Blogging Basics 101

What is socical media? Should I participate?

What is social media?
Social media includes any place where people gather online to share ideas, conversations, ask questions, etc. Wikipedia explains: Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.

Some examples of social media are Twitter, Stumble Upon, Digg, Plurk, Flickr, Del.icio.us, and FaceBook. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it will get you started.

Do I need to participate? What do I get out of it?
Most of the questions I receive about blogging deal with increasing traffic, growing community, and making money. I can’t guarantee any of those things, but participating in social media will get your name and your blog out there, which, in turn, can help you achieve stronger traffic and community, which may lead to better ad revenue.

The more you participate in social media (just as with how often you comment on other blogs), the more people will recognize you. Of course, just as with commenting on blogs, you must make your participation count. Consider who you are following and who is following you and what you have in common. Contribute to the conversations in the most meaningful way you can. Sometimes that will mean posting about what’s for dinner (I swear I do this daily at Twitter), and sometimes it will mean providing useful feedback to Guy Kawasaki about his Alltop.com design. Make it interesting and make it count.

Some excellent articles regarding social media (most discuss Twitter and Plurk as they are the hot SM right now):

• How Not to Be a Twitter Nit-Wit via Looking Towards Heaven.
• Freelance Bloggers: 12 Tips to Promote Your Work with Social Media via Daily Blog Tips.
• Relationships and Online Social Networks: The Value of Sites Like Twitter and Plurk via DoshDosh.
• Twitter Links I HAD to Click via Mass Media Design.
• 100 Personal Branding Tactics Using Social Media via Chris Brogan.
• The Main Difference Between Twitter and Plurk To Me via ProBlogger.
• 11 Free Twitter Clients via BloggingTips.
• Twitter: The Talk of the Web, and For Good Reason via Performancing.

What is a FAQ?

A FAQ (usually pronounce FACK) is an acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. Usually when you click on a link labeled FAQ, you'll be directed to a page with a list of questions (and their answers) that address the most common questions about the site or blog.

What is 'hotlinking' and what's the big deal?

Hotlinking is when you are directly linking to another site's graphics, files, video, etc. instead of linking to those items from your own server.

For instance, when I share a graphic like this one

I encourage you to right-click it and save it to your computer and either insert it into your blog from your computer or upload it to your account at PhotoBucket and use that code.

This is important because every time an image is viewed on a page on the web, it's pulling bandwidth from wherever it's stored. If all the Blogging Basics 101 readers used that graphic (great!) and used my URL instead of downloading it to their own computer/server (not so great!) then I would have a bunch of bandwidth being used and things could get expensive for me (definitely not great!).

I encourage all of you to read this article describing what hotlinking is, how to see if you're hotlinking, and how to fix the problem. That article does a much better job explaining everything than I can without getting in trouble for plagiarism.

If you need to know how to put a button on your sidebar without hotlinking, I have those instructions for you already.

What is a widget?

The word widget is short for window gadget. A widget is simply a visual element of your page that does something (e.g., a drop-down menu, an iPod playlist, ads, or even your RSS subscription feed).

A Video Explaining RSS Feeds in Plain Ol' English

Here is an excellent video from Creative Techs explaining what an RSS feed is and how it works and why you need to make sure yours are working. (Thanks to Jules for the link.)

What is a permalink and why do I need it?

This article also has a podcast:

A permalink is the link to an individual blog post. These are important because if you ever need to link to an exact blog entry (e.g., for a Works-For-Me Wednesday post), you use the permalink as your link. It's poor blog etiquette not to use the permalink.

If you don't use the permalink, you'll just be linking to your main blog page. The problem with that is that, as you post new blog entries, the newest entry appears at the top of your main blog page and the other entries are pushed down on the page. The entry your readers are looking for may be down at the bottom of the page or already in the archives; your reader has no idea where to find the entry! If they click over to your site expecting to see a Works-For-Me Wednesday post and they see a different post, they may not take the time to find the "real" post they're looking for.

