How do I git started with blogging?

How do I git started blogging?
It's as easy as setting up a Blogger account. Blogger is probably the easiest blogging platform to git yoo up and running without having to know any kind of coding. (The new Blogger werks much much better than the old Blogger.) There are other blogging applikayshuns as well, including Typepad, Wordpress, LiveJournal, Blog.com, and Blogstream. Many ISPs also offer blog functionality with thare hosting akkownts. Some of theeze are availabul for a low yeerly fee, and offer a free trial. Take advantije of the free trial to see if yoo like thare templates, and if it's eezy for yoo to use.

Heer are a few:

• Blog.com
• Blogger (blogspot)
• Blogstream
• ClearBlogs.com
• Livejournal
• Typepad
• Windows Live Writer
• Wordpress

How offin shood I blog?
As offin as yoo have sumthing to say. It's best if yoo post at leest a few times a week, so that evrywun gits used to viziting yer blog and it becomes a habit --- this will help bild traffik to yer blog and yoo won't feel like yer blogging in a vakyoom. If yoo don't blog in a wile, yoo cood fall off evrywun's radar.

On the other paw, don't bern yerself owt! Naptime is importunt! And don't just post entreez for the sake of bloggin more offin than not --- if yer blog izn't intristing, yoo won't be abul to establish a fan base.

Nobuddy's commenting on my blog!
Comments are a good mezhure of how engaged other cats are with yer blog. If yer not gitting comments, chek to make shur yoo don't have comment moderayshun enabled. (Uzhually a chekbox in "Settings" for comments, depending on whut blog platform yer on.) If comment moderayshun is NOT enabled, yer blog probly needs more vizibility. Ferst of all, both me and the Cat Blogsphere try to annownse new blogs -- so drop us an emale or comment and let us know yoo've got a new blog. Second, get owt thare and start commenting on other cat blogs. Win we see new faces, we'll chek yoo owt and comment on yer blog.

Get on blogrolls
Emale me (skeezix AT skeezixthecat DOT com) and I'll add yoo to mine. After yoo've vizited spesifik blogs sevrul times and left comments, ask the blogger to add yoo to thare blogroll ... and reesiprokate. To reesiprokate meens to add them to yer own blogroll as well.

Partisipate in Memes
If yer a regyuler kontributor to the vareeyus memes (Thursday Thirteen, for ixzampul), others will git used to viziting yer blog on thoze days. Adding auto-linkies helps a lot!

Use Cat Blog Help as a resource
We're heer to help. We hope to provide help on evry aspekt of cat blogging and will be adding kontent daily, so chek heer offin for the newest stuff going on of intrist to cat bloggers.

Shood I go with Blogger or Wordpress?

If yer new to blogging and are trying to figyer owt wich platform to use, I fownd a good deskripshun of the pros and cons of Blogger vs. Wordpress.

KLIK HEER to reed a good summayshun of the relative merits of Blogger and Wordpress.

How do I add a pikcher to my sidebar - what's this "widget interface" yoo talk abowt?

My best frends Skeeter & LC ask:

We want to put a pic in our sidebar, but we can't find this "widget interface" that you mentioned. What is it and where do we get it?

Skeeter and LC

It isn't anything yoo need to "get" --- now all Blogger blogs utilize the widget interface. I used to have to differensheeate between the two when cats askt for blog help becuz the old and the new interface were compleetely diffrint. The old Blogger interface made yoo make edits to yer template in HTML. But Blogger forst evrywun to convert to the widget interface erlier this yeer. So win yoo hit the template tab yoo now see a bunch of boxes on the template page that yoo can moove arownd or clik to edit insted of digging thru HTML.

Widgets are self contayned mini-applikayshuns (often, therd party applikayshuns) that yoo can plop into yer blog withowt a having to have a lot of programmer knowlidje.

We have an explanayshun of how to add a linked image to yer sidebar heer. If yoo don't wunt it to be linked, just don't inklood the link code.

How do I change my Catster bakgrownd?

Miz rites:

Skeezix, I like you and Daisy's backgrounds on Catster. How do I change mine? I
am not a plus member if that makes a difference.

I don't know if non-Plus members can configyer thare pages, but if yoo can, heer's how to do it:

1) Go to yer accownt set up page and klik "Modify biography & traits":

2) On the Bio screen, skrole down a little bit, and klik "Fun Stuff."


3) Yoo'll see a bunch of oranje bio feelds.

The little one on the left is the feeld name. For this use, yoo'll just stik in a peeriod so it won't show too much on yer profile page.

The little one on the right deetermines the vertical height this line takes up on yer profile page. For this usage, tipe in "10".

The big box in the middle is ware yoo'll put the code for a bakgrownd or a musik file to play win the page lodes. The code yoo stik in thare is

<body background="http://www.photobucket.com/filename.gif">

with the "http" part pointing to the path of yer bakgrownd image file (yoo can have it hosted on photobucket or other file sharing site.) Klik heer for infermayshun on image hosts.

Yoo can test it with this backgrownd: http://skeezixthecat.com/images/bg_donanobispacem.gif

The code for an mp3 file is:
<embed src="http://www.skeezixthecat.com/music/happyboy.mp3"
height="20"
width="145"
autostart="true"
loop="false"
width="0"
height="0">
</embed>

With all that sed, yoo mite have to be a Plus member to be abul to go to the Fun Stuff area... so why not upgrade???

I'm sick of my page. How do I change it?

My best frend Jeter Harris rites:

... i'm sick uv mi page ... it'z borin fer me an i wood like to change it. i'm prettee scared dat i will blow it ... do u hav sum sugjeschunz fer me? thank u.

Jete' it's as eezy as backing up yer current template, then pikking a new one.

Ferst, save a copy of yer existing template (so if yoo skrew up, yoo can go bak). To do so, klik the Template tab (or link), and under it klik "Edit HTML". (Yoo can klik theeze pikchers to biggify.)

Make shur the "Expand Widget Templates" chekbox is chekt.

Now, klik in the big text box that has yer template. Select-all (CTRL-A on yer keybord) and copy (CTRL-C), then open up notepad or werdpad or other text editor (MS-Werd is not a good choice) and paste (CTRL-V) the contents of yer klipbord into the empty doc and save. Now yer bakt up.

Next, yoo'll need to pik a new template. It's as eezy as pikkin' yer noze. Ferst, klik the "Pick New Template" link. The templates will be displade beelow it. Just skrole thru the deezines (most have three or fore diffrint choices in diffrint colors), selekt the one yoo like and then klik the oranje SAVE TEMPLATE buttun:

Switching templates will NOT do anything to yer blog posts. Evry once in a wile, it does eet sum of yer page elements in yer sidebar win a new template is selekted .... but thare eezy to reetreeve if yoo bakt up beefore yoo started. In fakt, it's kind of teedius, but it can be helpful if, beefore yoo start, yoo open eech one of yer sidebar elements and copy the html to a blank text file (one long file with all the pasted code) ... it will save yoo having to reed thru a lot of XML to find yer widget code in yer backup file when if yer mom is helping yoo and she messes up.

