Blogging and Marketing Resources for the Average Blogger and Business
Posts tagged Blogger
Blogger in Draft Tests New Template Designer
Mar 13th
One could argue that Google’s Blogger has been behind the curve for some time with respect to the flexibility of the templates offered. One reason I use WordPress as my primary blogging platform (I do use Blogger for other projects), is the widespread availa
bility of creative themes and ease of customization. True to its style, Google has not only caught up, but taken a bit of a leap ahead with Template Designer.
Template Designer is an improved, flexible tool to take the few basic templates previously offered, much further into the future.
Here’s how you use it. First, log into your Blogger account and view your Dashboard as you normally would. Scroll to the bottom of the page and in the section called “Other Stuff” select Blogger in Draft in the Tools and Resources section.
Once you select Blogger in Draft, 
you will see the top of the screen change to indicate you are in Blogger in Draft mode. Notice the option to make it your default dashboard. I am selecting it carefully for a while to see how it works before I make it my default.
Now, when you access the Layout tab, you will see the new option for Template Designer. In these four simple, but powerful categories (Templates, Background, Layout and Advanced), you now have an enormous combination of options. As I’ve said before, Blogger is a great tool for use categorized from basic to moderately advanced. Platforms like WordPress extend the flexibility and capability much further. However, Blogger has just narrowed the gap by extending its capabilities much further than before.
I am looking forward to exploring what the new Template Designer has to offer. What’s your first reaction?
Dave
Blog Review: Jody Burdette’s Birdtracks
Dec 11th
Jody Burdette Birdtracks
My first mission in this Ultimate Blogging Toolkit Free Blog Review post is to offer Jody Burdette at jodyburdette.blogspot.com a sincere thank you for her patience. In Yes, It’s Been a While, I claimed mea culpa for being gone for a number of months planning new projects. Now, I’m carving out time to fulfill my Blog Review obligations.
First of all, I’m not going to cast stones about a blog that hasn’t posted anything since October 5, since I just came clean about not engaging for much longer than that. Enough said, since I have posted in the past about Frequency.
Let’s start with the blog’s general outward appearance. In this Minima Series, the sea of green doesn’t provide any “lines of demarcation.” As a result, I’m not sure this selection in Blogger (actually it seems to be custom) is the best. If a simple look is desired, I would try Denim or Rounders. It provides for more structure and boundaries, which leads into my next topic: content.
Blogger Examples
With these template examples, it is easy to see how clearly various types of content can be organized when a simple template is used. If the intent is to have readers return again and again to engage in discourse, it makes sense to create a consistent and familiar environment. Templates such as these “trains” the eye into knowing where to find specific information. For example, the main post is front and center, the profile is upper right, archives are right center, etc. The easier a blogger can make it for readers, the more likely they will return.
More about content (but I’m saving my favorite topic of opportunity for last!)
In the title, Jody indicates this blog is about “Handmade Gifts and Cards.” For any of you who have read the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit for any length of time, you know I’m a big fan of Molly Lee’s Popup Cards, so I was happy to see a handmade cards site. Unfortunately, the first topics I see involves her middle daughter being married September 12, her husband Lane, their fondness for martial arts, and their love of travel. Oh, there it is: Jody has a “passion for making things.”
Please excuse what may appear to be sarcasm. I’m not intending to be mean. My only purpose is to make a point about focusing on a specific topic. Family is important – please don’t misread my sentiment. Many people maintain incredible blogs about family, keeping far away members up to date on what’s going on. It’s rewarding, it’s heart-warming, and it’s down right efficient.
But for getting the most out of her blogging experience, my opinion is for Jody to separate the topics and focus on them separately. For example, create a family-oriented blog that keeps family and friends posted on what’s going on. Sort of an ongoing, living, breathing, Christmas Card Letter all year long. Then create a separate site devoted to cards, creative handmade items, new products, fun craft stores, etc.
Halfway down the front page, the photos in the post, “Cards for a Lifetime,” imply there is an Etsy site based on their links, but I can’t seem to find where there may be a link to Jody’s Etsy story (if she has one.)
