Throughout the night we talked about Blogger and Wordpress, and it seems Blogger is the easiest to get started on. You can find all kinds of articles about which is better, but it comes down to how comfortable are you with HTML code. Blogger is pretty much a 'plug and play' and has a dashboard that allows you to easily develop content. Wordpress uses content style sheets (CSS) which have to be coded using HTML. Both have great support forums.
Mostly, everyone was on Blogger tonight. The links and tips below will be for those of you using Blogger. To set up a Blogger account and develop a blogspot.com site, visit the Blogger Set Up Page. Another good resource for those new to blogging is the website BloggingBasics101.com.
CHANGING YOUR HEADER AND BACKGROUND
This seems to be the #1 question. To make a custom header for blogger, be sure to use a pixel dimension that matches your template. My header is 840 px x 200 px. To find your header size, search google for 'template name' header size. Some tips and tutorials can be found here and here. The background has to be created and then uploaded and coded. I'm sorry I don't have any links for this one yet. I'd recommend checking out the secrets section of The Cutest Blog on the Block. You'll also find some awesome freebie backgrounds and headers at this site as well.
REMOVING BOXES AROUND PHOTOS
This too requires an edit to the HTML code in Blogger. A great guide can be found here and here.
LINKING BLOGS AND FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS
Facebook has created a plug-in called Networked Blogs. This application allows you to pull your blog feed into either a personal Facebook page or a fan page.
ADDING PAGES
I love that Blogger has made it so easy to add static pages to the blogs now. This is great for those of you in digital scrapbooking, since you can easily create a page to house your Terms of Use, or even a page to showcase a book you finished or really anything you would like. Check out this super-easy tutorial from Musings from a Housewife, here.
RSS FEEDS AND READER
RSS stands for really simple syndication, and it's a great way to follow several blogs in many different categories. I have over 150 blogs in my Google Reader, and when I check it I can see which blogs have been updated since I last visited, how many new posts and in what categories. I have mine seperated into digital scrapbooking, cooking and baking, kids and baby advice, work, and a friends and family category. Here's a screen shot of mine:
You can sign up for Google Reader with a gmail account, and also take a tour of how to use google reader (this is super helpful at explaining it!) Also, in building your blog be sure to add the Subscribe widget, makes it quite easy for people to follow you!
PLUG-INS and WIDGETS
They've made it easier than ever to customize your blog with the fun info on the side of the blog, adding Facebook share buttons, tweet buttons, easy chat, slideshows and so much more. That is all done with user-friendly widgets. Once your blog is set up, add widgets through the design frame. Here is a link to some blogger plug-ins and a list of 25 great blogger widgets.
LINKING SITE AND DESIGNER BLINKIES
Lots of sites, like Mousescrappers, have links that they host and allow you to use on your site. To add a blinkie, you will want to add the picture widget to your design. Be sure to enter the HTML code of the blinkie location, then link to the home page of that site. It's a pretty good guided set up once you get to the picture widget.
I hope that if you start a blog or already have a blog you do it because you enjoy it. I have mine because I like to share my creations, it allows me to use my creativity in a different way. There are all kinds of ways to measure success, such as how many followers, using Google Analytics to track where people come from and much more. As long as you enjoy it, that is all that matters. Everyone deserves their own little piece of the blog-o-verse if they want it.
For a copy of the chat transcript, visit Google Docs using this link, http://bit.ly/nxK6JN. If you have any questions about this post, or if you are a MouseScrappers member and want your blog added to the roll above, please email me at meejay33 (at) gmail (dot) com.
