Feed Blog Posts to Twitter

Some time ago, I implemented a process by which every blog post on New Ideas Welcome will feed automatically to @LoveANewIdea on Twitter. My problem is, I recently had to do this again for a different blog/Twitter account, and couldn't remember how! I also can't remember which feed tool I used for this blog, so couldn't undo this process even if I wanted to! Yikes.

Usually, when I do some technical process like this, I write a Tech Tip post, so I can remember how to do it the next time it's needed. Since I didn't do it before, I'm doing it now. Here's the process I just used when I needed to create a Blog-to-Twitter feed:

1. Visit Twitterfeed.com
2. Click on Sign Up and input requested info
3. Back on your own blog, on the right side of your top toolbar, you should see an orange RSS feed button. Click on this and the RSS feed URL should appear in the address bar (this URL will look different from your regular blog URL). Copy this address.
4. Back on Twitterfeed.com, give your feed a name of your choosing, like Personal Blog.
5. Next, paste in the RSS feed URL.
6. You'll then be given options for where you want this feed posted. Click on Twitter.
7. Authenticate your Twitter account by inputting the requested info, and click on Allow.
8. Click on Create Service, then All Done

Voila! Your new blog posts will now automatically be tweeted through your selected Twitter account. You techie, you!

PS You can also feature a feed of your recent Tweets in your blog. To do this, just go to your Layout and click on Add a Gadget. In the search box, write Twitter. Many options will appear...just pick one you like. You'll have a few customization options, like how many Tweets should appear at any time, etc. Pretty easy.

Cell Phone Photo to Twitpic

Most of my Tech Tip posts are written so I can remember how I did something the next time I try to do it again!

I just had success with photographing this Airstream trailer trundling along the street in front of me, using my cell phone camera and uploading the photo to Twitpic. From Twitpic, the photo can also automatically post to my Twitter feed. Here's how it works:

1. First, of course, you need a Twitter account, which automatically gives you a Twitpic account; then you can just go to Twitpic.com and log in to it using your Twitter username and password.
2. In Twitpic, click on Settings, where you'll see your Twitpic mobile upload email address.
3. In your cell phone, create a new contact named Twitpic.
4. Next, scroll until you can see the email address box for the contact; key in the email address listed on your Twitpic Settings page, and Save the contact.
5. You are now ready to send a photo, so...take a photo with your cell phone. Then, select the photo and click on Send Photo. Key Twitpic into the To field, and use the Subject line to write in a description of the photo. Press Send.

That's all there is to it! Your photo will post to Twitpic, and also to your Twitterfeed, and you'll feel all techie!

Saying "Hi" to Commenters

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Not long ago, I was reviewing new content updates on the "Blogs I Learn From." On one of the sites I visited, I clicked to add a comment. When I did this, I noticed something interesting...the blog owner had a note saying "hi" to their commenters, just above the text area where I could write in my comment. Here's the blog and note:

Taste With The Eyes: "Hi there! What an absolute pleasure to hear from you. I look forward to reading what each and every one of you has to say. Your comments bring this blog to life! If you have a question or a request or would like a more detailed recipe, I will do my best to respond. Thank you so much for visiting and I can't wait to explore your unique blog as well. Lori Lynn"

It had never occurred to me that I could say "hi" in advance to my commenters! So, I got busy searching around my blog admin to figure out how to do this, and here's the easy process I discovered:

1. In your blogspot admin, click on Settings.
2. Click on the Comments tab.
3. Scroll to about halfway down the page, and you'll see something called Comment Form Message.
4. Type any greeting you like in the available text box. This message will appear just above the box your commenters will write in when they want to leave you a message.
5. When you're satisfied with your greeting, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Settings.

Ta-daa...give it a try on your own blog!
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Blogger Comments Feedback

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Thanks to everyone who voted in the recent Blog Comments poll! The question was:

What's your preferred method for responding to a visitor's comment on your own blog?

