Wow! Either times have really recently changed a while lot or I am really behind. If you are with me in the behind part - read on - and I hope you won't be as confused as I am/was - still am.

Google has practically demonized itself! First off, it isn't too hard - adding a piece of code under your head tag to *validate* your site for/with them but then it getting sticky/tricky....

You need a site map. Ok - doesn't *sound* too scary but just wait until you read about it! I still havn't gotten it correct yet.

For beginning at the beginning - go here to learn about these little gem items:

• Before you begin

• Downloading the Sitemap Generator program files

• Creating a configuration file

• Uploading the files to your web server

• Running the Sitemap Generator script

• Submitting your Sitemap to Google

• Troubleshooting

Yep, there's been a whole lot of trouble-shooting going on at my desk all day today. Not to mention that this is only ONE way of doing it. There is a lot of greek in some of these methods. Golly gee, I wish now I hadn't stopped reading certain forums....sigh.

Just one method has me stymied - here it is...

The Google Sitemap Generator is a Python script that creates a Sitemap for your site using the Sitemap Protocol. This script can create Sitemaps from URL lists, web server directories, or from access logs. In order to use this script:

• You must be able to connect to and run scripts on your web server.

• Your web server must have Python 2.2 or later installed.

• You must know the command that launches Python. (Generally, this is python, but may vary by installation. For instance, if the web server has two versions of Python installed, the earlier version may be invoked by the command python and the later version may be invoked by the command python2.)

• You must know the directory path to your site. If your web server hosts one site, this may be a path such as var/www/html. If you have a virtual server that hosts multiple sites, this may be a path such as home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html.

• You must be able to upload files to your web server (for instance, using FTP).

• If you will be generating a list of URLs based on access logs, you must know the encoding used for those logs and the complete path to them.

"If you aren't sure about any of this, you can check with your web hosting company. " Aren't SURE?!?! I'd be on the phone with tech support until they hung up on me.

Now that I'm ALL READY to get started. Here's an overview of what I'll need to do next.

1. Download the Sitemap Generator program files. Extract the files to a local directory.

2. Create a configuration file for your site using the provided example_config.xml file as a template. Modify this file as needed for your site and save it.

3. Upload the necessary files to your web server.

4. Run sitemap_gen.py.

5. Add the generated Sitemap to your Google webmaster tools account.

6. Set up a recurring script. (optional)

If you are unable to use the Sitemap Generator, you can add a Sitemap to your Google webmaster tools account in another format, such as a simple text file. Third-party programs supporting the Sitemap Protocol.

For News Sitemaps: The Sitemap Generator is not recommended for use in creating Google News Sitemaps at this time, due to the special requirements of News Sitemaps.

News Sitemaps are intended to be dynamic lists of only the most recently published news articles (rather than the entire website), and they are updated frequently....OK - now that I'm ALL READY to get started, I went to the pet store - bought the python (geez they are spendy) set the sage on my desk and voila! nothing happened. (ok ok - so it's a bad joke). But that is what I FELT like.

I have never been any good at scripting; I do all my own html but I pay people to set up scripts for me - it saves my hair - no fuss, no muss AND I know it will work :}

Next (after you haev tried all ten methods and found one you can *DO*) comes creating a configuration file....They tell me to create a config file like this:

Open the example_config.xml file in a text editor. Save it as a new file (such as config.xml or mysite_config.xml). Locate the site definition section: <site base_url="http://www.example.com/" store_into="/var/www/docroot/sitemap.xml.gz" verbose="1"Oh gee, NO PROBLEM!> THEn I simply need to change the base_url value for all my sites.Change the base_url value to the URL for your site. Change the store_into value to the path on your web server where you want to store the Sitemap and the filename you want to use for the Sitemap. Generally, this is the path to the base URL since Google can only accept URLs that are at the same level as or subdirectories of the directory that holds the Sitemap. You can specify a relative path from the directory where you upload the script or a complete path from the root of your web server. If you upload the script to your base URL directory, you can simply specify the filename. Got all of that - clear as day for you is it?

Now, be absolutely SURE that /var/www/docroot resolves to your url - OK! Got That!?

Now - you CAN easily use the default_file parameter to specify the filename that your server uses as the default page for your directory.

Are you having fun yet?

This all goes on for about 50 to 60 pages and now I am DONE DONE DONE and I had to vent here - and in venting I have told you what you are in for if you want to be the good webmaster that you used to be.

Anybody want take a shot at explaining this better than google??

PLEASE!?