You can find the permalink link under any blog entry. However, not all blog hosts/designs handle permalinks the same way.

• Typepad blogs: There's a link that actually says Permalink under the entry.
• Blogger: The link varies. It's usually the time stamp of the post. You can see an example at Shalee's Diner. Under her posts it says Posted by Shalee at 8:34 AM. That 8:34 AM is the permalink.
• Other blogs have other links. One example is Everyday Mommy. Her permalink is the title of her post.

One way to figure out which link is the permalink of a post (if it's not obvious) is to put your pointer over each link under or above a post. As you hover over a link a little box should come up that says permalink. If it doesn't, that link probably isn't your permalink and you should move on to the next link.

Once you find the permalink, click on it and you'll be taken to a page with just that blog entry on it. Snazzy, huh? Now, to link to that page you just need to copy the URL in the address bar and use it where ever you were inserting your link (e.g., a Mr. Linky or a blog contest). It will look something like this:

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2006/07/works_for_me_br.html

How do I add blogring code to my blog?

A blogring is a group of blogs that all have organized links to each other. These rings usually link like-minded blogs together. For instance, there are state blogrings (e.g., Blog Oklahoma) , knitting blogrings, mommy blogrings (e.g., Crazy Hip Blog Mamas), etc. For more information, see the Wiki on webrings.

Every blogring has its own code that each participant puts on their blog sidebar. This code usually provides links to the other blogring users and the blogring home page. Copy your blogring's code and follow the directions below for your platform.

Blogger

1. Log in to your Blogger dashboard.
2. Click on "Layout".
3. Click on the Template tab, then click on "Page Elements".
4. Click on "Add a Page Element".
5. Add the "HTML/Javascript" element by clicking the "Add to Blog" button under that choice.
6. Paste your blogring code into the blank content area. Providing a title is optional. More than likely your blogring code will have the title of the ring embedded in the code and it will show up after you save and publish. However, if you would like to name the element, type the title in the "Title" box.
7. Click "Save Changes".
8. Click the "Save" button on your Page Elements page.

Typepad

1. Login to your Typepad account.
2. Make a new Links Typelist.
3. Paste the blogring code into the "Notes" field. You can leave the "Title" and "URL" fields blank.
4. Click Save.
5. Click the "Configure" tab.
6. Under Display, choose "Show Notes as text".
7. Click Save Changes.
8. Click the "Publish" tab.
9. Choose which blog(s) where you want to publish this new Typelist.
10. Click Save Changes.
11. Republish your blog pages.

WordPress

(These instructions provided by Jordan at Momma Blogga.)

To put your blogrings in your sidebar:

1. Log in to WordPress.com and go to Presentation > Widgets.
2. From the Available Widgets, drag a Text widget into the Sidebar box (above).
3. Click on the small graphic beside Text 1 in the Sidebar ('Configure').
4. A new box will appear.  In the small text box at the top, you can type a title for the field ("Blogrings").  In the larger box, paste your code.
5. Once you've entered the code, close the box, then click Save Changes.
6. NOTE: If this is the first time you've used widgets in your sidebar, it will replace everything that was already there.  You should use the Available Widgets if you'd like to re-add your Search, Pages, Archives, Categories, blogroll(s) (the 'Links' widget) and Meta to your sidebar.

To put your blogrings on a page of your site:

1. Log in to WordPress.com and go to Write > Write Page.
2. Title the page ("Blogrings") and select the Code tab.
3. Paste your code into the text area and click Publish.
4. NOTE: If you have customized your sidebar with widgets, don't forget to include a Pages widget so people can find your blogrings and other pages.

What is a favicon and how do I make and install one on my blog?

Favicons are the small 16 pixel by 16 pixel pictures you see beside some URLs in your browser's address bar.

There are several tutorials on how to make a favicon and install it on your blog, so we are not going to re-write everything here. However, we will definitely point you in the right direction!

