Blogging Basics 101

How to Upload Your Own Header in Blogger

Lani from The Wooden Porch is guest blogging for me today and explaining how to put your own banner on a Blogger blog. Let's give her a hearty welcome and leave lots of comments!

Here's a step-by-step guide with pictures to show you how easy it is to upload your own banner into your Blogger blog and make sure that it's positioned well and looks just as you want it without the Blogger lines around your new banner. It's easy. I promise. I'm going to hold your hand through it all. Seriously, my grandchildren's kids' great-grandma can do it, and she's a bit of a slow learner.

First, the header looked like this:

On my computer, I made a header that I wanted to insert instead of the regular option Blogger give me.

To begin the upload, I went to "Dashboard" and clicked on "Layout":

"Page Elements" should be automatically open:

You now want to click on the "edit" option on the header portion:

 

A new screen will open up. You want to do three things:

1. Upload your new header from your computer.
2. Choose "Instead of title and description".
3. Choose "Shrink to fit" (this resizes your header so it will fit your blog if your header ends up being too big).

A small version of your header will appear. Click "save".

By now you may be excited because you finally have your header up on your blog! However, it probably looks something like this:

Double lines are all around the header.

If you like the look, great. I don't. I want to get rid of them. To do so, choose "Edit HTML" under the "Layout" tab.

Before you do anything else, BACK UP YOUR TEMPLATE! (Which means highlight and copy the whole HTML code and paste it into Word.) I can tell you about a popular blog designer who accidentally messed things up quite a bit for herself once when she forgot to save her template. She even knew what the heck all the HTML stuff actually meant, so that should just go to say that the rest of us need to be extra careful before we go messing around with the template. 

Scroll through the HTML code. Look for the word "header". (Here's a quick tip for MAC users: Click on your "apple" button + F, then type in "header" in the box that opens on your screen. You'll find it faster that way. For PC users: use ctrl+F, then type "header" in the box that opens.)

Delete the lines that refer to the border.

Now it looks like this:

Now, click "preview".

Look! No lines!

Now save your template and you are done. Enjoy!

Mighty Helpful Links

Today's Mighty Helpful Links are brought to you by the ever-popular and knowledgeable Jordan from Momma Blogga. She has graciously agreed to guest post for me all week while I bask in the glory that is a family reunion. Welcome Jordan (as you always do) and leave her many comments so she'll come back!

• Using HTML in blogging: a quick reference on formatting text in posts (and comments) with 9 common HTML elements

• Images can make your posts pop—here are 10 best ways to find a perfect image for your blog post

• ProBlogger, always a good resource, gives us 10 ways to optimize your popular posts.  You can find popular posts on your blog with an analytics package like SiteMeter or Google Analytics or an on-site widget, depending on your blog platform.

• How do readers feel about blog ads?  See the results of a blog advertising survey.

• Blogger has a bunch of new features coming soon including an embedded comments box below posts (like TypePad and WordPress blogs).  You can use these new features on Blogger in Draft, and read about them on the Blogger in Draft blog.

• Couldn't get enough RSS goodies this week?  Check out these seven ways to master FeedBurner!

How can I encourage more people to subscribe to my blog?

Today's post is brought to you by the ever-popular and knowledgeable Jordan from Momma Blogga. She has graciously agreed to guest post for me all week while I bask in the glory that is a family reunion. Welcome Jordan (as you always do) and leave her many comments so she's come back!

Blog subscribers are one metric that bloggers often use to promote their blog, encourage advertisers and mark their progress.

Probably the most important thing you can do to encourage your readers to subscribe is to write good content.  (That's always the first tip in blogging!)  After that, though, you have to let your readers know what to do—encourage them to subscribe and make it easy on them.

One important way to do this is to add a standard RSS button to your blog.  People familiar with blogging will recognize the universal RSS symbol.

Also important with that button is to include text with it to explain it to people not as familiar with the RSS icon.  A good idea is to use a phrase like "Get updates to a feed reader" (or email) to help people who aren't familiar with the terminology of the blogosphere.  You should make this text, like the button it will accompany, a link to your feed.