In her Christmas Cards in July post, I see wonderful creations – cards that anyone would be proud to give and emotionally affected if received. It’s just a shame I can’t figure out how to order them. Etsy?
I’m coming back to add this paragraph after my original post. A frustration for me was when I commented on Birdtracks was the inability to provide my URL back to the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit. She had her Blogger settings configured in such a way that I was forced to use a Google Account, which does not accurately reflect my Toolkit activity. A courtesy to people who may comment is to allow them to enter their web address of their blog.
Now, for my favorite topic. This is what I consider Jody’s best opportunity to capitalize on the unique nature of her name and the name she has given to her blog: Burdette and Birdtracks. Burd… Bird… Get it?
Burd... er... ah... Bird Tracks
Doing a quick Google Images search for “Bird Tracks” I get this image. Now, I’m a big believer in giving credit where credit is due, so if you click on this image, you will be taken to someone named “MRUPP” and the gallery of that person’s Australia pictures. Any use of photography gathered over the Internet would of course need to be done appropriately, but my point is this: Burdette and Bird Tracks is a great “hook” combination.
Judy’s last name cries out for a bird reference. Tracks, feathers, nests – anything with which she feels comfortable. That visual connection to her content provides her with an identity tool that no one else has. Exploit it!
From what I’ve seen, Jody has beautiful cards, pillows made from T-shirts (how clever) and a wonderful family. With just a bit of work on her blogs, every component of this paragraph will benefit. Go get ‘em, Jody!
Dave
Blog Review: Molly Lee Cards
Jul 25th
Molly Lee Cards
Prolific blogger. Creative genius. The most unique, fun and interesting cards the likes of which you’ll not find anywhere else.
That’s Molly Lee Cards.
Molly Lee’s blog is an exciting and energetic lens into her creative card business. Through her ETSY store (an online “crafters mall), she sells animated cards that are terrific. While I could go on and on about the cards (I’m a previous customer), the purpose of this post is to review her blog. You can visit for yourself and have all the fun I’ve had with her creations. One important note: as you can see from the screen capture, she has broken into Powell’s Books in Portland. (Not literally – her work is so good, they’ve given her a chance to sell her cards in their retail setting. An excellent endorsement of her work.)
Back to her blog.
Molly Lee Cards is housed on Blogger and is a simple, yet very effective design. In previous discussions with her, I know Molly has previously dabbled with advertising on her site, but has simply focused on her work (which is great!) and the art and science of the blogging itself. I might suggest that she reconsider. Here’s a couple reasons why:
Molly Lee Cards is a PR 2!
First, Molly has achieved a Google Page Rank of 2 according to PR Checker. This is no small feet, caused by consistent posts over a good period of time, inbound links and a significant following. With 25 followers registered on her site (and who knows how many more check in regularly) she has a community following on which she could capitalize. Since a Page Rank of 2 includes a fair amount of traffic, Google’s Adsense may make, well, sense.
Secondly, Google has improved Adsense for Blogger users with a more integrated design and more ad placement options. This has made it easier to insert ads between posts and more flexible throughout the layout. One of the topics I’ve posted about on the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit has been to Diversify Your Monetization Strategy. This would be a good time to take advantage of increased visibility and diversify her revenue stream.
In addition to the wonderful cards discussed on her blog, Molly has promoted a Crafty Space Makeover Challenge. Here, she has applied her creativity (and her Industrial Engineering background) into re-engineering her personal work space. Her crafting skills are now unbridled. Look out. But in doing so, she invited some of her crafter colleagues to join her. She inspired them to improve their own work spaces and in doing so, helped them improve their own operations.
It is a treat to see someone who is passionate about what she does, produces a very high quality product of enormous creativity, and inspires others to do the same. I wish her continued success.
Dave
Quality Web Hosting as the Foundation
Jun 28th
BlueHost Hosting is my Choice!
One of the basics I covered early in my blogging journey was whether to use a free blogging platform like Blogger, or to invest in your own hosted space. There are of course pros and cons to each.
