The Real Blogger Status

Blog Content, And Confusion About Blogs Locked After Suspected Account Hacking

2013-06-09T12:48:00.001-07:00

One Blogger mystery involves the varying periods of blog unavailability, after hacking activity is detected.

My blog just disappeared from my dashboard - and no, it's not listed under "Deleted blogs"!

When the owner mentions the notice about "suspicious" / "unusual" account activity, or having unlocked the account (by solving a CAPTCHA, receiving a phone message, changing the password) - and is advised to wait "24 to 48 hours" - many ask the obvious.

Is "24 to 48 hours" really accurate?

In reality, the legendary "24 to 48" hour time period is only a ball park figure - and both Blogger / Google, and the blog owner, contribute to the uncertainty.

The well known advice to "Wait 24 to 48 hours", after a Blogger account is locked for suspected hacking activity, is only an estimation of the waiting time, which the owner may have to endure.

There are several factors which can contribute to the accuracy of "24 to 48 hours" (which maybe should be stated as "one to two business days").

Availability of essential Blogger / Google personnel.
Current hacking activity level, and ongoing Blogger / Google workload.
Blog content, which complicates hacking payload analysis.

We've referenced the first two factors (personnel, and hacking activity level) in the well known Blogger FAQ How long will it take?. The third involves detail which only the blog owner can provide. Many blog owners contribute to this uncertainty, in the decoration of their blogs.

There are several types of content, which hackers like to add, to blogs temporarily under their control.

Advertising - and similar shiny accessories.
Custom code - and various template tweaks.
Links to other blogs - and to websites outside Google address space.
Team memberships - and multiple blog owners.

All of these features, allowed (and encouraged) by Blogger, can require extra effort as a blog is examined, after an owning account is locked for detected hacking activity.

Blogger / Google security experts, in examining a blog, must look for any feature possibly added by the hacker. Security experts have no first hand knowledge what was added by the owner, long ago - as opposed to by the hacker, more recently.

Any advertising, custom code, external links, or team memberships, intentionally added by the owner, will contribute to time spent validating blog integrity.

Leave a setting or tweak added by the hacker - and the blog is a security risk, when returned to service.
Remove a setting or tweak added by a blog owner - and the blog is broken, when returned to service.

Neither is desired, by the blog owners.

More accessories and tweaks == more time spent by security experts == more time the blog remains offline, while the owner waits in uncertainty.

This uncertainty, added to delayed deletion caused by cache latency, leads to mystery.

All of this brings to mind the old adage.

KISS

Keep it simple, stupid.

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Comment Spam And Referer Spam Has Various Purposes

2013-06-08T10:12:00.002-07:00

One of the most intriguing subjects discussed in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken involves the seemingly purposeless spam which torments us in our comments and our Stats logs.

I see this random garbage on my blog - and the sites advertised are complete junk. Is there any actual reason for this?

Interestingly, both nice blog spam (in our comments), and referer spam (in our Stats logs), have purposes - though with the continually varying content used in both, it all looks very much like random garbage.

If we analyse the content, structure, and volume of the various spam attacks, we can see patterns - and an understanding of the overall purpose of the spam.

Both our comments - and our Stats logs - are continually assaulted by seemingly random and useless noise, in large volume. This is similar to the random spam which attacks our email.

If you look at enough comment and Stats log spam, you will start to see patterns - and reasons for the spam. The spam, though apparently random in content, is not purposeless.

First, some warning may be appropriate.

If you wish to examine the sites advertised in comment or referer spam, learn to use a proxy server.
Unless you are a computer security expert, with a properly protected (or intentionally sacrificial) computer, do not surf these sites advertised, using an unprotected computer. Avoidance is the best way to protect yourself.
If you do, even inadvertently, surf a comment or referer spam site, quarantine and scan your computer as soon as convenient. If you must surf the sites advertised, while unprotected, diagnosis is the next best way to protect yourself (and others around you).

Examining the comment and Stats based spam diagnostically, you'll see various purposes behind the spam.

Spam delivery. It is called "comment spam" / "referer spam", after all.
Malware delivery. This is the secondary purpose, known by many people - and the reason why I provide the above advice.
Attacks against third party, non spammers. Various third party blogs and websites, who do not subscribe to the service, may be maliciously targeted, by some spam.
Strategic malware delivery. Some malware may be packaged in portions, delivered through multiple attacks.
Filter poisoning. Some spam may be simply intended to overwhelm the malware / spam detection systems.
Email address mining. Some very special comment spam, which I call "Nice Blog" spam, is a very imaginative email address mining technique.

The best way to identify comment and referer spam may be to simply follow the various forum discussions - and observe which spam techniques are reported by multiple blog owners, being assaulted in identical style. As the old saying goes,

If it quacks, it's probably a duck.

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When Using Template "Edit HTML", The Edit Window Remains Blank

2013-05-31T11:04:00.001-07:00

Since Blogger released their improved Template Editor, blog owners have been reporting a new, transient problem.

I click on "Edit HTML", and the editing display opens - but the HTML window remains blank.

Generally, you may wait a few seconds, and the HTML window will fill with the content. With enough patience, you'll see the content arrive - eventually.

Unfortunately, waiting won't always provide a solution.

Sometimes, you see the Template Editor display open, with a blank HTML window - and you wait patiently, with no result.

With the Template Editor display (common to every blog, and requiring no security) - and the Template HTML (unique to every blog, and requiring security) - coming from different servers - there's always the possibility that a dropped connection, from the Template HTML server, may cause the browser to time out.

In many cases, this will be a transient error. All that you need to do is to refresh the display.

Try a browser refresh. F5, or maybe Shift - F5, forces a refresh, in most browsers.
Restart the Template Editor. Click on Template, then "Edit HTML", again.
In extreme cases, clear cache, cookies, and authenticated sessions (since this is secure content, you'll need a new authenticated session) - then restart the browser, and start over.

If the lost connection is not transient, your Internet service may be part of the problem. If a simple refresh does not solve the problem for you, you may want to look at the MTU setting, on your computer.

An overly ambitious Maximum MTU setting could cause a chronic or persistent dropped connection, with the Template HTML server. Lowering the Max MTU setting could resolve this symptom.

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The Google Apps "bloggeradmin" Password Reset May Be Broken, For Some Domains

2013-05-29T02:10:00.000-07:00

We've been seeing reports from some frustrated blog owners, about problems with the limited access Google Apps accounts.

