Difference - HTML and XHTML

When inserting codes into the Blogger template, page element, or blog post, you may have seen error messages that the code could not be parsed, was not well-formed, was broken, or that the elements were not closed properly. These errors can be corrected if you understand the rules that must be adhered to in XHTML documents. Blogger templates use the XHTML 1.0 Strict Document Type. In this article, we shall explain some of the XHTML syntax or rules, so that you may troubleshoot and resolve the problems if these error messages should occur.

read more | digg story

8 Web Design Mistakes That Developers Make

from digg, comes the following article about web design.

8 Web Design Mistakes That Developers Make

"An excellent website takes a particularly savvy blend of both great design and great code. Because of this, you often find designers having to figure out code and developers trying their hand at design. Speaking as a developer who spent his university years studying among other developers, I can safely say that programmers are not designers. Thankfully, we were graded back then for having reusable code and proper OO methodology -- never for our aesthetics. But nowadays, one of the greatest assets a developer can have is a keen understanding of design."

read more | digg story

Adobe Flash Tutorials - Best of

Of course this blog is a about using the 3 column Stretch denim template for New Blogger, but behind any good template, is a good designer. And that's why from time to time we will post articles about web page design. And even News of articles about web design, including the following, from digg and smashingmagazine;


Adobe Flash Tutorials - Best of

Although usability evangelists often consider Flash to be a usability nightmare, used properly, Flash can provide users with a rich and interactive interface which would be impossible otherwise. Today Flash is the de-facto standard for interactive elements on the Web as most users install Flash plug-in by default. And in fact, there are many paths creative designers can take to create a more interactive and user-friendly interface.

This article provides hand-picked professional Flash tutorials which can enrich your design skills and improve the quality of your works. Most sources can serve as the entry point for further tutorials.

read more | digg story

Blogging using the standard 2 column ''New Blogger''

Blogging using the standard 2 column "New Blogger" (formerly Blogger Beta) Stretch Denim Template.

In my First post, I gave you the address of a blogsite which would help you to convert your own 2 column Stretch Denim template, to a 3 column template. For this post, I would like to talk about "color schemes".

True enough, you can use Blogger's Stretch Denim template straight out of the "box" (so to speak), and blog your way to a heavenly bliss. Eh but, as adding a third column adds "balance" to our blog, sometimes changing color schemes is also desirable.
To do this, go to "template/fonts and colors".
Note the "Shuffle Blog Colors" in the bottom right corner (click pic to enlarge). This is one of the Cool features of using a blogspot blog. Of course, the Denim template comes in "Blue" denim colors. But what if your taste is "Pink" denim? Or yet, what if you choose the colors you like, but somehow they just don't seem to go together right. You can use the "Shuffle Blog Colors" to... well, "Shuffle Your Blog's Colors". This is particularly fun to play when using the Denim template as it uses several different backgrounds. The shuffle "switch", will shuffle your blog's colors each time you click it, until it finally returns to where you started. So go ahead, play with it. You might just find something you like. And don't worry. If you mess everything up, you can always hit the "Revert to template Default" switch.

Denim 3 Column Blogger Template (new blogger)

This is a standard "Stretch Denim" 2 (two) Column Blogger Template (for new blogger). It has been Modified to 3 (three) columns, using instructions found at "Tips for New Bloggers". I used those instructions, following them step-by-step, to create "this" page (the one you are currently viewing). It works Perfectly!

Creating or Modifying a standard Blogger template "yourself" is important, as many times "Designers" will insert malicious code into their templates, which, is not a good thing.

Sometimes it is nothing more than a link back to their own Homepage or website, but that's kinda like a mortgage payment that can never be paid off. And I didn't like that. I mean, I don't mind linking a single, or even several pages back to a designers website. But Not my Whole blog. I mean, if I'm gonna have to do that, then the designer had better be writing my post for me as well. Otherwise, I will just use the single column FREE template provided by blogger.com, which, or "who", has their own links incorporated into the code. But hey, since they provide the blog "site" for free, well then that's ok, as that's kinda like paying rent on a storage facility.

And besides all that, I wanted to be able to tell my friends that, "I Designed" my blog. And that they could too if they would simply take the time which, takes only about 5-15 minutes (depending on, DSL or Dial-up connections), so that in the end, they could take pride in something that They had accomplished, as opposed to just having something Handed to them (which, unfortunately, is what they are use to).

But enough about my Lazy, good for nothing friends. Your here to Design Your Own Blog!

And that's the CooL thing about using the "Denim" blogger template. It has more versatility than any other template I have tested. With just a click, you can change background colors, font colors and sizes, Header colors, sizes, fonts. And more. Also in choosing the "S-T-R-E-T-C-H" Denim, your blog will fit well into a viewing screen of only 800px x 600px, which is common on many laptops.

Ok, enough with the praises as I'm not getting paid to sell this template. In deed I don't get paid at all. Unless, of course, you happen to click on one of my Google Ads you see posted around this page. But "How to Monetize Your Blog", is a later post and not covered here.

So here's the deal. I Needed a good 3 (three) column template, that Worked, as it was supposed to work. And for all the reasons above and more, I just couldn't find one.

Then I found "Tips for New Bloggers".
An Excellent Blogsite, by an Excellent dude who, does in deed, include a website link back to his Homepage within the code. But Tells you about it! And even tells you that you can Remove it, if you wish. So I left it, as a show of gratitude. A "Thanks" for the honesty.

And as a further showing of my gratitude, I created this post.

Eh, well, ok. I created it for Anyone and Everyone out there in Bloggerland, who, like myself, was/is looking for a template that A) works, B) is free of "Bugs", and C) has No Malicious code!

Nevertheless, because I have been blogging for "years", and have Tired with being at the Mercy of unscrupulous template designers. I am promoting the use of "Tips for New Bloggers", as in My humble opinion, they are the best. Not only at Teaching You to manipulate/Hack your own template. But also because their site is Very well done. Clean, not a lot of Ads and and Gimmicks. And they provide excellent tutorials covering many other aspects of blogging. Including, but not limited to; Adding a "search box", "Digg button", Favicons", "images", "Headers", "page Elements", and much Much more!

All are subjects which I will soon include in "this" blog. But that, as my time for blogging is limited, I strongly suggest, and recommend, "Tips for New Bloggers"!

Go there NOW!!!

Oh, I almost forgot. Below is "Tips for New Bloggers" mission statement. "Copied and Pasted", by me. (hope they don't mind.) But I have posted it here because the best part about using their site, is that YOU are in Total Control.

Note: Some sites offer free three-column templates for download. If you are starting a new blog, you may look up these sites and use their templates. However, if you have an existing blog and merely want to expand the template to include another column, our guides would be helpful. What we do is to take the standard Blogger templates and show you how to add a new sidebar. This approach gives you total control over the changes, and if you have bookmarked this page, you can revisit it in future should you want to reverse the changes. It is also a safer method, since there could be a few out there who may introduce malicious scripts or blog virus into their customized templates without you knowing.