Real Estate Blog - How To Customize and Personalize Your ActiveRain Blog

Home : Blogs : Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager : Active Brads Blog

How To Customize and Personalize Your ActiveRain Blog

You may have noticed all the personalized Blogs lately here on ActiveRain. I hope this post will help you customize your Blog and join in with the crowd. If the video tutorial does not display, CLICK HERE to view.

POST UPDATE: 12/2/2008 - There's A New Customizer Now, this one no longer works.

NOTE: This video is of the Original Classic ActiveRain Customizer, be sure to see the update and link below for the New Customizer and Tutorial. This video will no longer apply to the MOST CURRENT platform on AR.

If you need help with customizing or personalizing your ActiveRain Blog, feel free to contact me anytime.

POST UPDATE ON: 12/2/2008 - There's A New Customizer Now!

We have upgraded and updated the ActiveRain Customizer. Please visit the New and Improved ActiveRain Blog Customizer. Here are the instructions and information. Thanks and Enjoy!! :-)

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount
RainCamp™ - "Because The Way We Do Business Online Has Changed!"

Posted by Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager on 04/15/2008 09:51 AM

Comments (303)

Blog Customizer in the ActiveRain Channel

activerain customizer, activerain skins

Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: Real Estate Technology
Post is included in group: HELP/FAQ (Read 'Purpose Statement' Carefully!)
Post is included in group: Blogging & SEO
Post is included in group: Active Rain Newbies

303 Comments on How To Customize and Personalize Your ActiveRain Blog

APR

2008

If I had just waited a few more hours, I wouldn't have had to pull all my hair out. Bald females are really not that attractive, lol,

Hi Brad...I like the photo of the Golden Gate Bridge. Just might have to move out there so I can use it also.

Watched the video and will go back and try to add a picture to mine. I will also see if I can get some text up at the top. If not I might need to call you but it will not be tonight (early morning...it's 2:49 a.m.).

Kathleen

Brad, thanks, I will have Darcy check this out, she is the computer geek in our team! Thanks for the tutorial! It looks easy to do, so I could probably do it by myself, only when I have had much more sleep than right now! Thanks again.

Okay, hopefully 3rd times a charm for me to leave a comment here...my cursed courser strikes again!

You have made "how to" personalize an ActiveRain blog easy to understand - THANK YOU! I tried last week and got stuck, but I think I can do this. The only tricky part is sizing the photo, never did learn how to do that. So tomorrow when my head is not fuzzy with sleep...a personalized AR blog for me!

PS, I got my TBWS Keychain today! : ) You and the guys were fun!

Brad... I have bookmarked this so I can get back to it.. I was having issues yesterday and gave up. I'm beat now and have a busy day tomorrow ( today - Tuesday )

Hi Brad - I have already done it, but I wish I had read this tutorial first, it took me a couple tries. Thanks!

Hi Brad, Thanks for the info, I think I'll give it a try. Have a great week. Michael A. Caruso

Thanks for the tutorial Brad. I've bookmarked this. I'll get back to it. Now could you please produce a tutorial about how I could find the time to get this done. Because for some reason I am barely getting all the things I really need to get done, done this week. But then I'd have to find the time to look at that tutorial. :-) Thanks again!

Brad- I have also bookmarked this. I thought I had it all done the other day...guess what...NOT. I hope to finish up by the end of this week. Thanks for offering to help via a phonecall, too.

I have bookmarked this and will try it soon.Thanks for the post.

Brad.... Great job with the how-to video.... Makes it looks so simple even a woman can do it! LOL

Brad ... Thanks so much. The video is excellent...makes it look so simple even a man could do it! LOL

Brad,

I finally had time to play a little last night...it's a start but not the end...you'll see a few more changes from me in time.

Brad,

I see the new pages all over.....I have bookmarked and will be back to review.....stay tuned.

Thanks Brad for the help. Got it bookmarked and will refer to it alot. Not that I am tech challenged, right. :)

Brad, great tutorial. You couldn't have made it much easier. Thanks.

Brad, That was so simple! I actually had put my header picture up previously and all the other options but I was so frustrated with the process. I think I kept missing one step which you revealed. You made it much easier and a whole lot less stressful. Thanks so much and thanks for the tips yesterday!!!

Brad,

Todd Clark said in a recent post how after changing to the new look he had to alter all his previous posts one at a time because of the way the text related to the graphics changed...what about this??? Thanks, Fran

P.S. BTW, If I changed browsers to firefox, how will that affect my prior posts?

Brad - I love this stuff. I just haven't had the time to do it yet. See ya on Twitter dude. BobH

Michelle - no hair? Look on the bright side, that's a 1/2 hour off getting ready to go out time!! LOL!~

Kathleen - If you want to call me at 3:00am in the morning, that's ok with me. I might not answer, but you can call me anytime 24/7, just leave a message and I'll call you back. I blog in my sleep too!! LOL!~

Hey, Brad. I did it and then had to undo it because it squeezes my blog! I've done a lot in HTML and my photos and words go wack! I love my old posts and don't quite know how to reformat to fit to the new skinny one! Any ideas???? :-)

Tony - if you're going to make Darcy do the work, flowers and candy are a nice thank you and reward! Tell her to call me if she needs any assistance with it. :-)

Deborah Burns - today is your lucky day. I was going to create a post to show how this is done, (resizing graphics, photos, and images) but one of our other awesome AR members Jeff Turner already did a great post on this. Here's a link for you if you need.

Editing Images for your Customized ActiveRain Blog By: Jeff Turner

PS. Glad you got your keychain and enjoyed the show, it was a blast!! :-)

Yay! Today is my lucky day! Thanks Brad! : )

Roland, you think you had issues? Try doing one of these tutorials...it took me all freaking day to finally get it right. I'd get right to the end of the recording, and stumble over my own tongue, or the screen wouldn't load, and there I'd be...just hanging out to dry...One time, I even came up with a screen that read "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" I laughed so hard, my kids said to post it, but the wife said NO! I'll show that one later when I do the "AR's Funniest Moments and Blooper Posts!!" Give it a try today and let me know if this post helps. I'm just a call or email away... :-)

Virginia - glad you got it working, I like the banner header with the rocky hills in the background. Nice photo...did you take that?

Michael - give it a try, it'll only take a few minutes and it will make your Blog unique and more personalized! Good luck, here to help if you need it. :-)

Nannette - this will take you less time to do than it did to watch the tutorial and comment! LOL!~ Just go for it!! The time you invest in customizing your Blog is worth it. It's fun to change things up once in a while. :-)

Laura - the phone is over-rated! LOL!~ Who uses it anymore now that we have Blogs and Twitter! hahaha!! :-) You can call me anytime!

Gita - let us know when you're done, we'll stop by and check out your new diggs! :-)

Dan - what are you saying? LOL! So easy a caveman can do it! haha!!

Monika - you and Dan have me confused now! LOL!! Not sure which way to dress this morning now! ROFL!!

Neal - I'll have to swing by and check out your new skins! I think it takes more time deciding what colors and images we want to use than it does to actually do it. There are some really cool looking Blogs flyin around the rain these days. It may even drive more readers and viewers to the community. (One would hope anyway) :-)

Brad - I will probably come back to this idea at some point, but I did some personalizing a few days ago and it seemed to slow it down too much (i.e. page loaded slowly). I reverted back to the "old school" version for now.

Dan - we're all watching and anxious to see what you come up with. Have fun, be creative, be proud of your Blog and the ability to make it stand out and be unique from all the other Blogs here on AR. This new look is really taking the community to the next level. Gotta love it!

