know you’re in the right dashboard because the Blogger Draft dashboard logo is in blue, as shown here:

Okay, once you’re in the correct Blogger Draft dashboard with the blue logo shown above, you’re ready to write and schedule an automatic date and time for a specific blog post! Let’s go to the second step!

STEP 2:

From your Blogger Draft dashboard, select the blog you wish to publish a post using the automatic publishing feature. Then select a blog post you already have saved as a draft, or write a new one.

Now you’re ready to auto-publish a blog post for the desired time and date you specify. Select the menu option as shown here, and follow the instructions written in red:

Once you have selected your date and time, select “Publish Post” if you have finished writing your draft. Blogger will then automatically publish the post for your specified date and time. The auto-publish time and date will only be set if you selected “Publish Post”, but NOT if you selected “Save as Draft”! The Blogger dashboard will confirm your auto-publish date and time for the post with this message:

Once you have posts ready to be automatically published for a specific scheduled time you can locate them in your Blogger Draft dashboard where it says, “Scheduled”:

When you click on the “Scheduled” link, you can access the list of scheduled posts, which will show you the post name, date and time for when it is scheduled. The example below only shows the time since I opted to have the blog post auto-published the same day:

There you have it! That’s all there is to publishing a blog post from your Blogger Draft dashboard for your desired date and time! Thanks Blogger!

For additional information about the auto-publishing feature, take a peak at Blogger Buzz. Also, be sure to check out the new Blogger in Draft blog for more of the scoop on the automatic blog post publishing feature!

You may have caught our post last week in regards to moving an existing blogspot blog onto your own custom domain using Blogger’s blogging platform, which can of course also be used to establish a new blog on your own domain too!

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case a video is! This video will provide you with greater clarification for the steps you need to take in your Blogger dashboard to convert your blogspot blog or to begin a new one on your own domain. Now you can end any excuses for why you have not started to blog, if that describes you.

Happy blogging!

Just released! Blogger has released their first series of videos on how to use their blogging platform and establishing your blog on the Blogger platform. If you haven’t started a blog, it couldn’t be easier then it is now with their new how to blog video tutorials!

Blogger was where I started, and I just switched both of my blogger blogs over to my own domains, using the Blogger custom domain option - which is soo easy to do that even a beginner blogger can start a blog on their own domain. I’ll be writing a new post here soon to update you with the details on how the switch to my own domains has worked, but so far it’s been great.

Back on topic in regards to the Blogger videos — if you are just starting to blog and want a blog on your own domain the easiest way possible, I encourage you to utilize the Blogger platform and take advantage of their free hosting.

Head on over to Blogger Buzz and make use of their how to blog tutorial videos or locate them on YouTube and get started today! If you’ve been making excuses for not having a blog theres no reason why you need to make excuses any longer!

Many of you perhaps already know that you can utilize the Blogger blogging platform, but on your own domain. It’s a free service which Blogger provides, except for the cost of the domain. Their service allows you to use their drag and drop widgets the same as you use now if your blog is on Blogger, but you must own or purchase a domain.

Blogger provides the ability to either purchase the domain from within your Blogger dashboard, or utilize an existing domain name you already own. You simply select which option is applicable to your situation. If you’re wanting to migrate your Blogger blog from the .blogspot address, all you need to do to get started is to access your Blogger dashboard, watch this video for switching to a custom domain on blogger, or follow these simple steps below:

Step 1. From your Blogger dashboard, select the Blogger blog you wish to redirect to your own domain.

Step 2. Select the tab titled, “Publishing” as illustrated here in Blogger Buzz.

Step 3. Under the publishing tab, select “Custom Domain”.

This is where you will have the option to purchase a new domain, or to utilize one you already have established. If you purchase a new domain from Blogger (Google) they are currently $10.00 a year, but you would also gain access to Google Apps too!

If you already own the domain, select “Switch to Advance Settings”, which is where they provide you with step by step instructions on how to use a custom domain for your Blogger blog.

Why would you want to consider a redirect from your Blogger blog to your own domain using their blogging platform? There are many good reasons. First and foremost is the ease of switching your Blogger blog over to your own domain.

Secondly, it’s a great option for those of you who wish to have your own domain, but do not want to mess with ftp (file transfer protocols) and cpanel responsibilities that come with a hosted domain. Finally, the third reason is the fact that you will not have to deal with any hosting fees since Blogger will host the redirect to your own domain without a charge for a host service!

As Blogger says,

“We’ll continue to host all your content as before, but it will be displayed at your new address.”

If you have a Blogger blog and like their platform, but hate the “blogspot” part of your name perhaps this might be the right solution for your blog. I’m giving it some consideration for two of my blogs.

I hope this information is helpful to you! Happy blogging!

Blogger is now offering the new WebCall program so you can add a button to your Blogger blog. You may be asking, “What’s WebCall?” WebCall provides your blog readers or website visitors the ability to call you by phone. However, the beauty of the program protects your phone number since your phone number cannot be viewed!

Complete with voice mail capabilities, there is no need to establish a separate line or a separate phone number for your website business! With WebCall your website visitors or blog readers would not have access to your number, but with the push of a button they could call you on a private line.

If you have a blog with Blogger, take a look in your Blogger dashboard, and you will find the information for their beta testing for the service. For additional information, you can read more about Web Call, which can also be used on eBay!

If you have a blog on Blogger.com you may have caught their newest feature for your blog. If not, then this might be news to you! BloggerPlay was released in September, and it provides a photo scroller displaying images that we as bloggers upload into our Blogger blogs — in real time! The settings on the image scroller allow you to adjust it to view the images at a snails pace or faster.

Behind the scenes the staff at Blogger have had access to the image scroller as the bloggers upload images. They decided it was such a cool feature behind the scenes and realized it should be available for all to see!

This feature just might bring some traffic to your blog due to the fact that each image is linked to the blog the image was posted on. So, the next time you upload an image on your Blogger blog, someone may click through to your blog from the image scroller! One last word — if you think you can upload images that are vulgar or obscene, somehow Blogger has algorithmic filters to catch those before they’re presented in the scroller.

You can check it out and see the image scroller in real time as the images are uploaded, at BloggerPlay. Have fun with the image scroller and happy blogging!