Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category

Did you miss HTML for Bloggers Lesson 1? If so, go to Lesson 1 then come back for Lesson 2. C’mon, don’t cut corners.

In Lesson #1, we learned about the basics of Web pages and started learning about marking up documents, literally. The purpose of Lesson #1 is to give you a visual understanding of how HTML works. We’ll continue driving that point here in Lesson #2 then we’ll start learning about the key HTML tags.

HTML Tags

In Lesson #1, we marked up a little Web page. In that exercise you wrote on the page and described what was going on in the page. You may have circled things or used arrows as I did in my marked up version below.

Each of those instructions could be described using HTML tags. Tags are little instructions used by the HTML scripting language to describe page contents.

For example, the heading on the document could have been described as being “large”. That could have been described using the “font” tag.

Then, there is a photo of the Ventura coast. We could have described that in the HTML code by using the “img” tag which stands for “Image.” The “img” tag allows us to set properties on that tag. We would have set the “src” property to be the Web location of that Ventura coast image.

HTML Page Structure

Once again, think of HTML tags as sets of instructions. Each instruction starts with a beginning tag, such as < html > then ends with an end tag which begins with a ” < /", such as < /html >. The end tag gives the page the instruction that it can stop doing whatever it was previously doing.

This is the main tag structure of an HTML document (the Web page).

Another way to think about this start tag-end tag convention is the old Simon Says game. “Simon says, pat your belly.” In the game, you start patting your belly. In HTML, you start a new tag. “Simon says, rub your head.” In the game, you keep patting your belly then start rubbing your head. In HTML, you don’t end a tag just because you started a new one. That means that whatever HTML element you started is still in play and now you’re starting a new one.

Now that we learned about HTML tags and its basic structure, let’s create our own Web page from scratch. Follow along on the video.

If you watched the video and did the little “homework” then you should have created your own Web page. Did you? Prove it by uploading it to Flickr and adding a link in the comments.

The only way to know if you like this mini-course is by your comments and questions. Don’t be shy!

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HTML knowledge is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for small business owners looking to manage their own blogs. On a blog platform like WordPress.com, a non-techie can configure 80-90% of their site without knowing any HTML. On Posterous or Tumblr blogs, 95% of the blog site can be well configured without HTML.

It’s that 5-10% that can stop a small business owner in their tracks. The intent of this post and the whole course is to help you get over that learning hump so you can manage your blog effectively and go on and do what you do best, run your business.

Let’s get started.

Web Page Basics

* Web pages are created using the scripting language called HTML.

* HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language

HyperText Markup Language

HyperText

* Web pages may include text, images, videos, and links to itself or to other Web pages or documents.

* Links are also called “Hyperlinks.”

Markup

*HTML is used to describe a Web page’s layout.

Exercise

For this part of the lesson to be most effective, you will need to print out this worksheet (PDF). This page has the two examples below and some instructions.

Now, get a marker or crayon and have it handy (red ones work well). Look at the first example and describe what you see. Pretend that you’re on the phone describing to someone what you see in the little Web browser. Then write those same descriptive words on the paper with your marker or crayon. Write them next to the element on the Web browser that you are describing.

This is the most important part of the entire course. There’s no wrong way to do this. You’ll see.

Ok, so you marked up the first little Web browser on the worksheet. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

You’re wondering if “you did it right”, aren’t you? That’s natural. Click here to see how I marked up the first little example. If you did it a different way then that’s fine.

Now go to the second little Web browser on the worksheet and do the same thing. Mark it up. Remember, you’re writing down words that you would use to describe it to someone else. Don’t be afraid to draw arrows and circles to make things super obvious.

You can see how I marked up the second example here. Once again, if you did things in a different way that’s Cool and the Gang (movie reference).

Congratulations, you just finished Lesson 1! The purpose of this little exercise was to practice the “marking up” process. We essentially just created our own little language for describing Web content. The language was made up of descriptions in English and maybe arrows and other marks.

In the next lesson we’ll learn the formal way to use the HTML scripting language to describe Web content. You’ll learn about the key HTML “tags” and the structure of an HTML document. You will also learn the first tips for using HTML to update your blog content with confidence.

Have questions on this Lesson? Was it useful? Leave a Comment or “@” me on Twitter, @jesseluna. While you’re at it, subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss Lesson 2.


[Update: HTML For Bloggers Course - Lesson 2 has been posted!]