Offering e-mail subscriptions opens up your blog to more subscribers than just people who use feed readers.  Once again, changing the default text in the widget to read something like "Get updates from this blog in e-mail" can help more people understand the function of this feature.

If you have a good number of subscribers (at least a few dozen, though professional blogs might want to wait until they reach at least 100) already and you're using FeedBurner or FeedBlitz, adding a feed count chicklet can encourage more people to subscribe.  This is called "social proof"—it sends the message that "all these people have found this information valuable, so you might, too."

Finally, if you're able to edit your blog template (as in Blogger, for example), you can add a line of text that will show up at the bottom of all your posts.  This has been called the "magic sentence," and usually takes the form of "If you enjoyed this post, you can get updates from this blog" or "subscribe to this blog."  This sentence should include a link to your RSS and/or e-mail feed.

I see lots of blogs that show the number of subscribers they have. How can I do this?

Today's post is brought to you by the ever-popular and knowledgeable Jordan from Momma Blogga. She has graciously agreed to guest post for me all week while I bask in the glory that is a family reunion. Welcome Jordan (as you always do) and leave her many comments so she's come back!

The easiest way to find out how many subscribers you have and is to use a service like FeedBurner.  FeedBurner provides some nice bells and whistles for blogs' RSS feed syndication, including subscriber numbers.  You can show off your subscriber numbers with FeedBurner-made chicklets, which you can customize to match the colors of your blog.

To create your custom chicklet, log in to FeedBurner and go to Publicize>FeedCount.  Here you choose your options:

• Animated/static: the animated option tends to draw people's eyes more, but only if it's visible when the graphic loads.  (If your readers will have to page down to see it, they'll miss the animation).
• Color scheme: here you can set the colors of the text and the background of the chicklet to match the colors of your blog.  You can use the rainbow chip or pull the color numbers directly from your blog's CSS and enter them in the boxes to the right of the rainbow chip.

Click Activate.  The page will change, showing your chicklet and the HTML code you'll need to insert the chicklet in your blog.  FeedBurner also has options to click through to TypePad or Blogger blogs to directly add your widget.  In WordPress.com, you'll have to go to Design > Widgets.  Add a new Text widget.  Click Edit by the new Text widget and paste the HTML code for your chicklet into the widget.

If you use FeedBlitz for e-mail subscriptions, FeedBlitz also provides an e-mail subscriber count chicklet.  Again, FeedBlitz provides TypePad and Blogger widgets, but you'll have to get the HTML code and paste it as above for WordPress.com blogs.

How can my readers get e-mail updates from my blog?

Today's post is brought to you by the ever-popular and knowledgeable Jordan from Momma Blogga. She has graciously agreed to guest post for me all week while I bask in the glory that is a family reunion. Welcome Jordan (as you always do) and leave her many comments so she's come back!

E-mail subscriptions are a good option to offer your loyal readers.  Many readers haven't yet begun using a feed reader, but still want to receive updates from your blog at their convenience.  Or maybe you prefer to get updates from your favorite blogs via e-mail, but they don't offer that option.

There are lots of good RSS-to-email services to provide your readers (or you) the latest posts on your blog.  Two good services are FeedBurner and FeedBlitz.  Each service has its own advantages, of course.

FeedBurner

If you're already signed up with FeedBurner for your blog's RSS, you can easily add e-mail subscription options.  Go to Publicize>Email Subscriptions.  From here, you can choose which service to use, since FeedBurner offers all three of the services listed above.  FeedBurner's own e-mail subscriptions offer a number of customizable options, including a (set) subject line, an image header, and some control over fonts and colors to help to make your e-mails look more like your blog.

FeedBurner also provides you with HTML code to create a form or a link to put on your blog to promote your email subscription.

FeedBlitz

FeedBlitz is especially good if you're looking for a service to offer e-mail updates from your favorite blogs that don't offer e-mail subscriptions.  Just go to Feedblitz's homepage and enter the blog's address in the box at the bottom of the page.

Like FeedBurner does for RSS, FeedBlitz provides a "chicklet" to display the number of e-mail subscribers you have.  FeedBlitz also helps you create widgets (if you're on TypePad or Blogger) to promote your e-mail updates.

