Oct 14 2008
One of the toughest things about blogging is that the real world can sometimes get in the way of keeping us on task and on schedule. What happens if a child gets sick or you have to take an unexpected trip and your blog sits dormant for a couple of days? Not only have you missed a couple of days worth of pay but your readers will wonder why you left them high and dry.
Luckily there’s a way to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
Oct 13 2008
By now most VIPs already know that Today.com has a referral program and that you can can make some extra cash by helping other people get paid to blog. I encountered a question though that
I hadn’t realized was out there: How do you see your referrals?
When you log on to your My Account page, the first thing you need to do is click on the “VIP Members”tab. When the drop-down menu appears, select “Traffic Stats” (it will look like the image on the left.)
Once the new page has loaded you will see the table below. Under “REPORT”, select “Referral Bloggers” from the drop-down menu and then click the “run report” button on the right.
This is the screen you want to see:
I’ve blanked out the details for privacy reasons, but in this screen you will have a link to the blog that was set up from your referral link, how many posts have been approved, etc. I always visit my new referrals to say hello and offer any help or moral support I can.
That’s how to find out about your Today.com referrals!
Oct 11 2008
One of the easiest ways to give your blog posts some extra impact and visual appeal is through the use of images, but copyright issues should always been in the forefront of your mind when you are working online. All too often people will steal photos and other graphics they find online and use them without either paying for them (when required) or offering proper credit.
This is one of my favorite websites for free stock photos and other graphics. It has a fantastic selection and you are free to use them at no cost. I do recommend crediting the image creator and while you’re at it, send them a message with a link to the blog post that uses their image. Worst case scenario is that they’ll check out your site and give you an extra visit.
Here’s an example of how I do it:
photo credit: Rizzly
As you can see, there’s not much to it, but by naming the image creator you are giving them credit for their work (which they’ll appreciate) and showing yourself to be a responsible blogger (which your readers will appreciate).
Under no circumstances should you ever use an image (photo or otherwise) on your blog without having the proper permission to do so. If you find an image you’d like to use, the proper netiquette is to email the creator and ask permission before you use it.
In the coming weeks I will be creating a static page here on Answerman that serves as a directory of reputable sites to find free stock photography and other images to use on your blog. If you have any sites to suggest, please leave them as a comment to this entry.
Sep 17 2008
Another question about widgets, this time it comes from from Derek at Rolling Traveler:
I have a widget-related question too. How do you add widgets and buttons like those from Blog Catalog to your sidebar? I’ve noticed that you and several other Today bloggers have them, but I can’t for the life of me work out how you get them on there. I’ve tried every tab in the Control Panel, and even tried adding them as links to the blog roll. What am I missing?
Add-ons like Blog Catalog and anything else that involves the addition of HTML to your page are all added by using the same widget, but you might not recognize it when you first see it because the label is a slight misnomer.
To start, let’s get to the widget page by clicking on “Look & Feel”. Then you will see the current theme you are using and to the right is a text link marked “Widgets”. Click that link to get to the starting point.
Sep 09 2008
Today’s question comes to us from Virginia, host of Conservative Politics Today. She asks for an explanation of the buttons that are available in the basic editor mode and how to use them.
The biggest difference you are going to notice - especially if you aren’t familiar with HTML coding - is that you have lost your WYSISYG (”What You See Is What You Get”) screen, so you are looking at raw code that may take some getting used to. That being said, it isn’t impossible to learn to use the basic mode, it just takes a little understanding, so let’s get down to it!
Sep 08 2008
Okay, posting an image is a little odd here at Today.com, but nothing you can’t handle…even if you are blonde!
STEP 1
From the page where you write a post, go just below the field where you enter the post content. You should see a text link that says “Upload/Insert an Image?“. Click that link.
STEP 2
The page will change to reveal the upload box for a new image. Browse to find the image you want to use, enter a title for the image (name it accurately so you can find it easier later) and enter a description if you like. Then click the button labeled Upload >.
NOTE: When the upload is successful you will be presented with several options:
- Next to Show you will see “Thumbnail“, “Full size” and “Title“.
Thumbnail: This option is useful if your original image is too large to fit within the confines of the allowable space on the blog.
Full size: This is the option you will use most often, as it makes the image appear just as it will on your computer.
Title: Selecting this option will create a text link based on the title of the image that you uploaded.- Next to Link to you will see “File”, “Page” and “None”.
File: If you are using a thumbnail option (see above), you can select “File” to allow readers to click to see the full size version.
Page: This option will link to a page that shows the image separately from the post. I rarely if ever use this.
None: This is the most commonly used option, at least for me. It shows the image but does not link to anything.
STEP 3
To insert the image into your content, first scroll up and click your mouse where you want the image inserted, then click the button labeled Send to editor >.
A Final Helpful Hint: To align your image so that the text flows around it, click on the image in the content field and select the alignment icon (left, right, center or justify) from the visual menu above the content field.
Sep 07 2008
One of the most commonly overlooked features available in any WordPress blog admin is the creation and use of categories. Categories are a little like the signs in the supermarket aisles that group similar items into logical sections, thus making it easier (presumably) to find what you are looking for. Without using categories on your blog you are leaving your blog posts to be forever lost in the past and making it difficult for them to be found by people who really want to read what you wrote on ________ topic.
Setting up and using categories on your blog is a simple process, but before you do anything in the admin itself, grab a piece of paper and make a list of categories that your posts will generally fall under. Categories can be as general as you like or as specific as you need to be depending on the topic of your blog, but having a list of categories you want will make this process a lot faster for you. Don’t worry either, you can always use the steps in this article to create new blog categories at any time.
