Intro to Podcasting - Definitions, Equipment, Uses
What is a podcast and what equipment do you need to create one? The video below gives a brief introduction to podcasts. Enjoy.
Software
May 15, 2008
May 11, 2008
How to Add an "Andertoon" Cartoon of the Day to Your Blog or Web
The Andertoons.com website offers a free way to have a "Cartoon of the Day" that updates every day for your website or blog.
On the left side of this blog in the upper portion of the sidebar you can see an example of an "Andertoon Cartoon of the Day." Here are the steps to add one to your blog if you wish.
1. SELECT CARTOON CATEGORY. Go to Andertoons.com and select the cartoon category. Topics include business, family, animal, professional, other, holidays and so on.
2. COPY CARTOON CODE. Click to copy the code for the cartoon of the day that is in the box.
3. PASTE CODE ON BLOG. In a sidebar element on your blog click and paste to enter the code. Save or publish.
Enjoy a new cartoon each day.
How to Use Free Online Photo Software From Google - Picasa.google.com
Are you new to using photos on the internet, but wishing to get started?
The photo on the left, of the Morro Bay Rock, Morro Bay, California, was uploaded from my Picasa program, and it's easy to do this.
Picasa is a free photo organizer and editor software from Google you can download that also has free help and support.
The steps to get started are included below.
1. DOWNLOAD PROGRAM. Go to Picasa.google.com and click "Try Picasa Now." On the next screen click "Download Picasa."
2. PICASA FEATURES INCLUDE:
A. FINDING PHOTOS. It will find all the photos saved on your computer and display them on a screen so you can scroll down to see them.
B. EFFECTS. Special effects include cropping, straightening, fixing redeye, auto-color (change tint), fill-light (lighten dark photos) adding captions, and more
C. CREATING. Creations you can make include such things as collages with grids or picure piles, albums, slideshows, posters
D. SHARING. SharIng includes uploading groups of photos in albums to your picasa on the web pages, which come with the program.
I made the slideshow below of the Oregon Coast by using Picasa. The banner for this website was also made from photos I saved to Picasa.
At Online-Image-Editor.com - How to Create a Custom Blog Banner
The banner at the top of this blog was created by using Free-Image-Editor.com. Here are the steps that were used. There are many banner creator sites you can use, and the steps below serve as an example of banner creation.
1. CREATE IMAGE. In Picasa or your preferred photo software select a group of photos, and click to choose the option "collage" which offers either a "grid" or "picture pile."
2. CHOOSE BACKGROUND. Choose the background color if you chose picture pile and save the file.
3. GO TO AN IMAGE EDITOR. Go to Free-Image-Editor. com and click "Open" under "File" in the menu at the top.
4. UPLOAD IMAGE. Click on "Upload" and browse to select your picture. You might want to upload it at 50% or a size of your choice.
5. SELECT BANNER SIZE. Click the scissors icon to type in the width and height. For a custom theme template that you create in typepad you can change these from the pre-defined. Enter the size you are using for your template.
6. CREATE BANNER TEXT. Click on the "T" icon and enter the text, font and color for your banner. Then click on it and move it to the desired location.
7. APPLY CHANGES. Click "apply" and then click "File" and "Save."
8. UPLOAD NEW BANNER TO BLOG. Next, go to the custom design and custom banner upload section of the dashboard on your blog and upload the new banner image.
May 09, 2008
Visit Technorati.com the Blog Authority
Technorati.com is the blog authority that provides the list of the 100 top blogs on the internet. Rising blog links of the day, the top "tags" (search words), and "blogger central" are at Technorati.com.
It's important to create one of the free accounts there for your blog. When you update your blog you can set up an automatic "ping" that alerts technorati to new material. Explore the technorati site and you'll get a picture of blogging, what's new, and what is successful.
May 07, 2008
Video - How To Publish Your Blog As A Book
Would you like to find out how to publish your blog as a book? The video below walks you through the steps.
May 04, 2008
How to Find Easy to Use Blog Software
(1) Free, easy to use, popular blog software is available at Blogger and at Wordpress . Blogger.com and Wordpress.com both offer the standard blog format of a column of dated entries of information. At Wordpress.com you have some options that Blogger does not offer. You can write posts or pages, so it can be a combination blog and website.
2. Wordpress.org is another wordpress software that is more advanced, and it is often the choice for a business or professional blog.
3. For $4.95 per month you can start a blog atTypepad, and you have the choice of moving up through many levels of features to an advanced business blog.
Many business and professional people use Typepad. In fact, I am using Typepad for Easy Tech Online.
How To Get Help Or Find Answers at Wordpress
You might be starting your first blog or website on Wordpress.com, or perhaps you have inherited the role of webmaster for an existing site there.
