Facebook - Display Your Blog URL!

Recently I've been a bit frustrated when visiting the pages of Facebook friends and not being able to easily get to their blogs or websites. It is very easy to display websites in the Basic Information:

1. Go to your Profile page. (Note: these steps are written using New Facebook)

2. Click the Edit icon next to the Basic Information section (the "pencil").

3. Select which options to display or not to display.



4. When finished click on another section of the page to close the Edit dialog.

If you are not sure how to add/remove information which appears in the Basic Information section, on the Profile page, click the Info tab. Select the area to edit and again click the Edit icon.

How To Add A Label Cloud - Blogger

I've had several requests for a "how to" on replacing the standard Label list in Blogger with the Label Cloud which you can see on most of my blogs including Destination: Austin Family. Ask and ye shall receive - I love helping out my fellow genea-bloggers.

First, I will warn you that this involves editing the CSS template in Blogger. I don't want you to be intimidated since I will provide clear instructions. But you also must promise me that while you are in "CSS template land" you won't go poking around and say "oohhh, let's add this, change this or remove this." Okay?

1. Backup your template. You are doing this on a regular basis anyway, right? LOL. In Blogger, click Customize and then click the Edit HTML tab. Click Download Full Template and place the file with your other backup files.



2. In the Edit Template section, make certain that the Expand Widget Templates box is UNCHECKED.



3. Download this file: http://www.thomas20.com/files/labelcloudcode.txt which contains three segments of code that you will copy and paste over to the template.

4. Scroll through the code in the template and locate the following string of code:



5.  In the labelcloudcode.txt file, highlight and copy the Part One section of code:

6.  Paste the Part One section of code before the b:skin section of code as shown:



7.  In the labelcloudcode.txt file, highlight and copy the Part Two section of code:

8.  Paste the Part Two section of code after the b:skin section of code as shown: 

9.  Locate the widget code for the Label widget - it will have a widget id=Label1, as shown:

10.  In the labelcloudcode.txt file, highlight and copy the Part Three section of code:

11.  Paste the Part Three code replacing the existing line of Label widget code, as shown:

12.  Click Save and then view the Label Cloud in your blog.

Troubleshooting the Label Cloud

1. If the Label Cloud does not appear, make sure that at least one of your labels has more than one entry. If all labels only have one entry, a bug in the code will cause the Label Cloud not to appear.

2. Also, none of the labels can contain quotation marks ("). Other marks such as apostrophes are okay.

Changing Colors and Font Sizes

The settings in the Variables section of the code is where adjustments to colors and font sizes are made.

var cloudMin = 1;

- this variable sets the minimum number of labels needed to be displayed in a Label Cloud.  The default is 1 which displays every label.  I usually use 5 or higher.

var maxFontSize = 20;

var minFontSize = 10;

- I usually leave these as the default amounts.  Increasing the maxFontSize above 30 makes the labels look too large amd decreasing the min FontSize below 10 makes the labels look too small.

var maxColor = [0,0,255];

var minColor = [0,0,0];

- the colors shown are blue for the largest labels (maxColor) and black for the smallest labels (minColor).  Note that the colors must be expressed in the RGB format (code,code,code).  Use this RGB Color Chart to look up some interesting combinations.  The example below uses (178,34,34) for maxColor and uses (222,184,135) for minColor.

var lcShowCount = false;

- set this variable to true to display the actual count next to each label.

An Introduction to Skype

What is Skype?

Skype is a form of voice over internet protocol (VOIP) which allows you to speak to other people over the Internet from your computer. The most popular version of VOIP is Vonage which utilizes a telephone handset. Please see the links above for more basic information about Skype.

Skype is free in its basic form which suffices for most users. This means you can only connect with other Skype users. There are other premium plans which include the ability to call from Skype to landlines across the U.S., Canada and the world as well as the ability to own a Skype dial-in number so that landline callers can reach you on your computer.