• Adding a favicon to your site: This site explains what a favicon is, provides a link for free software to make a favicon, and walks you through installation.
• Photoshop Tutorials by Jennifer: This site provides step-by-step instructions for making a favicon in Photoshop. The tutorial provides a link to a plug-in for Photoshop so you can save your file as an .ico (or icon) file.
• Typepad tutorial for including a favicon: This tutorial is specifically for Typepad blogs.
• Favicon for your Blogger Blog: This particular article provides instructions for using a favicon on your Blogger blog.

As you are deciding what picture or graphic to use for your favicon, remember that it needs to be recognizable at a small (16x16) size. My opinion is that a line drawing or cartoon is usually better for a favicon than a photograph.

The Biggest Technorati Tip in the World

The following article is re-printed with permission from scribbit by Michelle.

A couple months ago I listed Ten Technorati Tips as an introduction to how the service can help increase your blog's exposure. However, since I posted I discovered the most important thing there is to know about Technorati. Pardon me if this is something you already know, but it's buried in Technorati's pages for all but the most dedicated of bloggers to find, I wish I had found it earlier:

Technorati only keeps your links for six months.

There it is, simple and plain. Any link your blog gets will only be kept by Technorati for six months exactly. This is because Technorati wants to make sure they're only ranking the most current and popular blogs, not blogs that were popular two years ago. Now, here is where this gets important: what does this mean for your blog?

It means the first six months are critical for developing links. From the day you first register with Technorati the clock starts ticking and for six months you can collect links right and left free of charge but one hundred eighty days after that things change. From that time on your links begin to expire, day by day, and begin to drop off your list.

For example, I signed up for Technorati on September 13, 2006. From that day until March 13, 2007 I collected links one after the next until I accumulated around 1200 but on March 14th all links I acquired on September 13th expired and dropped off my list. On March 15th any link acquired on September 14th dropped off, on March 16th all links for September 15th dropped off and so on.

Luckily for me I discovered this principle around the middle of February and knew it was coming and realized I had another month to gain links because on March 14th any links I gained would be offset by the links that expired. Does this make sense? The first six months are a time of growth, once you're past it and begin losing links you will pass into more of a maintenance mode where it is harder to rise in the rankings.

This doesn't mean you can't still grow after six months it just means it's harder to do. To give you an idea, I wanted to see if I could break into the top 1000 before my six months were up. I hit 989 a week before my March 13th deadline and since then I've continued to increase, but at a much slower rate. Of course people are more prone to link to me now that I've been around awhile, I didn't get many links six months ago, and I collect links much faster now than I used to so the farther I go, so the more time that passes, the more links are going to be expiring. If you've been confused as to why your Technorati ranking may have dropped suddenly on a particular day, it could be because of expiring links.

So if your blog is new, do your best to encourage links and if you've been around a while, do your best to encourage links. No blog can afford to sit back and relax with their collection of links and feel confident in their Technorati ranking because the days for each link are numbered.

Ten Technorati Tips

Michelle from scribbit is an incredibly blog-savvy gal. She has generously agreed to let us re-print several of her articles here on Blogging Basics 101. We know you'll appreciate her input and advice. BTW, if you aren't reading her on a daily basis, you should be. Check her out.

1. What is Technorati? Technorati is a blog search engine that explores approximately 62.9 million blogs (as of this posting), then sorts and ranks them based on how they link to one another and how popular they are.

2. How does it help my blog? If you are part of Technorati, then people who go there to search for blogs on a particular topic can find your blog, bringing you more traffic.

3. How do I join? It's easy enough, go to this link here, fill out the information and then "claim" your blog. Just follow the steps.

4. What do I do next? Add Technorati tags, also called social bookmarking, to your blog posts. This means manually adding the html to each post and tailoring tags for each post. Go to this page on Technorati and scroll down for various ways to generate the code. Then, once installed, if someone clicks on one of those tags it will take them to Technorati and list, according to most recent activity or "freshness," blogs that use those same tags--another way to draw readers.

