Adding the Google+ Badge Widget to your Blog

If you are a blogger, and haven't heard the news as of yet, Google is planning to rid of the Google Friend Connect Widget on non-Blogger Blogs in March 2012. I would suggest reading the complete post from the Official Google Blog for more details.

What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that you will have to use your reader and subscribe to blogs. Secondly, Google is urging more of it's users to join Google+ and use this relatively new Social Networking Site as a way to connect with other bloggers {with friends, family and other contributing members of society as well}.

My thoughts- I'm game. Why? Well, for starters that pesky GFC widget never worked correctly for me. However, I do like the fact that I can read all of my GFC blogs within my Blogger Dashboard regardless if they were WordPress, self-hosted or Blogger. I am sad to see that feature go. I am also hoping this post will reach some bloggers out there already "in the game" and all set for the change.

My biggest pet peeve about this new "blogger out reach program" is that a lot of new Google+ hops link directly to their Google+ page and not their personal blog. Why does this upset me? Personally, I like to see the blog that I am going to become a member of, and perhaps leave a comment. With the old school "GFC" blog hops, you also helped out another bloggers stats by visiting their page and following them from there. It is a great way to get to know the blogger, the blog and lend a helping hand on a more personal level and not always landing on a "wall" that may only tell me a little about the blogger.

What can I do about it then? I strongly suggest adding the Google+ Badge Widget to your Blog as you see here:

It is very simple to do and will only take a moment of your time.
1. Go to http://widgetsplus.com/ and create a badge according to their directions. Your Google+ ID is that number you will find in the link when you are on your profile in Google+.
2. Copy the code snippet and place it into the html editor on your blog. For Blogger Blogs, simply select the "HTML/Javascript Editor" from the "Add Gadget" selection where you would like to place your Google+ Badge from the "Layout" menu.

3. Save the widget and you are all set!

Aside, if you are a number-type of person, it tells your readers how many circles you belong to.To see how it works- simply ad me to one of your circles! Leave me a comment and I will return the love!

Please make sure to join me starting January 20, 2012 for a New Weekend Long Google+ Blog Hop hosted by yours truly. I am also looking for a few fellow bloggers who are interested in co-hosting this hop. Drop me an email if you are interested!

What are your thoughts about the new changes? If you are a non-Blogger blogger- how do you feel about Google omitting you from the GFC widget?

Oh, and a very Happy New Year! :-)

Are you on Triberr? Do you want to be?

I was first introduced to Triberr by Bern over at Mom to 2 Posh Divas (Thank you!) about a few months back. Not knowing what the Triberr phenomenon could provide for a blogger, I joined and fumbled my way through. I am so glad I did!

If you aren't on Triberr- it is awesome! Basically it is a social networking system that utilizes Twitter and your RSS feeds. Imagine having your posts tweeted for you by others automatically?!? Aside, you get to meet new bloggers and start tribes of your own. With this new social network you work together to help share the love of your posts!

A little more about Them: You need an invite to join. Once a member you get to create 3 tribes of your own. At first you can only build tribe members with non-Triberrs, but soon after you are established you may begin what they call "inbreeding." There is so much to Triberr, and the creators do a great job with their video tutorials to help you along the way. Click here to read more about them and their creation!

If you are not on Triberr, and would like an invite, I would like to extend one to you.  I am currently looking for creative mammas who are not on Triberr yet! If that is you and you want to be drop me a comment below- including your Twitter name and the name of your blog. I believe this is a powerful social networking tool that should be shared!

Saturday Hops

Top Ten Tuesdays- Guide to Web Design

Designing your own site on the Web can be a time taking, yet rewarding endeavor. What separates the "beauties" from the "beasts" (in terms of Web design) can be an even more complicated discussion. What makes some Web sites great, while others lag is all about the implementation of content mixed with a great user-friendly design.

Here are my Top Ten Suggestions for Web design:

In terms of Design...........

10. Contrast. Keep the Design simple, keeping contrast in mind. Why are so many sites on the Internet white with black text? Simple- it is easy on the user’s eyes and therefore it is easier to read. Go ahead and use colored backgrounds, just keep in mind that you use dark text for light backgrounds and light text for dark backgrounds.

9. Images. Large graphic files or images that do not relate to the topic should be avoided. Sure, you may have some sort of high speed Internet- but does your best viewer? Keep all of your image FILE size small by using a photo editing software, JPEG in format (use GIFF for text images), and relevant to your topic. If you need to have a larger photo (for example: to show detail in something you have created) have it as a separate Web page and have the user "click image for a larger view." This will enable your site to load faster.

8. Repetition. Keep your site to one-two font styles and size, keep your background consistent from page to page, and carry some page elements (such as type of bullet you use) throughout your entire Web site. I have seen some Websites that have a different background color for each page. I often questioned myself if I was on the original site while navigating through it.

7. Spacing. Take advantage of white space- use it to space out paragraphs, between images, etc. to make viewing your site easier on your user’s eyes.

In regards to making it user friendly.............

