The Skinny on New Blogger Switch

Since I've had a few questions about the ease of switching to the new Blogger, I thought I'd share my experience, thus far.

First, I should say that I fully intended to put this off until I had no choice. I could see nothing but frustration and anguish in my future as I contemplated an entirely new blog engine. However, with a few extra days off, I thought it better to attempt this exchange now as opposed to the somewhat distant future.

When I began the switching process, Blogger informed me that my new blog would look like my old blog, but most (read: all) of the changes I made to the template would be lost, and truly, it is as if you switched templates and had to redo everything. You will have to redo everything. But, if you copy and paste your current template code into Word and save it, you can reference it as you replace all those elements on your new Blogger blog. I've found the switch nearly seamless thus far due to this simple little trick.

I did experience a small problem adding back my Google search, Flickr badge, and profile. The problem was a little crowding due to spacing, but I was able to fix that by switching the order that these elements appeared on my page. I was also able to go into the new template and make changes. I had to edit the template to include my lilac background. There is no interface to add a new background with the drag and drop features in the new Blogger, but there is the same capability for editing the template and previewing changes as there was in the old Blogger version. Therefore, I have been able to make any change I've wanted without difficulty.

I do like the drag and drop feature...a lot. It's nice for those of us who are CSS and HTML challenged. We can pick an element to add to our page; link lists, text, pictures, buttons, and fill in a few blanks to make it appear where we want it to. Can't beat that.

I hope this helps you guys. Blogger says that they will save a copy of your old blog should you need it in the future. I would not necessarily depend on that. Copy and Paste the template, as it is now, into Word or your preferred word processor, before you ever click that 'Make The Switch' radio button. There will be fewer headaches and a smoother transition

Ang