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Blogging 101

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May 17, 2010 Becca Ludlum

Blogging 101

 

This week, I thought I would wrap up a few blogging tips I have learned… from tutorials, from helping friends, from playing with my own blog, and a few from bloggy boot camp, as well!

Hopefully there is something here for everyone:

Blog tip #1:

Typing <center> before and after the code in a widget will center it in your sidebar.

Blog tip #2:

You can make blog buttons (and Twitter backgrounds, and headers…) with PicMonkey! I learned how to by following this tutorial from Linda Sellers.

Blog tip #3:

Use Google Analytics to track how many people visit your site and learn how they get there.

Blog tip #4:

I find a lot of helpful tips from these blogs:

Blog Clarity

Amy Lynn Andrews

ProBlogger

Go ahead… add them to your reader… I’ll wait…

Oh, you don’t know what a reader is? Sorry…

Blog tip #5:

Using a blog reader (such as Bloglovin’) helps to get all of  your blogs organized in one place, and makes it easier to read them. A must for anyone reading more than 5 blogs.

Blog tip #6:

Get a gravatar. They make it easier to recognize you when you leave a comment.

Blog tip #7:

If you have WordPress, you should check out these plugins:

Social Warfare

Askimet

Vaultpress back up

Broken Link Checker

Blog tip #8:

Rename your photos. Google likes “homemade chocolate brownie recipe” better than DSC00056 or “brownierecipe-1”

Let me know if any of this doesn’t make sense… I’d be glad to answer any questions that I can!

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Comments

  1. Melanie says

    May 17, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    awesome tips! I can’t wait to make a gravatar! :-)

  2. Stephanie says

    May 18, 2010 at 12:56 am

    Excellent tips, Becca! I didn’t know about readers for a long time, but then I felt silly after I finally learned what it was all about. It’s super easy to get started (and such a time-saver!).
    .-= Stephanie´s last blog ..My baby is such a “GOOD” sleeper =-.

  3. Gramma Teetsie says

    May 18, 2010 at 2:50 am

    Think I will just stick to making comments………

    • Michelle says

      May 18, 2010 at 7:15 am

      But Gramma Teetsie – I think you need to start your own blog. Becca could design it for you, and we all get the pleasure of knowing just how funny you really are!
      .-= Michelle´s last blog ..Not Me Monday – Photoshoot edition =-.

  4. Aunt Jen says

    May 18, 2010 at 4:40 am

    I’m with Teetsie

  5. Gina says

    May 18, 2010 at 5:36 am

    Thanks for the tips!
    .-= Gina´s last blog ..Partying with my fellow D-Listers! =-.

  6. Suzanne says

    May 18, 2010 at 6:14 am

    These are great, even though I don’t understand a few. I’ll be asking! Your help last week was GREAT-thanks! Also, Chels showed me the reader and I’ve really just starting using it this week…VERY easy and time saving too-get to the ones you really want to see. I have many money saving blogs I look at and they overcrowd the others.

  7. Michelle says

    May 18, 2010 at 7:13 am

    I’m starting to think I need to make the switch to wordpress… and I really need to stop saying that because I’m such a procrastinator! I just started using my google reader like, a week ago! I’ve been using my dashboard to read my blogs. I’m going to have to check out those sites you mentioned. Thanks for the tips!
    .-= Michelle´s last blog ..Not Me Monday – Photoshoot edition =-.

  8. Chelsea says

    May 18, 2010 at 10:26 am

    You have been SUCH a lifesaver through this whole learning to blog thing… thanks for putting all these tips in one place!
    .-= Chelsea´s last blog ..Mad Hippie Review! =-.

  9. jen@ourdailybigtop says

    May 18, 2010 at 11:20 am

    Great tips! I love my google reader…don’t know how I’d manage without it.
    .-= jen@ourdailybigtop´s last blog ..pop culture =-.

  10. Amanda says

    May 18, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    My favorite Google Reader tip is the NEXT button. It takes you to the blog so you get to see all the cool pages (we work so hard getting pages set up like we like them), and it counts as a hit to their page (in case they’re trying to get lots of readers) It’s under the Preferences in the reader. You just drag it to the address bar and away you go! I LOVE IT!

    Thanks for your tips! I just recently found your site, so I’ll have to go looking for your other blog tips. :)
    .-= Amanda´s last blog ..My Personal Trainer =-.

  11. Julie From Inmates says

    May 18, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    What a great list of tips! I wish I knew more about the whole bloggy business. All of it. Sigh….
    .-= Julie From Inmates´s last blog ..What I Learned This Week [Surgery Edition] =-.

  12. jenn says

    May 20, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    those are great tips – especially about making a button! i can’t wait to come back tomorrow- at a ahem decent hour – to learn how. thanks so much
    .-= jenn´s last blog ..lessons learned #2 =-.

  13. Pamela says

    August 30, 2013 at 10:38 am

    Soo many Great tips! Thank you much for sharing. Going to add Sexy Bookmarks plugin for sure.

Trackbacks

  1. Tips and Tricks For Bloggers - Everything But the Posts says:
    August 18, 2016 at 8:47 am

    […] If you’re new to blogging, you might need a crash course. I have one for you–it’s called Blogging 101. […]

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