I've reset my password numerous times and it still doesn't work.

Even given the recently provided "bloggeradmin" username, and the standard Google account reset process, some blog owners still cannot access Google Apps to manage their Blogger custom domain published blogs.

We do have one bit of hope. One such problem report, recently forwarded to Google Apps Support, was noted by a Google Apps Engineer with the advice

We identified a recent change which may have affected the password reset flow for some users. We expect it to either be fixed or rolled out shortly.

So, there is some hope for a few unhappy new domain owners. We'll simply have to be patient. As always, I'll let you know what I find out, when I find it out.

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Abuse Reporting Is Not For Deleting A Blog For Which You Lost Control

2013-05-23T21:53:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, people lose control of their blog, with no ability to regain control - and simply want the blog deleted.

How do I have Blogger delete the blog, for me, since I can't prove ownership?

When advised that Blogger does not delete blogs on behalf of former owners, the next thought by the former owner is to have the blog deleted as abuse.

What category of Abuse should I use, to have a previously owned blog, deleted?

While not genuinely fraudulent, the latter approach is misuse of the Abuse reporting process.

The Abuse Reporting process is properly used to report blogs owned by another party, for TOS Violations.

Blogger currently provides the Blogger Help: Report abuse form, which has specific categories of abuse.

Legal issues
Hate speech, violent or crude content
Harassment
Spam, phishing, or malware
Nudity
Posting of private information
Impersonation

All of those categories refer to content published by another person. Nothing there is for reporting a blog previously owned, with control lost by negligence.

Whatever the loss of control, it's yours to correct.

Corporate blog, control lost.
Personal blog, control lost.
Team blog, control stolen.

None of these scenarios warrant abuse / TOS violation reports.

If your company publishes a blog, you are responsible for retaining control of the blog, as with any corporate asset. If you lose control of a corporate asset, you don't contact the vendor, and demand that they delete the asset that you lost. Your problem is with the current owner - whether it's a civil or criminal issue, it's not the responsibility of the vendor to correct an ownership problem.

If the blog was personally yours, and you forgot the account name and / or password, it's your responsibility to regain control.

If the blog was under team ownership, and another team member stole the blog, your problem is with the former team member.

If you believe that you can prove your right to control (or delete) the blog, you may hire a lawyer, and have a judge certify your identity. None of these cases can be resolved, using abuse / TOS violation reporting.

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The "Create a new blog" Wizard Is Not Prescient

2013-05-22T19:01:00.001-07:00

We're seeing some odd problem reports in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about blog creation.

I entered just the first letter of the name which I wanted, and I immediately saw
Sorry, this blog address is not available.
How am I supposed to create a blog, if all the names are taken?

What intrigues me here is not that people see

Sorry, this blog address is not available.

It's that people don't ask the next question.

How did it know what name I was typing, before I finished?

How do you explain that you have to type the entire name, and have that name checked, before giving up, disappointed?

Maybe the "Create a new blog" wizard is too good, for its own good.

Too much transparency actually makes it harder, for some people, to use it properly. Having the name checked for availability, as typed, one character at a time, may be a bit excessive.

Had I been creating this blog, long ago, as "bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com", I would have typed "bloggerstatusforreal" - and the "Create a new blog" would have checked, one by one

b
bl
blo
blog
blogg
blogge
blogger
bloggers
bloggerst
bloggersta
bloggerstat
bloggerstatu
bloggerstatus
bloggerstatusf
bloggerstatusfo
bloggerstatusfor
bloggerstatusforr
bloggerstatusforre
bloggerstatusforrea
bloggerstatusforreal

And I will bet good money, that I would have seen

Sorry, this blog address is not available.

during much of the typing.

b Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bl Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blo Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blog Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blogg Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blogge Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blogger Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggers Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerst Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggersta Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstat Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstatu Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstatus Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstatusf
bloggerstatusfo
bloggerstatusfor
bloggerstatusforr
bloggerstatusforre
bloggerstatusforrea
bloggerstatusforreal

Since I created this blog, long ago, as an imitation of "bloggerstatus.blogspot.com", obviously "bloggerstatus" was taken. Most likely, the shorter names were likewise taken.

Then again, even if "bloggerstatus" was taken, that does not say, for sure, that "bloggerstatu" was. Or "bloggerstat".

b Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bl Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blo Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blog Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blogg Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blogge Sorry, this blog address is not available.
blogger Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggers Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerst Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggersta Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstat Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstatu This blog address is available.
bloggerstatus Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstatusf This blog address is available.
bloggerstatusfo This blog address is available.
bloggerstatusfor This blog address is available.
bloggerstatusforr This blog address is available.
bloggerstatusforre This blog address is available.
bloggerstatusforrea Sorry, this blog address is not available.
bloggerstatusforreal Sorry, this blog address is not available.

Yes, I actually checked, one character at a time - and that's what I saw.

The bottom line here is that you have to type - and check - availability, one character at a time. And, you have to be persistent.

What would have happened, if I had given up, immediately.

b Sorry, this blog address is not available.

Dammit, all the names are taken!!

Well, you would not be reading "bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com" now, would you?

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Confusion About Referer Spam Can Have Unexpected Consequences

2013-05-18T02:26:00.002-07:00

As referer spam continues to be reported in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, we see occasional signs of confusion.

Some blog owners, knowing how to use WhoIs lookups and similar online utilities, to their advantage, are looking up the referer spam targets - and are reporting the targets to their registrars and hosts. What these blog owners may not realise is that not all apparent "customers" of referer spam "services" may have actually contracted to be featured in the services.

In October - November 2011, this blog was featured in one wave of referer spam.

Somewhere, buried deep in my comment moderation queue for this blog, may be some odd comments

Chuck, I clicked on a link in my Stats log, and got this blog. Your blog does not link to my blog - so why do my Stats displays link here?

When I saw one such comment, I thought that it was just some spammer, messing with me - as many do (which is why I moderate comments, aggressively). As more such remarks appeared, both here and in Blogger Help Forum, I realised that what I had idly expected, long ago, had actually come to pass.

I've been using this blog, since I started it, as a weapon against spamming activity in general. In February 2011, I started using it as a weapon against referer spam. I did both knowing well that if I was ever seriously effective in my fight, the guys who I became effective against would eventually attack me.