Don - according to Dan and Monika, it's so easy a man or woman can do it. That about covers it all, technically challenged or not! LOL! :-)

Michael - the only way I could have made this any easier would have been to just do it for you! LOL!~ That would take all the fun and challenge out of it though! haha!

Sara - love your new look on the Blog! The banner Rocks, and the horses just give it a really warm and welcoming feel! Looks awesome, and it's nice to know that your blog is the only one that looks that way out of 83,000 plus members here. This is really a great way to personalize our Blogs. Great job!! :-)

Fran - leave it to the title guy to find something to review in all the paperwork LOL!~ But seriously, you bring up an excellent point. If you have Blog posts or comments where the graphic is larger than 800 -850 pixels wide, you will need to modify and resize those graphics. I too had to modify a few posts because of the loss in width of my Blog. In reality, nobody's eyes are that bad that we need to have 1400x940 sized images on our blogs. I just edit them as they come up.

In regards to your Firefox Browser question, it has no bearing on your prior posts or future posts for that matter. The FF Browser just works better here on AR and outside AR as well. Pages load faster, it remembers text for the security graphics, it doesn't lock up or freeze, and if you accidentally hit the back button in the middle of a 2 hour posting, you won't lose everything you just created. Also, if it ever does shutdown or freeze up, when you restart FF, you have the option to RESTORE your previous session. Internet explorer doesn't offer any of these features. I use FF exclusively now. There's also an off-shoot of FF called the FLOCK browser. It's more designed for the social networking fanatic. That's what our fearless leader Jonathan uses, and he loves it.

Now, shouldn't you be issuing some title reports or mapping out some lot line adjustments, or removing some exceptions from those pre's? LOL!~ Boy I sure don't miss that stuff....well...maybe a little....NOT!! :-)

Bob - I know how you DO love this stuff!! Maybe I should twitter more than I twatter!! That Twhirl is really cool, it's just managing my IM chats, my twitter feeds, my Blog comments and commenting, and oh yeah....email and voice mail. Man, it's a full time job! Oh, I almost forgot...THAT IS MY JOB! hahaha! Did I mention I love my job?!?!?! :-)

Brad, where were you last week when I needed this!?!?! It took me six+ hours to pull together my very plain-looking custom blog - finally, with help from Jeff Turner's video. In the end, I achieved my goal - made it look like my "other" blog's cousin. LOL. One of these days, I'll go through old posts to see if any need tweaking after making this change.

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new job.

Natalie - boy, they aren't kidding when they say size means everything! LOL!~ The size of your graphics would be the only thing that will send your Blog out of whack! Maybe we can suggest the ability to customize headers and colors and leave the option to have the width stay the same. Great feedback, I'll forward this on now to the powers above! The only way around it now if you want to use the skinny Blog format, is to reduce the size of those graphics, images or photos. Let me see what I can work out. :-)

Brad- Great tutorial on how to customize our blogs. I appreciate your support of the Active Rain community. You really make a difference here.

Best,

Scott

Brad,

Thanks for the explanation...'truth in browsing' is a wonderful thing!!! I'll give firefox a try!!! Thanks, Fran

Deborah - Oh Happy Day!! :-)

Hi Brad, Thanks for the Vid. I am really glad you made this, not for me as I have done mine already but as an archive file for the new comers. Now if we could find a way to dress up the Home page. After looking at all the great custom blog pages, our home pages now look a bit dull. What do think? Possible? It might be that AR could automatically recognize the Blog header and use a version of it, automatically on the home page.

I got the idea that these headers can re-customized seasonally, for the holidays etc. Might as well, right? I would love it if you dropped by and could suggest any improvement in my header. I would love to have a softened end on my photo to blend with the background. Do you suppose that is possible? I am not sure how to do that but it seems that could be a great improvement?

Would appreciate any advice you would have time to render. Here is a quick link if you get time. http://activerain.com/blogs/williamjohnson

Jason - I went back and forth as well, but then I realized the value of making my Blog unique and differentiating myself from others. That's when the whole idea and concept really hit home. I see this bringing back some of the members we had lost because of the inability to Brand, Customize or Personalize their blogs. I also see it as a new feature that will enhance our growth and motivate new members to join our community. I understand that for some, this may not be at the top of their priority list, but for others, it gives them the option to customize if they want to. The customizer is now an ActiveRain product and will be hosted and supported by us. That means that improvements and enhancements are on the discussion tables all the time. Look for this tool and others to only get better in time. :-)

Margaret - your "new" AR Blog Rocks!!! All you need is a Bee on your flowers to make it complete! LOL!~ Really, it looks great. It's comments like yours, and some of the calls and emails I received that inspired this post. I hate to see someone spend hours trying to figure stuff out. Hopefully, this post will prevent that from happening to other members. I can tell you this, there isn't another Blog on AR that looks exactly like yours....not anymore! (Big Smile)

Scott - thanks my friend! That's actually part of my life motto, and not just on AR! It's to go out and "make a difference" in the world. Why? Because we all can!! I appreciate your comment and I'm glad that this information is useful and appreciated! Really, I am! Thanks.

Fran - It's nice to see you back so soon! LOL!~ Let me know what you think of FF ok? If you need any assistance or have any questions about it, you know my door is always open to you my friend! Always!! :-)

William - we are just now implementing the new activeraincustomizer. In time, I'm sure there will be enhancements, updates, revisions etc. It has been a very well received addition here in the rain. I know the next question members will have is "Can we do this to our Profile Pages?" I also think manty members are already thinking ahead about the seasonal aspect of their banners and backgrounds. There is even some talk of being able to customize width and the ability to tile, stretch, and modify background images. Just ideas and suggestions that are being kicked around thanks to members like yourself who throw these concepts our way. Keep em coming!! I'll come by and check out your Blog in a bit. I have to return a few support calls this morning, but would love to help you out any way that I can. Thanks William. :-)

Thanks Brad. That helped.

Gena - thanks! How are you? I miss our chats!! Are you back up and running the 20K?? Hope all is well and that your health is good! Let's hook up soon, we have a lunch or dinner date to make up! (Big Smile) :-)))

Brad, just stopping by to see what you did here. Very nice....I do like how your's is set up. ;-) I had figured this out but don't get how you did all of the tutorials.....that's so cool. ;-)

Brad... excellent tutorial, as Monika said above, even us guys can do it. BTW... Thx for adding the Santana pic, I absolutely loved it.

Teri - thanks for stopping by, it's always nice to see you. These tutorials are a whole other topic. I spent the better part of the day putting this one together. If I weren't so anal and such a perfectionist, I would have had this post done in 3 minutes! LOL!~ I think I am my own worst enemy here! hahaha!

Brad, your stuff looks cool! I've seen many AR Profiles that look like garbage lately. They customize and don't make sure the color schemes work for their blog and formatting and look like amateurs. In many cases, they would have been better served to keep the AR default.

I've heard it said a little information can be dangerous, there is danger lurking in these blogs. I would suggest people look at their blogs in various at different resolutions to determine what looks good, professional and pleasing to the eye. Don't just trust your eye, Ask someone whom you both trust and respect their opinion.

Also very important, remember you blog should be for customers and not you! If you make it about you, you'll never please your customer. I know some people don't like others telling or suggesting how they run their business, I'm okay with that. But be willing to accept marginal or null results and please don't complain, cry or grumble, because your propensity to do it your way don't work.

Change to please your customer's taste experience and you're in the money.

