Mariannes Motifs

Entrecard - now you can add more blogs to your account.

Have you ever wondered what the little "Entrecard" ad is on the sidebar of my blog?  Entrecard is a very cool blog promotional tool which allows you to drop cards (drop in on) other blogs and rack up points which can be used to then advertise on other Entrecard blogs.  It used to be that you could only have one blog per account, and just today they have announced that you can now add additional blogs to your Entrecard account, and even link up extra accounts that were created to get around the limit in the past.  Yay!  Now that I am rolling out CrohnsDiseaseRelief.com, I actually have 3 blogs, so this is perfect for me.

Also, here is a link to the new Entrecard Official E-book which is a helpful resource for learning to use the features of their system.

I signed up with Social Spark

I signed up for a new blogging social media and promotion site called SocialSpark.

This is a really interesting new invention from the folks at Izea, who created RealRank, PayPerPost, and Zookoda.  Izea, has been no stranger to controversy, with some being critical of the concept of paid blogging.   Social Spark I think is a next step move by the company, as the links are required to have the no follow attribute that Google requires for ad links. 

Social Spark is set up like a social networking site - like a myspace for bloggers with the addition of a a marketplace for posts, links, and comments on blogs and sites.

The site is still in beta, and I felt like there are some things that Izea will likely improve as the beta goes forward.  Some bloggers have been confused about the way the opportunity "queuing" works, and I was a bit lost in the flashy interface.  It seems a bit like the wild wild west out there, and I bet it will settle down once people get used to it and a few new views and features are added.  All in all I will give it a shot.  I like to make a little mad money through the blog, so I am glad to try out a service that will enable that. 

One of the more interesting things I found was that alot of people were doing free opportunities for promoting their blogs - things like if you write a post about my blog, I will write a post about yours.  Kind of a fun way to get your name out there and get more readership.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due - Attribution & Blogs

I read a very interesting blog post on the Izea Posties blog about Attribution.  The author talks about how he had a blog feud with the writers of Engaget because he felt they were using his ideas with attributing them to him.  Now, as the writer of a blog with a much wider audience, he finds himself on the other side of the debate.

As blogging takes over some of the space previously inhabited only by professional journalists, it might behoove bloggers to adopt some of the rules and conventions of "proper" journalism.  The correct attribution of reputable sources is probably the most important item.  This can help bloggers avoid plagiarism, copyright infringement, and also the spread of false information.  By doing your research and then properly crediting your sources, you can take a personal blog and give it some real professional polish.

So instead of So and So Via So and So Via So and So, I like to find the MOST reputable source I can, such as the manufacturer itself, CNN, etc. and use those types of articles as my sources.  I do like to credit the one blogger who happened to be the one I learned something from though.  We could all use a little link love, right?

Previous Next Links (pagination) in Footer of Typepad Blog

Typepad has a new beta feature available that alot of people have been looking for: the ability to add a Previous/Next Posts to the footer of the main page of your blog.  They call this pagination.   This is great because if someone is reading your blog and comes to the bottom of the page you want them to be able to easily continue reading.  Blogger has had this "Pagination" feature but Typepad lacked pagination until now.

I had to enter a help ticket with Typepad and ask for this feature to be enabled, and they told me that it does not yet have support for Advanced blog templates or Multimedia templates.

Here is some info from my help ticket - you can see what the typepad previous next pagination feature looks like by looking at the bottom of this here blog!  Its sort of backwards of what I am used to, the older posts are to the right, but whatever.  I solved any confustion by just labeling them Older and Newer so its hopefully idiot proof.   I really like Typepad and this again proves that they are a great blogging platform and well worth the money I pay for it.

Hello,

I would like to add next/previous links to the footer or bottom of my main page on my Typepad blog. I understand that this is a new feature you are in the process of rolling out and may need to be added to my account?

Please advise. I really think this is a good feature for people to keep reading when they get to the bottom of the front page of the blog.

Marianne

 

  On Apr 9, 2008 11:24:12 PM, TypePad Customer Support said: 

Hi Marianne,

Thanks for your interest in beta testing new features in TypePad.

At this time, we are able to make the changes to your account that will allow you to see the new features. Please be aware that Advanced Templates and Mixed Media Layouts are not fully supported with these new features, so if you use or switch to either of these, you may experience problems.