Skype is an easy way to become comfortable with some of the cutting-edge technology involved with VOIP and the program is easy to install and use.

Technical Requirements

Skype is not for every computer setup. At a minimum you should have these features and/or items already available:

- DSL or Broadband connection; Skype cannot be used with dial-up internet connections

- a stationary microphone or headset; a headset is recommended since it will be easier to hear the other person speaking and the microphone will not pick up ambient noise the way a stationary microphone will

Download Skype

1. Go to http://www.skype.com/ and click the Download link.



2. As always, whenever installing any application, you should exit from all other programs including e-mail.

3. Once the download is complete, follow the prompts to install Skype.

4. Once Skype is installed, you should see a console similar to this:



Skype Settings

1.  Once the Skype console appears, on the Tools menu, select Options.  The Skype Options dialog appears.

2.  Select the options you would like to change.  Click Save when finished.

Add A New Contact

1.  Select the Contacts tab.  Click Add.  

2.  The Add a Contact dialog appears. 

3.  Enter the e-mail address of a fellow Skype user and click Find.  You can use my email address tmacentee@gmail.com.

Make a Voice Call

1.  After you have added me or another Skype user as a Contact you are ready to make your first call!

2.  Locate the contact and then click the green "phone receiver" icon and wait for the call to connect.

Don't be intimidated by Skype.  At first I was but now I use it as my main means of telephony - I call everyone with it.  I have also bought a plan that allows me unlimited calling to any phone in the US and Canada which is about $30 for 6 months.  In addition, I have set up a call in number that lets my family call from any type of phone into my Skype phone.

For more information, please visit the Research Toolkit: Skype posting and related postings over at Denise Olson's site Moultrie Creek.

Managing Comments in WordPress

WordPress offers several very nice features which make managing comments a breeze. First on that list is Akismet. It is automatically included on every WordPress.com blog and as an installed plugin on every installed version of WordPress. This wonderful tool will deal with 99.9% of the comment, pingback and trackback spam headed for your blog. For the few spam comments that do get through, when you mark them as spam, they are added to Akismet's database and will be caught the next time.

WordPress.com users don't need to do anything to set up Akismet. It's ready to go as soon as you are. Installed users will need to obtain an API key from WordPress.com before you can activate the Akismet plugin. The key is free - all you need to do is register an account with WordPress.com then go to your profile and retrieve the key. Insert it into the Akismet plugin on your blog and it immediately goes to work.

For the rest of your comments, your options are available in the Discussion area of your blog's Settings.



From the Before a comment appears section, choosing the "Comment author must have a previously approved comment" makes it easy to manage commenters. You will only need to approve a person the first time he leaves a comment. After that, all additional comments will be automatically approved. This option has worked well for me.

The Comment Moderation section can be used to add additional restrictions to be handled automatically. I have mine set to push a comment into the approval queue if it contains more than 2 links. This doesn't limit commenters to 2 links, but it will make them wait for me to look at them before they are visible on my blog. I can also include lists of words usually found in comment spam to push them to the approval queue. I, personally, haven't had the need to do that - not yet anyway - thanks to the Akismet plugin.



The Comments section of your WordPress admin workarea lists all your comments showing the commenter's name, URL, email, IP address and actual comment. You can click the Awaiting Moderation link to view just those comments. Each comment has an option menu to the right of the comment details allowing you to approve, mark as spam or delete that comment. You can also use the checkboxes in the left column to select multiple comments and then click one of the buttons located just above your list.

In the image above, notice the Akismet Spam (4) item just above the Managing Comments title. This tells me that the Akismet plugin is currently holding 4 spam comments. Click on that link and you will be taken to the Akismet list. You can scan the list for legitimate comments - I have yet to find any - before clicking the Delete All button to permanently remove them from your comments collection.