Ntsike

This is great!! I have noticed them, too. Takes a little longer to load (or this that my laptop). And some of them are a little blown up with stuff that's not relevant, but it's certainly fun! I'll definitely work on mine as well (but have to stop procrastinating--AR is such a great excuse!--for now and get back to that CMA...)

Thank you thank you thank you. I am going to try to set aside some time as soon as I get my taxes done! I am looking forward to learning how to do this. The blogs look terrific!

Brad, I still haven't found time to customize one...I feel so behind the times! Thanks for this helpful how-to. Between you, Jeff Turner and Brad Carroll even I should be able to figure it out!

Hey Thanks...I appreciate it......I have seen these custom pages..and love them..but didn't know how to do it..

Brad, thanks again for the "as usual" great video lesson. Very informative and helpful.

Brad - I think the hard part is picking a look and sticking with it. I keep changing it around - too much fun.

Brad - Finished my custom header yesterday... It was so easy and it looks great. Thank you for all of the help that you give each and every one of us... AR ROCKS.

Hey man, thanks for taking the time and I know it took some time to pull that off.

Ntsike - I think you bring up an excellent point. The first is that we must know our audience and what they like. I also think there is a balance between finding out what works and what doesn't. For example, everything you m,ention is your comment was only discovered by trial and error. There are those of us who are pioneers, and don't mind taking the arrows, and then there are others that would rather follow the crowd in knowing what works best and gets the most results.

We are all different in our personalities and the way we do things. I think being open minded and willing to experiment and listen to others is the key to our OWN successes, and is what truly makes ActiveRain the powerful tool and community that it is today. I always appreciate your willingness to share your ideas, comments and opinion on my blog. Thank you.

I know there will be a lot of members supporting one another with color schemes, what works and what doesn't etc. That's just how this place is...and you gotta love that!! :-)))

Catarina - those CMA's are important in keeping your Blog up and running and visa versa! LOL~ The page load time really does depend on a variety of variables which include browser type, CPU speed and memory, ISP provider and speed, and even the server of company hosting the service. We have been working on the speed issues here, and compared to a couple days ago, AR is flying today!

I know they had to move some stuff or work on some things in the transition of the Activerain Customizer, I feel confident that these issues are always being addressed and attended to. I know first hand how hard these guys work behind the scenes at ActiveRain. It will just keep getting better and better! :-)

Joan - you are very very welcome. You'll have no problem getting your Blog customized and making it unique to you and your customers liking! It only gets better from here... :-)

Brad, Just wanted to see your tutorial. It was very clear. BTW, you have a good recording voice. Would've thought your first recording was your last.

Thanks for the tips. This will look great. Now everyone can jazz up their pages to make them look more personal.

really glad you decided to post this up

Thanks for your generosity. For techno tyros like me, it's good to have instructions.

Hey, I wanna get emails from the likes of MOniKa!

wow....am I too old for this?

I quote GW Bush, three words - Thats pretty freaking COOL! Well, whatever - never was good at math!!! hee hee hee

Great post!

Brad.....the video was great. Wondering where you picked up your golden gate bridge from and what program you did your header in?

I want to customize my blog and keep following the directions exactly but nothing changes. Maybe it's my computer, I know I'm doing everything right, any ideas?

Now, Brad...if it were really just as easy as you showed..I have had to resize my photos and STILL they didn't come out like I wanted. I'll give it another shot! I love your look. How did you get your name like that?

Diane - between Jeff, Brad Carroll and myself, you'd be surrounded by Tech Junkie's!! LOL!~ Let me know if you need help!

Konnie - you do now, so have some fun with it and personalize away! :-)

Bob - this was my first attempt at a video tutorial post! Thanks for your kind and encouraging words. I should get better with time and practice. Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

Yeah! I got mine going I think. And you said we can call you with any questions? Has your phone been ringing?

Maureen - I know what you mean. I had to take medication for that too! ROFL!!~ If you change it once a week or month, imagine what that could do for your visiting traffic! People always wondering what you have up next?!?!? Even going seasonal with banners and backgrounds isn't a bad idea. I really think this tool takes AR to the next level and makes this place even more desirable than it already is. Enjoy...I know you always do!

You ROCK, Brother Brad!!!

Debbie - your Florida Banner and colors look GREAT!! Yeah!! :-) I like how you incorporated multiple phots and blended them together! Nice Job! :-)

John - you have no idea! I am too anal and suffer from perfectionism when it comes to posting! LOL!~ This took longer to create and make work than I will ever admit in public! They say the first time is always the roughest! (BIG SMILE...ALL TEETH SHOWING!!) :-)))))) Thanks for recognizing the effort and time!

Rebecca - it's funny that you mention that, I think I'm like most people, I hate to hear my own voice, see my own photo, and watch my own video, but one day I realized, that's who I am and I better learn to like me! haha! Thank you so much for making me feel OK for sharing my "Charlie Brown" voice on my Blog! ROFL!! :-)))))

Michael - it took some will power and a little encouragement from my AR friends, but here it is, and more than anything, I just hope it helps a few members that may need it. We are seeing some great looking Blogs here in the rain, and I'm sure there are "Thousands" more on the way! :-)

David - you silly guy, that's not Monika, that's a Cave Woman in the comments above, Monika is much better looking!.....and married!!!! :-)))

Joyce - you are never too old or too young for Blogging!! :-)))) (and all that goes with it...)

Nathan - did GW Bush really say that? LOL!~ Thanks my friend! :-)

Brad, I appreciate the tutorial. I'm still struggling a bit with the graphics, but I'll get there! Thanks again.

Pam - thank you! The Golden Gate Bridge photo is one I got from a website that offers FREE photos for non-commercial use. Jeff Turner wrote a Blog about it a while back, and when Jeff writes, people listen!!
Here's a link if you want access to some really great shots. I use it on my Blog because I proposed to my wife under it, so it has a special meaning behind it.

PD Photo.org

The banner was created by a fellow member and good friend, Marti Garaughty who is an awesome graphic design guy, but I know he doesn't do it for Free. You can use any photo or graphics editor to create custom graphics, images and banners. Not sure what program Marti uses, I use Paint Shop Pro, iPhoto on the Mac, and Picnik.com online.

Thanks so much Brad! I don't have time right now, so I bookmarked it for later. I've been fooling around with it, and can't get it right!

I want to customize my blog and keep following the directions exactly but nothing changes. Maybe it's my computer, I know I'm doing everything right, any ideas?

Amy - yes, I do have an idea. Call me and I will walk you through it over the phone, step by step. It's not you, and it's not the computer, it might be that the code is not being placed in the right box on your AR "My Settings" page. It has to go in the second box down underneath your "Blog Title" in the one that says "Blog Description" not the one that says "Blog Description Text". That would be my first guess. Call me and we'll get you all setup.

Brad....absolutely awesome! Thanks.

Linda - it really is as easy as the tutorial, but if you have photos bigger than 650x450 or wider, it will push your blog beyond the new formats limitations. I just make corrections and edits to the posts as they come up. We are working on a couple ideas that may resolve this as well. It's still very new, so like everything, we have to take the bumps as they come, but we always get over them.

My banner was created by Marti Garaughty - form The Art of Marketing You. It cost me $5,000.00, but was worth every penny don't you think? I love that guy!! He gave me a discount of course... :-)

If you need any help with yours, let me know ok?

