Disable Certain Dynamic Views in Blogger

So you can set your homepage to show one of the 7 Dynamic Views by default. The problem is, your blog might look good in some other views, and let's just say you don't want your readers to see your blog in some of the other dynamic views. And the black bar at the top of your blog offering your readers to choose their own dynamic view isn't exactly helping your blog to maintain its consistency. In this tutorial, I'm gonna show you how you can shave off some of these other view options from the black bar - so that your readers will be stuck with what you want them to see - unless of course if your readers know the URL trick, or if they use Internet Explorer.

Change Blogger's Dynamic View Background

Click here for a live demo!! 

Technically, the title should read 'Change Blogger's Dynamic View Content Background'. Unless you've been living under a rock, you would have known about Blogger's 7 new ways to display your blog. Yes, I wrote 'display', not 'view'. That means you can set your homepage to show in a dynamic view by default. But I'm not gonna write a review on how awesome the dynamic view is - as hundreds, if not thousands, of bloggers are already on that course. In this tutorial, I'm gonna show you how you can change the pale white background to a background image of your choice. You might be wondering why not just use the Template Designer to change Dynamic View's background instead. Yes you can, but you will only be able to change your main background - your contents will still show the white background. Hence, this much needed tutorial.

Obtaining Direct Links from Blogger Uploaded Images

This is not a full-featured tutorial by itself. Rather, the tutorial in this post will serve as a useful tool for many applications. In many instances, you will find yourself needing to upload an image to an image-hosting site and get its direct link. While it is perfectly okay to upload your image to famous image-hosting sites such us imageshack and photobucket, you will find it useful if you upload your images to Blogger's post editor instead. Yes, the next time someone asks you to take a screenshot of your computer and upload to an image-hosting site, you can use Blogger's post editor to do so. On top of that, you get to resize your image easily by changing it's address, if you upload your image to Blogger.

Open Blogger Picture Gadget Links in New Tabs

When you upload a picture to Blogger's picture gadget, you have the option to include a link to that picture. By default, the link loads on the same tab where the gadget is located - thus shifting your reader away from your domain. The tweak in this page will show you how you can make the link open on a new tab. Let's cut to the chase shall we?

Enlarging Blogger Slideshow Gadget

I've published a tutorial on how you can link your Flickr photo stream to Blogger's slideshow gadget. But the default frame size for Blogger's slideshow gadget is rather small. You can easily make this frame bigger. You won't get the prettiest pictures as you're stretching your original image, but personally I think it's a fair trade-off for this simple CSS trick. By the way, as we're stretching out original picture stream, it will be best if your images are not from a mixed orientation group. In other words, it works best if your images are all of portrait orientation, or landscape orientation.

Blog Update

Just came back from California a few days ago after attending Google Top Contributor Summit. And now my internet is back (yeahh). I spent one whole day just to reply Blogger related emails - imagine.

So, some blog updates:

1) I don't take questions directly any longer. But fear not, I am still attending to you guys - only the platform has changed. Previously, you could send a question directly to me via email, and I'd reply to you. Now, you need to post your question in Blogger Help Forum, and if you want my personal attention, head over to the 'Ask a Question' page in this forum, and send me the link to your question thread. I will reply to your question. Nothing has changed, except for how your question reaches me. I have strong reasons to change to this system.

• First of all, many of you mis-type your email addresses. I spend lots of time creating a solution for your problem, only to find out that I'd never reach you ever again - since your email address that you leave in the contact form is wrong.
• Some of your questions are so unique. With private emails, it was such a shame that I couldn't share the answer with anyone else.
• Next - some of the questions that you ask are so simple. Not that I don't answer simple questions, just that it is unfair for your to wait for my looong reply for simple questions - you could get answers within minutes if you post the same question in the Help Forum.
• Yes, other users will be able to help you as well. So there's no guarantee that I'll be attending to your question. If you want me to specifically answer your question in the Help Forum, just leave a foot-note at the end of your question requesting me to attend to you. In any case, as long as you summit your question link to me, I will come and have a look. If you're already attended by someone else and if the discussion is on the right track, I might not interfere.

2) Right now I still have few things in my hands to take care of. But I'm seeing good days ahead, so new Blogger tutorial posts will be up in a couple of days - or sooner. Just publishing this post to let you guys know that I am still alive.

Keep blogging, and as always, if you have any problem, feel free to seek for my assistance. I'll be happy to help. Here's a picture of Android 2.3 figurine - Gingerbread, from Googleplex. Cheers and God bless.

Google Top Contributor Summit 2011 Day 1

Finally, internet connection!! Some pictures from the Google TC Summit 2011, California.

From left: TC MOP TC Katney, Blogger Community Manager Lisa Ding, TC AiresofWar

From left: TC Enviroman, TC Nitecruzr, TC MOP, TC Katney

From left: TC Chavez (Checkout Forum), TC Gill (Docs Forum), TC Martins, TC Enviroman

TC Yoboy

Hide Certain Labels from Labels Gadget

Two weeks ago I published one of my best Blogger tweaks yet, how to hide certain posts from Blogger homepage. You get to hide certain posts simply by labeling the post 'hide'. One of the ways to view the hidden posts is by clicking on the 'hide' label, or any other name that you've chosen to trigger the hide sequence. Blog reader 'Gardens Jewish Experience' wants this particular label to be taken off from the Labels gadget as well.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to remove a particular label from the Labels gadget. It is completely independent from last week's tutorial. Therefore, you can always use this tweak to hide certain labels from appearing on your Labels gadget.