Notice that I do not require commenters to be registered users to leave a comment. I could, but then I'd have to manage a user list of commenters (installed WordPress). For hosted sites, this option requires commenters to have an account with WordPress.com. I'm not trying to collect names for marketing purposes so I don't use this capability on my blogs.

I enjoy the interaction of comments on my blogs. It's one of the main reasons I use a blog platform over other content management systems. Thanks to WordPress, I can enjoy those comments without wasting time dealing with comment spam. I like that.

Adding an Audio File to Blogger

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Thomas MacEntee, Administrator of the GeneaBlogger Group, requested that I post a "how to" explaining the steps required for adding audio files to a blog. I had requested help on the group's discussion board specifically requesting names of an audio hosting site to use.

As no sites were recommended by group members, I went to Blogger Editor and followed the steps recommended there which enabled me to add the audio file that can be heard in my article, Come, O Thou Travelor Unknown: My First Digital Audio File.

In the article which accompanies the audio file, I established the sort of recording equipment I bought (Olympus Digital Voice Recorder, WS-110: $45 before tax at Sam's Club in office supplies rather than electronics); I described how I made a digital recording (of my playing the piano) and how simple it was then to download the digital audio file in its WMA format to my computer.

The problem then became how do I insert a WMA file into Blogger. Blogger Help Resources to the rescue. At Help Center, I clicked "Multi-Media Blogging" and was carried to "Audio and Podcasts." Within that help article was the "How Do I Post Audio/Music to My Blog?" (All of the following screen captures can be clicked for a larger image)

On the Quick Answer list, I decided that I'd better elect to let a host store my audio files --- so I read further and found this information:

This help article continues . . .

As soon as I saw the list of four suggested hosting services, I did a Google Search for "free audio hosting site" and looked for any from the list of four above. I was on a quest for a free hosting site. The one I found first was Box.net.

Before I did anything else, I went to Box.net and set up a free account with them to host a small amount of audio files. Box.net offers a free hosting account for a 1 GB site; larger plans start at $ 7.95 per month. They also offer a free 14-day free trial on any of their plans if you wish to try them out.

Once I got a user name and password established with Box.net, I then attempted to transfer a copy of my audio file from my computer to my new account there. I was successful on the first attempt to move a copy of my audio file to Box.net. No mean feat for one as computer challenged as I --- and encouraged by this seemingly good turn of events, I returned to Blogger Editor to see what I could do with my audio file.

First, I wrote the article to go with my audio file. I didn't have a clue as to where the link would go, so I left out specific references to the music file within the article until I got it all set up. I opened Blogger Editor to a test blog site I maintain that only two people in the world can access --- me and footnoteMaven. I opened the Setting/Formatting tabs in my Layout features and set "Show Link Field" to "Yes." I then attempted to post an article in my test blog including the URL to the audio file housed at Box.net.

That attempt failed. There was one additional step I missed --- adding the widget to my layout page to indicate that I'm allowing enclosure links. Here is the skinny on that step.

After you've enabled "Yes" on "Show Links Field" open your blogger editor as if you were starting a new article or a new post. This header should appear in your Blogger Editor:

Notice that below your title box you have a new one --- a "Link" box. This is where you will paste the URL for the audio file you've stored at Box.net or some other hosting site. But before you paste in the URL to your audio file, I suggest you click the "Learn more" button at far right (see red arrow). That opens up an interesting help page which includes the following code you will need to place into your layout:

I pasted the code into a text box and added it to my layout. I've got my link widget at the top of my page but will soon migrate it to the footer as it is a clutter I don't need at the top of my pages.

Here is how my Blogger Editor now looks when I'm ready to post an audio file --- remember the URL of the audio file you've placed at a host site is needed to insert into the box "Link" --- just cut and paste and you'll have a title that is also clickable to your audio file.

Once you've got the audio file URL inserted into the Link box, proceed to write your blog article in the usual manner. Click post --- and the world will be able to listen to your audio file.