Naoma - how did you know? My number has been listed here for over a year now, but mention it in a tutorial and watch out! LOL!~ It has been a blast today! I have talked to more AR members today, than I have the past year! The lines are open if you need to reach me....anytime! :-)

Rich - I feel the love, thanks my friend!! :-)

Katie - you're welcome, and if you need any help with that, you know where to find me... :-)

Ida - you just need to get a hold of me when it's convenient for you, so we can get you all squared away! Let me know how I can help? :-)

Brad, Marti sure did a great job with your banner! I think he's a genius! Thanks for your reply and I'll give it a shot and I'll try my best to not have to bother you! I can only imagine how busy you are now...and that's a good thing! I might have to run over to Facebook and buy you a drink! (It's better than just pokin' somebody!)

Thank you Brad, I was putting the code in the text box. Once I entered it in the middle box it worked fine and I've been having fun experimenting with choices, etc.. Thanks again. Amy

We have tried but I can use all the help we can get thanks for the assistance.

Thanks for the info Brad. I will have to add this to my to do list.

thanks for the help Brad

Linda - Marti Rocks, and he's a nice guy too! :-) You can never bother me, I'm never too busy to help out a member of our community...ever! I'll take a cold one from facebook if you're over there, but please don't make any special trips! LOL!~ And yes, that would be way better than a POKE! :-)))

Amy - this is a common mistake that many of us make in the beginning. The fine print below the third box does say that html code will be stripped. I should have put more emphasis in the tutorial about that, I just highlighted the box where the html needs to go. Glad it is working for you, let me know if you need any additional help, otherwise have fun, I'm looking forward to seeing your "Renewed Blog!" :-)

Terry - the office is open, and we'll keep the light on for ya!! :-)

Wayne - todo list must be getting pretty long eh? Hope all is well in your market area. Thanks!

Great tutorial Brad!! Thanks for putting it together.

Brad - thanks much for your expertise. This will be a nice enhancement to my blog. Take care.

In the beginning did not think would like the different backgrounds, but now see how it is evolving and really do like it. Thanks for the info.

Wonderful information! Thanks for the post.

APR

2008

Brad, if someone opens your blog in a non-maximized window in IE, then they maximize the window, the blog gets all out-of-whack (and I don't think it's picture related)

i.e.

blog

And:

blog2

It's not just certain blogs, it happens to all of them. A significant number of internet users use IE and I would suppose that a fair number might maximize their windows at some point when looking at AR blogs.

I'm not complaining, just pointing this out so it can be worked on. I like a few others like the look, but I'm keeping it simple so it can be seen properly by all web users.

Lisa - thanks, glad you got something out of it, or even possibly enjoyed it! LOL!~ :-)

Chuck - enhancing and making your blog customized and unique is a cool thing. Just don't over do it my friend, it's easy to get carried away with some of this stuff, I know I do sometimes! :-)

Bob and Carolin - I think you will see it evolve even more. The nice thing is that for those who don't like it, they don't have to make any change at all. In fact, at some point, I may even go back to the original AR Blog skin, but for now, I really enjoy the attention and the fun of it all. :-) It really does let members set themselves apart, and be independent and unique. :-)

Laura - anytime. :-)

I feel guilty if I don't use some more of this empty space here..... LOL!~

Brad, I knew I could count on you. Thanks for making it simple for us. I booked mark it and get to it when I have time.

Benjamin - I just tested it and you're right!! Man, I am really starting to dislike Internet Explorer. I think it's time to SCREAM it from the mountain top! (just kidding) Just click refresh my friend, and it will take care of that. It's not an AR issue or Blog issue. I think it's an MS IE glitch, bug or problem. Thanks for pointing that out and confirming why I recommended Firefox in the beginning of this Video Tutorial!

FYI - I will point this out to the AR Team of Experts to see if there is any way we can help fix Bill Gates and his application....hahaha! I will let them know though...seriously! Thanks again Benjamin, I really do appreciate you taking the time to let us know this.

One small step for Blogs, one large step for Microsoft!! :-)

BTW - Benjamin, this does not happen in any other Browser besides IE. I tried Firefox, Safari, Flock and they all are fine when opened in a minimized window. Just F.Y.I... :-)))

We'll still look into it though...thanks!

Venancio - I knew I could count on you to visit and leave such a nice comment, thanks goes to you my friend!

I saw some purty blogs last week before I headed out to Omaha and didn't have time to figure it out. Saw a link in TLW's blog yesterday and was so EXCITED that I could do this. Got this on my to do list this week!! Thanks Brad!

Brad, Thank YOU for listening.

As you do, I use firefox primarily, but I like to check the other browsers with all my pages (specifically IE) because I know there are many web users who use them. I have had to cut out some cool features and designs even on my own websites in order to make sure they come out pretty much the same on the different browsers.

Even more important than looking the same, though, (since most users won't see the same page in different browsers) is making sure the functionality of the site isn't affected. As you pointed out, a refresh will solve the problem in IE. I would guess about 60% of those who encounter the problem would refresh. The other 40% may leave the page.

When I come across a page that is all out of whack (Some news articles get messed up where the image overlays a significant portion of the text), I will often find a way to get the information off the page I want. (Cut and paste into notepad or something.) But sometimes, if I'm not REALLY wanting the information (or I don't know I want it, because it isn't easy to get) I'll just leave...

Good luck! Let us know when they fix the bug. (Bill Gates, Brad, whoever!) Thanks again!

Nice work Brad. And thanks for looking at things on different browsers. I'm on IE at the office, Firefox on my work computer at home, and Safari on our portables. It is sure nice to have people like you contributing to the AR community!

Thanks Brad - I knew I could count on you to explain it all!

Ken Tharp, Iowa Equity Exchange

Thanks Brad - I knew I could count on you to explain it all!

Ken Tharp, Iowa Equity Exchange

Hi Brad, Thank you for the info. I need to customize mine when I get a chance.

APR

2008

Renee - it's nice to see you. Have fun in Omaha, your Blog will be here when you get back! :-)

Looking forward to popping over to see your new skins. I know what a great job you do on your Blog, I can only imagine how awesome it will be after you customize it. :-)))

Benjamin - I totally understand what you're saying, I always check all the browsers with whatever I put up, but there does come a point that we have to try different things for different reasons. We only learn by doing, and we can only fix by breaking. Sure is fun huh? LOL!~ I'll try this idea for the 60%, then that idea for the 40%, then another that might appeal to the 2% etc. It's a daily change and a daily experience to try and find a fix-all for the world of internet users and browsers. I decided, that will never happen so just start putting it out there, and see what happens. I got your comment, which proves it DOES work!?!?! Thanks my friend, your comments and dialog is always welcomed, I enjoy it! Have a great rest of the week!! :-)

Jon - wouldn't it be nice if there were one browser that just did it all? hahaha! Never happen!! :-) Thanks for your appreciation and comment! Many just read, watch and run, so I doo appreciate that you took the time to comment!! Thanks! :-)

Ken - you can always count on me when it comes to this tech stuff. I really do enjoy making the more challenging things easy for others. We have had hundreds now that have changed their Blogs, and some of them look really awesome!! It's kinda like an ActiveRain face lift! Very cool! :-)

Megan - you can take your time, the activeraincustomizer.com site isn't going anywhere, it's there when you need it! Take the time to do it right instead of rush to just get it done! Enjoy!! :-)

@ Brad... you're too kind Mr.B, it was my pleasure to do your blog header. P.S. I'm glad you put a ;-)) next to the $5000, geeze! @ Linda Scanlan... watch my marketing blog for more tutorials (soon) and some free graphics I'll be giving away for Rain blog header backgrounds. @ Benjamin Clark... there are various issues on the web that stem from which browser you're using and even things like screen resolution, use Firefox and you'll have a much better experience.

