How the Heck Did You Do That?? Blogger Tips and Tricks #4

Blogger Tips and Tricks #4

1. How do I create a scrolling blogroll?

• Go to add a gadget or html code for sidebar 
• For blogger under add a gadget select html/java code
• Paste the following code and add a title such as "Blogs I Follow" 

<center><div class="textwidget"><marquee direction="up" width="200" onmouseover="this.stop()" scrollamount="2" onmouseout="this.start()" height="200" align="left">

</marquee></div>

• Now you can add buttons. 
• Go to your fave blog.
• Copy their button code and paste that code between red html code and the blue html code

You have a scrolling blogroll for your favorite blogs. You can add as many buttons as you like, but always keep the code between the red and blue html. 

Here is an example:

<center><div class="textwidget"><marquee direction="up" width="200" onmouseover="this.stop()" scrollamount="2" onmouseout="this.start()" height="200" align="left">

<a href="http://www.caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa411/kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer/vectorstock_715065-1button.jpg" /></a>

<a href="http://rainydayramblings.typepad.com/"><img src="http://rainydayramblings.typepad.com/Images/button.jpg">

</a>

<center><a href="http://melissaseclecticbookshelf.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Melissa Eclectic Bookshelf" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac339/Loriimagination/melissasbookshelf/testbutton2.jpg"/></a></center>

</marquee></div>

The mustard, purple and green colors are all button codes, and you simply copy and paste them under each other, being sure to keep them between the red and blue html code.



2. Five tips on how to grow your blog:

• Visit other blogs and leave meaningful comments.
• Start a twitter account -get to know bloggers and authors. Tweet your content. Be sure your twitter name and icon match your blog so they are easily recognizable
• Start a facebook page for your blog. This is a perfect place to connect, share bookish news and control the content on your blog.
• Post consistently. While you do not have to post everyday, a blog that sits inactive for weeks at a time, will be forgotten. 
• Review things you are passionate about. Good reviews that show your personality and reflect books you like will attract like minded readers. 

3.  I was emailed the following question: 

 How do you post on a daily basis? 

                   

I am actually posting weeks in advance. For instance this post which will publish on November 17, is actually being written on October 10th. 

Ideally, the way to do this is to create blog posts for two to three weeks before you go live. However if you are like me, you dove in headfirst and asked questions later. So here are some tips to build a base:

• Write up reviews for books you have already read. Lets say six to eight reviews. These can be books you read in the last five years, or make a post showcasing a series or author..be creative. 
• Participate in at least one meme or create your own weekly post. Since we all cannot review seven books a week, try to have at least two days with memes such as Waiting on Wednesday or The Sunday Post. As an alternative create your own weekly post such as a bookish news post. 
• Join a blog tour group. Ask bloggers you trust which tour groups they recommend. 
• Map out at least two weeks worth of reviews, memes and tours. 

Now that you have a PLAN, your pre-written posts, memes and hopefully tour date you are ready to organize. Gather all of the books you have promised to review but have not read. Create a list based on release dates. 

Organization is the key!

Get a calendar or use an online one.  (I use Google calendar) 

• Determine how many books you want to review and how many you can read each month. This is really important..do not overreach in your commitments or you will quickly burn out. Error on the low side. 
• Determine how many scheduled memes you will be participating in each week. 

For me I can easily review 8 books a month.
I participate in two memes a week and once a month I post Blogger Tips and Tricks

Open your calendar for the Next three months:

• Add all of your scheduled memes(for the entire 3 months) I know you haven't written them, but fill in those dates. I use red for planned and blue for completed and scheduled.
• Schedule all of the book reviews you wrote from above for the next two to three weeks, add in any blog tours you have scheduled. 
• Now beginning two - three weeks from today's date start adding book post dates. These are books you have not yet read for review. The number of books scheduled to post for review will be based on the number of books you decided you could read a month.  (For me I can do eight a month, so each week I schedule two review posts, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)
• Now that your schedule is up, begin reading the books scheduled for two to three weeks from now. You should have ample time to read and review them. (If you aren't able to read your own books or feel locked into a reading schedule ..go back and adjust the number of books you can review in a month.)
• Fill in empty slots with blog tours, books you've read, bookish news, cover reveals or another meme.

Scheduling Ahead for Book Reviews, Blog Tours, Guest Post etc:

Whenever you are asked to review a book or find yourself drooling on NetGalley, look at the book(s) release date and head to that calendar month. Have you accepted your max number of books for that month? Using this method will ensure you do not overbook, that you enjoy your blog and deliver a steady stream of content. 

Have a question? Want advice? Want to know how they did that? Email me