Blogger User Management: Roles and Permissions | OpsBlu Docs

Blogger User Management: Roles and Permissions

Manage user roles, permissions, and team access in Blogger — step-by-step admin guide.

This section covers user management, roles, and permissions for Blogger and associated analytics tools. Blogger is Google's free blogging platform that offers simple collaboration features for personal and professional blogs.

Overview

Blogger provides straightforward user management capabilities designed for individual bloggers and small teams. As a Google product, Blogger integrates seamlessly with Google accounts and offers basic role-based access control for blog collaboration.

User management in Blogger is blog-specific, meaning:

  • Each blog has its own set of authors and permissions
  • Users are managed per blog, not across all blogs in an account
  • Access is granted via Google account email addresses
  • All users must have a Google account to access Blogger

Blogger is ideal for simple blogging needs but has limited enterprise features compared to platforms like WordPress or Drupal. For complex multi-user scenarios or advanced permission management, consider more robust CMS platforms.

Platform User Management

Accessing User Management

To manage users and permissions for your Blogger blog:

  1. Sign in to Blogger
  2. Select the blog you want to manage
  3. Click Settings in the left sidebar
  4. Select Permissions or Basic > Permissions
  5. View current blog authors and invited users

Only blog administrators can access permission settings and invite additional authors.

Blogger User Roles

Blogger offers a simple two-tier permission system for blog collaboration:

Administrator

Blog administrators have complete control over the blog:

  • Full access to all blog settings and configuration
  • Can publish, edit, and delete all posts and pages
  • Can add or remove other administrators and authors
  • Can change blog theme, layout, and design
  • Can delete the entire blog
  • Access to all widgets and gadgets
  • Can manage blog monetization settings
  • Can view and manage all comments

When to use: Assign to blog owners and trusted team members who need full control.

Author

Authors have limited permissions focused on content creation:

  • Can create, edit, and publish their own posts
  • Can save posts as drafts
  • Can edit their own published posts
  • Can view and respond to comments on their posts
  • Cannot access blog settings or configuration
  • Cannot modify theme or layout
  • Cannot add or remove other users
  • Cannot delete the blog
  • Limited access to blog statistics

When to use: Assign to content creators and contributors who should write posts but not manage blog settings.

Reader Role (Comments Only)

While not a formal blog author role, Blogger allows you to manage who can view your blog:

  • Public: Anyone on the internet can read the blog
  • Private - Blog Authors Only: Only invited administrators and authors can view
  • Private - These Readers: Specific Google accounts can view (up to 100 readers)

Private blog readers can view content but cannot create or edit posts.

Adding and Inviting Users

Adding Blog Authors

To add an author or administrator to your blog:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Permissions
  2. Under Blog Authors, click Invite Authors
  3. Enter the email address(es) of the Google accounts to invite
  4. Choose the role: Author or Admin
  5. Optionally add a personal message
  6. Click Send Invitation

Invited users will receive an email notification with instructions to accept the invitation.

Accepting Author Invitations

When invited to contribute to a Blogger blog:

  1. Check your email for the Blogger invitation
  2. Click Accept Invitation in the email
  3. Sign in to your Google account (if not already signed in)
  4. Confirm you want to join the blog
  5. The blog will now appear in your Blogger dashboard

Managing Multiple Authors

For blogs with multiple contributors:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Permissions
  2. View the list of current blog authors
  3. Click on an author's name to:
    • Change their role (Admin or Author)
    • Remove them from the blog
  4. Authors are listed with their Google account email and current role

Removing User Access

To remove an author or administrator:

  1. Go to Settings > Permissions
  2. Find the user in the Blog Authors list
  3. Click the Remove or trash icon next to their name
  4. Confirm the removal

Removed users will immediately lose access to the blog. Their published content remains on the blog but they can no longer edit it.

Private Blog Access

For private blogs, you can control reader access:

Setting Blog Privacy

  1. Navigate to Settings > Basic
  2. Under Permissions, find Blog Readers
  3. Select privacy level:
    • Public: Anyone can read
    • Private to blog authors: Only authors can read
    • Private to these readers: Specific people can read

Adding Private Readers

For private blogs with specific readers:

  1. Select Private to these readers
  2. Click Add Readers
  3. Enter email addresses (up to 100 total)
  4. Click Save
  5. Readers receive an email invitation

Private readers can only view content; they cannot create posts or access settings.

Google Account Integration

Since Blogger is a Google product, user management is tightly integrated with Google accounts:

Google Account Requirements

  • All blog authors and readers must have a Google account
  • Users sign in with their Google credentials
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA) can be enabled at the Google account level
  • Password management is handled through Google account settings

Managing Your Google Account

To enhance security for your Blogger access:

  1. Visit myaccount.google.com
  2. Enable 2-Step Verification under Security
  3. Review Recent Security Activity
  4. Manage Third-party apps with account access
  5. Set up Account Recovery options

Team Collaboration Best Practices

Content Workflow

For blogs with multiple authors:

  1. Editorial Calendar: Coordinate publishing schedules externally (Google Calendar, Trello)
  2. Draft Review: Authors save posts as drafts for administrator review before publishing
  3. Communication: Use external tools (email, Slack) for team communication
  4. Content Guidelines: Document your blog's style guide and content standards

Note: Blogger does not have built-in workflow management, editorial calendars, or approval processes. Consider using external tools for collaboration.