If so, below are some tips to understanding the concepts and terms. In the upper right corner of the the Wordpress.com home page you'll see some options you can click on that will explain how to use the site.
1. Features - Covers ideas, terms and how to do things
2. Support - Free support is available and you'll find a list of topics.
3. Story - The story of the background of Wordpress is very interesting.
4. Advanced - Services beyond basic services that Wordpress provides.
5. FAQ's - Browsing FAQ's can help newbies get a total picture of the concepts.
What Is A Blog?
The video above answers the question "What is a blog?" and explains the benefits of using a blog.
May 02, 2008
"What's The Difference Between a 'Post' and a 'Page' at Wordpress?
"What's the difference between a 'post' and a 'page' at Wordpress ?" is a question someone asked me today. Below is a video from youtube that discusses posts and pages on Wordpress.
Steps to Add a Widget for a Game to Your Website or Blog
Widgets are small bits of software which can be used to add everything from site counters to video games to your website.
If you are new to using widgets, don't be stressed. At widgetbox.com you can see examples of widgets.
1. When you click to choose a widget a box will open up with a message to copy the few lines of code that are in the box.
2. Highlight the box
3. Right-click and choose copy
4. Paste it into the place on your site where you want to place the widget
5. Click your "save" or "publish" area.
A search for "free widgets" will offer plenty of sites. One of the largest collections is at widgetbox.com.
Below, for example, is a bowling game widget. Feel like trying for some strikes and spares? Enjoy.
May 01, 2008
How to Use Technorati - Pings, Widgets, Ranks, Favorites
Technorati provides a service for "pinging" your blog or website each time you update it which alerts the internet that your site has new content. Blogs are ranked according to various data, and social networking enables you to promote your blog.
Widgets are available, such as the ones on this site that are updated continually reflecting what people are searching for on the web and at technorati. One of the popular widgets allows your readers to select your blog as a Favorite if they wish, and the number of times your blog gets a Favorite is part of the data at Technorati.
It's a good place to go when you want to check blog ranks. What's in the top 100 blogs on the internet? The top ten? Which blogs have been linked to the most often and have the most Favorites?
April 30, 2008
How to Sell From Your Blog With A Paypal Shopping Cart
The steps to sell items from a shopping cart by using Paypal include the following.
1. PAYPAL ACCOUNT. Open up a Paypal account by going to the website and creating one.
2. PAYPAL SHOPPING CART. Next log in to the paypal shopping cart and fill in the required information to sell your item.
3. PASTE SHOPPING CART CODE to your blog. Each blogging software will have it's own place where you can do this. In Typepad you can use a Typelist and under lists use a Note.
4. STOREFRONT WIDGET. This is also available a Paypal and can be added to the blog's sidebar.
5. PAYPAL HELP will give you can overview of the facts and steps.
Successful Internet Entrepreneur Advises - Be Directly Involved With Your Online Store Daily, Know How To Use Your Store Software
The owner of Red Oxx travel adventure gear, Montana, advises owners of online stores to be able to work directly on their own website, instead of depending upon others.
Personally fine tuning details of your online store presence can be one of the secrets of success. No one else but the store owner has the unique perspective and vision of the total picture.
In the video below the owner for Red Oxx travel adventure gear discusses his concepts and what helped him achieve success.
First Step of Building Online Store - Create Helpful Content For Readers
Preparing to start an online store needs to start with creating helpful content for readers, and for search engines to pick up. Simply listing the products will not be enough to create web traffic, good search ratings, and popularity with readers.
Visitors will keep coming back to read the new content. They might list your site under their favorites, refer their friends, or click to receive updates via an RSS feed.
Search engines often find blog software to be search friendly, and blogs may rank higher than regular websites.
The video below will discuss some of these topics.
April 28, 2008
Using Widgets - Small Pieces of Software You Add to a Blog
People who use blog software can add small bits of additional software called "widgets." The video below explains more about widgets and how to use them.
April 27, 2008
How To Use A Video On Your Blog to Promote Your Organization
I made the video below for the Central Coast Seniors Center, and you can do the same to promote your favorite nonprofit organization. At youtube.com and other similar video sites you can upload videos to promote your nonprofit organization on the internet, or just provide videos for enjoyment.
(1) One easy way to do this is with Windows software, which includes the free Windows Movie Maker, but you can use any of the free softwares on the internet to do this.
(2) For an example of a nonprofit organization with a slideshow on youtube.com you can click on the link below which will jump to the video on youtube. (This is done by copying the address and then pasting it here.)
(3) The slideshow from youtube is also featured as an example in this post. (This is done by copying the code where it says "embed" and then pasting the code here.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epGl9daMG3k