Photo credit: Studiocurve on Flickr – License

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The secret is out. Video blogging is a powerful way to engage blog readers. Video adds another multimedia dimension to a blog, it helps create a closer bond to readers, it reinforces your blog’s message, and it is great for expanding your message to other social networks, especially YouTube.

I started messing around with Web video back in 2005 while testing out the kids toy, the Vidster. At the time, I had no idea how to embed the video into a site or blog (I wasn’t on YouTube until 2006). Now, things are much easier and there are a variety of ways to get started.

Getting Started

If you don’t already have a YouTube account, do yourself a favor and go create one now. I’ll add you as a friend and subscriber if you drop me a message (I’m @cinemaluna on YouTube). YouTube is a top 5 global site and has its own rich ecosystem. And, you don’t have to “live there” to get many of the benefits.

Equipment

Dude, I dont’ even have a camera.

If you have a computer and an Internet connection, you can start recording video right now. You don’t even need a camera. You can go to Screenr.com, and do a screen recording of your computer. I do this all the time to create video tutorials and it’s a great way to add video to your site. Screenr allows you to record, embed, tweet out the video link, download the video to your computer, and upload the video to YouTube. Screenr has a 5 minute maximum on screencasts.

The process of recording your screen is called “screencasting.”

Here’s a screencast I did for a WordPress.com tutorial. This video content was actually featured on the WordPress.tv site.

Or, you can go to Animoto.com and create a video based on photos. Animoto uses an ingenious system that can combine photos, video, and text then “automagically” generate the video by matching the multimedia elements to the selected soundtrack. Here’s a simple video I created using pictures (plus a micro video) from my “staycation” a few months back. The free version of Animoto limits the video to around 30 seconds.

Wait a minute, I have a little video feature in my digital camera. Can I use that?

Many newer digital cameras have a video feature. You might only be able to record a few seconds but that’s all we need to get started today. I have an “old” HP Photosmart 320 digital camera that I bought years ago and even that has a 30 second .AVI video feature. You can use a site like http://media-convert.com/ to convert from older and non-YouTube supported file formats to a more current format. Note: I haven’t actually used Media-convert.com so use at your own risk.

In case you’re counting, this is our third way to get video up to our blog today.

I also have an old-school digital video camera. But I’ve only used it to edit things in my computer. Will that work?

If you have the right cable connection for your older digital video camera, you’re in business. I have a JVC digital video camera (model GRDVL517U) that I bought around 2000, that’s 5 years BYT (Before YouTube). I can plug in the digital video cable and connect it to my PC and have access to all the video files.

If you’re going to use an older camera like the JVC then you may run across issues like missing cables, lost mini-dv cassettes, and missing user manuals. If that is the case then you can still find many of those items, but the older the digital video camera, the higher the price you’ll have to pay. My JVC user manual is over $10, and that’s from the JVC site.

That would be the fourth way to add video to your blog.

Wait a minute, we gave my kid a little camera a while back. Would that work?

There are actually several toy cameras out there that record digital video. Cameras like the Vidster by Mattel and RipRoar’s Creation Station sold for around $80 and they both record digital video. I purchased the Vidster, uh, for myself, back in 2005. Both of these toy video cameras come with cable connectors and you’ll need them to access the digital video files. You may also need to download the software for each.

Even though there are two cameras here, I’ll only count this as one way. We’re up to five ways to get video onto your blog.

I do have a web cam, but I’ve never used it.

Now’s the time. Fire up the Web cam, go to your YouTube account, click on “Upload” at the top of the page, then select “Record from webcam” and you should be able to connect and record your video. Your cam will also come with some kind of software. You can use that if you’re not ready to dive into the YouTube pool.

A web cam is the sixth way to add video to your blog.

My cell phone records video. I assume that’ll work?

You betcha. You can record on your video-enabled cell phone and send it to your email or you can post it to one of many video posting services. I’ll list those sites towards the end of this post. I use my iPhone video as a promotion machine.

That was the seventh way to add video to your blog.

I’m hip, I use Flip. Don’t hate, I also use the Kodak Zi8

Flip video cameras are small, easy to use, and very powerful. I’ve been using a Flip Mino HD for the past year and it’s served me very well. Even though the Flips have been out for a few years, they are still very cool and discreet. There’s a big difference between recording using a Flip vs. one of those huge paparazzi cameras. You’re less likely to get the stink eye from people if you’re out recording in public.