The Poll results were:

65%...I post a response in my own blog, below my visitor's comment.

24%...I visit my commenter's blog and leave a response in their most recent post.

12%...I like some other method; I'll leave a comment about it in your most recent post.

Comments about votes included:

Mouse Medicine: your sidebar question is a bit like intentions....although I might have a preferred method of responding to a visitor comment....I often get backed up and my responses to comments often go the same route as good intentions...unless of course a reader asks a direct question, then I do my darnest to reply and answer the question....often going to their blog or sending an email....

The Saltonstalls: I say leave them on both. We all like comments - so more is better right?

Alaskan Dave Down Under: I generally reply to comments on my blog(s). But if I find a new commenter then I'll go to their site and (if I like the site and content) then I'll leave comments there --but only about their post. I'll also see who's been visiting my blog(s) lately and how they got there. And again, if their site is interesting, I'll leave comments --but only "on topic".

Dudette in the Kitchenette: Both? I love getting comments too! So I like to comment on the other person's blog about one of their posts that I like or find interesting. Although, if someone comments on my blog and they've asked a question or I feel like I should respond, then I may write a comment on my own blog. There's no "right" answer, so I say, go with your gut! In general people usually appreciate a comment or a response!

Currently Purring: My rule of thumb is to keep the comments attached to the post they relate to. So I respond to comments on my own blog. When I get comments from someone who I don't recognize, I make a point to go to their blog to check it out. If I have comments on their content, I'll be sure to leave it there on their blog.

My overall takeaway from this exercise is:

• If someone leaves a comment on one of my blog posts, I'll add a response to them on my own blog, below their note, as I've seen so many experienced bloggers do. This makes for a fun and interesting dialogue and the visitor will know that I appreciate them taking the time to both stop by AND to comment.
• If I receive a comment from a new visitor, I'll take a minute to visit their blog in return, and leave a comment there, in addition to the response I make to them on my own blog.

There...that's settled. Thanks for your help, all you fabulous bloggers, you!

LinkWithin Widget

Okay, I'm just tooooo excited to not post about this...

I happened to be checking out my "Blogs I Learn From" feed, to see the new posts fellow bloggers had put up. While I was visiting the fabulous A Beach Cottage, I noticed something below the most recent post.

At the end of each post, it read: "You may also like these stories:" followed by three mini photos, and the blog titles from past posts that go with them. Below the photos and titles was a link that read: "What is LinkWithin?"

I clicked the link to find out more, but was a little doubtful that I could use it because A Beach Cottage is created on typepad rather than blogger. I'm happy to report that I was wrong!

The LinkWithin widget has been created for fairly universal blog use - you simply select the platform you're using and the proper gadget/programming is selected for you...quite slick. If you want to try this for yourself, just click the link above (or below) and follow the prompts. It's that easy, and just looks so great! Plus, it helps keep past posts (which contain VERY important information!) from being forgotten.

See....

Twitter for Newbies

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I first signed up for Twitter when we were heading to the Inauguration.

We knew people would be keeping up with our blog posts about what we were experiencing during this important and historical event, but also knew we'd be away from the computer for much of the time. Which meant our web updates wouldn't be that frequent or current. A fellow blogger, Currently Purring, had a "Follow Me On Twitter" section on her blog, and I could see updates she'd posted throughout the day. This seemed like just the tool we needed to keep our Inaugural posts updated.

I Googled Twitter and went through the easy Sign Up process, and now have my own account. I was able to easily set up my cell phone on Twitter, so I could post messages at any time from any place. And, I added the Twitter updates in the blog sidebar. This allowed me to update our blog about what we were doing during Inauguration (that is, until all cell service just stopped when the circuits were overloaded from the activity! That's me in the photo, Tweeting easily on the day before Inauguration.). I continue to use this sidebar update as a tool to keep at least a little fresh content always visible on my blog.

