What Are Blogger Templates?
While there are many blogs – some estimates are in the tens of millions – a large percentage of them look similar. While some have two columns, others have three, some are aligned to the left and others to the right, most of the differences are minor and cosmetic. This is because so many people rely on templates for their blog’s design.
A template is a prefabricated layout design. While templates can be used to create entire websites, they are most often associated with blogs. Because websites can vary greatly in both presentation and content, templates are not as popular as they are for blogs, which contain many of the same elements – posts, comments, archives, and the like. Once you choose a template, you simply replace the generic text with your specific content, and your blog is ready for viewing!
When you first launch your Blogger blog, you are asked to choose a template from those the system provides you. There are only a few and they are the same templates from which everyone on Blogger has to choose. Further, most of these are actually based on popular blog “themes” from the past. This is why so many blogs look alike! However, these are not the only Blogger templates to be had.
Many sites offer templates to use with Blogger, and you can even develop your own. If you choose to employ templates from a “third-party” site, you have to watch for bugs and may be left to troubleshoot your own issues; while many of these templates are visually striking, they generally provide little or no support and Blogger offers no support for them, either. While designing your own layout can be fun, it can also be challenging. The Blogger tutorials do a fair job of explaining the process, and the elements from which you can choose are clearly indicated. Finally, you can also choose from Blogger’s “classic” templates, or create one of your own. Support for these layouts are even sparser, nor do they support newer features, such as Blogger’s “widgets.” There are literally thousands of these “widgets” and you can include as many as you like on your blog – but again, only if it is not using a “classic” template.
When deciding on a template, you need to know what you want your blog to accomplish. If you are content to merely record your thoughts and ideas and offer them to the public for discussion, any of the basic Blogger templates will probably suffice. You can always personalize them by later adding other layout features. Blogger templates are quick, efficient means by which to get your blog off the ground and before the eyes of readers!