In my case the first audio file I made was me playing the piano. I hope to do some interviews soon and post them with the permission of the one being interviewed.

Audio file posting offers all sorts of possibilities. I hope you will investigate how to make digital recordings, load them to your computer, load them to a hosting site, and then share them with your readers by loading the audio file into your blog article.

Disclaimer: I'm sure there are numerous ways to accomplish this process. The above is how I did it --- and I have two left feet when it comes to dancing with computers. If I can figure it out, your placing audio files on your blog should be easy. I would appreciate, however, any comments from you computer savvy young'uns on how to make this process easier and more streamlined. I would like, for instance, to be able to have an audio tape of a person I've interviewed playing behind an image of that individual. Perhaps one of these days I'll be brave enough to tackle that possibility.

Burning Your Feeds - What Do Your Readers Want?

I thankfully received some comments from a few readers about a recent change to the way in which I burn feeds on my blog.

I was unaware that some readers access Destination: Austin Family from mobile or texting devices which don't allow you to go to the actual post on the blog.  I apologize to these readers and others who have had problems accessing DAF.  And I really appreciate the feedback.  Here is what happened and how, on Blogger, you can adjust your feed settings.

1. On the Blogger Dashboard, select Settings and then select the Site Feed tab. The Site Feed screen appears:



You may have to select between Basic Mode and Advanced Mode. Begin with Basic Mode since the selections will be easier to make.

2. Allow Blog Feeds: Select either None, Short or Full.

- If you select None, users will only see the post title in their reader or on a mobile device and will need to click the title to open the original post. This has its disadvantages in that readers with mobile devices may not be able to access the full post whereas they can read a Full post via a text reader.

- If you select Short which is what Blogger seems to be recommending, then only the first 255 characters or the first paragraph, whichever is shorter, will appear in the reader. This may not satisfy those mobile readers especially if you are rather verbose like me and can't keep a post to one paragraph.

- If you select Full, then the entire post is available in the reader. This has a disadvantage in that a full feed becomes available to splogs and splog aggregators.

3. Post Feed Redirect URL: the feed burner service that you use (I use FeedBurner) will generate a URL for redirection of your feeds. That URL should be pasted here.

4. Post Feed Footer: you can compose a footer, almost like an email signature, that your readers will see at the end of posts in a blog reader. You can place your name, advertising, anything you desire.



If you choose to use the Advanced Mode, here are your options:

5. Blog Posts Feed: select None, Short or Full with the same admonitions above.

6. Blog Feed Comment: again select None, Short or Full. The comment feed contains all comments made on all posts on your blog.

7. Per-Post Comment Feed: again select None, Short or Full. Each individual post will have its own site feed, containing only its own comments.

8. Post Feed Redirect URL: again, as above, the URL from your feed burning service.

9. Post Feed Footer: same as above.

Why did I change my feed format?  I was looking to drive more traffic directly to my blog since I had looked at my traffic using Google Analytics and found that most readers were simply using the feeds and not going to the blog.  This is not so much a concern since I don't have advertising that needs clicks or interactivity on my blog.  So I switched my feed format back to one that is more pleasing to my readers.  Happy readers make a happy Thomas.

Comments Moderation - Are You Being Too Restrictive?

There is a great discussion over at Facebook as to how you as a blogger set the ability for readers to leave comments. Part of the discussion revolves around being too restrictive in terms of who can comment and how they can comment.

I want to review what the commenting options are at Blogger (and hopefully by colleague Denise Olson at Moultrie Creek will weigh in since she is the Wordpress Diva) and how I have tweaked my settings to make the commenting experience a good one for both me as blog manager and reader as blog commenter.

1. In Blogger, go to the Dashboard, and select the Settings tab. Then select Comments. The Comments screen will appear:



2. Comments:  decide whether to Show or Hide comments using the radio buttons.

3. Who Can Comment?: this is where you really decide how restrictive you want to be.

I've selected Anyone for all my blogs since farther on down in this screen I opt to review and moderate all comments before they are posted.

