Blogs and Websites - RV-Dreams Community Forum

GrammyFran · RV-Dreams Community Member

Blogs and Websites

Speedhitch · RV-Dreams Family Member

I will stick with my Blogspot. It works real good for me and I have no problem uploading pictures. Some of these journal are a little complicated for me. Oh well I am sure someone out there will be able to set your mind at ease.

Joe and Sherri

GrammyFran · RV-Dreams Community Member

What I really need to know is how to "embed" a link in your site, whether it's a blog or a website. And does anyone have a favorite place or two to find these "tools", like a little block that shows the weather where you tell it you are, or a counter to see how many have visited? KWIM? Thanks for any help anyone can give. smile

mrsgeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

Blogger is definitely the easiest blogging system out there. But, I agree .. I hate the way pictures always go to the top. I really like using Picasa Web Albums for my photos, then I just copy the code for any given photo and paste it into my blog ... right where I want it! Both PIcasa and Blogger are by Google, so they work together quite well. Including slideshows in your blog. Check out my blog post for today (7/19/08) for a sample.
As for links, the steps are:
1. select the text you want to be clickable
2. click on the link tool in the toolbar
3. enter the full URL (web address) for the place you want to link to

I have lots of tutorial videos on how to use Blogger on my website ... www.geeksontour.com Some of them are free, to view all of them, you need to become a member ($29/yr right now).

Blogger also makes it pretty easy to put gadgets into the sidebar.

GrammyFran · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks sooo much, Chris! I think this will help me get started again, and I'll be sure to take a look at your website and the tuts. Maybe I should change back to a blog (and drive all of my family and friends crazy! LOL)

GrammyFran · RV-Dreams Community Member

Doesn't seem to work for me. Anyone???

-- Edited by GrammyFran at 14:41, 2008-07-23

Howard · Host

GrammyFran,

We may be able to help you better if you tell us what blog or website software you are using. I'm guessing that you are using a template and the template may dictate what little "features" you can add and where.

Once we know your options on where you might be able to add those little features and at what size, the insertion of the code is pretty easy - assuming you have access to modify. With many free sites, you are limited as to what you can modify.

Depending on the website or blog software, most have "help forums" or something similar and chances are someone has asked your particular question for that software before. That's usually where I find my answers for "How do I ..." type questions for specific applications.

We'll get you taken care of one way or another. biggrin

mrsgeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hey!

What exactly doesn't work?
First of all, if you're following my instructions, you need a Picasa Web Album. Do you have that?
Second, all the pictures you want in a slideshow need to be in one album.
Third, when you view the album in Picasa Web Albums, you click on the link at left to 'Embed Slideshow'
Fourth, you copy the code given and then paste it into the HTML of your blog or website.

So, where is the part that's not working? 1, 2, 3 or 4?

mrsgeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

oops - wrong question huh? those are instructions for embedding a slide show. Sorry, I got you confused with another question I was answering.

You just wanted to make a link, right?
The instructions I gave are for making a link using the blogger system. It's similar with other systems (select the text you want to be clickable, click the 'make a link' tool, type the address you are linking TO, click OK.

If you're using something that doesn't have a 'make a link' tool, you may need to write the html code yourself. It looks like this:

Every character in black is required, and they must be in the order shown. The text in blue needs to be replaced with the address of your link's destination. The text in red needs to be replaced with the text you want displayed.

Hope that helps.

gypsy97 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I just started a blog on blogspot, gypsy97@blogspot.com, and when I try to send this link to my kids & sibs my Outlook Express program seems to think it's spam. I had a heckuva time getting the mail out - kept rearranging where in the email I put the link, etc. Trouble is I don't remember what I did last so that I can do it again smile

I doubt that I will have anything to update more often than once a week for a while, at least until my house sells. Then I'll be scrambling!
gypsy

netters · RV-Dreams Family Member

Gypsy, I think your blog address should read: www.gypsy97.blogspot.com
and not with the @ sign. I tried it that way and it worked for me. Try it that way and see if that works for you. Just copy and paste that link into the body part of your email when you send it out not in the address line and it should send fine. I'll add it to my google reader and keep up with your progress. good Luck!!!

-- Edited by netters at 17:55, 2008-08-13

-- Edited by netters at 18:01, 2008-08-13

gypsy97 · RV-Dreams Family Member

netters wrote:

Gypsy, I think your blog address should read: www.gypsy97.blogspot.com
and not with the @ sign. I tried it that way and it worked for me. Try it that way and see if that works for you. I'll add it to my google reader and keep up with your progress. good Luck!!!

-- Edited by netters at 17:55, 2008-08-13

Thanks Netters, I finally realized that I automatically typed the @ sign. But when I tried to send the link to friends & family for http://gypsy97.blogspot.com, charter email refused to send it out (something made them think it was spam). I finally had to leave out the dots separating the sections of the link, and it went out. I'm disgusted with Charter, that's for sure. I've signed up for an email account with myRVspace, which is: gypsy97@myRVspace.com, in anticipation of when I'm finally out of my house and into an RV, although I;m so used to using Outlook Express that it's a bit difficult to get used to a new system. I'll find something I like eventually.
gypsy

mrsgeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

If I were you, I'd get my own email domain ... I just checked, and, gypsy97.com or .us is available. $10/year includes an email account. You can set it up to use with outlook, or you can use godaddy's webmail feature.

gypsy97 · RV-Dreams Family Member

mrsgeek wrote:

If I were you, I'd get my own email domain ... I just checked, and, gypsy97.com or .us is available. $10/year includes an email account. You can set it up to use with outlook, or you can use godaddy's webmail feature.

How do I get to the site to check this out? Sounds like what I want. Thanks.
gypsy

mrsgeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

I use www.godaddy.com for domain registration. There are lots of others, but nobody can beat godaddy's prices.

RVDude · RV-Dreams Family Member

Another second on godaddy.com. You can't beat their domain registering prices or their hosting service prices. On top of that when you call them, if you ever need too, a real person who really knows their stuff always answers the phone in less than a minute and 24/7.

Don't be fooled by their name, they are something like the world's largest domain registrar. More solid than a rock. Great Super Bowl ads too!

jimdee · RV-Dreams Family Member

We found a neat website that's just starting for fifthwheel owners. Please check out:

http://www.fifthwheelliving.com/

It also has a forum. Just thought I'd pass on the info