Author Management Strategy

  1. Limit Administrators: Only assign admin role to trusted team members
  2. Use Author Role: Most contributors should be authors, not admins
  3. Regular Audits: Review blog authors quarterly
  4. Remove Former Contributors: Promptly remove users who no longer need access
  5. Document Authors: Maintain a list of who has access and why

Security Recommendations

Account Security

  1. Enable Google 2-Step Verification: Protect your Google account with two-factor authentication
  2. Use Strong Passwords: Ensure all blog authors use secure, unique passwords
  3. Review Account Activity: Regularly check Google account security events
  4. Limit Administrative Access: Only grant admin role when absolutely necessary
  5. Monitor Login Activity: Watch for suspicious sign-ins to Google accounts

Blog Protection

  1. HTTPS Enforcement: Enable HTTPS redirect in Settings > Basic > HTTPS
  2. Comment Moderation: Review Settings > Posts, comments and sharing for moderation options
  3. Backup Content: Regularly export blog content via Settings > Other > Import & back up
  4. Private Settings: Use private blog features if content should be restricted
  5. Copyright Protection: Enable content protection settings to prevent copying

Access Control

  1. Minimum Necessary Access: Only invite authors who actively contribute
  2. Regular Reviews: Audit blog authors every quarter
  3. Remove Inactive Authors: Delete users who haven't contributed in 6+ months
  4. Separate Personal/Professional: Use different Google accounts for different purposes
  5. Document Permissions: Keep records of who should have access

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Invitation Email Not Received

Solution:

  • Check spam/junk folder for the invitation email
  • Verify the correct email address was entered
  • Ensure the invitee has a Google account with that email
  • Ask the administrator to resend the invitation
  • Try adding the email to Google contacts first

Issue: Cannot Accept Invitation

Solution:

  • Ensure you're signed in to the correct Google account
  • Try signing out of all Google accounts and signing in again
  • Clear browser cache and cookies
  • Use an incognito/private browser window
  • Verify your Google account is in good standing

Issue: Author Cannot Publish Posts

Solution:

  • Verify the user has Author or Admin role (not just Reader)
  • Check if the blog has posting restrictions enabled
  • Ensure the user is signed in to the correct Google account
  • Verify the blog is not in a suspended state
  • Try accessing from a different browser

Issue: Removed Author's Content Disappeared

Solution:

  • Posts created by removed authors should remain visible
  • Check the Posts section to verify content is still there
  • Look in Drafts if posts were not published
  • Check if posts were accidentally deleted (separate from removing author)
  • Restore from blog backup if available

Issue: Cannot Remove Admin User

Solution:

  • A blog must have at least one administrator
  • You cannot remove yourself if you're the only admin
  • First add another admin, then remove the original admin
  • The blog owner (creator) cannot be removed without transferring ownership

Issue: Private Blog Not Accessible to Readers

Solution:

  • Verify readers have accepted their invitations
  • Check that readers are using the correct Google account
  • Ensure you haven't reached the 100-reader limit
  • Verify privacy settings are set to "Private to these readers"
  • Ask readers to check spam for invitation emails

Limitations of Blogger User Management

Be aware of these constraints when using Blogger for team collaboration:

  1. No Granular Permissions: Only two roles (Admin and Author) are available
  2. No Approval Workflow: No built-in content approval or review process
  3. Limited User Tracking: No detailed audit logs or user activity tracking
  4. No API for User Management: Cannot automate user provisioning via API
  5. 100 Reader Limit: Private blogs limited to 100 specific readers
  6. No SSO/SAML: No enterprise single sign-on integration
  7. No Custom Roles: Cannot create custom permission levels
  8. No Bulk Actions: Must add/remove users one at a time

For advanced user management features, consider enterprise CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal, or headless CMS solutions.

Analytics Tool Access

Google Analytics 4

Manage GA4 access in Admin > Account/Property Access Management:

  • Administrator: Full control over account settings and users
  • Editor: Can modify configurations and settings
  • Analyst: Can create reports and audiences, no configuration changes
  • Viewer: Read-only access to reports and data

To connect Blogger to Google Analytics:

  1. Get your GA4 Measurement ID
  2. In Blogger, go to Settings > Basic
  3. Add the GA4 tracking ID to the Analytics section

Google Tag Manager

Manage GTM access in Admin > User Management:

  • Administrator: Full control over container and users
  • Publish: Can publish container changes to production
  • Approve: Can approve changes but not publish
  • Edit: Can edit tags and triggers but cannot approve or publish
  • Read: View-only access to container configuration

To implement GTM on Blogger:

  1. Access Theme > Edit HTML in Blogger
  2. Insert GTM container code in the template
  3. Requires administrator access to blog

Meta Business Manager

Manage access in Business Settings > People:

  • Admin: Full control over business settings and assets
  • Employee: Limited access based on assigned assets and permissions

Integration Considerations

When managing Blogger alongside analytics platforms:

  1. Unified Google Account Strategy: Use consistent Google accounts across Blogger, Analytics, and Tag Manager
  2. Separate Development: Consider a test blog for trying changes before publishing
  3. Access Coordination: Ensure marketing team has both Blogger and analytics access as needed
  4. Documentation: Keep records of which Google accounts have access to which tools

Best Practices

  1. Principle of Least Privilege: Grant minimum required access; use Author role by default
  2. Regular Audits: Review blog authors quarterly and remove inactive users
  3. Separate Accounts: Never share Google account credentials; invite users individually
  4. Document Access: Maintain a record of who has access to each blog and why
  5. Enable Google 2FA: Require two-factor authentication for all blog authors
  6. Limit Administrators: Only assign admin role to 2-3 trusted team members
  7. Backup Regularly: Export blog content monthly as a backup
  8. Monitor Comments: Enable comment moderation to prevent spam and abuse
  9. Use Private Blogs Carefully: Remember the 100-reader limit for private access
  10. External Workflow Tools: Use Google Docs, Trello, or other tools for editorial planning

Additional Resources

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