In October 2011, I realised that my dream had become true. I was honoured by the providers of referer spam, as someone worthy of their attention. In spam fighter parlance, I was the victim of a "Joe Job".

Just as surely as I, personally, was a Joe Job victim, I know that other honest and righteous blog and website owners are similarly being attacked by referer spam, in other Joe Jobs. I know that I am not the only fighter of spam, worthy of the attention of the spammers.

Once we understand that not all blogs or websites featured in referer spam activity may be actual intentional customers of referer spammers, we have to realise that unfocused reporting of blogs and websites, mentioned in referer spam, will actually play right into the hands of the referer spammers.

What the referer spammers are doing, in their Joe Jobs, is also called a "Smurf Attack". The spammers are hoping that thousands of angry Blogger blog owners will report the blogs and websites, featured in the spam, as spam customers. This will cause the immediate recipients of the Smurfing, the registrars and Internet Service Providers, to discontinue service to the reported blogs and websites. In 2011, with such reporting taken seriously, this blog might have been damaged.

Hopefully, most ISPs and registrars know of Joe Jobs and Smurf Attacks - and know how to verify the nature of any individual service being reported for spamming. However, that's simply a complication which can have other effects.

The bottom line is that anybody seeing the referer spam, in their Stats logs, has to understand that not all blogs and websites should be reported for spamming. When you report all referer spam, indiscriminately, you are simply working for the spammers.

Please, don't work for the spammers. The existence of this blog (and other, much more significant blogs and websites) may depend upon your discretion.

>> Top

Why Does Referer Spam Get Reported, Primarily, By New Blog Owners?

2013-05-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

One of the details of referer spam, that intrigued me for a while, involved who was reporting the spam.

Most - but not all - referer spam is reported by newbie owners. People who just setup a blog, and are anxiously waiting for their first readers outside their own country, are suddenly astounded

Wow, thousands of people are reading my blog - from China and Russia! I am an international celebrity, in my first week!!

The euphoria quickly vanishes, when told in the forums

Nobody is actually viewing your blog from these sites - and nobody knows about these links but you, since only you can see your Stats logs.

The general response to the cold water, dashed in their faces, is generally acceptance

Thank you for the prompt and informative reply - I'm very relieved to learn that the site is not actually linking to my blog.

The latter is the general response - but not the only response. Nobody should be surprised at that, as not everybody is the same. What is surprising, though, is who is not so accepting of my advice.

Of the people who do not seem to appreciate my advice - that the owner of the new blog is not an immediate international celebrity - not all of them are actual first time blog owners.

Many blog owners, who scorn my advice, turn out to be long time blog owners.

You are an idiot! I have other blogs, which I've been publishing for years - and none of them get this crap! How dare you tell me that this traffic is not targeting my new blog, intentionally?

Why would people who have published other blogs not see the spam traffic, in their other blogs? Particularly in other blogs that are well known, by the world, in general? And why would experienced blog owners not know of - or even believe - my advice?

The principle of Occam's Razor tells us to look for a simple explanation, to the questions. Instead of concluding that so many experienced blog owners are morons - or do not check their Stats logs like everybody else - or wondering if referer spammers carefully tune their spammy activities to only attack new blogs - the simple explanation is that every blog is subject to referer spam, in the same volumes.

Not every blog owner sees referer spam, in their Stats logs, simply because the volume of referer spam is not so heavy, compared to genuine traffic. If I check the Stats logs for this blog, repeatedly, throughout the day, I can generally find the currently mentioned spam domains, reflected in my pageview counts.

To reliably find the referer spam attacking my blog, I have to check my Stats logs frequently. In my case, when I note the domains in question, they will be listed in the "Now" time range - and occasionally in "Today" - when "Now" reflects early morning UTC (just after the daily counts reset).

If the referer spammers attack this blog during any other time of the day, the volume of legitimate traffic generally exceeds the referer spam traffic, any time outside "Now". Thanks to the limited function of the Stats logs, referer spam is simply not always visible, because legitimate traffic is more visible.

Thanks to regular changes by the spammers, and to ongoing spam blocking by Google, the same domains are not active for more than a week or so. The "Week" and "Month" normal volumes, for this blog, simply exceed the referer spam volumes.

And that's the case for everybody's blog. Check the logs for your blog, if you don't believe me. Just check frequently, and regularly, during a week, for the most accurate conclusion.

And that brings me to my last bit of advice, about the spam.

Concentrate on publishing your blog, and getting legitimate traffic - and the referer spam will not be an important issue.

That's not condescension, or snark - it's simple truth.
>> Top

The Google Apps "bloggeradmin" Password Reset Uses A Standard Google Account Reset

2013-05-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

As Google Apps updates their limited function ("bloggeradmin") account setup process, we see reports from confused Blogger blog owners.

After I reset my password, I still get
The username or password you entered is incorrect
when I try to login, later!

and

I reset my password - and it changed my Blogger and GMail account - but I still can't login to Google Apps!!

The Google Apps password reset uses a standard Google account reset process - and is subject to normal account reset behaviour. If you don't reset the right account, you won't be able to login, later.

We've been warning people for years, about the need to use two browsers, to transfer a Blogger blog from one Google (GMail) account to another.

The Google Apps "bloggeradmin" account setup, like the Blogger blog transfer, works best using two browsers. The password reset, for "bloggeradmin@mydomain.com" (as an example, here) involves a Google account reset.

You start the password reset from a Google Apps login screen, for "mydomain.com".
After clicking on the "Can't access your account?" link, you use a standard Google account reset process.

When you attempt to login to Google Apps, click on "Can't access your account?". That takes you into the Google Account Reset process.

Provide the full account name of your Apps account.

bloggeradmin@mydomain.com

instead of

myemail@gmail.com

The Google Apps password reset, like blog account transfer, is one more process where you may need to use two different browsers. And, to be safe, clear cache, cookies, and sessions (yes, all 3!) - then restart the second browser, before opening the password reset email.

The password reset will be more likely to be successful, if your Blogger account is based on an active and real email address - this is not a good time to be anonymous.

(Update 2013/05/28): We have reports from a few blog owners that the "bloggeradmin" password reset process may not work, for all domains.

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Comment Moderation In Blogger Blogs, Using Google+ Comments

2013-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

With more Blogger blogs being updated to use Google+ Comments, we're seeing a few questions in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?, about comment moderation.