I've also learned a few things about Twitter along the way that I thought I'd share in my Tech Tips:

SETTINGS: once you sign up for Twitter, you can customize your home page in so many ways...change the background, add a photo, update the color scheme, modify text. There is really a lot of leeway in how you make your page look, and you can even make it kind of match your blog, if you have one. To make changes, just click on "Settings," then on "Design." The options to add photos or modify colors are at the bottom of the page, below the template designs, which you can also choose from.

LINGO:

• A comment on Twitter is a "Tweet."
• To tell others about something someone else has Tweeted, you "Retweet."
• If you take all of your Tweets and enlarge the words you write most often, those words make up your "Tweet Cloud" - the bigger the word, the more often you use it.
• "Followers" are fellow Tweeters who want to see your comments.

FOLLOWERS: These can be people you know or just strangers who feel the desire to connect with you based on where you live, what you comment about, or some other compelling reason. It's okay if a stranger follows you; I generally take a look at a new Follower's profile to read it and review their past Tweets before I begin following them, but it's considered polite to Follow in return. On rare occasions, I'll get a truly undesirable Follower, which I just ignore and they usually stop following after a few days; there's a "Block" option, which I've never used, as it seems a bit extreme.

TOPICS: so what do people Tweet about? I've seen such a variety that I don't think there is a right or wrong topic or reason for using Twitter. The comments I've seen so far are: quick updates of what someone is doing "right now" so friends on Twitter or blog viewers are kept in the know; direct responses to comments from other Tweeters; sharing of information or tech tips to inform the Twitter world; and advertising or promoting a blog, website, product, news article, video, etc. (Be sure not to Tweet toooo often though, because that's kind of like spamming in the Twitter world and you may lose a few Followers.)

FIX A TWEET: CAUTION...there is NO Fix a Tweet tool (yet). Whatever you write will be posted as-is for all the world to see, so make sure it's written and formatted the way you want it before you click "update." You can, however, delete a Tweet once it's been posted; just click on the little trash can that highlights when you scroll over the right side of the Tweet when you're on your Profile page.

RETWEEETING: if you like a website or other info that a fellow Tweeter has shared, you can Retweet it to your own group of followers. The correct netiquette for doing this is to be sure to credit the original sender. Here's the format you use: "Retweet (or RT) @(insert Tweet Name here) (insert link or info you liked here) (insert why you liked it here)" and click Update. So here's a sample Retweet... "RT@loveanewidea http://loveanewidea.blogspot.com/ Love the Inauguration stories - thanks!" (Note: you're limited to 140 characters per Tweet, so you sometimes have to simplify what you're trying to write. Using all 140 available characters is called a Twoosh.)

TWEET LABELS: if you're Tweeting about a popular topic, many Tweeters label their comments so they can easily be processed by search and statistics tools. These labels are called Hashtags. To label a Tweet, just write #(insert name of label here). So, if a current hot topic in the world of Twitter is road sign hacking (which currently IS a hot topic on Twitter), you would probably see a label such as "#signhacking" on Tweets, and would want to use that same label at the end of your comment on that topic.

REPLIES: Tweeters often respond to one another's comments. There are two ways to do this. "Reply" is the public method, and allows the recipient and others to view your response. To "Reply," just move your cursor over to the right side of the sender's comment; there is an invisible star and arrow next to each message, and these icons highlight when you scroll over them. Highlight and click on the curved arrow, which opens up a new dialog box for your response to the sender. "Direct Message" sends a Tweet to only the selected recipient, and no others can view it. To "Direct Message," just click on this option in your right panel; on the page that opens, you simply choose your recipient from the drop-down menu of all your Followers.

FAVORITES: if you especially like a Tweet you've viewed, or want to keep the info in a Tweet for future reference, you can Favorite it. Just scroll over the star to the right of the comment until it highlights, and click on it. This automatically moves the comment to your "Favorites" which you can view any time.