I just got the Kodak Zi8 (thanks again @sugarjones) and so far it’s the bees knees. I’m still testing it out and have only posted one video to the site so far.

Once again, we covered two cameras but we’ll count that as one more way. That was number ocho.

How To Embed Video Into Your Blog

Thanks to YouTube, embedding videos into blog posts is super easy. Once you get your video uploaded to YouTube, all you have to do is get the Embed code and add it to your blog.

Here are some blog by blog specifics.

WordPress.org (custom install) blog

Just paste the embed code into your blog post area and Save. That’s all you need.

WordPress.com

Paste the embed code or paste the video page’s URL into a shortcode field. Actually, if you paste in the Embed code then save the post, WordPress.com will turn it into a shortcode for you. This is an example of the YouTube shortcode:” [ youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1zJJGLJ714&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0 ] ” .

Tumblr

Log into your Tumblr account, click on the “Video” button then paste in the Embed code and create the post.

Posterous

Log into your account, click the Settings button in the upper right part of the page, then click on the “Posts” tab. You’ll see a big “Post by Web” button, click on it. Paste in the Embed code and add a Title then click on the huge “Post” button.

We’ll count each blog type as one way. We’re up to twelve ways.

Blogger

Log into your account. Create a new post, switch to HTML Edit mode, paste in the Embed code and you’re all set.

TypePad

Log into your account, create a new post, click on the Edit HTML tab, paste in the Embed code and that’s it. I haven’t used TypePad for a while so please correct me if this process has changed and I’ll update things.

And, we’re at fourteen ways to add video to your blog. But wait, there’s more!

How do I resize the YouTube player. No offense, but it looks horrible in my blog at the default sizes.

You’re in luck. I wrote a blog post entitled, “How To Create and Resize A Custom YouTube Player.” The YouTube interface changed since the blog post so there may be some differences in the way things work though.

Other Very Cool Video Sites

Do I really have to use YouTube for everything? What are some other options?

You don’t have to use YouTube. There are many other video sites out there. I’ll list a few (so I can get to 20 ways )

12Seconds.tv

This is a great site and one that I have used many times. 12Seconds.tv allows users to record, upload, or post mobile uploads of 12 seconds of video. If you’re intimidated by the camera, this is a great way to do a super quick post. You’ll have to be brief!

Vimeo

Vimeo is similar to YouTube only it’s a smaller community. The Vimeo video player is less clunky looking than the YouTube one.

Viddler

Viddler, a favorite site of mega video star Gary Vaynerchuk, is also a smaller video community. A smaller site means you can build a stronger following and have a chance at communicating with the company.

We’re at 17 ways!

I do everything via my iPhone. What do you have for me there? Any mobile app suggestions?

Once again, you’re in luck and these iPhone apps will take us to the end of this post’s journey.

Animoto

Yup, Animoto has an app that allows you to create videos from your iPhone. It works almost exactly like the Web version that we discussed above.

Qik

We didn’t really get into streaming video but the Qik iPhone app allows your 3gs phone to stream live video. You can then log into the Qik site and access the video and add it to your blog. Or, you can get crazy and embed a Qik player on one of your blog pages and have it stream live from your blog!

UStream Broadcaster

UStream is another streaming video site and it has an iPhone app.

Reel Director

Reel Director is a paid iPhone app. It allows you to edit video and combine photos, video, and text. It’s similar to Animoto but bumps things up a notch. This is a bonus “way” to add video to your blog today.

I’m looking forward to seeing your video creations, whether they are life vloggings, sales promos, tutorials, documentaries, or interviews.

I appreciate your feedback and look forward to continuing the conversation in the Comments.

[Originally posted on jesseluna.com]

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Your assignment: Report back on how people are finding their way to your blog via Web searches. Take that information and make a change based on that finding.

You could dig into your blog’s built-in stats feature (if it has one) and find one or two interesting tidbits about keyword searches. Or, if you’re a masochist, you could try to access your raw log files and parse out referrer search strings. Lastly, you could walk into your sophisticated analytics program and start running massive reports and get deluged with data.

But, there is a simpler way. Enter Wordle.net. Wordle.net is a word art site that works by analyzing text. Paste in a set of words and it returns a beautiful word cloud. Simple.

I created this first word visualization by pointing Wordle.net to my jesseluna.com blog URL. This won’t tell me about visitors to the blog, but it will give me a quick look at what the blog is really offering up in terms of content. The larger the word, the more times it is being used throughout the blog site.