How do I moderate comments, with Google+ Comments enabled on my blog?

This is a question for which there is no easy answer - and this is one of the most undesirable feature limitations of Google+ Comments.

Native Blogger commenting allowed the option to moderate comments before or after they were published.

Google+ Comments, for Blogger blogs, provides no ability to moderate before publishing. All comments must be moderated after they are published. Moderation now simply consists of the ability to declare a comment as abusive - and this ability is shared equally by all users of Google+, who are in the right Circle to read and mark any comment.

With native Blogger Commenting, you (the blog administrator / owner) could moderate comments (before or after publishing), using either email, or the dashboard Comments section. With Google+ Comments, you have no such ability - and the dashboard won't even have a Comments section, listing comments made against the blog. You can view comments made - when you are able to view them - on a post by post basis, under each post.

As the blog owner, you have no special authority over comments, published against your blog. If you allow comments using Google+, anybody who is in one of your Circles can publish a comment against your blog. If you Share a blog post to the Public - or if someone else Shares a post from your blog to the Public - and a third person comments, you may not even see the comment made, against your blog.

You cannot see comments published by people who are not in your Circles, unless the comments are posted Publicly - even if the comments are published against your blog.

For these reasons, this blog remains with Blogger Commenting.

We have a Problem Rollup discussion where we are soliciting feedback from each blog owner, who sees this new feature - Google+ Comments - to be unacceptable as designed. If you are able to provide your opinion, in the rollup discussion, please keep your remarks brief and polite - and stay on topic.

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Blogger Blogs Redirecting To "opromo . com"

2013-05-09T23:54:00.001-07:00

This week, we're seeing a new stream of problem reports, from blog owners whose blogs are, once again, mysteriously redirecting their readers to unknown destinations.

When I open my blog, it automatically directs to another search engine display.

This appears to be yet one more gadget, willingly installed by many Blogger blog owners, which is now redirecting uninterested viewers. The target of the redirection, this week, is a parked domain website (ie, "search engine display") - for a product which was apparently installed, willingly, by the blog owners.

It appears that the "opromo . com" free visitor meter is the latest victim of expiring domain registrations.

Overview for opromo.com

Registrar Info
Name  PDR LTD. D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM
Whois Server  whois.PublicDomainRegistry.com
Referral URL  http://www.PublicDomainRegistry.com
Status  clientTransferProhibited

Important Dates
Expires On  May 09, 2013
Registered On  May 09, 2006
Updated On  May 09, 2013

People who earlier installed the Opromo free visitor meter will need to uninstall it, as it's apparently no longer operational. Reliable replacements would be SiteMeter and StatCounter - as well as Google Analytics.

From what we've seen, identification and removal of the problem code seems to be straightforward - just access the dashboard "Layout" menu wizard, find the gadget identified, and remove it.

As always, you are advised to clear cache and restart the browser, after removal and before testing for success. If the gadget makes your dashboard redirect, before you can remove the redirecting code, use a well protected browser, like Firefox with NoScript, to block the redirection.

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Empty Or New Blogs Can Be Classified As Possible Spam Hosts

2013-05-09T11:10:00.002-07:00

We're seeing a few recent reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from owners of empty and / or new blogs, about spurious spam classification.

Very few owners of empty or new Blogger blogs understand why their blogs should be classified as possible spam hosts, by the Blogger anti-spam processes. Most blog owners seem to think that only blog content is considered, in spam classification.

Spam classification considers many characteristics of a Blogger blog, in classifying any blog as a possible spam host.

Blog content is an obvious - but not the only - factor in spam classification. Given previously observed behaviour of spammers, many characteristics of blogs, besides simply the extracted and analysed content, are used in classifying possible spam blogs. Using fuzzy spam classification techniques, one might also consider

Overall behaviour in Google, by the owner.
Past posting habits of the owner.
Previous classification of similar blogs.

Some spammers are active in multiple Google activities and features. It's possible that some spammers even try to make their spam in Blogger harder to detect, by spreading their activity across other Google functions. Some spammers may not realise that spammy activity in other Google areas can be tracked, and included by Blogger spam classifications processes.

Blog owners who use one or more techniques involved in setting up and maintaining spam blog farms may be classified as spammers - and their blogs then classified as possible spam hosts. The term "blog owner" must itself be considered fuzzily, as some spam blog farms contain blogs owned by multiple Blogger accounts and profiles. Some Blogger accounts, similar to known spammer accounts - even with no blogs owned, or with empty blogs published - may then appear as possible spam hosts.

Empty blogs, that appear similar to blogs in known spam farms, may themselves appear as possible spam hosts. Various details such as blog name, blog design, and use of various blog accessories and features, can make a blog appear similar to known spam blogs - with no other content.

Given the need for Google to reduce the volume of spam blogs, fuzzy spam classification might use any of the above details, in classifying any empty or new blog as a possible spam blog. This will, unfortunately, lead to spurious spam blog detection. Given the ability of spammers to publish multiple blogs in the Blogger name space, classifying empty and new blogs is necessary, in making it possible for Google to keep up with spammy activity.

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The Google+ Comments Feature Was Recently Updated - And Is Now Broken

2013-05-02T20:32:00.002-07:00

We are seeing an abrupt flood of reports from Blogger blog owners who have accepted Google+ Comments, in their blogs.

It appears that Blogger has fixed the observed problem with the Comment Count not displaying - and has possibly at the same time, broken Google+ Comments, in general.

Blog owners are reporting that comments are simply not visible - even with the Comment Count now showing a non zero value. My test blog is now showing this problem - though it did not, before I updated the post template.

We have a new Rollup Discussion, where everybody observing this problem is invited to provide some diagnostic details.

(Update 2013/05/02 23:00): The problem appears to be resolved.

>> Top

Renewing Your Custom Domain Registration

2013-05-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Some Blogger blog owners, having experienced the anxiety of custom domain setup, intend to carefully maintain their domain registration.

We see a few queries, in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?, about domain registration renewal.

How do I make sure my registration gets renewed?

How do I renew registration before it expires?

or, possibly

My blog now displays a search page! Have I been hacked?

Some registration issues will depend upon how the domain registration was originally purchased.

