How to: Work with "Pages"

Working with "Pages" is one of the key parts to organizing our blogs. It enables us to mimic websites by creating individual pages to feature key information. Common Page titles can be "About Me", "Gallery", and "Contact Me", just to name a few. Pages can also be used to features items for sale and by installing Paypal cart buttons we can turn our blogs into pseudo shopping carts.

Working with the Pages feature of Blogger is fairly easy and involves two parts; creating the page and then working with the Page gadget to display the page. This tutorial covers both aspects of this handy built in tool.

When you see written links or images links, like those displayed at the top of this blog, chances are you're see the "Pages" tool being utilized.  When you click on the link you're being taken to an individual page on that blog. In this tutorial we'll cover how to create a page and how to display a link to that page on your blog.  This will enable you to create your own set of written links on your blog. Please note, this does not include how to create image links as they are created using custom images, html code, and mathematical calculations. If you are interested in this type of custom navigation then please contact me for more info.

1. Begin by logging into your blog...

2. and from the main page, click on "Design"...

3. You are now on the "Template" page of your blog...

4. To begin creating "Pages" click on the "Pages" link found in the left side link area...

5. Here you'll see a view of all of the "Pages" you have created for your blog. In this case, I've never created a page so there are no titles present...

6. To create our first page, we'll click on the "New page" button in the top navigation area...

7. In the next view you will see and area that looks identical to the posting area of your blog...

8. This is where you can add information and most importantly, create a title for page.

Please note: If you need help learning how to use this area, be sure to view my video tutorial on "How to Write a Blog Post".

9. For now we're going to add a title to the page and add some simple text, so begin by clicking in the "Page title" area and type the title you want for your page...

Please note: This title is what will appear in your navigation area too so keep your titles short and to the point.

10. Next click in the text area and type in some information...

11. Once you're finished inputting your information you can click the "Publish" button...

12. Now that your "Page" is created you will see the title appear in the list of "Pages"...

13. Each time you create a new "Page" the title will be added to the list...

14. Remember, all we've done so far is create the "Pages", we'll now need to add them to our blog. This is done by working with the "Pages" gadget which is found in the "Layout" area of your blog so click on that link in the left link section...

15. Choose the area you would like to add the list of "Pages" (in this case I would like them to appear just below my banner) and click on "Add a Gadget"...

17. A pop-up window will appear...

18. Scroll down to the "Pages" gadget and click on the blue + button, or title...

19. Here you will see all of the "Page" titles you created and an additional title, "Home". This "Home" link is very important because it helps visitors navigate your blog to find their way back to the main page of your blog...

20. Within this area you can

• rearrange your titles by clicking and dragging them into a new order
• Retitle the gadget from "Pages" to another name like "Blog Links"
• and Add a new linked page

21. For top navigation I like to leave the title off, so once you have everything set the way you like, scroll down and click the "Save" button...

22. You will now see a new gadget title appear in the "Layout" section titled "Pages"...

23. Any time you wish to make changes to this gadget you can return here and click on the "Edit" button....

24. To view your new gadget in place on your blog, click the "View blog" button at the top of the page...

25. Congratulations! You've successfully added "Pages" to your blog...

Whenever you wish to add pages to your blog, simply return to the "Pages" area and create a new page. The new page title will automatically be added to the "Pages" link list.

Enjoy~

How to: Create a Blog

This tutorial will walk you through the steps of starting your own blog.  Blogging is a fantastic outlet for people of all interests ~ from politics to crafting, there are massive genres existing in the world of blogging. There are also several popular platforms and the most common are Blogger, Wordpress, Tumbler, and Typepad.  I began like most on Blogger because it was a free and easy to use interface.  While times have changed a bit since those early days, Blogger still stands as an excellent platform for bloggers.

To begin blogging you'll first need to select a title and link for you blog.  While bloggers do try to keep the title and link of their blogs the same, it isn't entirely necessary, so if you find that the name you want to use is taken then consider using your own name or a modification of that for your link, such as www.sharonwrites.blogspot.com.  Now that you've given the title some thought, let's begin.

The tutorial below is a combination of my own tutorial and one published on wikiHow. I'd like to thank the contributors for their additional images and content. source link:  http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog-on-Blogger

1. Begin by visiting www.blogger.com/home, where you will be prompted to log-in to your Google account. All Blogger blogs are associated with a Google account.  If you don't have one then you will need to create a new account...

2. On the next page you will need to confirm your profile information and click "Continue to Blogger"... 

3. On the next page you will fill in your Blogger display name and click "Continue to Blogger"...

4. Once logged in you will be redirected to the Blogger home page...

This page will show a list of your blogs and a list of the blogs you follow, if any.

5. To create your first blog click the gray "New Blog" button...

6. On this page you'll select a blog "Title", "Address", and a template.

You can use anything you like for the title, since this can be changed at any time.

For the address you'll need to play around, since Blogger has been around for a long time you may find the title you want is not available. You can use a combination of your actual name and what you do ~ I used sharons-artblog.blogspot.com, and it doesn't have to match your blog title. Try some different combinations until you find one that works. You'll see a blue check when you've found an address that's available...

7. Next you'll choose a starter template, which will act as the basic design/layout of your blog. I recommend using the "Picture Window" because it's easily modified for my free blog elements and designer blog themes...

8. Click "Create blog"...

9. Now you will be taken back to the Blogger home page where you will see your new blog appear at the top of the page.  Click on the title of your new blog to access the back end.

10. On the next screen you'll see an overview of the control area where you can personalize your blog and set up basic options...

11. Using the "Template" link, gives you access to change the template and other visible features of your blog. You can control the layout, width, text, colors, and so much more...

12. Click on the "Customize" button to enter the "Template Designer" area and play with these settings...

13. The "Settings" area allows you to control the functionality of your blog such as who is able to view your blog, contribute to it, and comment on your blog. Click this link to explore this area further...

14.  You can adjust publishing, comments, archiving, permissions, and all the other settings for your blog within the sub areas of the "Settings" tab.

15. To write your first blog post click the orange "New post" button found on at the top of the sidebar area...

16. Always begin by titling your blog posts ~ this is a key feature to enabling search features, archiving, and visitors to easy find and sort your blog posts... 

17. Next click in the large box space, this is where you will write your blog posts content. You can add text, pictures, videos, etc. Hover over each icon to view a pop-up key word of what each function is...

 18. You can even use Html to write your blog posts if you know this web developing language...

19. On the right sidebar are more key features, such at "Labels"; single words that describe your posts and "Options" which allow comments and other interactivity for your individual posts...

20. Once you've finished writing your blog post, click the "Publish" button and your blog post will be live on your blog...

That's it! Congratulations on setting up your new blog!  You can find more helpful tutorials on customizing your blog by visiting the Tutorials section of my blog.  I also offer a more in-depth video tutorial on writing a blog post at this link: How to: Write Your First Blog Post

Enjoy~