Blog.Mac FAQ

  1. Q: Why do I have to use my .Mac account to register the software?
    A: In order to keep time-bombs and intrusive reminders out of your way, we opted to link the registration to your .Mac account. If you register the software using a .Mac account, make sure that you enter your primary Blog.Mac user account. E-mail aliases won't work because the alias account won't have "write" access to the iDisk.

  2. Q: I have a desktop and a laptop computer. Can I register just one copy and use Blog.Mac on both computers?
    A: Yes! Another reason we chose to use your .Mac account as your registration account is so that you can use the software on multiple computers...without worrying about piracy or unauthorized users blogging away on someone else's dime. One hint though: don't have Blog.Mac running on both computers at the same time unless iTunes and iSight updates are set to "Never"...you'll get all kinds of music and iSight image changes.

  3. Q: Why can't I use Blog.Mac to publish to other Blog pages, like Blogger?
    A: Because there are too many other great programs out there. Blog.Mac was built to get the new blogger on line using the .Mac service they've already paid for. If you really want to use it to publish to other blogging sites, let us know!

  4. Q: Sometimes after I add an article and publish my page, the format is garbled and the page doesn't look right. What gives?
    A: This is usually caused by an errant HTML tag in your article. While you normally enter just plain text in your article, you can enter your own HTML tags. It's possible one of these tags interupted the normal flow of HTML.

  5. Q: Sometimes when I start up Blog.Mac, I get a spinning beach ball and the program is unresponsive? Are you qualified to write software?
    A: I'm not sure if qualified is the correct term, but because Blog.Mac is chained to the hip of .Mac, there's a lot of information flying between them at start-up. I assure you that we tried to make the app as speedy as it could be, but there is some information that Blog.Mac absolutely must get from .Mac before proceeding. Please enjoy the spinning beachball for those few seconds that you see it.

  6. Q: I opened my Blog document and clicked on the "Insert Link to iPhoto Album" but it came up empty, or some of my photo albums were not shown. I know I published them...are they gone?
    A: No...this is usually due to the start-up sequence of Blog.Mac. If you opened your document from the Finder and Blog.Mac wasn't already running, this list will most likely not have receieved all of the information back from .Mac. We are working on a fix, but until the fix is released, you can alleviate this by closing the document and opening it only after you see the "Reading Published iPhoto Albums" status clear on the main Blog.Mac window.

  7. Q: There's a lot of ties into the iTunes Music Store. Do you get a kickback or anything?
    A: We wish. We do think that iTunes and the Internet have made music better...the less statistically-approved music we hear the better! At least now we have choices to make in lining up our daily programming. But we digress. There's no payment mechanism between the links in your blog and the iTunes Music Store...but if there was...;-)

  8. Q: I put images of my family online, and don't want everyone to see my blog. How can I protect my blog?
    A: Since your blog is saved in the folder called "Sites/blog", you can password protect the folder using normal .Mac tools (click here for instructions)

  9. Q: I downloaded the new version of Blog.Mac and I got the warning about the new templates. I let it update the templates, but now my blog page lost all of its graphics. What happened?
    A: The existing templates were modified in a couple of ways to correct the way pages were drawn using "Preview" on the Display Options pane. You can easily correct this by choosing the same template you were using from the drop down box, saving your blog document, and then re-publishing.

  10. Q: I was using an older version of Blog.Mac and created/modified my own template. I had it stored on my iDisk; how do I use that template now?
    A: You can do it one of two ways:
    1. Leave the template un-edited on your iDisk and select "Use a Template on Your Computer". Your iDisk will need to be mounted whenever you publish, and your graphics files will be referenced relative to the published web page. This option will not allow you to see any of your template images using the Preview button.
    2. You can use the "Use a Template on the Web" option, enter the full URL of your CSS file (i.e. http://homepage.mac.com/username/Sites/blog/templates/my_css_template.css), and then edit your template's links to graphics files to be relative to the CSS file. This will allow you to see images and layout using the Preview button.

    If we just blew your mind, then sticking to the built-in templates via the drop down always works. ;-)

  11. Q: Everything is messed up now...how can I start over and re-install my templates and Blog.Mac?
    A: Lets start fresh! Accomplish these steps:
    1. Quit Blog.Mac if it is running
    2. If this is a registered version, ensure you have the e-mail with your registration code handy
    3. Download the latest copy from the Blog.Mac homepage
    4. Ensure you don't have any documents that you created in the /Sites/blog/ folder on your iDisk
    5. Delete the entire "blog" folder from your iDisk
    6. Delete the preferences file named "com.Largemouth.Blog.Mac.plist" found in the /Users/yourname/Library/Preferences/ folder
    7. Delete the old Blog.Mac application file from your Applications folder and drag the new copy there.
    8. Launch Blog.Mac; it will re-load all of your folders and templates back to your iDisk.

  12. Q: I'd like to use a nifty 'favicon' on my blog (like your spiffy fish), but can't seem to find a way to work it out with Bloc.Mac
    A: Answer?

  13. Q: I really hate spammers that look for email addresses on web pages like mine, and then bombard me with spam mail. How do I make my email address more difficult to harvest?
    A: Answer?

  14. Q: When you archive old articles, where do they go? Is there a new place where they go every time you archive, or do all the archives accumulate in one spot, so they can be easily searched? Also, can they be browsed and read in the blog format? In short, how does it work?
    A: Answer?

Apparatus FAQ

  1. Q: What is Apparatus?
    A: Apparatus is a menu bar application that will give you quick and easy access to your favorite applications, web sites, folders or documents. Simply configure Apparatus using Drag and Drop and create a short cut menu to the stuff you use.

  2. Q: Why should I use Apparatus instead of the Finder's Dock?
    A: The dock is fine for launching Applications, but you can't categorize apps that you use, organize into folders and sub-folders, or mix documents, websites and folders into an easy to navigate menu.

  3. Q: Is it Leopard compatable?
    A: You bet! Try it out for free today. Until you register Apparatus, it will work without limit but each time it is used, it will beep and show you the registration window.

  4. Q: Sound handy. How much is it?
    A: The price of a cup a coffee and a pastry at your local cafe. Just $9.

iForgot FAQ

  1. Q: Do you have a question about iForgot?
    A: Send us your questions and we'll answer them via email and post them on this FAQ page.