Domains purchased directly from a registrar - whether using eNom, GoDaddy, or a third party registrar, will have to be renewed directly from the registrar. It's not possible to migrate a direct purchase to Blogger / Google registration for payment, any more than to use the Blogger / Google automatic DNS setup. Once you purchase domain registration from a registrar, you are on your own.

If you used Blogger "Buy a domain", Google Apps, or Google Wallet, to purchase the domain registration, you should get email reminders when registration is expiring. However, this will depend upon whether your Blogger / Google account, under which you purchased the registration, uses an active and accessible email address.

If you choose to anonymise yourself by using a bogus or inactive email address for your Blogger or Google activities, don't expect to get email reminding you, or allowing you to renew domain registration.

The most reliable way to assure the domain remains registered is to use domain auto renewal. You can check your auto renewal settings using the Google Apps administrator account, for the domain. This will be most readily possible, if you setup the Google Apps desktop account, when you purchased the domain. If you did not setup the account, now is the time to do so.

If you intend to use domain auto renewal, make sure that the bank account (credit, or debit) is active, and currently paid. If your bank rejects the payment, you should get a notice - but again, this will come reliably when the email account associated with the domain is active and accessible by you.

If you do not renew registration on time, depending upon the registrar, the domain may be changed to point to a domain parking server, where the registrar will serve ads. Some registrars will serve ads which you, or your readers, won't appreciate.

If the domain registration has expired, and the domain was purchased from Blogger / Google, you may be able to submit late payment, and renew now.

If your original charge fails and you’re unable to resolve the form of payment issue within 7 days, you may still be within the grace period for renewals. If you’re still within 19 days of the renewal date, you can try again using any Google Wallet account by visiting http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/renew-domain/primary-domain-name, where primary-domain-name is the domain name you are trying to renew.

In some cases, once late payment has been processed, your registration may resume, with no long lasting ill effects. In other cases, you may end up having to setup the DNS addresses.

The best renewal experiences, of course, start with advance planning.

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The Mysterious "Deleted blogs" Dashboard Link

2013-04-28T09:32:00.003-07:00

Occasionally, we see signs of confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

Where is the "Deleted blogs" link?

How can I recover my blog, if there's no link on the dashboard??

These blog owners don't understand that "Deleted blogs" only appears, when there are deleted blogs that can be recovered.

Not all blogs, having vanishing from the dashboard, will be recoverable by the owner.

A blog deleted / locked after hacking activity was detected won't be recoverable.
A blog owned under another Blogger account won't be recoverable.
A blog that does not exist won't be recoverable.

If the Blogger account owns no blogs that are recoverable, there won't be a "Deleted blogs" link on the dashboard.

If the Blogger account owns other blogs, that are not currently deleted, those blogs will be listed. If the Blogger account owns no recoverable blogs, the blog owner sees a monolithic message

You are not an author on any blogs.

In some cases, the blog owner will be advised to clear cache, cookie, and sessions - then restart the browser, and login to Blogger. In other cases, the solution will be to wait 24 to 48 hours, and check again. Just don't waste time looking for a link that may not be there - and try to understand why the link may not be there.

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Unfold Widgets Selectively, Instead Of All At Once

2013-04-23T17:50:00.002-07:00

The new Template HTML Editor has been with us for just under 2 weeks.

Not every blog owner sees the new editor as an improvement. Some folks don't understand how to find the code sections, where they need to apply changes - and would probably be happier if "Expand All Widgets" were an option.

Like the old saying goes, you just cannot please everybody.

Fortunately, with this change, it's not difficult to find the code sections that need changing - you just do a little bit of research, before using "Edit HTML".

With the old editor, finding a section that needed changing could be a bit frustrating - though simple, given enough time.

Hit "Expand Widget Templates".
Search for a recognisable section of code.
Try very carefully, to find the right section of code.
Be careful, and don't select the wrong section of code.

With the new editor, you have a bit more work to do - and what you have to do appears to be simply repetitive.

Find a folded code section.
Unfold the section that's folded.
Repeat, until everything is visible.
Search for a recognisable section of code.
Try very carefully, to find the right section of code.
Be careful, and don't select the wrong section of code.

Instead of spending so much time unfolding, searching, and rechecking everything, why not do some research? Figure out what needs changing. Look at the display on the dashboard Layout wizard (previously called "Page Elements"). Identify the widget to be changed, using both the relative position on the page, and the title.

Find the widget id, by looking at the widget to be changed, then at the URL behind the "Edit" link. If you're editing the post template, you'll be looking at "Blog Posts", which has the widgetID of "Blog1".

Once you have the widgetID, for the specific widget that you need to modify, go to the Template "Edit HTML" wizard, use the "Jump to widget" pull down list, select the widget by widgetID, and there it is. Now, unfold that widget, and do what you have to do.

Isn't that simpler, when you think about it?

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Recovering And Protecting Your GMail Account

2013-04-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

Blogger blog owners may have productive action, when their Blogger accounts are successfully hacked through an attack on their GMail accounts.

GMail account owners can get detailed instructions on recovering a successfully hacked account, and on preventing future hacking attacks from being successful. Some of the instructions are specific to GMail use - but overall, Blogger account owners will benefit from their use.

To benefit from the GMail instructions, one should consider the differences between Blogger, email, and Google accounts.

Gmail Account Recovery: Gmail Account Recovery and Security provides complete and detailed instructions for recovering a hacked and stolen GMail email account.

The Recovery instructions include specific mentions of Disabled / Suspended accounts, successfully Stolen accounts, and accounts locked or deleted because of Underage owners.

Accompanying the recovery advice is Gmail help and information: How NOT To Get Hacked. These are instructions for preventing a recurrence of a reported problem. This includes discussion of using a strong and secure password, identifying hacking techniques that involve the account owner, and preventing attacks which are conducted using the computer or network in use by the account owner.

The Prevention instructions, many which are common sense issues to any IT professional or security expert, are specifically written to apply to GMail account owners. There may be additional issues which apply in general, to Blogger accounts - and specifically, to Blogger accounts which are based on non GMail email accounts.

There are a few differences between Blogger blog ownership and GMail account ownership, which will cause issues that cannot be easily resolved by Blogger Support, or by GMail Support, to the satisfaction of the (former) blog owner.

GMail accounts are, by nature, single owner - and ownership of a GMail account is never transferred. In contrast, Blogger blogs can be under team ownership - and ownership can be transferred.

