Help request

My blogger template is from 2002. Since then a lot of changes have taken place and I am simply too HTLM ignorant, and too bereft of free time to study what I need to study, to do the major changes I need to do. Besides my job is to write on Venezuela, not to make dazzling web pages on Venezuela.

The basic problem I have is that if I were to switch to the new blogger template, which would simplify my life greatly, I would lose all my haloscan archives! And too many comments have some historical worth in reflecting the mood of the times and should be kept for future archives. Thus I cannot add easily things that are now common, such as Digg it or Stumble upon. And other such features.

I have simple needs though. What I need is somebody able to look into my current HTLM and refurbish it to make it to the new blogger standards, while keeping haloscan for commenting. Then I can take on and add other simple features. Or, if it is not possible, we could keep the current blogger version but at least try to arrange it enough so I can put a few features such as Diggit. There are no big funds for it and it would be mostly a labor of love. Though if you are in Venezuela I can treat you to a nice dinner. Then again if some readers are willing to put some funds, I guess that with about a 1,000 USD we could get this site modernized enough for what we really need, a blog adapted to current information needs and sharing but still designed for people who do not care much about glitzy gizmos when choosing their reading material.

There is no need to revamp the whole site: in a past survey people admitted that they got used to the format, now an institution of sorts, even if they have sometimes a hard time to read over the yellow-brown back ground. But blogger offers a limited amount of fonts anyway. Besides it served all of us well enough for the last 6 years. Though I admit that a new format keeping the original design idea would be good. We could have a white back ground but keep the stars, the red column on the right and find a way to put a true thin yellow stripe somewhere.

Also there is no need to create a complex discussion and comment section system: moderation is here to stay and I cannot allow to have too many comments that I simply have no time to read. See, I am old fashioned in that I think it is elemental courtesy to reply to every note. Since I cannot do it, I still think that I must give the polite impression that I read every comment at the very least. Moderation allows for that, and haloscan gives me all that I need. There are other blogs where folks can go and discuss until their finger tips bleed.

If any one can, is interested, is willing to help or knows somebody that could help, please let me know here: danielduquenal (at) gmail (dot) com (which might become some day the next official blog mailing address).

Now, be warned: I am very busy these days and a very scared chicken when it comes to tweak my blog settings. Not only you need patience with me but you risk that at the end I decide to keep the old format any way :)


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