The Confluent Forms blog

@Mike Ritter, It depends on the usage. For many s...

2011-12-12T13:29:19.608-05:00

@Mike Ritter,

It depends on the usage. For many sites it's easier to use page-level conditionals (if page url = '') to show specific elements, css, widgets or sections. To have a non-template following homepage, if blog.url = blog.homepageurl is a simple method and allows me to have that page alone not follow the normal template structure.

Yes, clients are able to manage all of the content, and using similar to above, wrap the section in the if statement to show based on the URL. It'd be cleaner if you could put a conditional within a section so only the specific widget is conditional, but you can't and it has to be around the section.

With the exception of a page features/functionality, all of the sites use the blogger code. Pinch Gallery uses JSON to load content, but it could have been done without...

All graphics hosted in Picasa :)

-David

You haven't posted any technical details. Are...

2011-12-09T12:46:01.536-05:00

You haven't posted any technical details.

Are you using conditional tags to bring up the templates for different pages?

Do you make regions where client can add gadgets? I cannot figure this out with conditional tags for different pages.

Are you using the built-in blogger tags or the JSON API to load content? (i.e., Do you bypass the bloated blogger code?)

How do you host graphics for your layouts?

Nicely done websites.

Such a good post. Do you know of any sites that of...

2011-12-02T17:59:51.344-05:00

Such a good post. Do you know of any sites that offer training on how to do all of that? I'm interested in learning.

I will have to check this out the next time I have...

2011-11-26T20:14:28.588-05:00

I will have to check this out the next time I have some free time. Maybe in July. It is great to see how people can customize their blogs. Thanks for sharing this.

Thank you! I knew it had to be that simple, but ...

2011-11-17T20:07:27.376-05:00

Thank you!

I knew it had to be that simple, but pages and pages of search engine results turn up two, equally stupid, answers: 1, it can't be done, or 2, post-date an entry and limit displayed blogs to 1. I've done it!

However, maybe you can help with one more issue. My site currently runs in a blog format, and I like the ability to browse recent posts. As I said, I want to replace the start page, but is it possible to link to the "most recent posts"?

Hi Dom, There are two ways to identify the home/i...

2011-11-17T07:20:59.943-05:00

Hi Dom,

There are two ways to identify the home/index page and hence to make that page work differently than any other page.

One is:

(stuff on homepage)

The other is a variation of this index page determination.

Good luck!

This is just what I've been trying to do - cre...

2011-11-17T01:01:49.956-05:00

This is just what I've been trying to do - create an index page which uses a totally different template to the main content. I can't however, figure out how you are doing it!

Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

David Congratulation and thank you for sharing yo...

2011-09-28T22:10:50.091-04:00

David

Congratulation and thank you for sharing your successes!!

I thought that blogger had a far greater flexibility than a static website and you've inspired me to get myself in gear!

All the best, Sandra

David, I want to thank you again for bringing to l...

2011-09-28T07:57:52.505-04:00

David, I want to thank you again for bringing to light the use of blogger for a web site. I keep tinkering with mine and find it very user friendly. Thanks again.

Thanks David, It looks like Blogger have finally l...

2011-09-21T22:26:37.968-04:00

Thanks David, It looks like Blogger have finally listened to concerns and revised their decision until further notice, so you migt want to hold off undoing existing LB functions.

I fully appreciate that javasctipt albums make sense for some sites, or even some pages of sites, but not for every page of every blog-based site.

Your coffee site is a prime example. every coffee been separator graphic, and what I assume to be a grey spacer graphic, loaded multiple times in LB if you clicked on the main image - and it took a very long time for the main image to show.

For the science-based blogs I tend to read, a photo album viewer interferes with the experience by loading a mishmash of charts and graphs into an album with no narrative context.

Anyway, thanks for responding. Hopefully this will be launched as a much-improved option next time.

Hi Andy, Let me first start by saying that I grea...

2011-09-21T11:04:31.366-04:00

Hi Andy,

Let me first start by saying that I greatly prefer their new lightbox to the old behavior. Before the lightbox, when you inserted an image into your article/page, that image would include a link out to the photo which was an awful behavior. I strongly prefer this behavior. I believe you can disable this in the same way you would disable the previous functionality: by removing the wrapping anchor tag.

We're planning on stripping out the Lightbox functionality we created for those other sites as now there is no need plus it creates a Double-Lightbox (sort of like a Double Rainbow and just as annoying), just waiting for some down-time to launch the revision.

I'll look into ways to disable it (and email you if I do), but have yet to spend much time with it.

I checked some of these sites and blogger's ne...

2011-09-21T10:55:45.583-04:00

I checked some of these sites and blogger's new Lightbox seem to mess with them. When I click an image, it takes forever to load - even here on your own page - and then it loads images I don't even want to look at, including tiny page graphics in at least one case.

Given that Lightbox is driving a lot of people nuts, do you have any advice on how to adequately disable it? Have you spoken to Google about it?

thats really amazing, thanx

2011-08-28T10:03:24.839-04:00

thats really amazing, thanx

David, I know I'm coming to this party a litt...

