Deep Dive into Blogger Settings: Mastering Your Blog in Four Parts.

Part 2: Advanced Blogger Settings: Permissions, Posts, and Comments

Introduction

Welcome back! In Part 1, we covered the basic settings to get your blog up and running. Now, it’s time to dive into more advanced settings that will help you manage permissions, posts, and comments more effectively. These settings are crucial for maintaining a professional and engaging blog.

Permissions

1. Blog Admins and Authors:

   • Manage who can write and edit posts on your blog. You can invite more authors if you want collaborative content.
   • How to Invite Authors:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Permissions" > "Invite more authors"
     • Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite.

2. Reader Access:

   • Control who can read your blog. Options include public, private, or custom readers.
   • How to Set Reader Access:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Permissions" > "Reader access"
     • Select your preferred option from the dropdown menu.

Posts Settings

1. Max Posts Shown on Main Page:

   • Decide how many posts appear on your homepage. A balance between too many (overwhelming) and too few (underwhelming) is key.
   • Example: 7 posts
   • How to Set Max Posts:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Posts" > "Max posts shown on main page"
     • Enter the number of posts you want to display.

2. Archive Frequency:

   • Organises your posts into monthly archives, making it easier for readers to find past content.
   • How to Set Archive Frequency:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Posts" > "Archive frequency"
     • Select "Monthly" from the dropdown menu.

3. Post Template:

   • Predefined content that appears in every new post. Useful for maintaining consistency.
   • How to Create a Post Template:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Posts" > "Post template"
     • Enter the content you want to appear in every new post.

4. Image Settings:

   • Image Lightbox: Enable to showcase images in an overlay, enhancing visual appeal.
   • Lazy Load Images: Images load as the reader scrolls, improving page speed.
   • WebP Image Serving: Use WebP format for faster loading times.
   • How to Set Image Settings:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Posts" > "Image lightbox" and toggle the switch.
     • Enable "Lazy load images" and "WebP image serving" in the same section.

Comments

1. Comment Location:

   • Choose where the comment form appears (e.g., embedded below posts).
   • How to Set Comment Location:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Comments" > "Comment location"
     • Select "Embedded" from the dropdown menu.

2. Who Can Comment:

   • Restrict comments to users with Google Accounts to reduce spam.
   • How to Restrict Comments:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Comments" > "Who can comment?"
     • Select "Users with Google Accounts" from the dropdown menu.

3. Comment Moderation:

   • Choose to moderate comments to ensure quality and appropriateness.
   • Example: Moderate comments on posts older than 14 days.
   • How to Set Comment Moderation:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Comments" > "Comment moderation"
     • Select "For posts older than" and set the number of days.

4. Reader Comment Captcha:

   • Enable captcha to prevent spam.
   • How to Enable Comment Captcha:
     • Go to "Settings" > "Comments" > "Reader comment captcha"
     • Toggle the switch to enable captcha.

Summary

In this post, we’ve explored advanced Blogger settings, including managing permissions, optimising post settings, and handling comments. These settings help you maintain a professional and engaging blog.

Coming Up Next: In Part 3, we’ll dive into enhancing your blog with meta tags, redirects, and more. You’ll learn how to improve your blog’s SEO and user experience. Don’t miss it!