TWITTER STATS: Just paste this URL into your web browser: http://www.tweetstats.com/ and enter your Twitter Username to get stats on your own username. To find out how you rank, paste this into your browser: http://twitterank.com/ or http://twittercounter.com/; you can check your own rank or anyone else's (warning: this can be very sad at first because your rank will be pretty low compared to seasoned Tweeters). You can also find out if anyone is Tweeting about a topic you're interested in with this nifty Search tool.

TWITTER HELP: if you STILL want more info about Twitter, you can find it at Twitter Help. You can also learn shortcuts to do many of the things I've explained above if you want to learn them.

I'm sure I've just skimmed the surface, but the info in this post is what I've been able to figure out about Twitter in the past couple of weeks. I also know I average 6 Tweets a day and my Twitter rank is currently 13.62. I'm predicted to have 47 Followers in 30 days. And, today the top 5 words in my Tweet Cloud are: blog, Twitter, DC, dinner, and inauguration.

You might also like this terrific Intro to Twitter video.
And, here are a few Twitter applications you might find useful.
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Blogger Help Needed!

Being fairly new to blogging, I'm still learning "The Rules."

As any blogger knows, one of the especially fun aspects of publishing posts is receiving positive comments from visitors from throughout the world. Likewise, it's nice to be the one leaving the comment too. So, here's where blogger help is needed.

What is the proper netiquette for responding to comments?

So far, I've seen it handled in two different ways:

1. The blogger who received the comment responds on their own blog, below the visitors comment (this is the method I usually use).
2. The blogger visits the blog of the commenter and leaves a comment there (I don't normally use this method, but it is really nice to have the commentee visit and leave a note on my site).

So, is there a generally accepted or preferred method?

I only ask because I want to be sure I'm not inadvertently breaching the rules of netiquette. I'm posting a poll in the sidebar and I hope you'll vote on your preference. I'll publish poll results after the 30-day voting period is done. Thank you in advance for helping me "get it right."
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e-Addictions

Is it just us, or are there others out there who are also addicted to electronic media?

Anything electronic is just so much FUN! And time spent at the computer really feels like minutes; it’s always shocking to discover just how much time has passed while we’ve been mesmerized by our monitors. Here are my personal addictions (and I know there are many others I haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing)…

• Blogging – Posting, bloghopping, checking followed-blog posts, viewing the fabulous new Blog of Note, finding a comment, leaving a comment, commenting on a comment, thinking up new post ideas, re-arranging page elements, finding and adding a new gadget.


• Stats Tools – It’s a fair guess to say that about 50% of the blogs I visit have some type of statistics tool, and about 50% don’t. If you DO use a stats tracker of any kind, you know what I mean about it being fascinating to see what part of the world your visitors come from, and what posts are most appealing to the public. (Without a doubt, our first-hand accounts of the Inauguration have been the most popular so far.) And I probably don't even have to tell you how crazy good Google Analytics is.


• Twitter – I first signed up for Twitter in order to upload quick updates from my cell phone, which would enable us to keep our Inaugural posts fresh while we were away from the computer. But now, I find I can’t stop Tweeting! It’s fun to send my own updates, to read others’ Tweets, and to click on "Everyone" to see what the whole world is saying. Somebody stop me!


• Internet – is there anything that can’t be accomplished by going to the Internet first? It’s where we look up phone numbers, addresses, get directions, find hotels and restaurants, and ask “how to…” do just about anything, and usually find a useful answer. And, of course, most shopping can be done there, too. I just wish PeaPod had local service!
  

I would imagine that at some point, there will be therapists who specialize in dealing with Electronics addictions. I know that there are currently many business articles written for people who feel possessed to check their email inboxes every few minutes, and respond immediately to anything they find there. In fact, NOT checking their email eats away at them, and they finally break down and open the inbox. I’m guessing we’ll soon be seeing articles like this about easing off on Blogger, Twitter and other e-addictions.

I don’t dare get a Blackberry or an iPhone – I think I’d never get ANYTHING practical done (like feeding my child!).

