December 21, 2013

to dynamic template or not to dynamic template

I actually like Blogger's dynamic templates. I like allowing visitors to choose their own preference for viewing my blog. Unfortunately, the many problems and limitations I've run into have made me decide to stop using it. Three of the peeves I had:

  • load problems on mobile (pages were sometimes entirely inaccessible)
  • lack of control- for example, no way to use Disqus as the default discussion forum
  • JavaScript issues - TOC pages and embedded RSS feeds don't show up (I have a TOC page to make it easy for me and visitors to scan posts)

Given these issues, I basically went back to Blogger's default templates. But just because you use a default template doesn't mean it has to be boring! I start with a default template (my current favorite is the picture window because it allows nice tabs at the top for pages) and then use advanced template options to modify the background image, layout, size, colors, etc.

I also usually enable a mobile template to make it easier for mobile users to browse posts. Btw, by default, Blogger's mobile template has uses Blogger's defaults; if you made modifications to your template and want your mobile site to look like your modifications, select "Custom" when you're enabling mobile site.

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