Intentional team blog ownership. Team blog ownership can cause problems with loss of blog control, when all known blog administrators (accidentally or intentionally) remove themselves as administrators, leaving an unknown administrator.
Intentional transfer of control. A blog owner may assign administrator status to another person, voluntarily - then later regret his decision.
Un intentional transfer of control. A blog owner may assign administrator status to another person, voluntarily - and the other person may then remove the former owner administrator status.
Ownership theft after account hacking. A hacker, having temporarily gained control of a Blogger account, may transfer ownership of a blog to another Blogger account.

All of these scenarios are regarded as simple transfer of blog ownership, by Blogger Support.

Though maybe not preferred by the (former) blog owner, the blog in question will now be under control of another person. It's possible that some of these scenarios are considered by Google Security, when reviewing Blogger / Google accounts after hacking activity is detected.

Blogger accounts, based on non GMail email addresses, will be subject to the typical uncertainty which accompanies any third party service in Blogger. Some details may be involve the email provider, while others will involve Blogger - and arbitrating between the two will be the responsibility of the Blogger account owner.

Owners of Blogger accounts which are based on non GMail email addresses will need to contact the providers of the actual email service, for resolution of some of these issues.

In general though, the GMail Account Loss Prevention and Recovery instructions provide good advice, for any Blogger account owner.

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Problems Being Observed, In Blogs Now Using Google+ Comments

2013-04-19T03:43:00.002-07:00

A few blog owners, eagerly opting to use the latest Blogger enhancement, Google+ Comments, are seeing some changes which they did not anticipate.

Even after checking all of the settings, some blogs, with Google+ Comments enabled, may not show the comment form - or may show the form, but comments may not be visible. Besides the visibility of the form, there are other changes which some blog owners don't appreciate.

In many cases, Google+ Comments, like other new features, require an updated post template. This will be seen in blogs with customised post templates, most frequently - although newer, less customised blogs also may need a post template reset.

After getting Google+ Comments working in general, some blog owners find other unexpected changes.

As a blog owner, you have no special ability to moderate comments, made against your blog.
There is no ability to moderate comments, from the dashboard. Moderation is done under each post, one post at a time.
People without Google+ accounts won't be able to make - or view - comments (since comments are Circle dependent).
Visibility of the comment form, as with all embedded comments, is sensitive to cookie / script filters, on the client computers.
Comments posted outside Google Comments may not be immediately visible, though the comments remain in existence. Resetting various sections of the template may resolve this, when observed.
If you change the blog address - with either a simple BlogSpot address change, or a non BlogSpot address republishing (aka "custom domain"), existing Google+ Comments may not remain visible, with the blog. This may be a similar problem, with URLs subject to Country Code Aliasing.
Almost the entire "Comments" section, in the dashboard Settings - "Posts and comments" wizard, will disappear - though "Comment Location" will remain - and will default to "Embedded". None of these settings are relevant in Google+ Comments.
There may be some comments, which you may not be able to moderate - but will publish against your blog.
If you Block somebody from Following you, that person may still be able to post a Comment on your blog. When you look at the comments, you will only see
This post is hidden because you have blocked the author.
With a blog using Google+ Comments, the Comments newsfeed will not be published. Any "Recent Comments" gadgets will be useless.
The "Export blog" wizard, which used to export both comments and posts, will only export posts.
The comment count, as displayed in the blog main page display, may show "0 comments" - even with comments actually present, and visible when clicking on "0 comments".
You may or may not get email notification of comments, when comments are not shared specifically with you - even if you own the blog. Other people, who do not own the blog, may get notifications when you do not.

Fortunately, in most cases any prematurely made decisions are reversible. Go to the dashboard Google+ wizard, and unselect "Use Google+ Comments on this blog". You will return to pre Google+ Comments. Any comments made under Google+ will not be visible to you, from the blog - but everything else should return to normal.

I've now added a Problem Rollup discussion, in Blogger Help Forum: Feature Suggestions and Feedback, where your opinion is appreciated. Please be objective.

See my test blogs Google+ Comments, Dynamic Template Test and Google+ Comments, Simple Template Test if you wish.

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URL Availability Competition, During "Buy a Domain", Is Similar To "Create a Blog"

2013-04-18T17:45:00.001-07:00

Some Blogger blog owners, trying to setup a new blog, discover the hard way that other people are trying to do the same thing.

When I try to use "Create a blog", I keep seeing
This name is not available.

Blogger is saying it's available - but as I begin to register, it says that it has already received a request for this name.

Other blog owners discover that the competition between Blogger blog owners, when using "Create a blog", also applies to "Buy a domain". And worse yet, "Buy a domain" involves competition with would be website owners outside Blogger / Google.

Besides the competition with other buyers, there's a problem that the domain purchase process takes time - and during the purchase process, someone else can be purchasing the same domain also.

The longer the purchase process takes you, the greater the possibility that someone else may "steal" the domain from you. You, and the unseen other person, may start the purchase at the same time - but the person who gets the money to their registrar first gets the domain.

Let's use "Create a blog" as a simple example of an address selection process.

You type the blog name, of your choice.
With every character you type, Blogger checks for availability.
Initially, with not enough characters typed, you see bad news.
Sorry, this blog address is not available.
When you have typed enough characters so you are now requesting a unique name, you see good news.
This blog address is available.
Since you have, hopefully, already entered a Title and selected a Template, you now hit the "Create blog!" button.
Hoping that you were fast enough, the address which was available half a second previously is available as you hit the button - and the blog name of your preference becomes your new blog name.
If you were not fast enough, someone else might have snuck in front of you. Instead of seeing your new blog, you now see the bad news.
Sorry, this blog address is not available.

The "Create a blog" wizard is simple.

You see good news.
You hit "Create blog!".
You are done.

Even with a "Create a blog" selection period of 1 second - and if your reflexes are not that good, it could take you longer - you could lose out. What if the selection process was longer - instead of 1 second, say 5 minutes? The "Buy a domain" process is a bit more complicated, than "Create a blog".

You enter an available domain URL.
You hopefully see the good news.
Now, you pay for the purchase.
You enter all of the details, about your bank account.
Google charges your bank a token amount, to verify that you actually entered a valid bank account number.
You hopefully see more good news.
Now, Google passes the purchase to the registrar.
The registrar sends the actual purchase to your bank.
Your bank credits the account of the registrar.
The registrar then registers the domain, in your name.
Google can then setup the addresses in the domain.
Blogger can then publish the blog, to the domain.
And hopefully, the blog is now live (and In Transition) with the domain URL.