Heer are sum tips:

• Don't stress owt abowt making the switch. 99% of the time it is seemless.
• A littul wine helps kalm yer helper down, but more than a littul is not such a good thing. So, like, win yer ladey gits home frum a Book Club meeting and she's all giggly and duzn't say her werds vary kleer, win she sez, "Jeter, how's abowt we change da way yer blog looks tonite??" JUST SAY NO!
• If yoo reely mess up, just paste yer backed up old blog template into the box on the Edit HTML page.
  
  

Can one gmail account have 2 blogs?

Laura rites:

Hi Skeezix,

Can one gmail account have 2 blogs?

When I set up Buddy's blog (Nezbine.blogspot.com), I used my gmail account & used her name for the blogger part. Now I want to make my own blog, and I did create a test one, but I can only post to it as Buddy (nezbine). Is there a way I can create my own blogger account without deleting hers or messing it up? If I modify it so it's me instead of her, then her blog will have my picture & stuff from the profile page, instead of her info. That would bother me.

Laura

Akshully, Laura, it's eezier than yoo think. The post beelow (wich ansers a similer qweschun that Jeeter askt) deeskribes the process. But let me ixplane a littul bit more....

When yoo set up a blogger (blogspot) blog with a blogger ID, the blog and ID are linked but not exkloosively so. The cat hoo orijinully set up the blog will be the administrayter (meening s/he can chanje the layowt and add new awthors), but addishunul awthors can be set up for any blog. And, a singul blogger ID can set up many other blogs and add many addishunul awthors to thoze blogs.

And, the orijinul blogger accownt under wich the blog was set up need never be used for posting.

So, say Buddy's blogger accownt was set up under the emale adress nezbine@gmale.com. And say thare are two blogs set up under that accownt (the blogs yoo see win yer in yer accownt dashbord):

• Nezbine.blogspot.com
• Laura.blogspot.com

Yoo cood have the following awthors set up under thoze accownts:

Accownt: Nezbine.blogspot.com:

• Buddy (nezbine@gmale.com - the administrator and sole awthor)

Accownt: Laura.blogspot.com

• Buddy (nezbine@gmale.com - the administrator)
• Laura (laura@yahoo.com - an awthor/contributor)

Once yoo add yerself as an awthor to the "Laura" blog, you can post with yer name. What will happen once yoo set up yer emale adress with permisshun to post, is that yoo'll git an emale frum Google to validate yer adress and yoo'll klik the link to compleete the process, and then yoo can set up yer compleete profile with pikchers and evrything.

The post beelow ixplanes how to set up permisshuns wich will enable yoo to have yer own blogger ID - even if it's with an ixzisting blog!

(Thinking abowt Buddy makes me sad, but I'm happy she had a good long life with yoo.)

FOLLOWUP QWESCHUN:

Laura asks:

When I set up Buddy's blog, I used my gmail address, but she had(s) her own email address. Can I add that and reassign ownership somehow? Her picture/profile is connected with my email address rather than her own. Is that making any sense? I know I know, I totally botched this when I did it. (Slapping forehead)

What I wood do is:

1) Add her as an awthor to her blog using her emale adress (not that it matters, but still, I'd probly do that), then

2) Sine in to blogger with yer emale adress and edit the profile so that it has yer foto.

The problim is that the profile on her blog wood then show YOO, so I wood deelete the page element on her blog that contanes the profile and add a new element (pik the HTML/Javascript one) wich will allow yoo to add a foto and the profile manyully.

How do I git my own pikcher and name to show win I leeve comments?

My best frend Jeter Harris rites:

deer skeezix,
u wood think dat i wood be a bit smarter abowt dis ... but i'm not. az u mus know ... mi brudder mickey mantle an i share da same image wen we make commentz (mi squillion laffin an laffin) i'm purrsonallee sick uv dis an wood like mi own hansum image. thus, cood u talk mi brudder an me throo da stepz to havin owr imagez show up wen we make commentz? thank u.

This is eezy to do, Jeter!

1) Ferst, set up emale adresses (on gmail or yahoo) for eech of the cats yoo wunt to have profiles for. So for ixzampul, yoo mite set up emale adresses at yahoo for:

jeterh0303@yahoo.com
laffinanlaffin07@yahoo.com
mickeymantledacat@yahoo.com

Now, sine into blogger with whatever emale adress and passwerd yoo usually use. Whut yer going to do is ADD thoze emale adresses as blog awthers. (Yoo can akshully akomplish the same thing setting up yer own blogger accownts sepritly, but this way is a littul more streemlined and yoo won't aksidently set up extra blogs.)

2) So, frum yer Dashbord, klik the Settings tab,
3) Then klik the Permissions link:



This gits yoo to the skreen ware yoo will add blog awthurs.

4)Klik the bloo ADD AUTHORS buttun and add the emale adresses yoo set up above.

5) Sine into the emale acccownts yoo gave permisshun to, and klik the link that Blogger sent yoo.

6) Now the new emale adresses are linked to yer blog, and all yoo need to do is set up the Blogger profiles for theeze new adresses... compleete with yer own pikcher and evrything.

Once yoo have theeze profiles set up, yoo can log into comments with the new emale adress and passwerds and yer hansum face will show up next to the comments.

Deleting Spam Comments on Blogger

When you get an icky spam comment (or any kind of icky comment you wanna get rid of) you want to know how to delete the spammy or icky comment even if you don't have comment moderation turned on. Here's how you do it in blogger:

1) Log in to your blogger account.

2) Go to the post that has the icky comment the same way you'd go to read cool comments.

3) The comments page part may look one of these two ways below, but that's ok!
Look for the lil trashcan icon that's with the icky comment and click that.

After you've clicked the lil trash can by the icky comment, you'll see this.

5) Check the box next to "Remove forever" and then click "Delete Comment".
Checking "Remove forever" makes it vanish like there never was an icky comment at all, so that's good.

6) Once you've done that, you see this, and you're all done!


No more icky comment! Woo hoo!

How to make a moovey

Phoebe rites:

Dear Skeezix,
Can you please give me some information about how to make my very own movie? I would really like to be an adventure movie star, but I don't know how to edit my footage and add interesting captions and things. I searched all the help center posts and couldn't find info about this question. Thank you.

Ferst, yoo'll need a moovey camra that takes digital mooveys. Thare are sevrul tipes frum wich to chooze: ones that rekord strate to DVD, ones that use mini-DVR tapes, memery cards, etc. I have one that uses mini-DVR tapes and I like it a lot. It's mostly a matter of persunul preferinse.

Secund, yoo'll need movey software.

If yer on a PC, yoo shood have Windows Moovey Maker alreddy installed. Thare's a tootoriul heer on how to use it. It's pritty strateforwerd. As much as I hate Bill Gates, this akshully isn't a bad peese of software, it's free, and it duzn't take vary long to lern it.

If yer on a Mac, it's even eezier. Just use iMovie. The tootoriul is heer.

