Header Design tips

Let's dress up your header!

Go to Layout. If you don't have a header gadget, click Add a Gadget, scroll and add Page Header.

We're not going to upload a custom background in this example. We'll just use place text on the existing template.

Enter the Title of your blog and a Description (optional), then Save.

Next, click Template in your left sidebar.

Playlists

Would you like music to play on your blog? You can create a list of your favorite songs to play when people visit your site. This can be a very effective feature that adds interest to your blog. You can also have fun with it if you periodically change your background and want to have scene-specific music (like holidays, seasons, etc).

Blog List & Link List - share your interests!

Hopefully you've made friends with some other bloggers, so here's your chance to create a community!

If people enjoy your blog, they'll probably have some of the same interests and want to know some of the blogs you follow and some of the sites you like.

Embedding Videos

You may want to have a video in your post, and it's an easy thing to do!

There are a couple of ways to do that. You can upload the file by clicking the icon on the posting task bar. That can take some time, and Blogger has certain size limitations. But there is a better way: you can embed a video from another site such as Youtube.

Sending your blog posts to Facebook

Networked Blogs is the application that lets Blogger talk to Facebook. There are several steps to connect everything, but once it's set up you won't have to bother with it again.

Sign in to Facebook.

Adding Facebook and Twitter Buttons to your blog

Now that your blog is up and running, you'll want your friends to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter. These buttons are easily added and best located in a sidebar.

For Facebook:
Sign in to Facebook, then click here: Facebook Badges
Click on Profile Badges

Design & Posting Considerations

Everyone wants traffic on their blog. What are some things to think about for your followers?

Design:
Visual appeal is important for bloggers. "Busy" templates and gadget placement might be something you enjoy seeing, but your viewers can get bogged down by too much material.

Ask some of your friends for their opinions, especially fellow bloggers and friends who follow blogs. Stalk some other blog sites and think about what you like about it, but also what you don't like.

Can you find the author without scrolling to the bottom of the page? Are their pages descriptive and easy to navigate? Are the fonts easy to read? Is there a lot of extraneous stuff cluttering up the sidebar?

How To Include A Link In Your Post

Sometimes we find something online we think our readers would enjoy and want them to be able to click-and-go. It's a simple concept and is easy to do once you get the hang of it. You just need to tell your blog where to go!

BEFORE YOU BEGIN - Decide where you're sending the reader 

Adding Pages to your blog

Right now your blog just has a main (home) page, and that's really all you need. But many of you have hobbies and bios you might want to share, and pages are the best places to showcase those.

Go to Layout, then click Add a Gadget at the top.

Comments and Notifications settings

Now that you have subscribers reading your blog, they're likely to make comments on your posts. Unless you want to perch on your blog and watch it round the clock, you'll want to be notified when someone makes a comment.

From Overview, click on Settings, and then Basic. Let's look at your options.

Let your friends subscribe!

Now that your blog is set up, your friends will want to read your posts. They can either randomly visit your site or they can receive an email every time you post. Adding this feature (gadget) is simple:

Click on Design, then Add A Gadget

Welcome to my new blog!

After helping so many friends start blogs, I've decided to launch an instructional blog!


Blogging is fun and easy once you get started and learn a few tricks. Regardless of your skill level, you CAN be a blogger. If you follow these step-by-step instructions, you could have a new blog up sooner than you think!


Once you start blogging, you'll want to spread your wings and add new elements and try new things. This is NOT intended to be an all-inclusive, find-it-all-here resource. It IS intended to be encourage you and show you a new tip once a week.


I will try to post every Tuesday morning. If you have any questions, please post them in the comment box or email me. Your question may be the topic of my next post!


This blog will be dedicated to BLOGGER blogs. I also blog using Wordpress, but Blogger is the easiest way to get started and learn the basics.


If you're ready to go, let's start in the logical place:  Step 1