The "Buy a domain" wizard is not simple.

You enter an available domain URL.
...
The registrar registers the domain, in your behalf.
You are done.

Unfortunately, during the amount of time that it takes your bank to pay your registrar, somebody else could be buying the same domain, from another registrar. The longer that it takes your registrar to get paid, the greater the chance that someone else may register the domain, which you have supposedly paid for, before your purchase is complete.

Unfair? Certainly. But, based on the worldwide Internet based domain registry system, it can happen. What's worse, the symptoms of an unsuccessful domain purchase are similar to an attempted purchase restart.

And that leaves you with the uncertainty, when you post in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

Blogger is saying it's available - but as I begin to register, it says that it has already received a request for this name.

And sometimes, after you wait the legendary 2 to 3 days, you find that someone else bought the domain, while you were waiting.

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Blogger And Google+ Continue To Move Ever Closer Together

2013-04-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today, Blogger announced the most innovative step in integrating Blogger and Google+, since sharing of Blogger posts to Google+.

The December 2011 sharing option lets us publish our blog posts to Google+. Today, Blogger added the ability to do the same - and more - with our blog comments. Like basic Google+ post sharing, Google+ Comments will be shared, and be visible, on a Circle by Circle basis.

The ability to post a comment, against a Blogger blog post shared in Google+, and have the comment publish to the blog will make for interesting comment based conversations.

There will be challenges to this feature, however. One of the most annoying problems with Blogger comments, right now, involves the embedded comment form, and security limitations caused by cookie filtering on many readers computers.

This blog uses a full page comment form, because too many of my readers need to post comments, in spite of the cookie filtering on their computer. Blogger Google+ Commenting requires use of the embedded comment form.

Google+ Comments lets you bring the following conversations together in one place, right under your blog post:
Comments made on your Blogger blog post
Comments on the blog post that you’ve shared to Google+
Shared content on Google+ that links to your blog post
Readers will need a Google+ page or profile to comment on your blog.

Anybody who publishes a blog, and has readers who do not understand the reason for allowing third party cookies, will not want to use an embedded comment form - and won't benefit from Google+ Commenting, either. Until either

Blogger resolves their "third party cookies" problem, with the embedded comment form.
All Blogger blog readers resolve their issues with filtering "third party cookies".

Google+ Comments will have a limited audience.

Many blog owners may find a problem, in the moderation process.

Once you enable Google+ Comments, you can moderate comments within the blog post itself.

Owners of large blogs may not enjoy having to check each post, one by one, to moderate comments.

I check my dashboard Comments menu, several times daily - and see all comments posted to the blog, in one convenient place. Having to look at each post, to moderate comments, won't be as convenient.

A third challenge will come from blog owners who want everybody to be able to comment, on their blogs. Requiring a Google+ account to comment won't be widely accepted by blog owners who have readers who comment either Anonymously, or using an OpenID.

One of the benefits of Google+ Commenting will be a reduction in comment based spam. The increasingly annoying "nice blog" spam - and the accompanying security risks from having it published on our blogs - should be eliminated, from blogs using Google+ Comments.

Google+ Comments is a feature that is needed, on some Blogger blogs - but it needs to remain optional, for some time.

If you're in one of my Circles, and wish to test this new feature, see if you can comment, on my recipes blog, Chuck's Kitchen.

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Dynamic Templates, And Jump Break

2013-04-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

We see occasional evidence of confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from blog owners who are using a dynamic template.

Why does the Jump Break not show up, in the blog display?

Why can't I see the entire post?

Not all blog owners understand the limited options, in the dynamic templates.

Compare the main page of this blog, to a formatted feed page of this blog.

Do you see the differences? I use Jump Break consistently, on my main page posts. Unfortunately, newsfeeds do not include the Jump Break, because the newsfeed standard was developed before Blogger developed their post summarisation feature, Jump Break.

Since dynamic views format the display using the blog posts feed, they have no way to include the Jump Break. This is just one more reason why dynamic templates won't be chosen, on all blogs.

If you want to display your main page as I do, you can't use a dynamic template. Dynamic templates format their posts without using jump break. Some dynamic template "main page" views include text, broken; others include text, unbroken; and still others include only photos. None of the dynamic views include the Jump Break.

Remember that to use dynamic views, you have to set the blog feed to "Full". If you set the feed to "Until Jump Break", dynamic views won't work. The dynamic views format the post displays to the requirements of each different view (selected by the reader), and require the complete post content in the feed. Here's an example of what happens, using "Until Jump Break" - and with a Jump Break included.

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Blog Owners, Marking Stats Log Entries As Referer Spam, Won't Accomplish Much

2013-04-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

We see the occasional optimistic suggestion in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from blog owners tired of the referer spam, in their Stats logs.

Why can't we just tell them which Stats entries are spam?

This is, admittedly, such a simple suggestion - it surely must present part of the final solution.

If one considers the purposes behind referer spam, one can see a problem with having individual blog owners designate specific pageview entries, in their Stats logs, as referer spam.

There are actually multiple purposes for referer spam.

Look carefully at the entries, in your Stats logs. Are all of the websites, which are being advertised by non existent links to your blog, actually spammy? Chances are, if you look closely enough, you'll find one or two which just don't seem to fit the pattern.

The volume of hits makes the pageview counts look suspicious.
There's no link to your blog, from the websites.
Looking closely at the content of the blog or website, it just does not look like the typical referer spam target.

This blog was honoured, as a false target, in October 2011. I have no doubt that other blogs and websites are also the targets of similar, deliberate attacks.

With referer spam used strategically, the spammers could simply adjust the volume of their attacks, to make innocent victims more visible, and more vulnerable to false accusation by the less observant blog owners, who simply want all referer spam stopped.

To guard against referer spam being used strategically, to attack innocent blogs and websites, any designations "This is referer spam!" would have to be complemented by "This is not referer spam!". Ultimately, all Stats pageview entries would have to be verified as "Spam!" or "Not spam!", to prevent referer spam from being successfully used as an attack technique. How many blog owners would want to scan their entire Stats log, daily, and mark all pageview entries as "Spam!" or "Not Spam!"?