Brad, thanks for this! Great tips. Keep em coming.

Dan, thanks for the tips on picnik. It about 100 times faster than photoshop, which I really should take the time to learn. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Sorry, one more thing, how do you record the vids on your mac? I just got a new macbook and was looking to do something similar to help people use my company's tools.

Hey Brad,

That is very cool; thank you for taking the time to do the tutorial. I'm not sure that I will bother cutomizing my AR blog, but maybe I will. It's nice to have the option!

Loved the screencast. I'd like to learn how to do that too.

You rock!

Mary

APR

2008

Brad - I thank you for this - and I think I will contact you later as I followed the directions and am having difficulty customizing my blog.

P.S. - I can't believe I called you Dan, please accept my sincere apologies. I promise, I'm not as dumb as you think.

Marti - thanks for piping in here, didn't want to start quoting fees for your services, but I was about ready to!! LOL!~ You do great work my friend! Thanks! :-)

Jeff - you got it!

Brian - no worries, Picnik.com is a great little online photo editor. For tutorials, there are quite a few different screencast applications, call me, let's see what you're after, and I'll send you in the right direction.

Mary - it's nice that we have a choice to change our Blogs if we want to, I know many that probably won't, and many I know that will. Options and decisions are a beautiful thing!

Sharon - don't hesitate to call my cell today, happy to walk you through this if you need.

Brian - never thought that for a second, not to worry my friend!

Brad, you delivered just like you promised. Thanks big guy.

What great information! Thank you so much. I will be back tomorrow to review it and put it into action!

APR

2008

Ray - I try to deliver as much as possible, some take longer than others, thanks for being so patient! :-)

Terri - thanks, looking forward to your new skins and AR look! Hope this tutorial will help. Jeff Turner also did a great post on how to create those custom banners and backgrounds using FREE online applications. Very cool stuff. :-)

Brad - thanks for the tutorial......it's always great to have someone walk you through step by step!

Can I customize my home page too?

Lidia - thanks, I had to walk myself through step by step too! LOL!~ Imagine if the tutorial were wrong?!?? :-O

It's nice to have people like you that make sure this stuff really works!! (BIG SMILE) :-))

Debra - if you mean your profile page, I think that would be cool too, but right now that's not available. Maybe sometime in the future.

Howdy Brad

What an excellent job you did with the Active Rain Blog Customizer video.

It's going to be very helpful to folk's for sure.

I Customized my blog last Sat.

Folk's have been telling me, it really fits me to a T.

Have a good one Dale

Many Rainers are using the customize option without consideration to how their page look and if the backgrounds fit well and their pages look crappy.

You need to make sure your output is professional and blends. Customers care about appeal.

Have a critical friend review changes in customizing to ensure your page looks good.

Notice how the Activerain displays over the black background on this examples:

Bad Integration - http://activerain.com/blogsview/463056/Editing-Images-For-Your

Good Integration - http://activerain.com/blogsview/475212/Good-Golly-Miss-Molly

Also notice some tech is not highly visible.

Use technology with caution. Accept constructive insight when adapting technology.

Hi Brad, That is some really cool customization information. I will have to try it.

Dale - checked out your new diggs and they are right when they say "Fits you to a T!" :-) Thanks for stopping by and sharing Dale, always great to have your comments on my Blog!

My dear Notary Friend - thanks for being "My critical" friend. While I agree that many Blogs here are under-going cosmetic improvements, it's important to understand that sometimes the surgery process takes longer to heal than we expect. Experimenting and trying new and different graphics and backgrounds will allow one to finally obtain a quality and acceptable look and feel for viewers.

I have to say that one of the samples you chose as a "Bad Integration" happens to be one of the most tech savy guys I know here in the rain. I know he likes to remodel and make changes quite often, you may have just caught his Blog between Spring cleanings, All that to say this, since you're commenting on my Blog about good and bad integrations, you never said what you thought of My new diggs here?!?!? So.....what's my constructive and critical friend have to say about that? :-)))))) I'm always open to constructive criticism and advice.

BTW - as a critical and constructive friend to you, might I suggest changing your signature name from Find a Notary Public | needAnotary to something a little more personal like Steve or Mary - Find a Notary Public | needAnotary

Jeff - Have fun with it! Be creative and make it personal to attract viewers you want to attract! It's nice to be able to make our AR Blogs unique and individual. Some like it hot, some like it cold, nice to have the options available to us now. Thanks! :-)

APR

2008

Brad you site looks well and I commented earlier on it in an earlier comment. You probably got too many comments to observer it.

I've been seeing quite a few with the new skins and it don't seem as if the creator looked at their creation before publishing. I'm down for technology and all for change, but I'm a customer centric nut. With that said, I will consider your suggestion. We actually recently change our name display in response to a blog posting.

Thanks for your feedback. I trust you haven't taken our feedback as critical, but constructive. If it looks wicked to me, I'm sure it looks more wicked to a client. I was hoping my comments encouraged revolutionaries to look or seek feedback before publishing changes.

Many who are technologically challenged take an idea presented and go without looking at the results of their actions.

Ntsike

Hi Brad: That was a great tutorial. I am almost brave enough to try it. Question... if I mess up the customizing... will my blog be trashed beyond repair ? Or, if I mess up, how can I delete all I have done, and go back and start over again ? Thanks so much for sharing.

Ntsike - your comments, ideas, suggestions, opinions are always welcomed here. You have some excellent points and it's obvious that your intentions are to help others by being constructive and supportive. Thanks for taking the time to come back, you're right, after 50 or so comments, I had over shot your original, and hope you'll accept my apology. See, here's another "self inflicted" constructive criticism already in play...the lesson? When reading your own Blog and comments...pay attention! LOL!~

Thanks again, have a great weekend!! :-)

Karen Anne - no matter what you do, I will help you fix it. What ever you setup with the Blog Customizer here on ActiveRain, and if you're not 110% satisfied, or as Ntsike points out, your viewers or readers aren't 110% happy, we can always remove the code from your description box and you're right back to normal. Your Blog would look just as it does now...Like everyone else's! :-)

Did you catch my subtle yet direct hint in that last sentence? LOL!~ :-)))) Hope you're having a great weekend!

Brad, thank you for the great tutorial - I am a newbie so it was very helpful Bonnie

Great tutorial Brad! It took me 3 tries before I got it right and that was before this post!

Bonnie - Welcome to ActiveRain. Let me know if you need any assistance getting around here, would love to help if you need any! Enjoy the community, there are some wonderful people here, and loads of information and experience!! :-)

Kelly - you know what they say, third times a charm! (Big Smile), now I'm off to check you out! :-))))

By the way - What the heck is a Hackberry! haha!!

Notify me of new comments:
What does the graphic say?

Great post Brad. Thanks for the info. I look forward to reading or seeing more of your post. Thanks

Thanks Brad, you have some of the most informative blogs for "Newbies" Keep up the good work.

Kevin

White Plains, NY

Great video, within 15 minutes of watching, I was able to change to feel of my blog. Now to spend more time doing a custom heading. Thanks for giving the easy answer on how to do it!

Oh, what size should the background image be so it doesn't tile on the page?