5. What kind of tags should I use? Well, that really depends on two things: what you're post is about and what is popular. An example of a "tag cloud," showing popular tag words, can be found on this link here, the larger the word, the more popular it is.

However, just because a tag is popular doesn't mean you should jump on the wagon with the other 8,390,465 blogs that use that tag. For example, "parenting" is a very popular tag, so when you use it you are competing with an enormous number of blogs. "Motherhood" is still popular, but not as well used, so it may be a better option, as it means less competition for you but still a lot of search possibilities.

Here is a page at Technorati that lists its top daily searches. Keep an eye on what's popular and then tag accordingly and wisely. I will often tag with "Alaska" and "motherhood" because they're popular but not too popular. Go to this page on Technorati and type in "Alaska" in the search box and see how it works.

When you're ready to post, first go to Technorati and do a search using possible tag words and see which might work better, just make sure that whatever tags you use do apply to your content. There's nothing more annoying for a reader than to waste time searching for something that's not there.

Finally, be careful. As my friend Lori at Fun Play Dates found out, tagging a post with "fun playdates" may bring up video blogs you don't want to be associated with.

6. How does Technorati know when I've updated my blog? If you use blog services like Blogger, Moveable Type, Typepad or Wordpress then you are set up automatically. Your blog "pings," or notifies Technorati every time you publish if you allow it to do so. In Blogger this is done by going to your "Settings" page and selecting "yes" under "notify weblogs."

If you aren't using one of these services you may have to ping Technorati manually every time you post, which is also easy to do. If you have questions go to this page on Technorati and it will walk you through the process.

7. What are Technorati favorites? Once you have an account with Technorati you can pick blogs to be added to your personal favorites list. There are two ways Technorati ranks blogs, first by the number of incoming links and second by how many times the blogs are "favorited." Here's the list of 100 Most Favorited Blogs.

If you want to facilitate your readers marking your blog as one of their favorites go to this page on Technorati for the code to paste in your template, making a button on your blog for your readers to click if they want to "fave" you.

If you want to see if you're listed as a favorite you can go to your blog's main info page on Technorati, once you've joined, and near the top of your info page are two tabs, one marked "Favorited By." Clicking on that tab will show you who has favorited you. As an example you can see who has favorited me by clicking here.

8. How can I find out my Technorati ranking? Go to the Technorati home page and type your URL in the search field and click "search." Technorati will give you a ranking compared to 62.9 million of your closest blogging friends. You will see how many blogs link to you and the number of links they give. Give it a try before going on to questions nine and ten which constitute the Big Secret.

9. Why does this matter? Well, I'm not sure it does, my blog doesn't get as much traffic from Technorati as it does from Google, but the theory is the higher your ranking, the greater your visibility, and if you're trying to build your blog, every little bit can help.

10. How can I improve my Technorati ranking? I get this question the most and I love answering it because it's so simple. Remember I said your ranking is based on linkage? Technorati records every link to and from its blogs and updates the number regularly. The more blogs linking to your blog, the higher your ranking.

This means you need to join blogrolls such as Christian Bloggers, Blogging Chicks, Crazy Hip Blog Mamas, etc. whatever fits your blog and niche. You need to be commenting on other blogs because every time you do your name becomes a link back to your URL. You need to be spending as much time as possible leaving your little bloggy footprints in the blogosphere for Technorati to find.

But it also means you need to have great content, writing posts that are worthy of being linked to, and focusing on providing information that others will want to connect to.

Be patient, it does take time. When I started blogging seriously and looked at my ranking I was around 100,000 but three months later I'm at 2,500. Remember the higher you go the slower the progress because competition gets stiffer and other bloggers are collecting links right along with you.

Now, don't forget to head over to scribbit for some great content. Tell her BB101 sent you and you appreciate her expertise!