If you notice any problems after we switch your account, please update this ticket and let us know as soon as possible.

Please respond to this ticket if you would like these changes to be applied to your account.

Thanks,
Kymberlie

 

  On Apr 10, 2008 9:47:33 AM, you (Marianne) said: 

Yes, please, I would love to have this feature.  I have a custom template, but not an advanced template. 

Marianne

 

  On Apr 12, 2008 12:55:21 PM, TypePad Customer Support said: 

Hi Marianne,

We have now made the changes to your account necessary to see our new beta features.

As we mentioned previously, Mixed Media Layouts are not fully supported with these new features, so if you notice any problems, please update this ticket and let us know as soon as possible.

To turn on pagination for your weblog's recent posts page, go to Weblogs > Design > Preferences and put a check next to "Show navigation links on the recent posts page".

You can configure the appearance of the navigation links and set how many posts to have per page from Preferences also.

More information setting your weblog preferences is available at:
http://kb.typepad.com/id/72

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Thanks,
Laura

Is Blogging Addictive?

There have been some news stories lately about how blogging is addictive, and I can really see the point!  I wrote 5 posts yesterday, not to mention I checked my statistics and keywords on Statcounter, and as well I submitted my 2 sites to a directory.

I wonder if there is Blogger Rehab, like drug rehabilitation but for Blogging addicts?  LOL. 

Web log Renovations

Pardon the construction dust.  I am doing some renovations and redesign on this blog.  First of all, I bought the domain marinnesmotifs.com so I can have an easy to remember web address!  Yay!

The second part of the renovation is to redesign the typepad template for a better look and feel.  My goal is to make the blog an interesting and pleasant read - so I think its time to re-do the look and feel for more simple and clean look.  With the addition of advertisements, I really feel its more important than ever to keep the blog looking nice and simple.  I really don't like flashing, clashing colors, and stuff going on all over the place.  So, its a balance between commerce and class, I guess and we will see how I can do.  :-)

Top 7 Posts Roundup

Its time to do a roundup of my 7 most popular blog articles which have gotten lost in the archives.  I'm dusting them off and featuring them today in a Monday Top 7 Roundup.

#1.   Photoshop Unsharp Mask Settings - Defog, sharpen, and improve your Photos in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  Included Scott Kelby's settings, defog, and web sharpen.

#2.  My Hero - NFL Quarterback with Crohn's Disease.   David Garrard, QB for Jacksonville Jaguars.  Read about this inspiring young man. 

#3.  Daikon Radish Kimchi Recipe.   My Mother-In-Law's yummy fresh Kimchi recipe.

#4  Abondance Cheese.  Hard to find, my elegy to the best cheese I have ever eaten.

#5  Tax Rebates and Consumer Economy.  Here is my essay on how to fix  what is wrong with the US economy.

#6  Terrorism vs. Tourism.  Not content with solving the problems of the US economy, here I solve the Mid-East Peace crisis.

#7.  Quick Page Brag Book Tutorial.  How to use a Pre-Made Album from Kim Hill to make an easy, gorgeous brag book in minutes. 

 

Introducing - Sci Fi Jungle

I've been cheating on you.  I have another weblog on the side.  Its been weighing heavily on my mind, and rather than try to keep it a secret, I have decided to let the world know about:

Sci Fi Jungle

The Sci Fi Jungle is a group initiative where we will be celebrating all things Science Fiction, with reviews, previews, information, and commentary.  We also feature the wonderful art of James A. Bowen available through the store at Cafe Press.  I am working on securing another artist or two to the consortium, so please send me some good vibes on that.

Escher's "Relativity" in LEGO®

Just because it's cool - check out this guy's site:

Escher's "Relativity" in LEGO®

New Weblog

Welcome to my new weblog.  I have decided to try Typepad as a tool.  I am looking for something that is easy to use, and will give me the flexibility to make a nice looking site.  My goal is to post pictures of my (if I do say so myself) darling kids for my family, share my digital scrapbook pages, and also post some freebie digital scrapbooking elements and kits.

Here is the latest layout I have made.  The papers and elements are from a free kit "Barcelona Weekend" by Rikki, available at http://rikkid.typepad.com/rikkiscraps/.  She is one of my favorite designers and she is very generous with free kits.  Her style suits mine.  I am a fan.  LOL.