In Free Blogging, or Pay to Play?, I touched on some of the decisions individual bloggers need to make about why they are blogging and what they hope to get out of it. I have been clear from the beginning that a hosted domain for the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit (and future projects) was my strategic decision. Now that I have had some time under my belt with a hosting provider, I feel comfortable sharing my views about BlueHost.
Speaking of transparency, regular readers of the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit know that I try to play it straight with you. When promoting something, I’ve tried to be clear as to when I have skin in the game and when I don’t. This time, I do. If you click through any of my ads shown on my blog – and you sign up – I get a commission. But I’ve held off making any assessments until I have had some time to evaluate. After six months, I now feel confident endorsing their services.
In any support role, if it looks easy, it means a lot of work goes into it. That is truly the case with BlueHost. I have been very pleased with the quiet, behind the scenes support the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit has received. There was only one brief outage and when I used their live chat, the agent already knew about the problem and it was corrected in minutes. No song and dance, no excuses, just fixed.
Part of the reason for chosing BlueHost was of course not because they were the least expensive. There seem to me thousands of providers and many are less expensive. I’m taking the long view. My intention is to grow my blogging to a number of projects, and hope they grow quite large. I like the idea that I now have just one provider that can and will provide the support I need – for any number of projects – with any amount of traffic – for one reasonable monthly fee. Paid annually, this is the easiest, safest, most professional, and eventually, the most cost effective solution I could have.
About the endorsement and commission issue. The only area where BlueHost’s process could be smoother is in the affiliate signup process. After signing up for payouts on other advertising, BlueHost seems to be a bit heavy on the forms to fill out. In fact, my PayPal email address wasn’t accepted initially and had to choose “pay with check” to get the affiliate account established. I’ll work on that and the IRS W-9 form they require later.
Don’t let this small inconvenience sway you. Consider BlueHost. They’ve done a great job for me and I expect to be a long time customer.
Dave
Choosing a Domain Name – Part 2
May 21st
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The Rest of Your Domain Selection
In Part 1 of Choosing a Domain Name, I focused on the high level “dot com” as the most common flavor when selecting a domain name. This time, the focus will be on the identity itself – the main part of your Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
Here’s a quote from “How to Podcast Tutorial” that talks about one aspect of domain name selection:
“This is the web address for my podcast tutorial site which launched my brand as a podcasting expert and landed me a book deal. I intentionally incorporated two of the top keyword search phrases for my topic (i.e. “how to podcast” and “podcast tutorial”).
I should point out that the hyphens are there because of some evidence showing that it emphasizes the keywords to the search engine bots. However, as of late it seems that this is not always necessary. I’m tending away from the practice of using hyphenated URLs.”
Just like my last post, clear as mud. In my opinion, why not? If there’s a chance the bots will show some love with the keywords separated by hyphens, why not? If a smooth URL (without hyphens) is needed for marketing purposes, simply redirect it to the dashed version. Best of both worlds.
[Blogger's note: You eagle-eyed readers no doubt have noticed I'm not walking my talk. The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit doesn't use hyphens. Fair point. This revelation was not visible to me as a complete rookie when I started. I'll have to save it for my next project, which is firmly up my sleeve. Live and learn.]
ProBlogger has a lengthy post about choosing your domain name, but there’s one paragraph that rings true to why I decided to create and host my own domain: credibility. They say,
“Having your own domain name is desirable for many bloggers for numerous reasons. For a start if you’re wanting to build credibility and a sense of professionalism around your blog a domain that reflects this can help. Similarly a carefully selected domain name has the ability to enhance the branding of a product, service, business or even person. Domain purchases give the added bonus of email addresses with the same domain (adding to both professionalism and branding) and can enhance your Search Engine Ranking.”
Although I have not yet begun to use my domain’s email addresses due to ease of startup, I knew from the beginning this was to be a serious and professional effort. (My “fun” postings are conducted on my other blog, TheNewBloggedWord.Blogspot.com.)
There are many free, shared domain blogs on the Bloggers of the world that are quite serious in their intentions. Nothing disparaging intended. My only point is that we only have one chance for a first impression. My argument is that the first impression can be the URL – make it professional and effective.
Dave
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