Blogging ~ The Real Facts (Part Two)

As we discussed last week, when you to set up a Blogger account you must first set up a Google account and once this account is set up Google will automatically set up a Picasa Web Albums account for you. Picasa Web Albums stores all the images you post on your blog.

Once your blog is created you will sign into the Google Dashboard; notice the options below. You can click New Posts to create a new blog, or select Edit Posts to edit an existing blog, select Settings or Layout to change how your blog looks and functions or you can click View Blog.

Settings tab (consists of several sub-categories; very easy to fill out)

The Basic tab asks questions like:

Add your blog to our listings? Of course, you would select "Yes."

1. Let Search engines find your blog? Again, of course you would select "Yes."


2. Show Quick Editing on your blog? This displays edits tools visible to only owners and authors; select "Yes."


3. Show Compose Mode for all your blogs? Select "Yes."

Leave the Publishing tab as is.

On the Formatting tab set the Show option to 7 posts.

The Comments tab determines how reader comments, if allowed, are displayed.

The Permissions tab allows you to add additional Authors and then manage their status.

Layout tab (allows you to customize your blog)

On the Page Elements tab; You can add a custom heading to your blog if you have selected a template with a customizable heading.

To further customize your blog you will want to add Gadgets; click "Add a Gadget" text and you will see many choices that you can add to your blog sidebar. One of the Gadgets is a "Link List" add this Gadget when you want to give your readers direct links to articles or other websites. You can add as many links as you like. You will also need to add a title for this Gadget. We added several "Link List" sections to our Dandelion Interiors blog sidebar (i.e. Upcoming Events, Our Recommendations, Favorite Finds & Press.) You can also add a Slideshow Gadget.

There is also a Fonts & Colors tab that allows you to change font styles and colors for headings, text color, link color etc. (This was one of the features we really liked in Blogger.)

Plan on posting once a week to keep content fresh and to entice readers to keep coming back. Posts can be short, one or two paragraphs are sufficient. Both websites www.minutesmatter.com and www.dandelioninteriors.com each contain a link to its blog. Make it easy for people to find your blog. There's no better way than to add a link from your website! This week on our Dandelion Interiors blog I posted an article about making a room look larger. I used Minutes Matter Studio 3.0, our graphic design software to effectively illustrate mounting alternatives as well as style choices. Studio can be your best marketing tool. I will be using Studio frequently in my Dandelion blogs to help me illustrate my design tips and to show off my graphic rendering skills.