While FeedBlitz is free, the free option will include ads placed by FeedBlitz in your e-mails.  However, you can also place your own ads through private advertisers or services like Google AdSense to make money for yourself (I believe this service is a premium service, however, meaning that it does require you to pay a fee to FeedBlitz).

FeedBlitz fully integrates with FeedBurner to show your total stats numbers whether you use it as a stand alone service or through FeedBurner.

A third service, Send Me RSS, can e-mail you updates from your favorite blogs with the forms on their homepage like FeedBlitz does.

How can I find out how many RSS and e-mail subscribers I have?

Today's post is brought to you by the ever-popular and knowledgeable Jordan from Momma Blogga. She has graciously agreed to guest post for me all week while I bask in the glory that is a family reunion. Welcome Jordan (as you always do) and leave her many comments so she's come back!

The easiest way to find out how many RSS and e-mail subscribers you have is to use a service like FeedBurner.  FeedBurner integrates fully with Blogger, TypePad and WordPress.org (self-hosted WordPress, not to be confused with WordPress.com).  WordPress.com users can also use FeedBurner, though it may not "catch" all of your subscribers.

To integrate with FeedBurner, first you ahve to set up your feed with FeedBurner.  It's pretty easy to do and quite self-explanatory, but if you'd like step-by-step instructions, see the MamaBlogga post 5 Steps to Getting Started with FeedBurner.

Once you've set up your feed with FeedBurner, you'll need to make some changes on your blog to indicate that your subscribers shouldn't use your default feed (which still exists on your blog and is the source for your FeedBurner feed).

Integrating your FeedBurner feed to your Blogger blog

After Google's recent acquisition of FeedBurner, Blogger has more fully integrated with FeedBurner.

Go to Settings>Site Feed.  In the Post Feed Redirect URL box, type the address of your newly burned FeedBurner feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/WhateverYouNamedIt).  Save your settings.

Integrating your FeedBurner feed to your self-hosted WordPress blog

Use FeedBurner's own FeedSmith FeedBurner Replacement Plugin, which directs your subscribers to your FeedBurner Feed automatically (again, youíll have to enter your FeedBurner address).  Once your plugin is installed and activated, you enter the address under the Options>FeedBurner FeedSmith tab.

Integrating your FeedBurner feed to your WordPress.com blog

You can still use FeedBurner (which is owned by Google), but there's a chance that people will subscribe to your blog using your "regular" WordPress feed instead of your FeedBurner feed.

Integrating your FeedBurner feed to your TypePad blog

Go to Configure>Feeds.  Find the FeedBurner section and click on the button to connect your feed with your FeedBurner feed.  You'll have to enter your FeedBurner login information, then youíll be given the options to choose which of your FeedBurner feeds you want to associate with your blog.  Save the changes (twice).

FeedBurner numbers are only updated once a day, so you won't begin to see accurate numbers right away, but soon you'll be able to track how many subscribers you have. 

Fluctuations from day to day are normal, so don't worry or think that individual posts are necessarily turning off your readers.  As with all stats on your blog, feed subscribers aren't the be-all and end-all of your blog, but it's nice to have some idea where you stand.

Guest Bloggers for July

I am taking July off. However, I have celebrity guest bloggers lined up to continue the learning.

• Jordan McCollom from Momma Blogga: Everything you need to know about RSS (July 7-11)
• Lani from The Wooden Porch: How to remove the double border in Blogger banners (July 14)
• Stephanie from Adventures in Baby Wearing: Bloggers & their relationships with PR/Marketers (July 15)
• Sarah from Like a Warm Cup of Coffee: The differences between women and men bloggers (July 16)
• Jan Ross from Mrs. Who's Open Book: Writing for two blogs (July 17)
• Karen from Simply A Musing Blog: Branding your blog (July 21)
• Karla from Looking Towards Heaven: Basic blog design choices; Beginner blogger's checklist; Social media/networking (July 22, 23, 24)
• Jennie from Wash Words: Content is king (July 28)
• Deb from Mom of 3 Girls: Setting up a stat counter and submitting your site to Technorati (July 29)

I will continue to provide Friday's Mighty Helpful Links.