APR

2008

Wow - thank you so much for spending your time putting that "how-to" together for us! This whole "blogging" thing is so new to me, I need all of the help I can get! Tina :)

APR

2008

Neal - thanks, there'll be more coming, but I am also taking a wingman position in helping out some others in the rain to be more successful and productive here. I'll do my best to keep crankin out content though! :-)

Kevin - this is more than newbie stuff, I hope this will help even some of our tech challenged vets here! LOL!~

Randy - that's great! As far as your background image, I used 1300 x ???? and it still tiled but only twice and gave me the bridge the way I was wuilling to accept for it to look. Not sure on the optimum size because every persons monitor is different. May look great on mine, but suck on yours. I think you just ahve to experiment till you find what works for you. Some like the tile affect, others don't. I would guess 1024x780 should be safe...

Tina - welcome to the world of Social Networking and Blogging! Call me anytime you need some help or just have a question. Always love to help out a fellow member who may be stuck in the "rain". ;-)

Brad: I came back to watch the video again, and then try and do the customizing, and all that is visible in your above post is the very first line, and the very bottom line... with a whole bunch of white space in between. Now, I know "white space" is a plus... but not this much... LOL.

PS... the system is very, very slow tonight.

Karen - I have fixed it! Apparently, the screencast server was overloaded and maximized my FREE bandwith capabilities. Now they want money! So that makes this the "first" post that ever cost me money to do here on AR. Well worth the cost considering how many times it was viewed, and how many members it may have helped. I had also received a couple emails from other members letting me know that this post was showing up blank! Thanks for watching my back on my Blog, I got yours anytime!! :-)))

APR

2008

I think I get it?!!!!! Thank you!!

Susan - you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome! LOL!~ Always love a good "Thank You!" guess the network wanted to make sure I knew you really meant it, 3rd times a charm! :-))))))))

Brad. thank you so much for the easy instructions. You have no idea how long I spent trying to figure it out on my own. I was directed to your blog by another very helpful AR member. After reading this, I could do it - just like that! Thanks again!!!

Brad, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll give it a try - you made it look simple enough. Got your info from Charlene on another blog - thanks. - Sheri

Charlene - I'm glad this tutorial worked for you. There are still some members struggling with this customization thing so I thought this might make it a bit easier. I'm glad it did for you! Thanks! :-)

Brad,

This is so tempting.

You making it nearly irresistable. I thought I would keep the original Active Rain plain look, because very soon everyone woul dhave a fancy one, and I would keep the classic... Hey, where else can you get a vintage look in a month or so?

Not sure now

Sheri - Charlene is the Bomb, I'll have to thank her for sending you over here to visit. It may look simple enough, but if you get stuck, then just come right back here, give me a call, and we'll get you all hooked up, and customized! Thanks Sheri, have a great evening! :-)

Jon - you've always been one of the classics here, what a great idea! Where else could you become a classic so quickly? LOL!~ Dare to be different I always say! haha!! :-))))

APR

2008

Goldarnit! That was really kindof you, and I was able to do it easily with your help! Whee! Now, I just have to figger out what looks best ... hmmm, maybe I gotta do some real estate in and around my full-time blog job. Thanks so much Brad!

APR

2008

Best Blog Post Ever!

Pete - half the fun is deciding what looks best! Keep in mind the message you want t send, this is a great subliminal way to do that! :-)

Alicia - that's the best comment ever! Thanks!! :-)

Aloha Brad:

I love and appreciate what you have done here. Mahalo! I am a newbie to AR and when I feel more comfortable posting blogs I will return to your wonderful and most helpful page of user friendly information.

Brad, thanks for the lesson, now at least my blog doesn't look so naked!

APR

2008

Aloha Kehaulani - you come on by anytime, we are Ohana here! Get comfortable posting, once you do, it'll be hard to stop. If you need a nudge or some ideas or support, just let me know, I'll help you out. Nice to have you here. :-) Mahalo! BTW - I used to live in Kailua side on Oahu, but traveled to Maui and Kauai almost weekly. Loved it there, but love it here too! :-)

Kelly - it is fun dressing it up a bit isn't it! LOL!~ Playing dolls with our Blogs....Love it!! :-)

just bumping this up for Donna - she wants to know how

MAY

2008

Georgina - that used to be my little secret, not anymore! Nice of you to share! :-) Mahalo Nui Loa!

MAY

2008

Brad: You should win an award for this! Thank you for such a great tutorial. Karen Hurst directed to your post because I've been trying to figure out how so many members were getting such great blog pages. I've been away from AR for a little while, not by choice but necessity and when I came back, all of the great blog pages were showing up. I can't wait to try it out. What does it feel like to be so smart and creative? If only I knew. LOL

MAY

2008

Donna - you have been missed! Hope all is ok now...

No Awards for this post, just some really great friends I wouldn't trade for the world. That means more to me than any award ever could or would.

Let me know if you need any help with this, I have spoken to over 200 people on the phone since this post, and really enjoyed meeting so many members.

hmmm... I guess that means I didn't do a very good job in the instructions! LOL!~

MAY

2008

Brad, thanks for the great tutorial. On my way to implement it.

MAY

2008

Rob - No Prob! Let me know how it works for ya. If you need ny help, just let me know. I'm on my way over to check you out now. :-)

MAY

2008

Thanks for taking time to make and share this easy-to-follow video - it was exactly what I was looking for.

Sherri - if this was exactly what you were looking for, then this post was truly intended for YOU! :-)))
I'm glad it was helpful for you, let me know if you need any additional help with anything else here on AR, I'd be happy to help if you need. Thanks.

Thanks for the info...going to try it now.

Dave

MAY

2008

Brad, thank you so much for this information. Just finished making some changes to my blog.

MAY

2008

Dave - you'll love it. The only limitation now, will be your own creativity, which no one here on AR lacks! :-))

Griselda - guess where I'm going right now? :-) Smooth way to get me over to your blog! I'm sure it's awesome! What I like is that you can change the look of your Blog anytime, even make it seasonal if you wanted to. Very cool addition to the AR tools here.

Thank God you actually had a video tutorial. I would have gone mad if I were trying figure this out by reading the instructions.

MAY

2008

Michelle - thanks for the affirmation, I feel the same way, yet another reason I see video taking over the internet. Although some love to read including myself, video instruction seems so much easier to follow, at least for some of us anyway. I'm glad you found this useful. There are more like this one on the way... :-)

MAY

2008

I've been putting this off for a while. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

MAY

2008

Tracy, it's fun! Be creative, make it unique, and the best part...change it anytime you like! :-)

JUN

2008

I loved your presentation. I customized my blog and took me a while to figure out. I didn't know you've done this here and in video format! I bookmarked you for future reference. Thanks!

JUN

2008

Carolina - thank you so much. These tutorials take a bit of work. Feel free to forward to anyone you feel may benefit. Thanks.

JUN

2008

Brad,

I just ran across your video instructions for the first time! You make technospeak seem easy and fun. I will definitely check out all of your archived posts. Keep up the excellent work.

Ronda - glad this was helpful to you. You can get to all of my tutorial posts from my profile page here on AR. Just click on my name at the bottom of this comment, and you will find them categorized on my profile page. Hope you'll find some of the other posts helpful too. Thanks for the comment and kind words. :-)

Brad,

Do you think that ActiveRain would ever consider having a sister agent web page/hosting site for agents, but viewable by the public? That way you might be able to or lead in providing tutorials for newbies on how to customize, edit and or create unique web sites.

With all the commercial websites being created, it would be nice to find a website owned by agents (or one where agents who are actually providing MLS/property info--either on the list or buy side) where they receive some compensation from ad revenues or profits generated (if any) by the site...