PS - I found this very interesting article by Steve Tuttle about his Facebook addiction, which I think he's now overcome..."You Can't Friend Me, I Quit!"...REALY FUNNY.

Adding Spaces Between Paragraphs

Sometimes Blogspot won't do exactly what you want it to, so you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve to get it to do your bidding.

If you think you've added spaces between your paragraphs, but when you publish your post, your paragraphs are all right on top of each other, here's what you do:

1. In Edit Posts mode, move your cursor to the beginning of the paragraph you'd like spaced down a line.
2. Hold down the Shift key and press Enter until your paragraph is spaced the way you like it.
3. Publish Post.
4. View Blog, and make sure the space is there. If not, repeat this process, and it should look just the way you want it.

Add a Favicon to Your Blog

Okay, so what the heck is a favicon?

A favicon is that little image that appears to the left of a URL or web address. If you'd like a custom one of your choosing on YOUR blogspot site, here's a fairly easy, non-techy way to get one:

1. First, you need a website that will both create AND host your favicon. You can do this at IconJ.


2. Once on this site, click on "Upload Your Logo/Image/Photo File to Generate the Icon." Browse out to your files and select the image you want to use (you'll want to choose something fairly small and simple, as these icons are TINY and have very little detail). Then, click on "Upload It!"


3. You'll now see "FavIcon.Ico Successfully Generated!" and you should see your icon mini image. You don't need to click on "Download It"


4. Below "Download It" you should see "Direct Download" or "Host It at IconJ.com: Direct Link"; in the "Host It"section, copy the code you see there.


5. Now sign in to your blog and click on "Layout" then "Edit HTML"; Exercise extreme caution on this page!!!!!


6. About 10 lines or so down in the code, you'll see a line that has <> at each end; in between these two symbols, you'll find code that says "title data:blog.pageTitle/ /title". At the end of this line of code, enter down once to create a new blank line.


7. In this new blank line, paste the code you copied from IconJ.


8. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save Template"
   

That's it; now click on view blog and you should now have an icon before your blog URL (sometimes it takes a few minutes to appear, so don't worry if it doesn't happen immediately). And, you can change it any time you want too!

PS - You won't see your Favicon when you are in Edit Mode.
PPS - Be sure to bookmark the IconJ website, so you can edit your Favicon in the future.

Can you tell what my Favicon is or does it just look like a tannish "thing"?
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Don't Count Your OWN Blog Visits

Ever since I added a BlogPatrol visitor counter to my blog, which I love, I've still been a bit frustrated with the counter...

Every time I visit my own blog, which can sometimes be multiple times a day if I'm editing, changing photos, etc, I add another count to my visitor counter. Which means I'm not really counting just visitors (since I'm the most frequent visitor!!).

Then, one day, I was helping my daughter add a visitor counter to her own blog, and as I was helping her through the various BlogPatrol screens, I noticed something I'd missed before:

You can "Ban Home IP" on your counter, which means visits from your own computer will not be counted. Wooo-hooo - great news. If I turn this on, then my own visits to my own blog won't be counted.

But, wait a minute...how do I know what my IP adress is? Ah, there is another thing I never noticed before...a handy dandy "Get My IP" button, which automatically detects the IP address of the computer I'm working on.

Well, now both of these buttons have been activated, and my visitor counter should be much more accurate. (I know that's a huge relief to everyone!)

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Increasing Blog Hits

My main goal with my blog is not to increase hits. It's to:

• Learn how to manage a blog.
• Learn how to work with gadgets and other technical aspects of blogging.
• Build a base of writing, and try to post often to keep my writing skills at least active.
• Discover what type of content is of interest to others out in the world.

That being said, it's still fun when I get a visit from a new state or country, or when I all of a sudden experience an incredible number of hits all at once.

Here's what I discovered about blog hits...New Ideas Welcome averages about 15 visits per day (I know this from my use of Google Analytics - click this link for directions on getting your own FREE account; that's a sample of my Analytics "dashboard" above.) Recently, though, I unwittingly created two blog posts that created an extreme spike in hits. One post referenced Facebook and social media and the other post discussed a prank bomb threat. On each of those days, my visits spiked to an average of 46 hits! That's an increase of 215%!!!! Just from using certain words.