Most evrybuddy I know was abul to figyer it all owt by going thru the tootoriul and taking a stab at it: if yoo run into problims, don't hezitate to ask!

Expandable Content Skript

Heer's ware yoo can git an expandable content skript. It's good for win yoo have a lot of content for sumthing in yer sidebar that takes up a lot of space and yoo wunt to only show it win yer reeder expands it. It's good for menus, blogroles, bios and stuff like that.

Reading All those Cat Blogs

Ever since blogrolling stopped automatically updating the other blogs, it's been harder to visit friends. We set up an account with bloglines to start a feed reader. Bloglines will automatically tell us which blogs have been updated and which haven't.

Right now, we have all of our cat friends in one folder. This makes it quick and easy to check everyone.

The PROS of Bloglines:

• Easy to check on what's new.
• I can go to one space and only open blogs that have been updated--this makes blog chekcing much faster--notice I've been around more?
• I can check on any computer and don't have to remember a lot of urls.
  

The CONS of Bloglines (I have not tried other feed readers, so other cats may have suggestions)

• Putting everything in one folder, if I don't look at everyone, it's automatically set so that the folder is considered read--even if I have to leave and come back--which means I can miss posts. I can fix this by putting up several folders but am not ready to do this.
• Skeezix blog NEVER seems to update
• Some days everything seems to update and other days NOTHING--even if I know certain cats, like Kaze and Latte have probably written.
• I still have to go to the blog itself to comment.
  

It's not hard to set up accounts. I found that after I set up the account and started adding blogs, I could add a tool to my browser toolbar and just say subscribe with bloglines. This made adding blogs much faster.

How do I change the Post Date?

My good frends Yuki and Kimiko ask:

skeezix, peese hep us. sometimes ars mommees can only hep us wif gettin ar posts ready on the weekend but doesnts want to publish them all at once. she says white wednesday shouldnt show up on sunday. how can she change the date (on new blogger) so it will publish on the day she wants iffens tho she makes it up before the publish date? --- yuki & kimiko

That's an eezy one! At the bottum of yer blogging window (above the orange PUBLISH POST buttun), thare's a Post Options link:



Klik it. It will expand an area that inkloods the place ware yoo can modify the date:


Put in the date/time yoo wunt and save it! It's as eezy as that!

How do I do "strike through" text?

My buds Kimo & Sabi rite:

Dear Skeez -
we was wonderin' how to do "strike throughs" on our text. Da only options we sees available are: bold, italix, color, size.

It's pritty eezy! But yoo'll need to do it under the "Edit HMTL" tab in Blogger (not the "Compose" tab) sinse yoo need to hand-code it.

The tag for a strikethru is <strike> . So yoo put <strike> beefore whut yoo wunt to strike thru and cloze it with </strike>

So to make it look like this: SKEEZIX

yer code will look like this:<strike>SKEEZIX</strike>

Is Werd Verification Werth It?

Perfektly Parker asks ...

"Is there really an advantage to having word verification on your comments section of the blog? I don't have it on my blog, but I notice some kitties do. I don't get spam or anything else without it, and sometimes Mommy has a hard time commenting on kitties blogs for me that do have it 'cause v's and u's look a lot alike and slow her time she has to help me comment. Your wise opinions would be appreciated."

Parker, I've tride it both ways and have not fownd an inkreese in spam comments with werd varryfikayshun off. Frum an end-user's standpoint, I HATE werd varryfikayshun and git really frustraytid win I can't deesifer the letters. Sumtimes it deeters me frum leeving comments. It duzn't reely deeter spammers.

I have all of my blog comments forwerded to my emale adress so I can tell imeediyutly if sumwun has left a spam comment... and then I go rite in and deeleete it. I get spam comments VARY INFREEQWINTLY --- like once evry three or for munths --- so it's definitly not a problim. I wood rekummend that evrywun hoo uses werd varryfikayshun tern it off for a wile and see if yoo encownter any problims. I'm gessing yoo won't. And then we'll all be much happier.

Jeter Harris may wish to way in on this, tho, cuz he has vary fermly-held convikshuns win it comes to werd varryfikayshun!

How to Customize yer Blogger Hedder

Thare's a reely grate tootorial owt thare on how to kustumize yer blogger hedder and put images in it. The Blogger teem added this feecher a cupple of weeks ago, and blogger Ryanne made a screencast to show evrybuddy how to do it! KLIK HEER to see the screencast.

How do I resize the cowntdown klok?

My best frend Jeter Harris rites:

deer skeezix,
i reelee like da cowntdown u hav on yer paje fer blogblast fer peece. i would like to put one on mi paje, too. evreetime i put in da code ... it messez up mi paje becuz it'z too big. can u help me wid dis?
thank u.
yerz troolee--jh

Hey, Jete, it's not too hard, yoo just hafta know ware to look. Heer's whut yoo need to do:

1. Configyer yer cowntdown klok heer: http://www.pyzam.com/toys/48
2. Klik the "Get the code for my Count Down" buttun.
3. Copy the code and paste into yer widjit window for yer blog (the HTML/Javascrip one).
4. Find in the code ware is sez Height="380" Width="280" (see below)
5. Change the height and width to fit yer sidebar. I used Height="120" Width="210"
6. Save and chek to see how it looks - fiddle sum more with the height and width if necessary.

In the pikcher beelow, yoo can see ware the height and width appeer in the code:

Help! My Cat started peeing on the bathroom rug

NOTE: The Cat Blog Help Center only offers advice on teknikul topiks relaytid to blogging. However, as a one-time ixsepshun, We will try to provide help on a cat beehavyer topik. PLEEZE REPLY IN THE COMMENTS FEELD IF YOO HAVE SUGJESCHUNS FOR JEANIE.

Jeanie rites:

I need help with my cat. She is about 2 years old and has a bad problem with peeing on the bathroom rug. She is litter trained and just started about 2 weeks ago with bad habit. We have tried everything, Pet Srpay, Pepper, Bleaching the rug, and washing it. We dont know what else to do. Any Ideas would be nice.Thank You For Your Time

Deer Jeenie,
We feel yer pane. Reely, we do.

Are thare any changes in yer howsehold reesintly that cood be stressing yer cat? Like, sumwun new livving thare, a new cat, construkshun or noise arownd the litterbox area? Offin, a change in the envirmint will cauze stress and pee problims in cats that have bin good with the litterbox until now. For ixampul, win Mr Tasty Face mooved in with the Food Lady, her cat Perl peed all over Mr Tasty Face's ixpensive furrnicher. Not just once, but many many many times.

Has she bin spayed? Unspayed feemales will pee owtside the litter box to let males know thare avaylubul.

If yoo feel yoo've tride evry remedy and yer cat has bin spayed and nuthing has chanjed in yer envirnmint, yoo shood have yer cat ixzamind as soon as possibul by a vet, becuz this is a simptum of sevrul seveere medikul problims, inklooding a yerinary blokkije, a bladder or yerinary trakt infekshun and hormone problims, as well as other medikul reezins. Thare's a good chanse yer cat is in pane and trying to elimate sumware else, sinse she eqwates her litterbox with panefull eliminayshun.