Ronda

JUN

2008

Ronda - Have you seen Localism.com? We are also working on the launch of our new Outside Blogs. You can always create outside sites like you mention, but that means more to manage. It will be nice to post once and have it go to three locations. I'm not sure how many are into the advertising thing on their sites or Blogs, but that's an interesting point. :-)

JUN

2008

Hey Brad

video wouldn't play this morning. Book marked it any way hoping it will get fixed.

Joe - the server where this is hosted is down today. I had to change the nameservers so it should be back up and running in the next 24-48 hours. Try back then, it should be working fine. Thanks for pointing this out to me, I really appreciate that! :-)

JUN

2008

Hey Joe - it's working fine now, had to correct acouple things on my hosting server. It's all good now, try it and let me know. Thanks! :-)

JUN

2008

Yup it's up & running again. seems real simple.

Will it work if I set up the new outside blog with my own domain name?

JUL

2008

Joe - the AR customizer will not work on outside blogs, you'll need to use the templates currently provided. :-)

JUL

2008

Brad - Thanks you for the awesome tutorial. It was great. Video is such a powerful tool.

How did you make the graphics to the side with all the photos?

Thanks!

Ken Jansen

JUL

2008

This video is not working for me - is it down again? Or is it just me? :(

I have some html coding I want to add to my blog and just wanna know how... I feel so inferior!!

Thanks,

Suzanne

JUL

2008

Ken - How? ...by using the customizer mentioned in this post. If you read the post, watch the video, you too could have a customized blog with personalized header and any background you choose. Did you watch the video or read the post? If not, that's why you probably are having questions about the images in the background on this blog. If you need help with it, just let me know. :-)

Suzanne - I just checked the video and it's working ok on my end. If you need some help adding some code to your blog, give me a call and I will walk you through it. I don't have enough details from your comment to help you out here. Only 2 things you need to know. #1. Just click on my name below. #2. Call the number that appears on my profile. Now, let's make that feeling of being "inferior" go away! :-)))

JUL

2008

Great job in explaining how to customize our blogs. I need to get around to doing that one day!

JUL

2008

Linda - when you're ready and if you need help, just let me know, the video is helpful but sometimes it's nice to know you have support just a phone call away! Enjoy and Have fun. I like to change mine about every month or so. The background and header can be used in so many creative ways. Seasonal, or for a special presentation. I even considered changing it for each post I write so it would add a special element to every new post and keep my Blogs appearance changing weekly...great idea, just ran out of time. :-)

AUG

2008

Great stuff! I did some simple customization just before I stumbled upon your blog. When I have more time I'll go back and jaz it up a bit.

I can relate to your comment to Teri awhile back. Like you, I'm a perfectionist.

Thanks for the info....look forward to trying it.

AUG

2008

Thanks Brad,

Lots of info-need some time. The video stuff is good.

Bill - sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes it's not. lol~ :-)

Allen - just remember to wait a few seconds, and refresh your browser to see the results. :-)

Sean - thanks! Time? Who needs it... Don't we all my friend. :-)

AUG

2008

Thanks Brad, I was wondering how to do this. I hope its as easy as you make it look.

AUG

2008

MDR - it's even easier than it Looks! Suggestion: Include your name in your signature on AR, I'd love to know who I am kahooting with here.. :-) I just referred to you as MDR Morris County New Jersey (Midtown Direct Realtor) because I didn't know your name until I researched and found your login name. Thanks for the comment Sue. :-))

My header and menu are fine, but the background color isn't coming up and it seems to be distorting my posts. Any ideas?

AUG

2008

Stephanie - sometimes it's your browser. Try checking with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. I have seen background images appearing on members Blogs and they can't see them. It may be the browser or the setting in your browser.

I just checked your Blog and your Blue header is there, but the background is just white. Not sure what image or color you have selected, but it's not showing up. Try using the customizer again to make the changes, let's see what that does. :-))

AUG

2008

How on earth did you figure all of this out without a manual. I am bookmarking it so I can go back for reference. Thanks for the post!

AUG

2008

Betina - I learned from other members just like you are doing here. :-) Thanks.

AUG

2008

It took me hours of searching the settings and profile pages before I figured out that I was missing a key piece of information. How is anyone supposed to know about www.activeraincustomizer.com ?

It would be great if some kind of reference or hint about this was somewhere on the settings page itself.

Thanks for the great tutorial. I just wish I would have searched and found it several hours ago.

Tim - If you clicked on the "Getting Started" link in the MAIN page of ActiveRain.com, you would have saved yourself hours of searching. There's still hope though, the link is still there waiting for you when you're ready. :-)) Hope you'll check it out. I'll make it easier, here's a link right here. It was also emailed to you when you joined. Hope it helps. Getting Started On ActiveRain

AUG

2008

Let me be the latest in the long line of "thank-yous".

Brad, I know you wrote this blog ages ago. Sometime after I joined a couple of months ago, someone did a blog on this and I was able to do somethings to my page. Now I can go and improve on what I've done. Thank you .

AUG

2008

Tim - it's on the front page of ActiveRain.com. It's included as a link in the "Getting Started" post. I hope you'll check that one out. It's the first link at the left of your screen on the main page. Enjoy! :-)

Charlie - thanks!

Connie - if you need any assistance with the customizer, just let me know.

AUG

2008

Is there a way to carry over the theme of our AR blog to the outside blog AR offers? Or a way to customize that outside blog?

Thanks,

Amber

This is very informative information as usual. Thank you for providing answers to many of the questions that new members need!

AUG

2008

Brad, I have tried multiple times to play the video on this blog. It will not upload, I have clicked on the play button, as well as the link you provide. Nothing happens.

Thomas - you must be very special, I have no problem watching it with all browsers and on all computers. There has to be a popup blocker that is preventing you from viewing this video tutorial, try turning it off and it should work fine. Let me know... :-)

Hi Amber - this customizer only affects your AR Blog, not the outside Blog. Go to your "My Home" page and click on Outside Blog to customize your AR Outside Blog. They are two separate setups. We will be adding more customization capabilities to the AR Outside Blogs very soon, it is in the works. :-)

Allen - always happy to help out when and where I can. Great to see you, I was away for a few days, but I'm back in the saddle again. :-)

SEP

2008

Thanks so much for the nifty video tutorial. Very clear, very easy!

SEP

2008

Beth - glad it was easy, you have no idea how much time that will hopefully save you. Thanks.

SEP

2008

thanks for the tips and the information

Johnathan Smith
Staten Island

SEP

2008

John - NP!

SEP

2008

Hello Brad! Thanks for the help with this video! It was great! I have another question and am not sure if it has already been addressed in this list of 259 comments... but I', going to ask anyway :) How do you customize the Localism Blog? Will this work for that too? You're always so helpful! We appreciate you!

SEP

2008

Hello Dunn Team - The Localism profile and Blog are not customizable at this point. We need to keep uniformity to some extent, but that's not to say that may change in the future. Localism is yet to be truly realized as we are still in the beginning stages of it's launch and going public. Keeps your ears and eyes open, the one thing you'll find here consistently is change. Thanks. :-)

SEP

2008

Thank you for the help, however, the active rain customizer was down when I went to it!

SEP

2008

Robert - we are moving the information from a different site and company over to the ActiveRain servers. It may be down for a few days, but we'll have it fixed and back up and running very soon.

Sorry for the delay and inconvenience. :-)

OCT

2008

Brad -- Thanks for the great info! Hopefully I can make something nice!