What's also interesting is that the hits didn't come from people searching those terms. I know that from my Feedjit tracking tool, which helps me know if someone found my blog by using a search phrase, arrived directly through bookmarking, or happened upon it by clicking Next Blog. On the days when my hits were off the charts (at least MY charts), visitors found me by clicking Next Blog.

My conclusion from all of this is that certain popular or current words and phrases cause a blog to pop up more frequently during blog browsing. Since I again used those key words in this blog content, it will be interesting to see if I again have such a spike. I'll let you know...

(12/7/08 Follow up note: use of the keywords in this blog post did NOT increase hits. Hmmm...that means it's not the words themselves; it must be something else that I haven't figured out yet.)

Embed YouTube Video in Blog Post

Okay, I just learned how to do this, and thought I'd better write it down so I can remember for the next time I want to do it...

To embed a YouTube video into a blog post (to embed is to have a video screen appear in the body of your post, rather than just pasting in a link to a video in your post...click here to see an example), follow these steps:

1. Find the YouTube video you want to embed.
2. To the right of the video on YouTube, you'll see two codes, one called "URL" and one called "embed." Copy the "embed" code.
3. If you want a border on your video, before you copy the "embed" code, click on the asterisk icon to the right of the code. A drop down menu appears, giving you various border color options. Click the color you want, make sure you check the box that says "Show Border," then copy the "embed" code.
4. On your blog, start a new post. Write whatever text you want to appear before and after the video you'll be embedding.
5. Click on the "Edit Html" tab of the post.
6. Paste the code you copied where you want the video to appear in your post text.
7. Publish post.

Pretty fancy and pretty easy!
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Things I've Learned in the Blogosphere

While bloghopping, I come across sites from all over the world. I see some trends, some similarities, and I also learn about new things. Here's what I've discovered:

• Etsy Store: I'd never heard of this before, but kept seeing it on blogs. I googled it and found out that it's an online store that allows individuals to post handmade items for sale. Great idea, and what a terrific place to find special gifts for people. Many bloggers show the items they're working on that are for sale at Etsy.
• Family & Friends Update: many people use a blog to keep family and friends updated about their life, the growing kids (or new ones!), new marriage, new house, etc. It's a terrific way to let people know what's going on and to see the related pictures. People also use these update sites when they've moved to a new place, and want to let the family back home know what life is like in, say, Alaska (some of my favorite blogs show life in this interesting part of the US).
• Practice, Practice, Practice: photographers and writers use the blogosphere to practice their writing, practice their photography skills, and learn the concepts of posting effectively to a blog, find their "theme," try layouts and templates, etc. This is where I fit in.

Overall, here are blogging words of wisdom from my point of view:

• Short posts are best, because they don't seem too daunting to read.
• Bullets or numbered lists are nice because they break up the text and allow for quick browsing of content.
• Photos are especially appealing because they give us a window into a world different from our own. Interestingly, a blog with just photos and no text isn't quite as much fun because we don't get to learn about the writer or the subject of the photos.
• Updating photos on a fairly regular basis is good so the look of the site doesn't get stale.
• Conversely, blogs with just text with no photos aren't quite as enticing to read, no matter how great the writing (and there are some VERY clever writers out there!).
• It's nice when the blogger leaves the Navbar in the layout, so we can easily get to the next blog.
• The interaction of getting a comment from someone, someone voting on my poll, or having a blog follower is part of the fun of blogging.
• Advertising blogs are just so wrong.

Well, I'll keep practicing my blogging, bloghopping to see how others do it, and tweaking my site as I learn from all of the experts out there!