Reemember, peepul arn't smart enuf to unnerstand cat talk, so yer cat is trying to commyunicate with yoo in a diffrint way to tell yoo thare's a problim. She's not trying to be a bad cat --- peeing owtside the litter box is a last reezort to git yoo to understand her problim.

PS: Is yer ferst name "I dreem of"? Cuz I Dreem of Jeenie is one of my all-time faverit teevee shows. I reely loved her kyoot pink owtfit!

UPDATE: Help frum Rulles soon-to-be-mom

I got the following grate emale abowt the peeing problim (Thanks, Rulles' soon-to-be-mom!)

Dear Skeezix, the puter genius,

Jeanie can email me if she has any questions.

We have a 12 year old Russian blue and he started to pee on the blankets on the sofa. He had done this before but the previous owner didn't mention this to us. We didn't want a cat who peed in other places than in his litterbox.

We contacted the vet and he recommended birthcontroll pills to him in order to
supress his hormones and the need to mark his territory. We didn't think peeing was done in order to mark and we didn't want to give him medicine so we started to experiment with the litterbox. Initally we thought that we didn't clean the litterbox often enough, but he peed on the blanket even if the litterbox was newly washed and we had changed all the litter.

We fixed the peeing problem by making an other litterbox beside the ordinary one. We put there a towel which we chanced to a clean one after he has peed on it (he had his own towels). He used the towel litterbox without us showing it to him, he was clever. He used this towel litterbox every time he was upset. He peed on blankets only if the towel already was peed on. He never pooped there, only in his ordinary litterbox.

In this way we also found out what made him upset and we could often avoid those situations or made them less upsetting for him. We always took his own litterboxes (ordinary and softy) with us when we were visiting other places. This worked really well.

It's worth trying the same with Jeanies cat. Is she siamese? They are known to pee on soft places.

Take an empty litterbox to human toilet, near the place where the rug is, and put the rug she likes to pee on in the litterbox. When she pees on the rug, wash it and put it back again when it's dry. You also need something else (some clothing, rugs, towels) during the time the rug is drying. Later when she always pees in the towel litterbox, and not on the new unpeed rug, try to move the litterbox beside her ordinary one.

--- Rulles soon-to-be-mom

What's the setting so that all links open a new window?

Monica rites:

Dear Skeezix,I read the post about opening a new window from a link. I was wondering if there is an easier way to make all of the links from your blog open to a new window. I thought I saw that before on the blogger settings page, but i couldn't find it today. Do I have to do it separately on each link? Thank you for your help.

Monica, I think the Blogger settings thing yoo saw was probly the setting ware yoo have a new window pop up win sumbuddy kliks the comments link. I am unaware of any way to universally set up yer blog so that every link opens a new window ... yoo have to add target="_blank" to evry link. But I'll look into it for yoo.

How do I add a linked pikcher to my sidebar?

The Meezer Gang asked...

Skeezix,
How does one put a link to a picture in the sidebar in blogger? I see where you can add a picture and then add a link but not link a picture.
Thanks,
Meezers

If yoo want to link a pikcher and are using the widget interface on Blogger, yoo need to go to yer template, klik "Page Elements" so yer on the widget interface, and klik "Add a Page Element." In the popup, yoo'll selekt the "HTML/Javascript" widget by klikking "Add to Blog" ...
... in the Popup, enter the text for yer hedding, and than paste the HTML for yer linked image, for example:

<a href="http://www.cafepress.com/oreosmith" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Oreo's Store" src="http://www.skeezixthecat.com/images/catbloghelp/oreosStore.jpg"/></a>

Don't fergit to klik the oranje SAVE buttun on yer template page win yer dun to save the changes to yer template.

What's rong with Blogrolling.com?

Phoebe asks:

Dear Skeezix,
Do you know why blogrolling isn't working? none of the blogs say which blogs are updated. It's making it hard for me to catch up on my friends. I just wondered if anyone else noticed it. I went to blogrolling website and everything was just normal there.

This happens peeriodikly. I'm pasting in a post frum my 1/03/07 blog, in wich Victor Tabbycat ixplanes part of the problim and how yoo can git yer blog to show as updated:

"This is copied strate frum the Cat Blogosphere, frum advice that my best frend Victor Tabbycat gave on gitting Blogrolling.com to note that yer blog has bin updated. I think they wint on a permunint vakayshun!:

Victor Tabbycat haf sum reely tekneecal advice if u's use Blogroll: Ok, so it's not really news, but if you use Blogrolling fur your linkies an NONE of them say updated, wul, that's happenin to efurryone but the support beans is fast asleep an hidin.

Anyway, there's ONE way to make sure anyone who links to you wif Blogrolling knows you've updated.
1) Go to http://www.blogrolling.com/ping.phtml.
2) Fill out the form.
3) Click Ping (the button, not the kitty at Abby's house)

For asample, I puts "Bonnie Underfoot and Victor Tabbycat" in the first box an "http://2tabbys.blogspot.com/" in the second box. I fink if they don't start fixing Blogrolling or at least talkin to the users who are askin them to fix it, we should all go ofur an HISS at them.

BTW, Blogrolling is run by TuCows an we might haf to hiss at them too. Are cows as vishus as deer? I fink I furgot to mention that if you "ping" blogrolling, you haf to do it EVERY time you post. I sure hope they fix it soon!

Thanks Victor (and the Cat Blogosfeer) for publishing this importint informayshun!Sum of us are lost withowt the pinging becuz it takes so much more time to vizit all the blogs! I uzhully go down my long list and vizit all the updated wuns, but if I don't know hoo has an update, I have to vizit evry singul one... it takes forever, and I can't git to evry wun. So taking the time to ping win Blogrolling's auto-ping is down will
rezult in more vizits to yer blog. Reely! I promiss!"

How to change background colors in your template

Kaia rites:

I am summoning help, and I think you can help! I am trying to change the background on my blog, and, to no avail, have succeeded. Well, Let me take that back. I succeeded, but it messed everything else up. So, with this effort, I am trying to do two things: 1. change my background, and 2. change the "posting column" background to a solid color because the background is a print. We are not HTML savvy to say the least, but nonetheless we are trying to figure out how to do this. Can you please offer some assistance?

To change fonts and colors, ferst klik the "Layout" link frum yer dashbord (klik to biggify):

Then, klik the "Edit Fonts & Colors" link (1) under the Template tab (klik to biggify):


To change the Page's Backgrownd Color, klik "Page Background Color" in the selekt box (2), then pik a color on the rite by klikking on it (3). Yoo can also enter a hex code in the box to the rite of all the color swatches.

To change the mane kolumn's backgrownd color, klik "Main Background Color" in the selekt box (2) and proseed as above.

Win yer done, klik the oranje "SAVE CHANGES" buttun. If yoo skrew up, klik the bloo "CLEAR EDITS" buttun.

Kaia, it's entirely possibul that yer blog template is not set up this way, so if yoo don't see the same stuff as above, tell me whut yoo do see so I can walk yoo thru it.

To change yer bakgrownd images, follow the instrukshuns heer, and if it duzn't werk, pleeze leeve a deetaled deskripshun of whut yoo did in the comments feeld and we'll look into it for yoo!

How to git a Slide Gestbook

Reesintly, I put a Flash gestbook on my site. It took abowt 2 minits, and it's vary eezy. It's a widget frum Slide.com, and yoo can kustumize it however yoo wunt: diffrint sizes, diffrint skins, diffrint bakgrownds, etc. (The one downside is that it duzn't come in a size small enuf to fit most sidebars.) I like being abul to see all my best frends faces come up on it!

GO HEER TO GIT ONE.

TIP: For sum reezin, the code that Slide.com provided reezulted in a teevee that was too narrow. So I modifide thare code and changed the width frum 400 to 550, and changed the height frum 400 to 425. Yoo can also try a 426 width and a 320 height. Or play around with other dimenshuns.... too small duzn't werk tho -- I coodn't shrink enuf to fit in my sidebar.

=========================

Kaze asks:

Yes, mine doesn't want to fit in my sidebar...how did you get yours to be at the top of your page?

Yoo'll need to edit yer template. I've provided Blogger instrukshuns beelow:

OLD BLOGGER

For old blogger templates, klik the template tag and paste yer code snippet above this div tag in yer template:

<!-- Begin #content -->
<div id="content">

NEW BLOGGER

1. Klik yer template tab.
2. Klik the "Edit HTML" link beelow it.
3. IMPORTUNT! Chek the "Expand Widget Templates" chekbox at the top rite above ware yoo edit yer template.
4. Paste yer code above this div tag: <div id="'content-wrapper'">
5. Klik the orange "Save Template" buttun.

How do I add myusik to my blog?

The code to add myusik to yer blog is beelow. Yoo'll need to have the mp3 hosted online sumware, and then replace the URL below with the path to yer mp3. In the code beelow, loop is set to false, wich meens it won't play over and over and over agin and drive yer viziters insane. To make it repeet, replace "false" with "true". In the code it's set to play awtomatikly win yer page lodes. If yoo don't wunt it to play awtomatikly, change autostart="true" to autostart="false".

<embed src=http://www.yoursite.com/song.mp3
height="20"
width="145"
autostart="true"
loop="false"
width="0"
height="0" >
</embed>

How do I uplode fotos on blog.com?

My new best frend Parker asks:

I can't figure out how to put a picture on my post. When I upload them from my computer they go into an album. I signed up with blog.com and my Mommy is getting so frustrated! Please help if you can! Thank-you!

Parker, I understand yer frustrayshun, becuz I coodn't git a foto uploded win I tride -- until I uploded a foto that was alreddy online (for ixzampul, hosted on Photobucket.) Heer are the steps I wint thru:



STEP 1: Klik the foto ikon:

STEP 2: A popup will come up. Klik the "Insert External Image" tab:


STEP 3: Paste the foto's URL in the Image Address box, then klik the insert buttun at the bottum of the skreen:


KLIK HEER for more informayshun on image hosting (since blog.com's hosting duzn't appeer to be werking).

Once yoo've got yer image hosted online sumware, to find out whut its URL is, all yoo need to do is view it, then rite-klik on the foto and select the last opshun -- PROPERTIES --- and then in the box that pops up, the address/URL is displayed abowt 1/3 of the way down. Copy the URL for yer image and paste in into the adress box as deeskribed above.

Heer's ware yer URL is displayd in the Properties box win yoo rite-klik an image:

Parker, I hope that helps. I'm gonna follow up with blog.com to see if I can git the album funkshun to werk rite.

Wordpress blogs and Spam

I've been noticing that some cats are getting some comment spam. Some of those spam comments are from place selling interesting items. It's easy to go in and delete them. It can get frustrating if for some reason your blog is targeted for lots of this comment spam. Blogger helps because you can insert that little comment verification, however human spam can still get through.

There's also been some targeted hate spam going on in comments of various blogs. I'd like to point out a plugin you can get for your wordpress blog that combats all sorts of spam. Wordpress has many spam plugins. I found a blog using spam karma and I found that particular plugin and so I've used it. I have no real complaints except that from time to time spammers will find away around the filters.

However, it saves me most spam. In the logs I have 84 spam comments and about a dozen approved comments since the last time I checked. I believe that's been about 3 days. Spam Karma automatically captures the IP of your spammer as well as an email address and any other information. You can then either blog the email address (although it's probably fake), the keywords they are using (ie viagra), or you can even block the entire IP. Blocking the IP is dangerous because sometimes people are on a group IP address. However, for a really bad spammer that you can't get rid of any other way, it's a good solution. You can always remove the IP when the spammer moves on.

I still get a little spam, but very little. And if I do, spam karma will help me prevent more from that source in the future. It also gives me tools to work with if I have been targeted for any hate spam coming my way. Worst case scenario, I get a lot of hate spam from one IP. I can block it, but I can also report it to my host and they can block that IP from getting to my site and/or report the spammer to THEIR host.

RSS: A Primer

RSS meens Really Simple Sindikayshun, and it makes it eezy to share and distribyoot content on the web. I ran acrost a grate blog post the other day that ixplanes it in a much kleerer way than I ever cood. The post is "How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way." See? I knew yoo'd like it. It's geered more toward peepul hoo mite wunt to install RSS reeders, but it will still give yoo a good overvyoo of whut RSS is.

• Heer's Wikipeedia's deskripshun of RSS
• Heer's how to make an RSS Feed

I will add more later.....

[Wordpress] Backup your Blog!

We had a terrible scare yesterday, I accidentally deleted our blogs database :O Worse still we didn't have a recent backup. It has taken 24hrs, and we finally have it recovered after many hours of work.

Don't let this happen to you! Back up your precious blogs regularly!

For Wordpress users there is an easy to use plugin that will save a back up of your database for you and save you all the stress (we actually did have it installed..and forgot about it *blush*). Wordpress Database backup

Download the file, and upload it to your wp-content/plugins directory. You will also need to change the write permission on your wp-content folder. Activate it in your blogs dashboard in the plugin section. Then go to the Manage tab, then Backup. Download the backup to your computer, or have a copy emailed to you.

Perhaps Skeezix can share some info with the Blogger users on how you can backup your blogs too.

How to add Sidebar Content

My noo best frend Oreo the Cat asks:

I dont get how to post icons to my side bar of my bloggie...like the one for the bloggie party.....where do you post the code for the thing to appear in the sidebar!

Oreo, I'm assooming yer qweschun is abowt New Blogger's widjit interface. (If not, pleeze klarify yer qweschun in the comments feeld of this post.) With noo blogger, altho yoo can modify yer template direktly, whut yer prompted to do by deefawlt is use the widget interface to add and deleete content frum yer template. This reqwires a lot less HTML knowlidge on yer part (although going to modity the HTML in yer template direktly is now more komplikaytid.)

STEP ONE: GO TO THE WIDJIT INTERFACE TO MODIFY YER TEMPLATE. To do this, go to the Template Tab, and klik the Page Elements link:

STEP TWO: CLIK THE "ADD PAGE ELEMENT" LINK. In the template I use, yoo have a choice of placing it in the top grooping in yer sidebar or in the bottum grooping. (I'll show yoo later how to moove it within that grooping.) This will pop-up a window.

STEP THREE: KLIK "ADD TO BLOG" BUTTUN TO CHOOZE TO ADD THE HTML/JAVASCRIPT PAGE ELEMENT. This will pop up a window in wich yoo can enter the code for the link and the image. (For info on how to create the HTML for links and images, KLIK HEER.)

STEP FOUR: RITE YER TITUL AND ENTER THE CODE FOR YER LINKED IMAGE. Yoo can klik the Rich Text link for eezier editing. Save yer changes.

STEP FIVE: DRAG YER BLOK TO WHATEVER POZISHUN YOO LIKE. Back in the widjit template page, yoo can drag yer new element to whatever pozishun yoo like. When yoo mouse over an element, a cross thing will appeer, wich allows yoo to drag and drop yer elements. Once yer done, clik to save and that's it!

How to I git a kustom grafik to show up on the Top 100 Cat Sites?

Many of us are now listed on the Top 100 Cat Sites Site, and my best frend Jeter Harris was wonderin' how we got owr custom grafiks to display insted of the five star sistem grafiks that show up by defalt.

Heer's an example of a custom and a sistem grafik:

To start, yoo'll need to make a grafik. Heer are the gidelines:

• Yoo'll need to have yer image uploded sumware like photobucket or yer catster foto album or sumthing similer.
• The image must be 88 pixels wide and 31 pixels tall.
• Yer image can be a gif or jpg.

To uplode win yoo ferst join, paste the URL of yer image in the BANNER URL feeld as shone beelow (yoo can klik to biggify):

If yer alreddy a member, click the EDIT INFO link in the top menu, and paste the URL of yer image into the BANNER URL feeld as shone beelow, then enter yer passwerd and klik submit:

That's all thare is to it!

Emale Notifikayshun Services of Blog Updates

My deer frends Dazey, Jesse & Conner Cloud ask:

Skeezix,

How do we get a box for beans (like our granma) to get an email when we blog?

Thanx
d
j
cc

I've had a box for Blogarithm on my site for sum time. I wasn't shur it was werking, but I reesintly set up a test and was abul to suksessfully git an emale alert win my blog was updated. It's nice becuz it also provides an extrakt of yer post as well as a link to it, and it offers a seemliss way to forward the blog post - not just the kerrunt one, but also many of yer reesint posts. GO HEER to set up a blogarithm notifikayshun.

Win yoo submitted yer qweschun and did sum reeserch, I also fownd Feedwhip.com thru wich yoo can set up up to five alerts for free. It sends all the text frum yer blog entry (but not non-text content), wich is not so good if yoo wunt to git traffik coming to yer blog.

Neether Blogarithm nor Feedwhip send notises rite away, but they go owt the same day yer blog stuff is posted.

Thare's also a service wich will send an IM when a blog is updated. Go heer for deetales... altho yer granma probly isn't on IM...

Anybuddy else got any notfikayshun services they've used suksessfully?

Paying for the Cat Food

I know that there are a number of folks out there who blog about their cat who need a little extra income. I see a lot of cafepress stores. Did you know you could become a cafepress affiiate? For instance, if you love what the Cat Blogosphere has done, if they are open to affiliates, you can link to their store and if you have a cafepress affiliate number, you can get a few cents for every sale they make if the people click off from your blog.

Another you think you can do is offer adspace on your blog. I believe that google allows google adsense on blogger blogs. It's easy to sign up for and you can display them on your blog. Another company that sells adspace is called adbrite. They set you up with advertisers who pay a certain amount a month to advertise on your site. How much they will pay depends upon the amount of traffic you get that is targeted to the audience that your advertiser wants to target.

Another easy affiliate to work with is Amazon.com. They have amazon shops, like I have at Chey's Place. They also have links that look at what you are writing about and then automatically generate a product that might fit in with your content. There are lots of places that offer affiliate networks and whether you are eligible with a blogspot blog depends upon each companies policies. Many of them do require you to have your own domain name.

This is just a very brief overview of some ways to make a little extra from your blog. There are many different blogs out there that are just devoted to different ways to make money from your blog, so this is far from inclusive. On that I recently heard about was Mike's Money Making Mission. Mike isn't an internet marketer who invested anything in making money from his online activities, so basically all he has done is spent some time. It has some great ideas and for those who have more time than money, it might be an interesting read.

New Blogger: Can't uplode fotos

My best frends Jake and Bathsheba rite:

Skeezix, our Mom is so upset right now that she's almost ready to make us stop blogging--and we're on the cusp of our 100th post! We were switched to new blogger over the weekend. We don't know if this is related or not, but something is preventing her from being able to post photos--and it's not like Jeter's problem. It's probably an internal computer problem (um, Dad messed around with Mom's computer a day before we were moved to new blogger and he did stuff like remove cookies). When she clicks on the photo icon while making a blog post, NOTHING happens! It used to open directly into "my photos" and everything was simple. Do you have any idea what the problem could be? Help - or we may never blog again! So much for Man Cat Monday for Jake! ~J&B

Taking the path of leest rezistinse, I think win yer dad mest with yer mom's compyooter he mite have installd a pop-up blokker or a noo browzer with a popup blokker. Try this - hold down the Ctrl key wile yoo press the foto ikon. (Sumtimes, like in IE7, this also makes yoo do an addishunul step just beelow the tab area to enabul popups for eech site.)If that duzn't werk (or the uzhual steps yoo take to allow popups duzn't werk), lemme know and the Cat Blog Help Center Staff will do sum more investigayshun to git to the bottum of this!

And BTW, don't let yer dad mess with yer mom's compyooter!!!

My bakgrownd duzn't show up in IE!

My vary speshul frend, Daisy the Curly Cat, rites:

I added a special Valentine background/wallpaper to my page. It shows up in Firefox, but not if you use IE. I can't figure this one out!

Daisy, it's a qwik fix:

1) In yer style sheet sekshun, go to ware yer body styles are --- the part that looks like this:

body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
border: 0;
text-align: center;
color: #555555;
background: #fff2fc top center repeat-y;
font-size: small;
background:url (http://images.bigoo.ws/content/saint_valentine/background/sv_background_0.gif)repeat;
}

and reemove the style that's displayed in green above: background: #fff2fc top center repeat-y;

2) Then, skrole down past ware yer style sheet ends (</style>) -- abowt 6 lines down frum that is yer body tag. It kurrintly looks like this: <body>

Add this: background="http://images.bigoo.ws/content/saint_valentine/background/sv_background_0.gif"
So it looks like this:
<body background="http://images.bigoo.ws/content/saint_valentine/background/sv_background_0.gif">

That shood make it werk in both Firefox and IE!

Daisy asks anuther qweschun:

"I have just one other little question. Do you know how I can remove the little blank space at the very top of my page? It is only about 1/4" high."

Daisy, that's akshully an image wrapping the top of yer mast. To reemoove it, go to the OUTER-WRAPPER style in yer style sheet. It looks like this:

#outer-wrapper {
margin: 0 auto;
border: 0;
width: 742px;
text-align: left;
background: #ffffff
url(http://www.blogblog.com/moto_ms/innerwrap.gif) top right repeat-y;
font: normal normal 110% Arial, sans-serif;
}

and reemoove the line (in red above) that deefines the stile for yur wrapper bakgrownd image:

background: #ffffff url(http://www.blogblog.com/moto_ms/innerwrap.gif) top right repeat-y;

so that the outer-wrapper stile now looks like this:

#outer-wrapper {
margin: 0 auto;
border: 0;
width: 742px;
text-align: left;
font: normal normal 110% Arial, sans-serif;
}

Thare's still a space between yer header and the top margin, but I can't figyer owt how to make it go away. Reemooving the margin in the body tag didn't werk. But it did point owt a problim in yer HTML, Daisy...

Down by yer body tag, yoo have dooplikit body tags, and one is clozed owt beefore it shood be. It looks like this:

<body>
<div class="navbar
section" id="navbar"><div class="widget Navbar"
id="Navbar1"><iframe id="navbar-iframe" marginwidth="0"
marginheight="0"
src="http://www2.blogger.com/navbar.g?blogID=2240334138501910154"
frameborder="0" width="100%" scrolling="no" height="30"></iframe
>< div id="space-for-ie">

<body
background='http://images.bigoo.ws/content/saint_valentine/background/sv_background_0.gif'> </body>

and the parts in red need to be reemooved!

Secret Paws: The Hows and Whens

The Cats Stephens asked about Secret Paws ... This is the answer that I posted in the comments with more info attached. If anyone knows MORE, please add your information in the comments of this post. DMM

Regarding "Secret Paws" ... You can visit the blog at Secret Paws or check with the organizers of the whole thing Diva Kitty and the Fluffies to find out more about the activity. As far as I know (the Feline Americans and I did this for the first time at Christmas), it occurs three times per year. Sign ups for April happen in March, sign ups for August happen in July, and sign ups for Christmas happen in November. It might be a good idea to visit the Secret Paws site and let Sophia (or Fiona Bun) know that you'd be interested in participating in the next round.

Secret Paws is open to any animal (and even includes some young children). A price limit is posted (usually $7 - $10) and doesn't include the price of packaging or postage. International "paws" are encouraged and there are always a number from Europe and Australia/New Zealand.

To participate, you email your name, your human's name, email address, home address, gender, and type of animal that you are. You can also specify who you'd like to have as your "paw": woofie, feline, bunny, etc. If you have a favorite color, type of treat, or have an allergy, you should specify that, too.

You can also choose to have a Shelter Pet as your Secret Paw or you can make a contribution of a gift card or some yarn so that Diva Kitty and the Fluffies' mama can make crocheted blankies for them.

After the registration process closes, you'll receive an email with your "paw," his/her preferences, and where to mail the Secret Paws package. When you receive your package of gifts, you open it in front of your humans so that they can take photos for you to post on your blog.

Since there are six of us, we divided ourselves into two groups of three and selected two kitties as our recipients (Maximus and Lucinda). We, in turn, got two Secret Paws presents (from Darling Millie and from Victor Tabbycat & Bonnie Underfoot).

We made sure that we mailed our presents by December 15th so that they'd arrive in time for Christmas. We're not sure if there's a specific time that they have to be mailed in April and August, but we'd assume that the presents should arrive before April 30th and August 31st.

Secret Paws is a lot of fun. It builds community in the blogosphere and also gets more traffic to your blog. Efurrybody should join! We're gonna (and so is Shadow Saluki and our cousins Suzanne and Ben). You can see our Secret Paws photos on our blog: DaisyMae Maus and the Feline Americans.

I hope that this helps and that you'll consider participating in March/April!
DMM
Cat Blog Help Center technician

Blogger is forsing me to konvert to new Blogger!

This last week, a lot of us hoo've bin on old Blogger have bin forst to konvert to New Blogger withowt having the option of going in and saving owr existing templates in case sumthing got skrewd up in the konverzhun. This made a lot of us nervus.

Having no other choice, I switched over (I save my templates evry kuppul of weeks, so I wuzn't sooper nervus, just a littul nervus). My blog was swicht over with no problims or chanjes. The only diffrinse is that now I can add labels (YAY!).

However, my blog didn't git the new wijit innerface, so I suspekt I mite have to chooze a noo templit or sumthing to git this new teknolojy.

Pleeze share yer ixpeerienses and any problims yoo enkownterd in the comments feeld...!

How do I link to Oreo's Store?

Munchkin, Missy and Monte rite:

Skeezix, I want to add the link to oreo's new shop to my sidebar. Could you please help me with it?

This is exactly the same as linking a badge (see the post beelow), only the URL will point to Oreo's store (http://www.cafepress.com/oreosmith).

To get the path pointing to Oreo's store grafik, rite klik on the grafik yoo wunt to use. (I used the ferst one on yer Jan 26th post.) In the menu that pops up, selekt "Properties" wich is at the vary bottum. Then, in the Properties dialog box, the 3rd provides the adress of ware the grafik is. Selekt the hole URL http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/345/1325/320/383425/1.jpg

Now, just paste it into yer sidebar ware yoo wunt it to appeer! If yer on the new blogger, yoo'll need to add a page element, and chooze the "HTML/Javascript" widget:




And IN EDIT HTML MODE (not rich text mode) paste the code into the form and save.

If yer on the Old Blogger and/or do not have the widget interface, paste the following code into yer template in the sidebar sekshun ware yoo wunt it to appeer:

<center><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/oreosmith" target="_blank"><img alt="Oreo's Store" src="http://www.skeezixthecat.com/images/catbloghelp/oreosStore.jpg" border="0" /></a></center>

NOTE: Munchkin, Missy and Monte reported having a problim ware the code above still did not werk. So, I did sum testing. Thare appeers to be a blogger bug in the widget wich skrews up the code once it is saved --- win I re-opened the widget, the code was much diffrint and all shifted arownd frum whut I pasted in. So I repasted new code, and I used a diffrint image lokayshun, and evenchully it werked and the code was saved in the korrekt format. I did not encownter any problims pasting into a template direktly. Yoo can see an ixzampul on Rocky's Blog.

How do I get a badge up on my blog?

My best frend, Jeter Harris, rites:

deer skeezix ... (or anycat on da help teem)
i am tryin an tryin to put da badge dat lux gave me fer da honorabul menshun on mi blog. i copied it an put it on mi catster paje so i would hav a code ... but no matter wut i do ... i can't figyer owt how to put it on mi blog. i am a old blogger, btw.
pleez help me.
thank u.
yerz troolee--jh

Jeter, klik heer for yer code. Yoo'll just copy and paste it into the area of yer template ware yoo wunt the badge to appeer. (For thoze of yoo in noo blogger with the widget-based template, use the HTML/Javascript widget box.)

Basikly, yoo need to create 2 links: an image link (so they'll see yer image) and the link to the six werd story blog. The image link will be in the middle, with yer link tag contayning the URL yer linking to at the beginning and a clozing link tag (</a>) at the end:

<a href="http://sixwordcatstory.blogspot.com/2007/01/six-word-contest-entry.html"><img src="http://files.dogster.com./pix/cats/02/214902/214902_1169678480.jpg" border="0" > </a>

Yoo'll find more info on the HTML yoo'll use HEER and HEER.

How do I add + and - sines next to blogrolls to expand/close?

My best frend Lux asks:

I've been having trouble trying to set up other blogrolls on my blog, i.e., PhotoHunters blogroll + Wordless Wednesday. I'm using the New Blogger, and what I'd like is to have those + and - signs next to the blogrolls like I've seen on other sites. Can anybody help me?

If yoo'll go to http://www.skeezixthecat.com/bloghelp/expandMenu.html, I've provided two examples, and snippets of the code yoo'll need to implement eech.

The example shows the blogrolls for WW and Photo Hunters, but yoo can substitute or add new blogrolls eezily by replacing thoze blogroll scripts with the blogrolls (or list of links) yoo wunt to display.

How to Add Video to Yer Blog

Icon Baxter-Bentley asks:

"How about how to add a video to your WordPress blog? I need help with video, but if I figure it owt myself, I'll be sure to post abowt how I did it."

Good qweschun, IBB! This anser mite need addishunul explanayshun frum the WordPress gurus on staff, but I'll walk yoo thru the eeziest way to git a video up on yer blog, and that's by posting it direktly from YouTube.com.

After yoo've uploded yer video to youtube, click yer video's thumnale in yer thumnale list (yoo can klik any of theeze screenshots to biggify):

This takes yoo to the page for that video. Click the Post Video link in the box beelow yer moovey:

Yoo mite git a Post to Blog box. If yoo do, klik the Edit Blog Settings link:

On the Blog Settings page, klik the Add a Blog/Site buttun:

And on the Add a Blog/Site skreen

1. Selekt yer service (in yer case, eether WordPress or WordPress Slef-Hosted frum the dropdown;
2. Enter yer username and passwerd for yer blog;
3. If yer on WordPress Self-Hosted, yoo'll also need to provide yer API URL and API Key.
4. Klik Add Blog buttun.

(I don't know abowt the WordPress API stuff, so maybe Chey or sumbuddy cood provide more info on how to find that.)

Once yoo've added yer blog, yer set. Go bak to the skreen yer moovey is on, and after klikking the Post Video link, yoo'll be prompted to chooze the blog, add a title and text. Win yoo klik the Post to Blog buttun, it will automatikly send the videeyo to yer blog! It will take a cuppul of minits to show up.

But yer not dun, yet!

For sum blogs, the deefawlt width of the videeyos is too wide -- cauzing the sidebar to be pusht down to the bottum of the page. But it's an eezy fix. Go to yer blog once the video has bin posted, and in EDIT HTML mode, change the height and width attribyoots (they uzhully appeeer twice). I change them to a width of 300 and a height of 247. That's arbitrary -- yoo can change to whutever dimenshuns fit yer blog the best!

My Comments are being overtaken by Mr Anonymus!

Owr best frends Rosie and Cheeto rite:

I switched ovur to the new blogger and almost all of my comments show up as anonomous. We don't know who this anonomous guy is but he's hawging our cat
friends comments. What do we do!?!

This is a tuff one. Sumtimes, win thare are problims with Blogger's comments, it becomes impossibul to sine in and leeve a comment unless yoo do so anonnymussly. This is maybe whut happend on yer blog. This was a BIG problim win noo Blogger came owt. Mao had that problim for a wile win he swicht over frum old Blogger to noo Blogger... with him, only noo Blogger users cood log in to leeve comments on his blog, so evrybuddy else had to leeve comments as anonnymuss. After a wile, it started werking okay agin.

We did a cuppul of tests tonite, and it seemed like we cood leeve comments on yer blog withowt a problem using both new Blogger and old Blogger signons, so I think we wood rekummend that yoo wate and see whut happens over the next cuppul of daze. If yoo still have the problem, yoo can change yer comments settings so that only rejisterd uzers can leeve comments --- but this leeves all non-Blogger cats unable to leeve comments at all, so it's kind of a last reezort...

If yoo hit the Settings tab, then klik the Comments link, yoo can change yer comments settings. In this case, yoo wunt to change it from "Anyone" to "Only Registered Users" (see below):

This will make it impossible for anywun to leeve comments anonymussly --- but it also meens that only users with Blogger IDs can leeve comments.

The staff of the Cat Blog Help Center will kontinyoo to moniter the sichyooayshun and see if we can find owt more info on why this is occurring!

Permalinks

When yoo leeve a link to yer blog in a Mr Linkie's box or in comments on a Thursday Thirteen or similer meme, do yoo leeve a link to yer blog, or do yoo leeve a link to the spesifik post? If yer leeving a link that just goze to yer blog (i.e. http://myblog.blogspot.com), yer doing a desservise to the blog commyunity. Yoo shood link to the spesifik post so that win sumwun is klikking on the link weeks later, they see the appropreeyut blog entry rather than the top of yer blog (wich can be frustrayting). The link to a spesifik post is called a permalink.

Heer's the deffynishun of "permalink" frum Wikipedia:

A permalink is a URL that points to a specific blogging entry even after the entry has passed from the front page into the blog archives. Because a permalink remains unchanged indefinitely, its use avoids link rot. Most modern weblogging and content-syndication software systems, including Wordpress, Movable Type, LiveJournal, RapidWeaver, Pivot and Blogger, support such links. Other types of websites use permalinks, too, but the term itself is most common within the blogosphere.

How do yoo know whut the permalink is? I'll provide the info heer for Blogger, and deepend on others to provide instrukshuns for the other blog platforms...

The qwikest and eeziest is to go to yer blog and look in yer sidebar for the area ware yer preeviyus posts are listed. Klik on any link (or rite-klik and vyoo properties) to take yoo to the URL for that post. Heer are 2 ixzampuls of arkived posts lists:

Or, yoo can go to ware yer list of posts is (under "Edit Posts") and klik the vyoo link wich is in the frunt of evry post titul. It looks sumthing like this:

Just klik the View link and grab the URL frum the adress bar, or rite-klik the View link and View Properties to see the link.

If yoo git in the habit of leeving permalinks insted of just the general adress for yer blog, yoo'll grately improove the ixpeeriense for the cats hoo are klikking on links!