Monday, September 27, 2010

Update on Sociable gadget

A few months ago we recommended that you add a gadget called socialable to your blog so others could quickly pass your post on. See this post.

BUT like everything on the web, things have changed. Blogger now has included a similar list of social media buttons at the bottom of each post. They call them Share Buttons. To turn these on or off:
  1. Go to the Design tab of your blog
  2. Locate the Blogs posts area and click Edit
  3. Locate the Show Share Buttons area
  4. Check the box to turn it on or UNcheck to turn it off (not have it appear on each post)
  5. Scroll down and click Save

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A new "Page" gadget

Blogger.com has added a new "Page" gadget which provides another way for you to display your About Us or Contributors page. Or, you can use the gadget to create a new page with contact information or the purpose of the blog. Pages created with the Page gadget are "static" pages and you can have up to 10 of them on your blog.

To get a new Page:
  1. Click the Layout tab
  2. Click Add a Gadget
  3. Click Pages
  4. Make any changes, optional
  5. Click Save
  6. Click the Posting tab
  7. You should now have a Edit Pages link
  8. Click New Page
  9. Add a Title (title of the page)
  10. Add the body (looks like a post)
  11. Click Publish Page when done
When you view your blog, you will now see a Pages Gadget in the side navigation (unless you made changes in step 4 above).

To add another page, repeat steps 6 through 11 above.

To edit an existing page, return to the Posting tab, click Edit Pages, find the page you want to edit and click Edit.

To delete an existing page, return to the Posting tab, click Edit Pages, find the page you want to edit and click Delete.

You can also control the location of where this gadget will appear on your blog.  It can appear anywhere within the side navigation or you could move it to the top above your posts. To move it to the top, go to the Layout tab, locate the Pages box, click, hold and drag it up above the Blog Posts, release your mouse.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Use a Header with Penn State Logo

The minimum visual standard for each blog is to display a banner graphic/header that contains the Penn State mark. Please keep in mind that the header should not be so large that it overpowers the content on your blog or pushes the content too far down on the page.

The Ag Communications group will assist bloggers in developing a banner/header. You can contact Steve Williams  (sfw3@psu.edu) or Chris More (cjm49@psu.edu) to request help creating a header.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Subscribe Via RSS

You should allow your readers the ability to subscribe to your blog via RSS and email subscriptions. To allow readers to subscribe via RSS, you will need to add the "Subscription Links" gadget.

Subscribe Via Email

You should allow your readers the ability to subscribe to your blog via RSS and email subscriptions. Follow these instructions to add a gadget to your blog that will allow readers to subscribe via email.
  1. Go to http://feedburner.google.com/
  2. Log in with your Google Account
  3. Below “Burn a feed right this instance” enter your blog URL
  4. Click Next
  5. On the Identify Feed Source page, choose the RSS option
  6. Click Next
  7. Click Next
  8. Click Next
  9. Click Next
  10. Click the Publicize tab
  11. On the left, click “Email Subscriptions”
  12. Click Activate
  13. Copy the code shown
  14. Go to your Blog in Blogger
  15. Go to Layout tab
  16. Select the Page Elements option
  17. Add a Gadget
  18. Choose the HTML/Javascript Gadget
  19. Enter a title, such as Subscribe Via Email
  20. Paste the code into the Content area
  21. Click Save

Standard Links

In order to enhance the possibility of increased traffic to other blogs and to Penn State sites, each blog should have the following links displayed/listed:

  • College of Ag Sciences (agsci.psu.edu)
  • Penn State (http://www.psu.edu/)
  • Your department, program or Cooperative Extension home page
  • The Dean's Desk (agsci.psu.edu/dean/blog)
  • Possible other college blogs

Facebook Link

Each blog should have a link to the College's fan page on Facebook.
  • Use the Link List gadget
  • Use this name: Ag Sciences Facebook
  • Use this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-Park-PA/College-of-Agricultural-Sciences-Penn-State-University/53789486293