OCT

2008

Nick - you actually can access your customizer now right from your "Profile+ or "My Home" page. There will be a link on the left hand side under all your other AR links. This was posted before we moved the customizer over to our servers on AR. Hope I catch you in time before you spend too much time figuring out that this way won't work anymore. :-)

NOV

2008

Brad I tried both the video and the link and it did not work? I got out and came back I was just wondering if there might be a problem with it? Thanks for your help in advance.

Brad

You are just amazing...

This is great info, it's gonna be awhile as there is so much to learn along the way

But you do make our lives easier and most creative

Thanks for taking your help

NOV

2008

Jacque - we have upgraded and changed the AR customizer, there is a new post on my profile, I will have update this post when I get back from NAR in Florida.

UUUgh

OK I added firefox and I have tried and tried but when I go to activeraincustomizer.com it just takes me back to the dinky one on my page blog customizer which is nothing like the one in your video!

HELP

Debbie

Never mind...I found the updated blog about the "new" customizer and figured it out.

You can check my new custom blog page out and tell me what ya think tho!

Debbie

Brad,

Thank you for the step by step video. Visual is so very helpful. Thanks.

NOV

2008

Thanks, I have bookmarked it and will check it out latter this week. Julie

I joined AR back in March and (redfaced) didn't get the importance of that decision...now I'm a junkie, but still a newbie. Without your simple instructions, I would be floundering. I get information overload every time I read one of your posts, but it's now a daily routine, just like flossing (yeah, right!) Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Suzanne

NOV

2008

Debbie - this is the old customizer video. The new version is much easier. Just go to my profile, I have added a post for you there on the NEW AR customizer. I need to update this post, just haven't had the time yet. :)

NOV

2008

Brad,

Is there a way to change the number of pages or blog entries displayed on a single page? I would prefer all of my blogs to show up on one page or at least increase the number from 10 to 20

Thanks,

I tried uploading a picture for my background but it doesn't seem to work. Perhaps the picture is the wrong size or the wrong format. Does it have to be jpg or gif. Here is the photo I would like to use as my background. Any suggestions?

John - 10 is the max at this point, but you can customize your outside Blog to show as many as you'd like. Be careful though, if you use lots of graphics, photos, video etc., the more you show, the longer it will take to load on a consumer or visitors computer screen. Some clients out there still use dialup. :-O

Just use caution. Your AR Blog (MAX) posts to show is 10, and it's not customizable, at least for now. :-)

John - the best photo format and size is posted on the setup screen. I suggest .jpg, and smaller photos to upload to posts etc. The width of the customized AR Blogs is only 650 wide. You'll have issues if you use 860x480. The background images on customized blogs have to be experimented with to get you the best results. Have fun! :-))

I guess once you go to the setup screen you never see the setup screen again and there is an automatic link to a new customizer called Blog Customizer and it doesn't tell me what size or format is best. I've tried several different sizes and different photos but nothing shows up in the background - not much fun. I tried resizing my photos to different pixels but still blank on my blog. I tried experimenting with no results. What size works? I am assuming you just tell it what picture to use then that picture is automatically populated into all the blogs background but all I see is white...

Thanks

John - I see your background just fine. Looks like trees with some meadow dew floating around. :-) You might want to consider another browser, looks like yours isn't letting you see your background images. I use Mozilla Firefox along with thousands of others here. I did check your image using explorer too, and it is there. Also, try clearing your browsers cache memory, that might help as well. :-)

It's probably just my version of Internet Explorer 6.0 SP3 that isn't showing up - oh well. I've changed the image of few times but it should show a Coldwell Banker image as background - strange about the meadow dew....Thanks It looks good so I guess thats what matters - even if I can't see the background....

NOV

2008

Used some of your instructions with the new Customizer. Still working on getting a background image created. And, of course, the Header bit. If one spends the time it comes easier. But to find the time seems difficult.

NOV

2008

Kevin - time is always of the essence, be sure to choose where you spend it wisely. Can't go wrong if it's spent here on AR! :-)) Have a great Thanksgiving.

NOV

Brad I went to the site http://activeraincustomizer.com/ and kept coming up with error messages... please help.

Join my NEW group for professionals who work from their home office at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

Regina P. Brown
Allison James Estates & Homes
www.ReginaBrown.AllisonJamesInc.com

DEC

I have the same problem Regina has. I cannot access the AR customerizeer.

Stanley Cobb

Realty Executives, coastal Empire

Regina and Stanley - this post was written before AR took over the Customizer created by Dakno Mktg.

You can review this post for the new directions and how to: Here's a link for you. :-)

http://activerain.com/blogsview/714232/The-NEW-ActiveRain-Blog-Customizer-Version-20

Brad - Thanks for all the tips!

Brad, the new link is broken, it wouldn't open anything! How about a fresh, new post with the new info?

THANKS,

Regina Brown

Brad, the new link is broken, it wouldn't open anything! How about a fresh, new post with the new info?

THANKS,

Regina Brown

We are working on the network right now, as soon as we are back up and running, I will make sure these links are working. Thank for your patience. :-)

DEC

Brad, This is what MY Home looks like. I am unable to find and use the new customizer. does anyone else have this problem? Am I doing something wrong?

Stanley Cobb

Brad,

I am embarrased to keep bothering you about the customier, but here is my last post about it.

This is what I get when I try to go to http://activeraincustomizer.com

Index of /

Name Last modified Size Description

	images/	15-Sep-2008 12:54	-
	img/	15-Sep-2008 12:54	-

Apache/2.2.3 (Red Hat) mod_ssl/2.2.3 OpenSSL/0.9.8b Server at activeraincustomizer.com Port 80

Thanks

Stan

DEC

Thanks for this great help. I am pretty new at this and can use all the help I can get.

Hi, I am unable to find out how to center my blog. The main page is more to the right part of the screen with the background only showing slightly on the left.

thanks in advance for any help

Tom - In many cases its due to a photo or image that is too large in one of your posts or on your Blog Sidebar. It can also b from embedded HTML code from 3rd party sites which include widgets, flyer's, video etc. You'll need to review each post to try and find the culprit. Let me know if you need more help. :-)

Lubbock Homes - here if you need. :-)

JAN

Thanks for the Blog! Looking forward to being creative so I can look good too! Howdy from Texas!

Glen - you're lookin good!! :-)

FEB

Brad - I am hoping you can help me. I can't customize my title and summary of my new AR outside blog. When I go to the link through my AR Home panel, the five icons show up at the top of the outside blog. If I click 'info', I see some canned information there. I type in there to change it, but there is no "enter" key to complete the change. Then it always just reverts back to the original information. Anything you can tell me to assist would be greatly appreciated.

Christianne - I just noticed this yesterday working with another member, it has been reported to our tech guys and we'll get it fixed right away. Thanks. :-)

FEB

Can someone tell me the resolutions that are acceptable for a banner. I had a banner made with Adobe at 1200 DPI which wouldn't load. I compressed it to web size with Microsoft Officed Picture Manage which did load but it is very fuzzy.

I will design another but I want to get the DPI right this time.

Bob

Try 960x134 for the outside Blogs and 960x130 for custom AR Blogs. .jpg is the best compressed format for images. Hope that helps Bob. :-)

Man this was fast. You've were sitting just waiting for me to ask a question. :-)

Thanks

Bob

That was pretty slick. I was using 950x126. Information from an old blog posting.

Thanks a ton for your assistance.

Bob

Bob - we are committed to our members and this network, you are no exception. Glad it worked for you. :)

OCT

I swear Brad, I must have done the customization of my Blog the hard way. I don't remember having a website like that when i customized my Blog. Great Video though for helping people know where to go and what to do!

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