Track Blog Activity with Google Analytics

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For those of you interested in tracking hits to your blog, Google Analytics offers a great FREE tool. Once you begin using it, you'll love the information it provides. Heres' a quick how-to:

1. Visit www.google.com/analytics and follow the instructions to sign up for a new account.
   
2. Once your account is set up, you'll be asked to paste in your site's/blog's URL. When you paste your URL in the box provided, be sure to remove the "http:/" from the beginning of the URL, as that is already provided for you. If you leave it in what you've pasted, it will make your URL invalid.
3. You're now on a screen called Analytics: Tracking Instructions, which shows you an HTML tracking code. Copy this code.


4. Now, click into your blog, and sign in to "customize". Click on "Layout" then "Edit HTML".


5. Now you're in delicate territory - take it slow here!!!! You are in the actual code that makes your blog look and act the way it does. Take your time. It looks like a scary mess of words and symbols. Scroll waaaaaayyyyy down to the bottom of the code section and look for the word "/body" with "< >" on either side of it (sorry, I can't type the word and characters as a unit, because it's then actual HTML code, and the blogspot posting page won't allow HTLM code in a post). It's very important that you choose the "body" with the "/" in front of it. Click in just before this code and enter down a line.


6. Now paste in the HTML tracking code you copied from your Google Analytics page into the new line you've created, just above the "body" code.


7. Press "Save Template".


8. That's it!

Now, when you visit your Google Analytics page, you'll be able to see stats on your blog, like: number of visits, average time visitors spent on your site, whether or not they used a search word to find you (and if yes, which one) and where your visitors are from. It's all presented in easy-to-read charts, and becomes very addicting to check up on!
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Edit HTML / JavaScript on Blog

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Woo-hoo - thanks to Ajay Gupta at Google, I am now able to add gadgets to my blog using HTML code!

For anyone trying to figure this out, just follow these steps:

1. Click on "Layout" / "Page Elements"
2. Click on "Add a Gadget"
3. Under Basics is an option for "HTML / JavaScript"; click on this
4. In the pop up box, you can choose to enter a name for this gadget in the Title area, or just leave it blank. If you're adding a visual element, you may want to leave the Title blank. (If you leave the Title blank, this gadget will be titled "HTML/JavaScript" while in edit mode; on the actual blog, only your new graphics/gadget will appear.)
5. Your HTML code can be pasted into the Content box. (You do need to have the code.)
6. To get the code to add a LinkedIn profile to a blog: while signed into LinkedIn, click on "Edit My Profile"; on the Edit My Profile page, click on "Edit Public Profile Settings" on the upper right side of the page; under Public Profile, click on the "customized buttons" link; select and copy the code for the image you prefer. Back on your blog, paste this code into the Content box.
7. Click "Save"

That's it. Too easy! And I spent so long searching the web for this tool. After growing tired of fruitless searching, I went to LinkedIn Groups, and checked out the members of my Google Adwords group. I spotted a member with a blog, and on that blog was just the button / gadget I was trying to add. I emailed him (Ajay) to ask how it was done, and had a response in minutes.

Thanks Ajay!

Learning YouTube

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Well, I've wanted to submit a video to YouTube for some time now, just because I think the site is so absolutely cool. I'm in the process of learning how to transfer my video from a small digital camcorder onto my computer, modify it with Movie Maker, and then upload to the web.

Too bad my very first video won't be about something great. Instead, I'm documenting the painful process of working with Best Buy. Not fun at all.

In July, Best Buy "accidentally" deleted ALL the files on my computer for the past 4 years without creating backup files! Yikes! That's everything - photos, tax returns, Masters thesis...you name it. It's all gone. And, I've been recording the details of working through this with them. Customer service is unfortunately not a priority. It's quite a mess, and not fun, but at least I'm motivated to learn the YouTube process.

To my delight, YouTube offers many videos for newbies like me, giving step-by-step instructions for uploading video from a camcorder. According to the videos related to my type of camera and computer, I need a firewire, which is on its way in the mail from Amazon. I'll give the upload a try as soon as it gets here.
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