Archive for January, 2008:
Promoting stamping products on blogs – interesting thread at SCS
Back in November there was an interesting discussion at Splitcoaststampers about the promoting of stamping products via linking in posts and tutorials on blogs.
I think reading this discussion would be helpful for those who are unsure about how to write posts which include the products they sell. It may give some opinions about what is generally accepted in the blog stamping world. I’m so glad someone started this discussion.
Here is the post. Perhaps you may have opinions of your own to share in this thread.
Tired of the same Blogger template?
There are some awesome Blogger templates here at
Pyzam – large selection, in my opinion these are awesome
Final Sense – they have some really nice flower and plant ones. There are some nice ones in the "Simple and Clear" too.
Adding your Feed to your FB Profile
Let your FB friends know what your most recent blog posts are!
Make it easy for your customers and friends at Facebook to read your blog posts. Sign up for Feed Friend!
Instructions for setting up Feed Friend:
Click on "Applications" on the left side of your FB profile.
Click on "Browse more Applications"
In the Search Apps field, type "Feed Friend"
Add this Application
Now you’ll need to add your feed
Go to "Manage Feeds"
"Your Feeds"
Click on "Add a new Feed"
Type in your Feed URL
Your newest blog posts will now appear on your FB profile. Anytime you post something new on your blog, it will also appear in your FB Feed that gets published to your friends and customers at FB!
If you go to your Feed Friend App, you will also be able to read your friend’s feeds too!
PayPal Storefront Photo upload instructions for Typepad
I took some time today to upload some items for sale in my PayPal store widget at the right. I’ve had many people ask me for help. It really is quite easy!
Typepad Users:
Find photos of the items you’d like to sell.
Go to "Control Panel"
Then go to "Files"
Upload the photos you’d like featured in your PayPal Store widget
In a new window, have your PayPal Administration site open at the same time
Click on the name of your photo in your list of files on Typepad to open in a new window
Copy/Paste the URL for this photo into your PayPal Administration Product Detail window. Click on the arrow.
Your photo will upload
Do each the same way.
Then update your storefront!
HINT: Include shipping cost in your price. It appears there isn’t an option to add shipping fee at this time.
Keep your graphics small and your posts “above the fold”
I love visiting digital scrapbooking blogs. The art that can be created with digital kits can be simply gorgeous! When I went to this blog by Dawn Inskip I was in awe… except that my enjoyment of her blog was spoiled by the load time it took to pull up her site!
I admire Dawn’s creativity, but she needs a bit of training on how to keep load time down. It is going on 15 minutes using high speed internet connection and the banner still isn’t showing up let alone all her creations. As we speak, her banner is just starting to show up.
Do you really want your readers to remain on your site for at least 15 minutes before the title of your blog appears? I can tell you that I sure don’t.
Here are some tips to keep load time to a minimum.
1. Save your graphics at low resolution. Use a maximum of 72 dpi (Dawn’s are 300!)
2. For blogs that post creations with large graphics, limit "number of posts to display" to about 1 or 2.
3. Keep thumbnails smaller and link to a larger image. This gives the reader the choice of seeing the image larger if they want to.
4. Reduce the size of your banner. There is no need to have a huge "in your face" banner when the content "above the fold" is what your readers really want to see. "Above the Fold" is a newspaper term that means literally the text that is designed to appear above the fold. The masthead of a newspaper is not the main focus and neither should your banner be the main focus. The content your readers really want to read is your newest post. If your banner is too large, the content in your first post will be "below the fold" and thus, not visible to the reader. Do your reader a favor. Don’t make them scroll down to read your newest post!
Dawn’s blog has some incrediblely beautiful creations. It is a shame I have to wait so long to see them.
I’m experienced in graphic design!
A little about me:
In October 2006 I began designing blog banners for clients at Splitcoaststampers. I’m on my second year as a banner designer.
I have a day job at a local newspaper and one of my responsibilities involves designing promotional ads and buttons for the website as well as adding graphic content to the site. I also build web pages.
As you can see, my background in professional graphic design work is a strong asset in my blog banner design work for blogging stampers!
Trust someone with graphic design experience.
Here are a few ads I’ve designed and had published!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle
