Blogger Woes & Help

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I've been using Blogger for 2 years now and never experienced the problems I had these past 2 weeks. Today is the first time I was able to get on my blog in days. The odd thing is that not everyone is experiencing the same problem either. Where I am extremely grateful to be able to get on today, many are still having problems. I know of alot of people switching over to Wordpress due to this but Be Warned Wordpress is not the Cure All. I started out on Wordpress years ago and was not impressed at all. No matter what Platform you choose there will be problems and you need to know what to do when it happens. Since we're talking about the Current Blogger Problems, the links below will help you when dealing with any Blogger Problems.

Get a Twitter Account! Even if you don't want to post any tweets this is a great medium for networking and getting the latest updates from friends, businesses, schools,ect... Set it up that you receive updates on your mobile phone if desired.

On Twitter Follow @Blogger 

In the Search Box type "Blogger", read what others are tweeting about and see if others are having issues too.

Use the Google Help Forums!
 Start here for a list of ongoing problems - http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/label?lid=0271191b4249689a&hl=en

This specific thread deals with the current issues. I linked it to the last page because these are the most recent replies. Go HERE

If your having problems, post on this thread so that they are aware of your problem. Read the past posts from any Google Employee and do as they suggest. If they tell you to Empty your Cache and Cookies - Do It! When I pulled up my blog this morning it had the same problem as the past few days. I read the latest advice from Google and cleared my cache & cookies, closed down my browser, opened my browser again & I was able to Login! Now as I said, This worked for me but there are many still having problems so it's alot of Trial & Error.  For some just switching browsers works for them But I don't want to be switching browsers back and forth plus this doesn't fix the problem. Above all keep on top of it until they fix it.

What's the old saying? If it isn't Broke - Don't Fix it.  Well all of this seems to have started when they did that major update a few weeks ago,They ended up reverting to the previous version and things just never worked the same after that, this is my opinion only.

Preventative Measures:
We all love our blogs, we take pride in our posts, design, followers and comments. No matter which is most important to you, it didn't happen without alot of time and effort. To save yourself alot of grief and frustration, learn to backup your blog. As a designer I always backup my clients blog BEFORE and AFTER I add their new design. I save a copy of these files and give my client a copy incase of any major problems they might have. It only takes a few seconds and will save you hours of work. This really is a Must if you have a custom design!

Just sign into your Blog and follow the screenshots below.

Stay organized and create a folder for your XML Files. I make a main folder with subfolders in it. Also make sure you label your xml files so you know what your uploading. Below is just an example of how I do it.

Need to upload an XML File? Just choose the xml file you saved on your computer and click Upload. Make sure you click Save afterward. Don't like the changes then go back to this page and upload the saved xml file of your Old Blog (hoping that you saved it!)

Gadgets:

I only backup my HTML Gadgets. I list and save the codes I added into a Notepad so I can easily copy/paste into an HTML Gadget if needed. This is a huge timesaver if you have a gadget with a lot of links in it.

Hope this helps some of you out.

Before we sign off we'd like to give a Shout Out & Huge Thank You to Foley Monster and Pockets Blog for the beautiful tribute they wrote about Erin, Buck & our blog here. We are so grateful for our friendship with these 2 incorrigible Yorkies & their Mom. Your really missing out on some great adventures if your not following their blog.

Have a Great Weekend!