Make a Keybase.txt proof on you Blogger ~ Blogspot Blog.

PROBLEM: Proving your online presence with Blogger for Keybase.io

So you just got hip to Keybase.io encryption where the motto is: "Crytpo for everyone. Not just programmers." I certainly did and you can read about that here: Where have I been, A Facebook Address.

What Keybase.io exactly is is beyond the scope of this document. You can go to the website and figure it out yourself.

Now the problem is that you have a blog on-line presence aka Blogger but you don't have your own domain to do the following:

#1. Host a file on your site -- You can host a text file, such as yoursite.com/keybase.txt. This is preferred, if you have a website.

or

#2. Set a DNS TXT record -- Instead of hosting a web page, you can place a keybase proof in your DNS records.

So you are stuck basically because you can not host a simple freaking txt file right!?!

Nope. I got you covered.

SOLUTION: Create a custom Redirect from keybase.txt to a generated web page.

Special thanks goes out to this web article: -- How To Set Custom Redirects in Blogger

So let's do this Brutus.

STEP 1: Choose Your Adventure -- What Web Am I?

First we are going "prove another web identity" or "prove your website or domain". You can do this from the web or from the application on your desktop.

Keybase on Linux

When you click on the "Prove your website or web identity link" you will be presented with something like this:

A fork in the road where you have a choice:

#1. Host a file on your site
#2. Set a DNS TXT record

Keybase on Linux -- Prove Your Website in Two Ways

Since the issue here is that you have a Blogger site we can definitely rule out #2. So choose #1, Grasshopper.

STEP 2: Create a Blogger / Blogspot Page for you Keybase.io Proof

Now before we go any further do this ahead of time. Create a page in blogger and call it: "keybase". You can call it whatever you want of course but KISS, Keep It Srimple Stupid. You will need to use this page for your proof. Once you have created the page save it. It will be like mine: https://ogfomk.blogspot.com/keybase.html

You will not use this page for anything else and you do not need to put it in your menu structure unless you want to have geek points. This page will be a substitute for hosting a keybase.txt file. Since you don't even have a root directory with Blogger you can not do this. But you CAN make a redirect so that Keybase.io will look for the text file and end up with an html file which is a fancy text file.

My proof should be: https://ogfomk.blogspot.com/keybase.txt but it ain't. Keybase.io doesn't know that and doesn't need to know that. It will look for it and I will give it the answer it seeks.

STEP 3: Redirect the ../keybase.txt to ../keybase.html

If you would like a refresher read this first before proceeding to the next step: How To Set Custom Redirects in Blogger

Go to the Blogger >> Settings >> Search preferences

1. Go to the Blogger >> Settings >> Search preferences.

2. Find the Errors and redirections >> Customer Redirects >> Edit

3. Add the following:
a. In the From Box: /keybase.txt (This is what Keybase.io is looking for.)
b. In the To Box: /p/keybase.html (The information and proof will be here.)
-- Both of these will append the address to your fancy Blogger (blogspot) URL.

4. Save your changes.

STEP 4: Back to Keybase.io Website or Application >> Prove your website

Keybase on Linux -- Prove Your Website. Fill in the blank.

1. Click on the "Prove your website" or Something similar like "prove another web identity". This opens up a choice UI dialog box where you can choose your adventure. We want to chose #1 Host a TXT file.

2. Click on Host a TXT file and a dialog box for input will ask you to put your site in the blank. In my case it is ogfomk.blogspot.com . You do not need to put http / https .

3. Keybase.io will then make sure your site/blogg is a real web URL and it will also create a text proof with fingerprint information.

4. Copy the text and paste it into your blank Blogger, keybase.html page that you created. Of course make sure that you paste in the HTML and not the Compose. We want plain, naked, unadulterated text.

Keybase on Linux -- Grab the Proof Text for Keybase.txt

5. Click the Update button and your page in edit mode will close.

6. Click to view the page. It should look like this: https://ogfomk.blogspot.com/p/keybase.html (Yours should be similar)

STEP 5: Test Your Redirect FIrst:

1. Got to your browser and put in the address Keybase.io will look for. In my case Keybase.io is looking for https://ogfomk.blogspot.com/keybase.txt . You can test mine if you would like. Do the same for yours. If your redirect is working then it will quickly change to the page you created. Which in my case is https://ogfomk.blogspot.com/p/keybase.html

2. Keybase.io is looking for the text that you cut and pasted. If you did all of this correctly you will see some cryptic text that identifies you as the supreme commander of your blog.

STEP 6: Go Back and Get Proved:

1. Now that you are confident that the STEP 5 testing worked. Return to Keybase.io or your desktop application and click on the acknowledgement of your proof. The magic Keybase.io software will validate you or tell you to try again.

2. Upon successful proof you can note a very important thing. Do Not Change anything. How you got here is a great monumental task. There are others who have been stumped and just gave up. Not you! You went for it. You Rock!

CONCLUSION: Cryptography is for everyone.

The ability to have a public profile that you are in control of is more important than you might think. You are in control of your digital reputation. In the future this will be even more important because developers of open software are creating better services than proprietary ones. You are not just a passive consumer. You are a producer.

Get as many proofs as you can and network with others who are doing so also. We are not spectators but participants.

If you have any questions about this article please contact me via https://keybase.io/ogfomk .
If you have any issues related to Keybas.io you can find them at Github: https://github.com/keybase/client/issues

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