The other options are too restrictive in my opinion and force readers to already have certain types of credentials or IDs etc.  They aren't in keeping with how I care to run my blogs.

4.  Comment Form Placement:  choose whether to use Full Page or Pop-up window.  I've gotten away from pop-up windows since they can be blocked by some web browsers.

5.  Comments Defaults for Posts:  select from New Posts Have Comments or New Posts Do Not Have Comments.  Remember, if you've allowed comments selecting to not have comments only affects new posts, not existing posts nor will it delete existing comments.

6.  Backlinks:  select to Show or Hide backlinks which basically tell users who else has linked to this post.  Your selection does not remove backlinks - they can always be displayed with this setting if you so choose.  I've opted not to display them because I prefer a more streamlined, cleaner look to my comments and I'm not really sure what value backlinks have to my readers.

7.  Comments Timestamp Format:  select the date/time format to be used next to the comment.  I have opted for the standard format used in the United States.

8.  Comment Form Message:  you have a chance to place a message, with HTML formatting, in your comment form.  You might want to have a welcome message, or state that all comments are moderated, etc.

9.  Comment moderation:  this is the most important selection area on this screen, in my opinion.  I have my setting at Always.  This allows me to review comments before they are published.  Unlike Wordpress which has a comment spam mechanism, you must either take a chance and let all comments get instantly posted or review all comments before they are posted.

Like most new bloggers, I figured, "why do I want to be hassled by comment moderation" so I selected Never.  Never say never.  I found some awful and downright offensive comments and I was embarassed that my readers may have seen them.

In the Email address field I've entered my email address as a means of notifying me when comments are submitted.  That way I don't have to keep Blogger open in my web browser all day.

10.  Show word verification for comments?:  this mechanism is called a CAPTCHA which stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.  I've selected Yes since it greatly reduces the number of automated spam comments received.

11.  Show profile images on comments?:  if commenters have profile photos those images will display next to their comments.

12.  Comment Notification Email:  this option confused me at first, and I found that I was receiving too much email when I entered my email address in this field.  Since I moderate comments, I already receive an email when someone makes a comment, so why would I want to receive yet another email once I moderate the comment and it is posted?  The only way this works is if you have a blog with multiple authors and you need to notify up to 10 people when new comments are posted.

Connecting on Thin Air

iPhone and iPod Touch users will find Yahoo’s oneConnect application a great addition to their communications tools. From here you have access to your Yahoo address book and many of your favorite social networks - Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, Last.fm and MySpace for starters.

Update your status or check what your friends are doing. Send email messages, instant messages or call any of your contacts. Check out the latest photos at Flickr or videos on YouTube. With the iPhone you can do this anywhere. With the Touch, you’ll need to be within range of a WiFi signal. Either way, you can stay connected whenever and wherever you want.

You’ll find oneConnect at the iTunes Store. Oh, did I forget to mention that it’s free?

Badges? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges! Or Do We?

Well, being a genea-blogger and seeing all these neat blogs with their "pieces of blog flair" cascading down their sides bars, you knew that we'd eventually have to tackle this subject.  And that we'd have to use that oft-uttered line about badges.

So, here is how you can turn any image, even that of your maiden aunt Gertrude wearing a lampshade during last year's lutefisk festival "after party," into a badge.

1.  Locate the image that you want to be your badge.  If this is a carnival badge, such as the badge for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, go to Jessica's Genejournal.  Place the cursor over the image, right-click (or press Shift and the F10 key) and the shortcut menu appears:

2.  Select Save Image As (or some variant - your author is hampered by Windows Vista - your results may differ if you are using Windows XP, or Windows 3.0 like some unnamed geneabloggers . . ).  Save the image to a location on your computer.