2011-08-25T07:24:03.665-04:00

David,

I know I'm coming to this party a little late, but OMG! I am totally overwhelmed by what you have accomplished and sharing. I am self-taught including a breached labor and delivery of a WordPress and Hostgator website.

An absolute Google total solution package is exactly what I need with every asset in one location. No concerns for constant security reviews, widget and gadget updates and upgrades of the entire platform including version discord between different elements.

What you have shared with me today will allow me to create an outstanding blog "AND" a viable website without anxiety attacks. I will immediately present this to my client as a win-win-win scenario.

With sincere gratitude and appreciation,
Craig - Richmond, VA

Great post, thanks for sharing that! I like mostl...

2011-08-23T06:44:10.546-04:00

Great post, thanks for sharing that!

I like mostly
360 Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
and
Pinch Gallery.
I wish I could find some blogger templates like those great designed sites. This could help bloggers like me, who are not designers.
Best regards from Athens - Greece.

I agree with what Erica has to say about this grea...

2011-08-18T08:00:25.948-04:00

I agree with what Erica has to say about this great post 100%. Traditional and expensive ways to market your product or service could actually be culled. You just need to dig further if you really have a tight budget. As they say, success of anything begins with loads of research, and seeing such designs by Confluent Forms LCC and being generous enough to say why and how is amazing.

I believe with exciting innovations primarily by Google and other OpenSource proponents, it would really make it harder for people who refuse to adapt to these changes, pretty soon many will be left wondering why so many left and are not buying their absurd fees anymore.

Great post. I was amazed to see the websites you g...

2011-08-02T16:53:52.064-04:00

Great post. I was amazed to see the websites you guys have designed using blogger. Inspires me to dig more into HTML code.
Thanks :)

Hi DeLana, thanks for the information, I will chec...

2011-08-01T16:30:35.956-04:00

Hi DeLana, thanks for the information, I will check out the book to see if will help. I already do have a blog (timeandmoneyconnection.com) using blogger. What I am wanting to do is to create a website with blogger that does not look like a blog. If any one knows of any books or videos that may be useful to achieve this please let me know.

Hi Gord - This was a very helpful book - Beginning...

2011-08-01T14:58:10.566-04:00

Hi Gord -
This was a very helpful book - Beginning Google Blogger - easy read and nice step by step instructions.
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Google-Blogger-ebook/dp/B0041N3H20/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1312224908&sr=1-1
Enjoy! :)
DeLana

Great post, I am new to blogging and have limited ...

2011-08-01T09:57:54.778-04:00

Great post, I am new to blogging and have limited skill with web design. I have a website that I need to change and get a new format. It is currently get free hosting with Microsoft Office Live Small Buisness which is coming to an end in October. I to would like to have contiue wit a FREE website hosting option.
Does anyone know of any "how to make a website with blogger books" or video's? I would like to give this a try but a step by step guide would be a great help.
Thanks for sharing this information with us. It gives us a new option other than using Wordpress and paying for a webhost.

Excellent designs! Thanks so much for sharing and ...

2011-07-31T08:35:50.809-04:00

Excellent designs! Thanks so much for sharing and it's great to see you with such helpful responses to the comments...shared on my facebook and linked to my blog page ~ planning to incorporate some of your creative ideas! Melinda ~ Melinda Orr Designs

This is a super timely and helpful article. I love...

2011-07-30T17:02:53.652-04:00

This is a super timely and helpful article. I love all the designs shown and love blogger. I'll be trying to figure out how to at least make my blogger blog better. If all goes well, I'll try and make a business site along the lines of the ode site. My goal is to eventually use it to sell my handmade fashion and wedding gowns :) Thanks for the inspiration!

Cynthia

Hi Mary, What "attribution gadget" are ...

2011-07-30T11:35:09.011-04:00

Hi Mary,

What "attribution gadget" are you referring to? I see Attribution1 on your blog, are you referring to that one? If so, in your CSS, why not add:

div#Attribution1 {
visibility: hidden; height: 0; width: 0;
}

You might notice that there is no such thing in any of the examples above :)

-David

Totally agree - Blogger is an amazing platform, an...

2011-07-30T11:23:52.889-04:00

Totally agree - Blogger is an amazing platform, and I've done one site that's totally non-blog-like with it.

But it fascinates me that they insist on putting the attribution gadget at the bottom of every designer-template blog.

So far I've kept on top of how to remove it (I keep finding a way, they keep writing new code to stop it working ;-) - and my how-to blog gets a LOT of traffic from people looking for the answer.

But it's annoying and plain narky that they're doing it. Feels like they're saying "yup, you can do amazing things" on one hand, and holding us back with the other.

This is really a good information for a blogspot b...

2011-07-30T05:04:36.825-04:00

This is really a good information for a blogspot blogger. This post encourages me to do lot in my blogs.

Thanks for sharing.

Subscribed to this blog as well.