Every new blogger who bothers to research about blogging before opening a blog will invariably come across the unsolicited advice to opt for a custom template or lay-out. That is an especially good advice if you have an account with Blogger.com. Although the default templates provided are fabulous (I’m only saying this because I don’t know squat about coding and the technical blah, blah that makes some blogs glow despite below the poverty line content) using them would be the equivalent of wearing a Catholic school uniform. You’ll look just like every other classmate with a hair clip, leg-long skirt and black shoes. In short, you are likely going to share a blog design with thousands of other Hilton/Yuga/Gorrell hopefuls.
What’s the matter with a generic blog design or a Catholic uniform? Nothing. It’s just that regular netizens who know enough technical blather to design white virtual boxes and brag about them are likely to high tail it out of your blog at the first sight of a generic design. This is especially true if you are as interesting as a telephone pole. In other words, a nice, unique or flashy design may be your only saving grace— the only way you can attract hordes of disciples to your revolutionary ideas, inverted logic and hyperventilating grammar.
A word of caution though to bloggers who dream of freedom from template uniformity: changing designs is not as easy as copying and pasting a set of codes that rival the complexity of the language of a yet to be discovered alien race. Apparently, different browsers have their own queer ways of reading the technical language that tells them how your blog should look like. In other words, your blog could look fabulous in Mozilla but it could look like it just woke up with a hangover and bad hair in Internet Explorer.
I learned this the hard way after I applied this new design. A couple of my (ahem) loyal followers, or people who just lost their way, have been telling me that in their computers my sidebar overlaps with my text posts. After some diligent, eye nerve-popping research, I found out that the problem is that the design I am using is not compatible with some browsers. I also discovered that a lot of other blogs have the same problem and that the browser that bloggers most often have problems with is Internet Explorer 6 (IE6).
I have tried to the point of constipation to fix my problem or beg others to fix it for me but all I could find are equally incensed bloggers calling for the death of IE6. It is unlikely however that you will ever find the IE6 icon on a block with an axe over it or a noose around it unless you own Microsoft. According to one blogger, IE6 still holds sway over 50% of the browser market. So my dear friends, the lesson is: if you want to change your blog template, always check how it looks in Browshershots.org.
Since my technology IQ is nowhere close to 0.01, I cannot fix this appearance problem myself even if my life depended upon it. I would therefore also like to join the call for the death of IE6. If you want to help me get ahead in my vile, murderous quest, or if you just want to read my posts without getting cross-eyed, do upgrade to IE7 or Mozilla Firefox.
i’m still using explorer 6, but i can read your blogs by clicking on the “comments” link and then on “show original post”.
well good luck with everything else mags 🙂
thanks aimee. sigh. DEATH TO IE6!
well..i gotta say..death to ie browser..i’ve not been using it for quite sometime now..i’m very much happy with mozilla..
Mag-upgrade na lang kayo sa mozilla.
hmmmn…magpapalit na naman ako ng template..ai! wlang mgawa sa buhay..
hahaha. thanks for supporting my call for the death of IE6 webster twelb. hehe.
ako rin, been thinking of changing templates again. pero i like to study how to make my own… maybe someday 🙂
Sabi ko kasi baka makakalusot young reasons ko ha-ha….! Thanks for the comment Grace….! Pasensya na sa lte reply ha, medyo busy kasy this past weeks…. =D
haha. i understand senor artist. ok lang. ako rin naman minsan too busy to comment din 🙂
Yo Maam! It’s me, James R… I just wondrously remembered after a few moments of lying motionless in bed with the occasional toppling over and such that you gave me your card yesterday… Hmmm… It’s so typical you… So dark and sinister (just the way I like it…) Forgive me for the inappropriate use of the ellipses. I got used to it… Anyway, I feel for you when you call for the death of IE6. I’ve always been a fan of Mozilla so I couldn’t care less what would happen to IE, although its murder would be worth my interest… Anyway, I’m looking forward to more of your blogs. They’re such pleasures to read… =)
I was twitching when you commented in Tagalog… (shiver…)
wag mo ng baguhin yang template mo..okay naman eh.
It’s good if you want to study how to make your own template…ako din eh..kya lang it takes up so much time..ung mag-edit nga lang ng template ang tagal na..what more paggawa pa ng template..^_^
ndi kta dini-discourage..^_^
wow! hemingway! (shiver) i’m scared of you! you are one intimidating kid cause my grammar skills are no match to yours. now, i have to tiptoe when i write cause i might trip and that would be a big booboo. hahaha. seriously, you and beaple are the all time best when it comes to grammar and english. maybe i should start writing in filipino. hehehe
webster, thanks for the encouragement. oo, i predict it will take me forever to learn css and xhtml. sige lang, i’ll take my time 🙂
hallo! it’s moi! i’m back! 😀
and ma’am g…. i don’t even know what ie6 is. seriously. but surely you’re not shocked to hear this bit about my life? hmm.
ps. have you heard from mary recently? what’s she up to these days? is she even in admu?
hi sandyyyyyy! yup, i’m not surprised to hear that you don’t know about IE6. it’s an internet browser. it’s the letter “e” you click on your computer so you can surf the net, the box where you see all the good stuff from the net. sigh. you haven’t changed. hehehe.
i heard from mary a couple of days ago. i think she’s back in admu. she told me she was doing a paper on miriam. i’ve been a little too busy to chika chika with her.
hey, do you still have your yahoo mail? can i send you mail through that ad?
yup! yup! i would love to receive mail from u. it’s the same add but just in case: sandybeaple@yahoo.com.ph. I’ve tried sending the khs pips letters via snail mail but it took such a long time that i gave up eventually. bah. anyway. let’s email!
i’ll wait for your email ma’am g. my memory can’t process the pentaxtripod. ;D
the most important thing is the content of your blog. 🙂 anyway, nice post!
thank you freakazoid.
i’ll be writing soon sandy 🙂
the death of IE is nearing. almost all people i know use mozilla or opera. 🙂 yey to open source!
hahaha. that is great news amicus. i’m starting a campaign on my low tech IQ friends to start downloading mozilla. like them, i also started out lost, ignorant and wedded to IE before i was introduced to the new love of my life, mozilla
thanks for dropping by amicus