3.  Also note that when I place the cursor over the badge on Jessica's blog, the link to the Blog Carnival website appears in the lower left-hand corner of the browser.  You can use this URL for the badge linking or select your own - we'll discuss this in a minute.



4.  Open the Dashboard of your blog in Blogger and click Layout. 

5.  Click Add Gadget.



6.  In the Add A Gadget pop-up window, scroll down and select Picture.  

7.  In the Link field, enter the URL to serve as the underlying link for the badge.



8.  In the Image section, click Choose File.  Note:  I often avoid directly linking to an image on another website for two reasons - first, this will lead to increased bandwidth on the website hosting the graphic and second, the graphic may move or be renamed on the website.  It is better that I should host the graphic on my blog or website.

9.  In the Open dialog, locate and select the image, then click Open.  The image will appear in the Configure Image window.  Click Save.



10.  Click View Blog.

11.  The badge will now appear on your blog.

The Elusive Non-Breaking Space

Ugh! Don't you hate it when two items on your blog post break at the end of a line and you really want to keep them together? This is what I am talking about (pardon the weird John Madden-type graphics):



Here is the way to remedy the break and ensure that the text never separates between two lines:

1. In the Create Post or Edit Post mode, click on the Edit Html tab at the top.  Locate the text that is separating.  Note: very likely it will not appear separated inthe  Edit HTML or Compose tabs.

2.  Enter the following code between the text to be joined:

3.  Click Preview and see that the text has been pushed over to the next line and is not separate.

I learned all about non-breaking spaces when I was a document production operator and surpervisor for global law firms.  Here are instances when you might want to be proactive and insert the code so text is never separated:

- when using Mr., Mrs. or some form of address, it should never be separated from the name. Ex: Mr. Moe Tellsiks.

- when entering dates, never let the month separate from the date or the year.  Ex: September 13, 2008

- when using categorizing items such as (i) or (a) or manual bullet points.  Ex: (a) Holly Dayin would have nothing to do with Moe Tellsiks.

- any other times text would be more confusing if separated including mathematical formulas, addresses, etc.

Now, if I can find a code for a dishy.  Anyone know what a dishy is?

A New Look for Facebook Bootcamp

The admins of this blog have had a discussion over the past few days as to the focus of Facebook Bootcamp for Genea-Bloggers. Initially as many genea-bloggers took the dive into the world of social networking and Facebook, there was a need for a "how to" guide geared towards our community. Posts that explained in easy, step-by-step fashion how to join Blog Networks, how to add your blog posts, etc.

Over the past two months, we've seen more and more requests for help and information that did not include Facebook but blogging in general: how to add a badge with an underlying link in the sidebar or how to participate in a blog carnival. By not limiting our focus to just Facebook procedures, we've been able to assist many genea-bloggers and have also helped those new to genea-blogging get their blogs set up.

While our URL will still remain http://fbbootcamp.blogspot.com, the focus will include all technical aspects of genea-blogging.  Many have gotten into the habit of calling this site simply "bootcamp" and our new banner is in keeping with that simplified name.

If there are any topics you'd like to see here on Bootcamp, please let us know!

How To Set Up A Creative Commons License

I am posting this in response to a request from a fellow genea-blogger who wanted to place a Creative Commons License badge on the sidebar of her blog.

What is a Creative Commons License and why should I have one? A Creative Commons License allows you, as an author and creator of your work - your intellectual property, to mark your creative work according to your desired configuration as "Some Rights Reserve" instead of "All Rights Reserve."

Why? Part of the thinking behind this type of partial copyright is that it allows others to use your work based on your requirements. For Destination: Austin Family, my license allows others to copy and modify my work but only as long as they too protect their work under a similar Creative Commons license. In addition my license does not allow commercial/for profit use of my work.

I have such a license in place since I fully believe that in order to foster more and better information in the Web 2.0 environment, there needs to be a somewhat unhindered exchange of such information without getting into copyright battles.

