Blogspot in China?

Yes, it's possible. First of all, you need a domain name. Take... sinopenn.com for example. Blogger software, blogger blog, google everything else, except for the posts. But it's not blocked in China.

How do you do this? First of all, you need a domain name. Domains cost no more than $10 from a place like Godaddy.com or around 200 RMB through a little known outfit called TeraScape.NETworks.

If you're a long-time blogger, and you're over here behind the Great Firewall, then you absolutely should buy yourself a domain name. It's a 10th of an English Teacher's salary over here. Why wouldn't you?

Once you get that, you need to set up your FTP settings. You NEED to have a host. Whether it's a cheap $3.99 host out of the US, or some cheap service out of Shanghai... I know there's one somewhere... or even some free service, get yourself a service. Make sure you have FTP settings, as that part is next.


Go into your blogger & click "Settings" then "Publishing". See that little "FTP" link? Click that & you're one step closer.

Here's where you enter your information. If you need help, ask your administrator, or check your control panel. 99.9% of the time, all the information you need is on the Control Panel.

FTP Server: How do you update your website? Your site location goes there.
Blog URL: Remember that domain name you just got? That goes there.
FTP Path: Could be left as a "/" but check your settings.
Blog Filename: if you don't want a "blog.html" or anything like this, or you only want a blog on the domain, leave it as index.html. If you have other things you want your website to be, then try changing it to blog.html or something else.
FTP Username: Your login for when you want to update your website.
FTP Password: Your Password...

One IMPORTANT thing to note: When you were using blogspot only, you may've added a few things via blogspot to your template. When switching to FTP, these will be LOST. Google or Blogger cannot use its widgets on an FTP Blogger blog. You'll have to add these in manually.

Since we're talking Google products here, we're pretty sure they're not going to go stealing your server or domain name anytime soon. But to be on the safe side, never have your Server password the same as your email or Google account password. And as with any company, it's a sure bet that Google, nor any reputable company out there, will EVER ask for your password.

You're all set. Time to stop bitching about blogspot being blocked, and get back to what you do best... Blogging!