Favicons for Blogger. Yes, I finally took the time to figure it out. Always a day late and a dollar (or a million) short.

As you may have noticed, any blogging that's been going on around here for the last year or so has been...erratic, at best.

You may have also noticed, in the last couple of weeks I've been posting more - I put that down to the fact that I've been on vacation for the last ten days.  And I've realized just how much I miss it...even the behind the scenes stuff which, admittedly can make me crazy, at times.  I was reminded of this fact as I was faffing about in the behind the scenes stuff today.

The other day I was monkeying around with a photo editing website using a recent picture that actually had me in it.  And when I logged into Blogger today it occurred to me...I haven't updated my picture on the blog in about oh, three or four years!  Bad blogger!  (Note to self: Update Twitter picture too!) But in my defense, I really don't have that many pictures that include me since I'm usually the poor excuse for a photographer in this family.  The picture I was goofing around with was probably what jogged my mind as it is probably the most recent picture I have that includes me.

So, over there on the right is the me of now-ish (it was taken in November by a friend).  I haven't changed too much, I don't think.

Anyway, as I was looking around trying to figure out how to replace the picture (come on people cut me some slack, I haven't messed around in the back end of the blog in over three years!), I stumbled over the layout portion of the blog.  And noticed, not for the first time I'm sure, the Favicon gadget.  But this time, I actually had time to figure out what a Favicon actually is...it is a teeny-tiny picture that you may have noticed on certain web page tabs.  Like these...

And I figured that can't be too hard to do...can it?

After a quick Google search, I came across this website, which explains it in fairly simple terms.  So, if Blogger is finally behaving, you should look up and note that I was able to accomplish this and I'm going to share how I did it.  Now, to be clear, if you are using a different blogging platform, you are on your own for how to upload it - but you should be able to follow the steps I used to actually making one.  Unless of course, you are on a Mac...but even so, I would think the steps are pretty similar.

You'll note mine is fairly simple - which means anyone can make one.  One word of caution though, be pretty sure that you really like the result before you put it on your blog because I put one up and didn't like it.  After creating this one, I spent far to much time trying to get Blogger to use this one instead of the first one that I didn't care for...uggh!

I used PowerPoint but you can use Word, if you'd prefer.

I opened a blank PowerPoint slide, I knew I wanted the initial G.  So I inserted a text box, typed the letter G in a font that I liked and added some background color that I felt coordinated with the colors on my blog (which, hey-ho, maybe I should change that up too?).  Then I saved the PowerPoint as a JPEG (this step is important).

Then I logged out of PowerPoint and opened the JPEG with Microsoft Office Picture Manager and cropped out all the extra white space.  Next click the resize option and in the custom width and height section put 16 in both boxes and hit okay.  This will make your picture teeny-tiny.  Save the new image.

Now log into Blogger and go to the layout section.  If I'm not mistaken, the Favicon gadget is hardwired into your layout and if you don't choose your own, Blogger automatically puts it's ubiquitous symbol there instead.  Click edit and choose the Favicon you created.  Hit save and you should be good to go.

Now, after all that, go create yourself a Favicon.  Are they necessary?  Not really.  Are they fun?  Yes.  And if you don't add your own, just remember you are, in a round about way, advertising for Blogger - which is all well in good; but wouldn't you rather promote your own blog?

Now if you tell my that my "G" Favicon isn't up there; I will probably cry...as I tested and re-tested with success.  Until I hit Preview on this post and the first thing I noticed on THAT tab was the first Favicon...*sigh* Sometimes I think Blogger is just out to drive me mad.