What's the etiquette regarding submitting my own blog posts to social media and networking sites?

Social media and networking sites include kirtsy, Digg, del.icio.us, Plurk, StumbleUpon, Twitter, etc. They are a place to mingle and discuss everything from the latest technology to what you're making for dinner. Many of them (e.g., kirtsy and Digg) rely on readers voting for their favorite stories by visiting the submissions. The result can be an boost in traffic for you.

So is it frowned upon to submit your own articles? Do you have to wait to be discovered by someone and then submitted? No. Everyone submits their own articles at some point. Like everything, though, the way you do it matters. If the only time you are interacting on these sites is to promote yourself, your promotion may backfire. Become a part of the community by providing feedback for others, voting on other stories, etc. The more you're out there making a difference and interacting, the more you're noticed and known.

When you are deciding what article(s) to submit, consider a few things:

1. Does the article fit with the social network? kirtsy is generally for women and about women (men are there, but they are the minority); Digg deals with a lot of science, politics, and technology and not so much with mommy blogs. Do some research before you randomly submit your article.
2. Does the article have a wide reach? You may be a mommy blogger and think that's a narrow niche. However, if you have an article that is universal in its teaching or humor, it may do well in a social environment.

If the submission takes off, you'll definitely get a boost in traffic because people will be clicking through to your site. If it doesn't take off, well, try again with another article. Self-promotion is an important part of successful blogging (whatever that means). You can't be afraid to get out there and tell people about something you're proud of. On the other hand, constant bragging or not catering to the SM audience can backfire.

Before I left the house to play at a friend's house, my dad would always say to me, "Don't make a spectacle of yourself." Good advice. And so I say to you, "Have fun, but don't make a spectacle of yourself."

What are the "alt" and "title" tags in the tag? Do I need to use them?

The alt and title pieces of the <img src> tag are optional, but I would recommend that you use them as much as possible. There are three reasons:

1. It helps you know what the image is in case it's name isn't terribly descriptive (as most pictures from digital cameras are named a string of numbers).
2. It allows handicapped readers to know what the picture is because special software will read the alt and title tags out loud.
3. If, for some reason, your picture does not load, the alt and title tags appear in that space and the reader will know what the picture portrayed.

To make use of these tags, let's look at what a standard <img src> tag would contain:

<img src="picture.jpg" />

Let's break that down:

1. The <img src=> is telling the computer that it needs to call a picture.
2. The file name in quotes ("picture.jpg") is the file or picture to be called.
3. The / tells the computer that's the end of the tag.

To make the tag even more useful, we include the alt and title tags within the <img src> tag so it looks like this:

<img alt="Blogging Basics 101 button" title="Blogging Basics 101 button2" src="picture.jpg" />

Note that the information for both the alt and title tags is contained in quotes:

alt="Blogging Basics 101 button" and title="Blogging Basics 101 button2"

If you notice that your tags aren't working properly, ensure that you have the descriptive information in quotes and have a space between the final quotes in the alt tag and the word title. I've underlined it in the following example to show you where the space should be, but you don't want to have the underline in your code.

<img alt="Blogging Basics 101 button"_title="Blogging Basics 101 button2" src="picture.jpg" />

The text of the alt and title tags can be the same and should be a description of the graphic, not just the graphic's name. Although it seems redundant to include both the alt and title tags, you want to use both because some browsers read one and not the other.

How do I install a ShareThis button?

The ShareThis button looks like this

When a reader clicks on the ShareThis button, they can choose the link they want to submit your article to (e.g., kirtsy, Digg, Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, etc.). It's an uncluttered and very useful.

ShareThis actually has it's own web site that walks your through setting this up on your blog. I'll point you to the pages you'll need.

• Blogger Plug-In
• TypePad Plug-In
• WordPress Plug-In

One word of caution: When I installed the ShareThis button on my TypePad blogs, I received numerous e-mails stating my sites were loading incredibly slowly. Once I removed the ShareThis button, things returned to normal. Instead of the ShareThis button, I use the FeedBurner option of placing these links in the footer of each post. I don't discourage you from using the button, but if you do, check with your readers to ensure the load time of your site hasn't been compromised.