Now that you know what you’re serving up to search engines, you can see what web searchers are really looking for based on keyword data.

These are the steps I took:

1. Log into Google Analytics account.
2. Navigate to the site you want to analyze.
3. You’ll be on the Dashboard. Go to Traffic Sources > Keywords
4. You’ll see a list of keyword phrases under the “Site Usage” tab on the main part of the page.
   
   
   If you’re using Google Analytics or any other stats tracking system, you should become very familiar with this keyword information. These are the words and phrases that people are searching over to get to your Web site.
   
   
   Go to the bottom of that data table and select “500″ from the “Show Rows” drop down menu. The page will refresh and you’ll see the top 500 sets of keyword phrases.




5. Export that view by going to the top of the page and clicking on the “Export” drop down and selecting .CSV or .XLS. Download it or just open up the file.







6. In the Excel file, scroll down until you get to the Keyword data and copy all the keyword phrases in that column.
7. Go to Wordle.net’s “Create” tab then paste those keywords phrases into the “Paste in a bunch of text:” text area.
8. Click on the Go button and in a few seconds your word art will appear.
9. Use the tool bar to filter for language, change the color scheme, layout, and color and explore.
10. You can now save the image to the Public Wordle gallery, take a screen shot of it and save it on your computer, or if you have Adobe Acrobat installed, you can print to Adobe Acrobat and save it as a high resolution image in PDF format.

This is the resulting keyword visualization.

From this visualization, I can tell which of my blog posts have driven the most traffic to the blog. I can see words related to my How To Add A Facebook Fan Badge To Your Blog post which included “Facebook”, “Tumblr”, and “Badge” keywords. When I compare the first visualization at the top of this blog to the one just above, I see that there are a lot of matches between what I’m writing and how visitors are reaching the blog. That’s what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about.


Take Action
If you do try out Wordle.net and analyze your site’s keywords, don’t just sit on any new insights, take action. For example, I rarely write about Tumblr because I primarily focus on writing and teaching about WordPress blogs. But now, I’m going to schedule a couple of Facebook + Tumblr blog posts this month. I’m always looking for good tutorial topics.

Review
In this blog post we learned how to create a word visualization of your site’s content using Wordle.net. We also learned how to create a visualization using actual keyword search data from an analytics program. Lastly, we learned that we have to take action on our insights.

I hope this blog post was useful. If you created a visualization, feel free to comment below or post your Wordle.net art to the JesseLuna.com blog Facebook Fan Page.



Image Credit: Wordle.net

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[This item was cross-posted at jesseluna.com]

One of my themes for 2010 is Own Your Content. In that light, I’m sharing the Amazon.com review I did of Aaron Brazell’s WordPress Bible.

Here is the text of my Amazon review for the WordPress Bible:

I’ve been developing Web sites for over 12 years and jumped into WordPress design about two years ago.

This book will help me super charge my development. Having come from a .Net developing background, I’ve only been tweaking PHP code and using software to create 80% of my new theme code. This book will give me the tools to further explore the code and learn how to do things from scratch.

In addition, the WordPress Bible provides great sets of “cheat sheets” to help figure out some of the complexities of theme layouts, the dreaded loop, and other structures.

I’ve also been Alpha testing the WordPress 3.0 code and the contents of the book are still highly relevant. In fact, I’ve never used the WordPress MU functionality but will take the tips and information in this book to help direct me on the 3.0 multi-site setup which is still being developed.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in taking their blogs to the next level and for WordPress designers and developers. I can’t wait to use the book to get under the hood of my next project and super charge that sucker.

* Direct link to my Amazon Review Feel free to “Like” it or leave a comment there.
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As you decide where to spend your hard-earned money, I recommend the WordPress Bible for WordPress developers and theme designers. WordPress beginners (non-developers) might have trouble understanding it so you should browse through the book before buying it.

I would have liked to have seen more information on adding video to blogs since I’m a lifestreamer and do a lot of video. But photo bloggers will be happy since the book does have a special section for them.

I tweeted a link to this image on Posterous when I went to purchase the WordPress Bible. Despite Chuck Norris’s will, I only purchased the WP Bible.

Shameless Affiliate link so you can buy a copy or three:

(Note/reminder: The Chuck Norris book is not included, although it really wants to be)

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