customization | blog.JacobBurke.com - Random thoughts about life, technology and the world around me.

Gmail Themes now available for Google Apps

Posted on: April 1, 2009 at 7:43 pm | Posted under: Technology
Tags: customization, Gmail, Google Apps, Themes | Comments: Comments

Upon logging in to my email accounts after dinner, I was greeted with a surprise message:

New! Colors and themes
Check out the Themes tab in Settings to personalize the look and feel of your inbox or return to the classic look.

It is about time Google! I am thrilled to see that themes are now available for Gmail in Google Apps.

Now many Google Apps users are probably using desktop email programs, but the whole reason I use Gmail for my domain is that I don’t need to have it on my system. I like having my email in the cloud, so themes make me happy :)

No, this is not a stupid April fools joke, themes are really available!

Cheers!

Viddler launches player branding

Posted on: August 11, 2008 at 9:09 am | Posted under: Technology, Videos
Tags: branding, customization, Viddler | Comments: Comments

Viddler has launched their new player branding. What is this? Well you can now brand your player for when videos are embedded on sites. This includes modifying the color and adding a custom logo.

For those of you that are Viddler users, you can view these customization options under Settings -> Player Branding.

Here is a video from Rob Sandie, Viddler’s President, with the custom branding.

Get yourself a branded player – ONLY ON VIDDLER!

Cheers!

Keeping your Brand while using Blogger

Posted on: July 10, 2008 at 5:51 am | Posted under: Blog, Technology
Tags: Blogger, blogs, branding, customization, domain, favicon | Comments: Comments

Blogger Blogger is a very simple publishing system that many people have been using for quite some time. Personally, I do not like the system and only use it to contribute to other blogs that use the system. Despite the downfalls of Blogger, there are a few things that you can do to keep your personal (or even company) brand while using the platform.

Setup a custom domain

This can be easily accomplished by doing a few things. You need to purchase a domain with a registrar, GoDaddy is the most popular one and there are a number of discount codes available, or you can purchase one through Google for $10. Once you have ordered your domain, you need to change your publishing options to use the new domain. Blogger has clearly outlined this process and it is available here.

Use a custom favicon

A majority of websites use a favicon as part of their online brand. This small 16×16 pixel graphic helps to identify your site while it is being viewed in web broswers. Right now Blogger uses a standard favicon across their entire site, this means that your blog does not stand out from the others in the address bar or in the bookmarks. A simple line of code and a creatively designed icon can remedy this. Any graphic designer will be able to put together an icon for you, but there are some options for those that wish to take on the task themselves.

Favicon.cc lets you design you own icon by either drawing one out or uploading an image. This is a simple solution to creating your own.

Favicon Generator is a tool built by Steven DeGraeve and works the same way as Favicon.cc.

The only hurdle that you will have to overcome is where to host your favicon. Blogger does not allow for the storage of these images, so you will have to look elsewhere. If you have a friend with a web hosting server then you are in luck. I am always willing to host icon files, contact me if you need help with this.

Here is the code needed to enable the favicon once you have one created and externally hosted (this is one that I am hosting for Alana Taylor):

<LINK REL="SHORTCUT ICON" HREF="http://files.jacobburke.com/HOSTING/AT/favicon.ico" />

This code needs to be placed within the <head> of your template.

Hide the Blogger Navbar

The navbar that Blogger places on all of the blogs can get a bit annoying, especially if you are trying to brand your blog. One of the easiest solutions is with another bit of code to place in the <head> of your template.

 <style type='text/css'>#b-navbar {height: 0px; visibility: hidden; display: none;}</style> <style type='text/css'>#navbar-iframe {height: 0px; visibility: hidden; display: none;}</style>

I hope that you have found this article helpful for how you can keep your brand while using Blogger. If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me. If you want to see these three tips in action, then visit my blog on Blogger.

Cheers!