Better Blogging :: Establish A Test Blog

Do you have a test blog site? Do you use it?

I recently realized how important having such a site can be. I was fiddling around on my blog like I do incessantly when everything went wonky. {Don't you love the word "wonky," it is such a fun word to say. Wonky.} Anyway, everything went all wonky and I could not get it to look normal again. Thankfully it was on a Monday and I had just performed a backup of my blog on Sunday.

I thought this would make an excellent topic to discuss in my Saturday series on Better Blogging.

Step 1. Establish another blog through your blog host. I currently utilize Blogger and set up a test blog with a blogspot name.

Step 2. Go into the Dashboard of your Blogger blog, click on Edit HTML. Next click on Expand Widget Templates and then Download Full Template. I recommend establishing a folder on your computer where your template is stored. I also recommend copying this folder to a thumb drive, external hard drive or another source besides simply residing on your laptop or computer.

Step 3. Go into the Dashboard of your Blogger test blog and click on Edit HTML. Click on browse beside the line that reads, "Upload a template from a file on your hard drive:" Select the file you just saved to your computer in Step 2. Click Upload.

Step 4. Click Save Template and View Blog. Now your test blog should be a copy of your actual blog.

Step 5. Establish a schedule where you perform these steps on a routine and consistent basis. My schedule is to do these steps each weekend or as soon as I make any major changes on my blog. Find a schedule that works for you and stick to it.

Step 6. Now prior to installing any new widgets or code into your actual blog, you can see how they will look and if there are any problems by first testing on your test blog.


Other posts in the Better Blogging series:

Better Blogging :: Branding With Your Favicon
How to Achieve Blogging Balance and Improve Your Blog
Google Reader :: Managing What You Read