Blog+Layout


 * Changing the layout of your blog **

Clicking on the **Layout** tab towards the top of the page will bring up the following screen (different templates may have different arrangements); this is the **Page Elements** section: Any of slightly darkened boxes (in this example, “Followers,” “Blog Archive,” and “Contributors”) can be dragged to a different spot on the screen. In addition, they can be deleted by clicking on **Edit** and then **Remove** in the screen that comes up (at the very least, though, you should keep the “Blog Archive” one). Clicking on **Edit** will bring up a different menu for each element; for example, doing it for **Blog Posts** will bring up a variety of options for how your posts are displayed (many of which can also be changed under Settings, as described above).

Clicking on **Add a Gadget** will bring up a window with a number of additional page elements (also known as gadgets, or sometimes as widgets) created by Blogger and others. This can be as simple as an extra text box or a picture to be displayed and as complicated/random as a mini-version of PacMan that can be played right on your blog. Some simple but useful ones include a Blog List, on which you can (unsurprisingly) list other useful blogs and a poll. There are some hidden gems, if you can find them – rotating artwork, poetry, quotes, historical facts, etc.

You can look at any changes you make before saving them by clicking on the **Preview** button; you do need to click the **Save** button to finalize any changes, though Blogger will give you a warning before you navigate away from any page that has unsaved changes.

There are four other tabs at the top of the page: **Fonts and Colors**, **Edit HTML**, **Pick New Template**, and **Monetize**. **Fonts and Colors** is fairly self-explanatory – you can change the font or color of just about all of the different elements of your blog. **Edit HTML** allows you to edit the code for the template you have chosen; if you know HTML, you don’t need me to explain this to you! **Pick New Template** allows you to change the template you picked back when you first created the blog, and **Monetize** allows you to sign up for an account with AdSense that will display ads on the blog and let you make money from them. This is not recommended unless you want to use it as a learning tool.

Onwards to Posting! Back to Blog Settings