6. Text. Make the text of your Web site for the computer and not for print (such as a newspaper or book). Keep your paragraphs short and make your font style computer screen friendly. I suggest an Arial font and staying away from fancy text that is hard to read. Note: It's okay to have some fancy text, such as your sites title, but don't use it for your entire content.

5. Click-able Links. Make links change color so the user can tell what they have previously clicked on and do not underline non-linking words as it may confuse the reader. In fact, it is often better to have links three colors: One color to let the users know that the selected text is an active link; the second color for when they hover over the link; and a third for the visited link. Make sure to check your links periodically to make certain they are still working!

4. Navigation. How do you keep your readers engaged in your site is highly determined by how easy it is for them to navigate around your site. Make sure all menus are clearly labeled and sidebars are neat. Helpful Hint: By nature we read everything from left to right. Have your most important information in the top left (i.e. the name of your site) and then so on and so forth.

In terms of content............ 

3. Goals and Objectives. BEFORE you begin your site, set out some simple goals and objectives you would like to accomplish by a particular date. What type of content will you cover, how will you market your site, and where do you see your site 6 months or even one year or more from now? This keeps you focused and organized. Update your goals and objectives accordingly.

2. Search-ability. You have a great idea. Your content is well written, is organized and presented neatly. Then why are you not getting the response that you want and/or deserve? Think about the titles of your Web pages (and/or blog posts) as well as your tags and Meta tags. Instead of naming a blog post, for example, "I am Going to Pull My Hair Out!" think what your post is about. "3 Year Old Temper Tantrum Crisis" may result in more hits via search engines. I laugh because when I began this blog I did a comic post about Inafitits. As of today, I am #1 in the Google Search for the term "Infatitis" (which is a condition that doesn't exist). Check out my Google search here.

1. Contact Information. Make your contact information easily accessible- if that is your goal to be contacted. Have it on the bottom or on a side bar of every page of your site, instead of having your viewer try to search for it. Having a "Contact Me" tab is wonderful, however it is just as easy to have it on the bottom of every page.


I have been creating Web sites for years and have found these tips to be the most beneficial. Of course there are several more that didn't make the cut on my top 10, (such as don't plagiarize and keep animation (Flash of or GIFF) to a minimum) but I firmly believe that these 10 will lead you in the right direction building a stronger Web site (and/or blog).

 

Technology Tutorial- Adding an Email Me Button to your Blog

Free Email Buttons!

Disclosure: All of the above buttons were illustrated and created by me FREE for you to use! Please do not sell or re-distribute without my consent. As always, you can refer back to this post at www.classifiedmom.com Thank you & enjoy!

Want a PR Firm, a potential advertiser, or a fellow reader to be able to get a hold of you without exposing your email box to spam? Creating an email button can do just the thing!

What to do:

1. Select an email button  from above (or another site, designer or your own creation) and save it to an online photo hosting site such as Photobucket or Image Shack . 
2. In Blogger, go to "Design" and click "Add a Gadget".

Add caption

 3. Select the "Add HTML/JavaScript" from the menu.
4. DO NOT add a title, just the following code:
<div align="center"> <a href="mailto:Youremailaddress@example.com">
<img alt="Classified: Mom" src="http://your_photo_hosting_here.com/image_name.png"/></a></div> 
5. Click Save.
6. View your blog and click to see if it works! You may have a program like "Outlook Express" open up if that is your default email client. 

Please note: You need to change the highlighted text to your email address and photo hosting URL. You can also use this in Websites and other Blog services using the exact same code!

Let me know if you have any questions! You can always email me ;-) 

Technology Tutorial- Free Background for Bloggers

Free Backgrounds

Feel free to use the above backgrounds in your blog. Need to know how? Keep on reading! Directions are for Blogger.

The gradients above are all made with two colors (except for 1rainbowlove#182381.jpg). They were given cute little names followed by a number. This number indicates the bottom color. For the gradient to look "correct" when you scroll down the page, you first have to set the background to that color. (Note: if a color was not listed it is white #FFFFFF). The first 5 backgrounds were made to be repeated or "tiled" as your background. Right click--> Save Image As --> and chose a location on your computer.

Assuming that you have a template selected (we are only changing a background here), go to the Background Tab under Template Designer and select Browse.

 

Select your image file. If you chose one of the first 5 images that were meant to be "tiled", change the alignment to "center-top" and click the drop down menu to tile. Unselect the "scroll with page" box so the background stays static.

If you like the gradient background, the first thing you need to do is to change the main background color of your blog to the color code that was included at the end of the name of the image. Remember if a color code was not mentioned the code is #FFFFFF for white. For this example I used the image midnightmist#D8C0CD.jpg.
Go to the Advanced Tab under Template Designer and select Background. Change the name of the outer background to the "code" at the end of the name. For example, I would change mine to #D8C0CD.

Then go back to the "Background" tab and browse for your image. Adjust it to "Center-top" alignment and select "tiled" horizontally. Unselect "scroll with page."

You are then all set- enjoy!