Understanding the nature of referer spam, one sees that the only way to effectively combat it is to have Google globally examine all pageview activity for all blogs, over long periods of time, to identify actual referer spam - and to avoid falsely designating innocent third party blogs and websites as being intentional referer spam customers.

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The Tower Of Babble Comes Down Slowly - One Brick At A Time

2013-04-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

I installed the Google auto translator - using a custom front end, which I helped develop - on this blog, 5 years ago.

I installed it originally because of the February 2008 Kaspersky problem with Blogger blogs - and hastily, because of the magnitude of the problem. I knew, at the time, that the Google auto translator was not 100% accurate.

No auto translator will ever be 100% accurate. Every language in the world is always developing, as society and technology develops. There will always be nuances in every language, which are not yet detected by any one person - or by any one computer.

That said, I think that it's obvious to many people, that auto translation is a legitimate feature on the Internet.

If you've read this far, and you're using the translator to read this in a non English language, my thanks to you.

I think that the Internet in general, and Blogger blogs - and translated Blogger blogs in particular, are going to do a lot to bring the various cultures and nations of the world closer together. Being a native of the USA, I speak only English with any degree of fluency. I have, at one time, attempted both French and Spanish, as secondary languages - but this is neither the time nor place for me to discuss my experiences in France and in Panama.

I would never attempt to publish this blog, manually, in either French or Spanish - and certainly not any of the other 300+ languages which are present in the world. Since this blog has some value to Blogger blog owners and readers in general - and hopefully to some non English Blogger blog owners and readers - I think that using this blog, translated into other languages, has some value also.

If you are reading this blog in a non English language - or if you know of specific phrases or words which are not translated, successfully, by the Google translator - you are invited to suggest any appropriate improvement to Google. Translate the phrase or word in question, using the Google Translate web page - and select "Rate translation" in the lower right corner of the translation result window.

If you publish a blog in a non English language, and you don't have an auto translator gadget on your blog, I hope that you will soon add such a feature. I'll even invite you to look at Cumulus In Your Language, and see if the offered non English selections are useful to you.

Just don't dismiss auto translation, because it's not currently 100% accurate. Use it - or don't use it - on any web page where it's useful, right now. But don't dismiss it, with prejudice.

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Blogger Magic - Managing The Pages In Your Blog

2013-04-13T17:50:00.001-07:00

Some blog owners are never quite sure how to manage all characteristics of the Pages, in their blog.

From time to time, in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?, we see evidence of the confusion.

How do I hide the Home tab?

I can't rename my pages!

Some blog owners may know of one Pages management wizard, but not another. To the untrained, it may all seem like one big magic show.

There are actually 3 wizards, which let us manage the pages.

The Configure Page List wizard (aka Pages gadget).
The Layout wizard.
The Pages wizard.

The Configure Page List wizard is accessed from the Layout wizard, by Editing the Pages gadget - or can be accessed from the blog face, using the QuickEdit icon, if QuickEdit is enabled. It has several functions, in managing pages.

Change the Title of the Pages gadget, in the Layout wizard display.
Hide / Show specific pages.
Reorder specific pages, by dragging and dropping in the Page order wizard.

The Layout wizard is accessed from the dashboard. It has two functions, in managing pages.

Provide access to the "Configure Page List" wizard, by Editing the Pages gadget.
Relocate / restructure the pages list, by dragging and dropping the Pages gadget.
- Drag the Pages gadget to the top of the blog layout, and it morphs into the tabs gadget.
- Drag the Pages gadget into the sidebar, and it morphs into a linklist.

The Pages wizard is accessed from the dashboard. It has various functions, in managing pages.

Hide / relocate / restructure the pages list, by changing the "Show pages as" selection.
- Selected as "Top tabs", it relocates to the top of the blog layout, and morphs to the tabs gadget.
- Selected as "Side links", it relocates to the top of the sidebar, and morphs into a linklist.
- Selected as "Don't show", it disappears, and lets you develop your own page list gadget (or not).
Reorder specific pages, by dragging and dropping in the Pages order wizard.
Add pages, using the "New page" selection.
- Selecting "Blank page", you can create a new static page.
- Selecting "Web address", you can create a new dynamic page.
Selecting "Edit" or "Delete" for a specific page beneath "Pages", you can
- Edit the Title of a page.
- Edit the content of a static page.
- Edit the URL of a dynamic page.
- Delete a page.

None of this is magic - though the differing abilities of the several different wizards may bring to mind the different members in a typical MMORPG team.

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All Template Changes Won't Always Be Visible, When The Blog Is Published

2013-04-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Not all blog owners appreciate the differences between using the various template wizards, and what they will actually see, once the blog is published.

The confusion about the various template wizards, and what is actually seen, expressed in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, is numerous.

Why aren't my changes to the template being saved?

This question is expressed in a number of ways - and has a number of causes.

There are a number of causes of template problems, in general.

Some problem are caused by Blogger Engineering, as they manage the Blogger application.
Some problems are caused by the blog owners, as they use (and yes, misuse) the Blogger application.
Some problems are simply caused by the perception of the blog owners, and will never be resolved, to everybody's expectations.

If you're viewing this blog using a desktop / laptop computer, with a "normal" browser, and you can find the "View Source" control, take a look at the source for this page. Compare what you see there with the display in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard (and allow for some confusion, when using "Edit HTML").

If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Designer" / "Layout" template, you'll see a lot of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog in a "Dynamic" template, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
If you have a "normal" browser, and are viewing this blog using a redirected "mobile" browser view, you'll see very little of the same code, in both "Edit HTML" and "View Source".
If you're using a "mobile" computer, you probably won't even have an option to "View Source".

The bulk of the options in the Template "Edit HTML" wizard, in the "Layout" wizard, and in the Template Designer, are intended to change the "Designer" / "Layout" template views. The three wizards have much less effect, against the "Dynamic" / "Mobile" template views.

If you tweak the CSS settings in "Edit HTML" or the Template Designer - or if you change the layout using "Layout" or the Template Designer - you may not see all of the changes reflected in either a Dynamic or Mobile view. Sometimes, this is because you have already tweaked the template improperly, preventing the wizard from saving your latest changes. Other times, it may be simply because the Dynamic and Mobile templates are not designed to let you tweak the settings in question.

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