Here are the steps needed to secure your free Creative Commons License, customize it to your wishes, and display the badge on your blog:

1. Go to the general Creative Commons site at http://creativecommons.org/.



2. Click License Your Work in the upper left hand corner. You should be here: http://creativecommons.org/license/.



3. Select the settings for your license. I recommend:

- Allow commercial uses of your work? No.
- Allow modifications of your work? Yes, as long as others share alike.
- Select your jurisdiction.

4. Complete the additional information form. Click Select License.

5. Now select an icon for the license. I usually select the first one.



6. The code for the license and info appears. You need to post this to some gadget in your blog to appear on your sidebar. The following steps are for those using Blogger:

a. Select all the text in the code box. Highlight it or place cursor in the box and press CTRL + A (for Select All). Then right-click and select Copy. You have now copied to code to the Clipboard.



b. Go to the Dashboard on Blogger. Select Layout.



c. Select Add Gadget. (Note: the layout in the image below may differ depending upon the template you are using in Blogger).



d. In the Add Gadget dialog, select HTML/JavaScript. Press the plus sign.



e. In the Configure HTML/JavaScript dialog, right-click over the blank area and select Paste. This will copy the code from the Creative Commons site. You also might consider entering a headline in the Title box. The one I use is: Read the License & Acknowledge My Contribution If You Use My Content. Click Save.



f. Click View Blog to view the new license info.

Backing Up Your Blog

Since today is Data Backup Day (as is every 1st of the month), and we've seen several Genea-Bloggers suffer with outright removal of their blogs or having their blogs blocked, it is time we discuss some ways to backup your blog.

Backup As You Post

While this is not an ideal way to backup and entire blog, this can be helpful to backup the content of your posts. Simply, compose your posts in Microsoft Word or in a text file, and then save them to your computer. It might be helpful for you to place the date at the top of the file so you know the date upon which you posted the text.

Backup Your Blog Template

This is an area that is often neglected when backing up a blog. Imagine if you had customized your template text size, colors, placement of gadgets, etc. and those were lost. Here is how to backup your template using Blogger:

1. Click Dashboard and then select the Layout tab.



2. Next, click the Edit HTML tab.



3. Finally, click Download Full Template. A file save dialog will appear asking you to Open or Save the template in XML format. Click Save, select a location and then click Save.



Backup Your Blog Posts and Comments

Here are the steps needed to backup your Blogger blog to a Wordpress account.

1. Go to WordPress and create an account if you don't already have one.



2. Once your account is created and confirmed, login and then click Register Blog or Register Another Blog if you already have a WordPress blog.



3. Enter the Blog Domain name and the Blog Title. Also, in the Privacy field, uncheck the box labeled "I would like my blog to appear in search engines . . ." This is important since you don't want search engines picking up both your current blog and the backup. If your blog does go down, you can always return to this setting and activate it so that your backup blog appears in search engines.



4. Once the blog is created, a confirmation screen will appear. (Note: the image below shows "destinationaustinfamily2" because I deleted my original backup in order to write this blog post on the step-by-step process. Oh the things I do for readers!)



5. Your blog should now appear in the Your blogs section of the Home page.



6. Under My Dashboards at the top, select your blog. The Dashboard will appear.



7. Click Manage. Locate Import at the top right.



8. Click Import. You will be presented with a series of options as to the blog type to be imported from.



9. Click Blogger. The Import Blogger screen appears. You will need to authorize WordPress to access your Blogger posts via your Google account. Click Authorize.



10. The Google Accounts Access Request screen appears. Click Grant Access.



11. Once authorized, a list of your Blogger blogs appears. Click Import for the blog you want to backup.



12. The import process may take quite some time to backup all posts and comments. Once the process is completed, the Import button will change to the Set Authors button. Click Set Authors.



13. Your name should appear in the WordPress login field. Click Save Changes.



14. A list of all your posts and comments will now appear in the Manage tab.