Easy Post Summaries and Thumbnails for Blogger Blogs - No JavaScript Required!

The ability to display post summaries and automatic thumbnails is one of the most sought-after Blogger customizations. Using such a feature enables us to create a cohesive layout on non-item pages with the entire post and full-sized image on item pages.



Recent changes to Blogger's functionality now enables us to achieve this using only Blogger code - no need for JavaScript, awkward CSS customizations or restrictions on the length or format of our posts.



With only a few small changes to our Blogger template, we can display post summaries and thumbnails using this easy to manage hack.





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Easy Post Summaries and Thumbnails for Blogger Blogs - No JavaScript Required!

The ability to display post summaries and automatic thumbnails is one of the most sought-after Blogger customizations. Using such a feature enables us to create a cohesive layout on non-item pages with the entire post and full-sized image on item pages.



Recent changes to Blogger's functionality now enables us to achieve this using only Blogger code - no need for JavaScript, awkward CSS customizations or restrictions on the length or format of our posts.



With only a few small changes to our Blogger template, we can display post summaries and thumbnails using this easy to manage hack.





Read more �

Add Facebook "Like" Box Beneath your Blogger Posts

Facebook has become one of the most popular tools among Bloggers for syndicating blog posts. By adding a stylish Facebook "Like" box beneath your articles in Blogspot, you offer readers a temptingly easy means of sharing your posts with their friends.



Aneesh of Blogger Plugins has developed a simple, customizable way of installing a Facebook Like box for each page of your Blogger-based site. This tool is based on the original code and design developed by Mia of Dezign Matterz. I'm using a slightly altered version of this widget here on Blogger Buster.

In this post, I'll offer an overview of how to install Aneesh/Mia's stylized Facebook Like box, and an additional method for adding a simpler "Like" widget to your Blogger/Blogspot site.



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Add Facebook "Like" Box Beneath your Blogger Posts

Facebook has become one of the most popular tools among Bloggers for syndicating blog posts. By adding a stylish Facebook "Like" box beneath your articles in Blogspot, you offer readers a temptingly easy means of sharing your posts with their friends.



Aneesh of Blogger Plugins has developed a simple, customizable way of installing a Facebook Like box for each page of your Blogger-based site. This tool is based on the original code and design developed by Mia of Dezign Matterz. I'm using a slightly altered version of this widget here on Blogger Buster.

In this post, I'll offer an overview of how to install Aneesh/Mia's stylized Facebook Like box, and an additional method for adding a simpler "Like" widget to your Blogger/Blogspot site.



Read more �

New eBook Released: Building Websites with Blogger (Plus a Limited 25% Discount)

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my new eBook, Building Websites with Blogger.



This premium guide explains the process of design and maintenance of a beautifully crafted Blogger-based website for a personal portfolio, business presence or eCommerce outlet.



Including details of Blogger's latest features and based on original content, Building Websites with Blogger is illustrated throughout and beautifully laid out. As an added bonus, this eBook is bundled with three exclusive Blogger templates which can be used for both personal and commercial projects.



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New eBook Released: Building Websites with Blogger (Plus a Limited 25% Discount)

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my new eBook, Building Websites with Blogger.



This premium guide explains the process of design and maintenance of a beautifully crafted Blogger-based website for a personal portfolio, business presence or eCommerce outlet.



Including details of Blogger's latest features and based on original content, Building Websites with Blogger is illustrated throughout and beautifully laid out. As an added bonus, this eBook is bundled with three exclusive Blogger templates which can be used for both personal and commercial projects.



Read more �

Mobile Templates available for Blogger

Blogger Buster, Mobile View

Although our Blogger sites can be viewed on most mobile devices, it can be difficult to effectively read blogspot sites due to the small screen size.



To enhance our readers experience of Blogger blogs when viewed on Smartphones (and similar devices), the Blogger Team have enabled Mobile Templates as an opt-in setting through Blogger in Draft.



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Mobile Templates available for Blogger

Blogger Buster, Mobile View

Although our Blogger sites can be viewed on most mobile devices, it can be difficult to effectively read blogspot sites due to the small screen size.



To enhance our readers experience of Blogger blogs when viewed on Smartphones (and similar devices), the Blogger Team have enabled Mobile Templates as an opt-in setting through Blogger in Draft.



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Add a Lightbox-Style Contact Form to your Blog

While researching customization methods for my forthcoming eBook, I was really impressed at how easy it is to add a Lightbox-style contact form to our sites using ThickBox:

Using Thickbox to display a contact form in this way enables your readers to email you without having to leave the page. We can add this functionality in a simple HTML gadget, and there is no need to edit the HTML of our template at all.



In this post, I'll explain how easy it is to add a lightbox-style contact form to your Blogger blog using Thickbox and a free Kontactr account.



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Add a Lightbox-Style Contact Form to your Blog

While researching customization methods for my forthcoming eBook, I was really impressed at how easy it is to add a Lightbox-style contact form to our sites using ThickBox:

Using Thickbox to display a contact form in this way enables your readers to email you without having to leave the page. We can add this functionality in a simple HTML gadget, and there is no need to edit the HTML of our template at all.



In this post, I'll explain how easy it is to add a lightbox-style contact form to your Blogger blog using Thickbox and a free Kontactr account.



Read more �

Host Template Images for Free on Picasa

If you use a third party template or customize the design of your blog, chances are you'll need to find hosting for images used in the design.



Many Blogger designers use Photobucket, Flickr and other free image hosting solutions. It's also possible (albeit unnecessarily complicated) to upload images to Blogger or Google Sites.



But my personal favoured image hosting service is Picasa Web Albums. This free Google powered service offers unlimited bandwidth and a generous 1gb of storage - perfect for serving up any images you need for template visualisation.



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Host Template Images for Free on Picasa

If you use a third party template or customize the design of your blog, chances are you'll need to find hosting for images used in the design.



Many Blogger designers use Photobucket, Flickr and other free image hosting solutions. It's also possible (albeit unnecessarily complicated) to upload images to Blogger or Google Sites.



But my personal favoured image hosting service is Picasa Web Albums. This free Google powered service offers unlimited bandwidth and a generous 1gb of storage - perfect for serving up any images you need for template visualisation.



Read more �

How to Add a Featured Content Section on your Blog's Home Page

One of the customizations I use most when designing Blogger templates is creating a "featured content" section to be displayed only on the home page. I often use this technique to display a content slider, mini-portfolio or slideshow above the main posts section.



Take a look at the home page of my site, Just Great Film, to see an example of this in action (click on images for full screen previews):

Here's an easy way to restrict the display of a gadget to your blog's home page.



Read more �

How to Add a Featured Content Section on your Blog's Home Page

One of the customizations I use most when designing Blogger templates is creating a "featured content" section to be displayed only on the home page. I often use this technique to display a content slider, mini-portfolio or slideshow above the main posts section.



Take a look at the home page of my site, Just Great Film, to see an example of this in action (click on images for full screen previews):

Here's an easy way to restrict the display of a gadget to your blog's home page.



Read more �