Blogging Basics 101

How do I put a YouTube video in my blog post?

If you are visiting YouTube and find a video you'd like to put on your own site, it's pretty straightforward and easy. Let's start by visiting YouTube and using a sample video of my choosing. I happen to like Matt Damon so we'll use this hilarious spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum.

On the page where you view the video, look to the right of the video. You'll see a square with information labeled URL and EMBED.

• If you just want a link to the video, copy the URL information from your browser's address bar (highlight, Ctrl+C) to the clipboard and follow the instructions below.
• If you want to actually embed the video in your post so viewers can see it without clicking to YouTube, copy (highlight, Ctrl+C)  the script information in the Embed box (usually below or to the right of the video) and follow the instructions below.

Typepad and Blogger:

To link a video:

1. Compose your post as usual with the WYSIWYG editor.
2. Write a description of the video. For example, you might write: You are going to love this spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum!
3. Highlight the part of the sentence you want to link.
4. Click on the link button on your Typepad or Blogger toolbar (it looks like a bit of chain).
5. Paste the URL you copied from YouTube into the box.
6. Continue writing your post or save your work.

To embed a video:

1. In your WYSIWYG editor click the tab that says Edit HTML.
2. Paste the script information you copied from the YouTube page.
3. Save as a draft (so you can preview to make sure it's right before you publish).
4. When you click back to the WYSIWYG version (the Compose Post tab) of your post, you will not see your video. In Typepad, you will need to click the Preview button to see what the post will look like when you publish it. Click Preview to see the video. In Blogger, you won't be able to see it until you publish the post.
5. If you're happy with the result, either publish it immediately or assign it a publish date and click Save.

Typepad also offers instructions on how to insert other types of video into your posts.

WordPress:
I was amazed at how easy WordPress makes this process. It's basically three or four steps. You can find them at the WordPress FAQ site.

NOTE FOR ALL BLOG PLATFORMS:

Because of a new YouTube feature, when you embed a video, your users can watch related videos on your site.  This is, of course, risky for anyone who wants to be in control of the content of their site.

If you want to,  you can disable it by adding &rel=0 to the end of the video's URL when you embed it. In this example I've put the added &rel=0 in bold:

How do I add YouTube video to my blog?

If you are visiting YouTube and find a video you'd like to put on your own site, it's pretty straightforward and easy. Let's start by visiting YouTube and using a sample video of my choosing. I happen to like Matt Damon so we'll use this hilarious spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum.

On the page where you view the video, look to the right of the video. You'll see a square with information labeled URL and EMBED.

• If you just want a link to the video, copy the URL information (highlight, Ctrl+C) to the clipboard and follow the instructions below.
• If you want to actually embed the video in your post so viewers can see it without clicking to YouTube, copy (highlight, Ctrl+C)  the script information in the Embed box and follow the instructions below.

Typepad and Blogger:

To link a video:

1. Compose your post as usual with the WYSIWYG editor.
2. Write a description of the video. For example, you might write: You are going to love this spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum!
3. Highlight the part of the sentence you want to link.
4. Click on the link button on your Typepad or Blogger toolbar (it looks like a bit of chain).
5. Paste the URL you copied from YouTube into the box.
6. Continue writing your post or save your work.

To embed a video:

1. In your WYSIWYG editor click the tab that says Edit HTML.
2. Paste the script information you copied from the YouTube page.
3. Save as a draft (so you can preview to make sure it's right before you publish).
4. When you click back to the WYSIWYG version (the Compose Post tab) of your post, you will not see your video. In Typepad, you will need to click the Preview button to see what the post will look like when you publish it. Click Preview to see the video. In Blogger, you won't be able to see it until you publish the post.
5. If you're happy with the result, either publish it immediately or assign it a publish date and click Save.

Typepad also offers instructions on how to insert other types of video into your posts.

WordPress:
I was amazed at how easy WordPress makes this process. It's basically three or four steps. You can find them at the WordPress FAQ site.

NOTE FOR ALL BLOG PLATFORMS:

Because of a new YouTube feature, when you embed a video, your users can watch related videos on your site.  This is, of course, risky for anyone who wants to be in control of the content of their site.

If you want to,  you can disable it by adding &rel=0 to the end of the video's URL when you embed it. In this example I've put the added &rel=0 in bold:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T23oNcCFriE&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T23oNcCFriE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

How do I add music to my blog?

Before I tell you how to add music to your blog, I have to discourage you from doing it. It's a personal pet peeve of mine. I will immediately click away from any site or blog that insists on having me listen to their music--even if I have the option of turning it down or completely off. It's an extra distracting step and I don't mess with it.

In addition, many people don't like music on web sites or blogs not only because it's distracting, but because it's a bandwidth hog and it can take forever to download.

Still want to include music on your blog? OK. It's your blog, after all.

• Beta Blogger for Dummies offers a tutorial for the new Blogger. As does the Blogger Help site.
• Typepad has instructions for adding music to your blog too.
• Even WordPress is on the fun of adding music to your blog. When you click on that link, scroll down the page to learn about integrating your music.