Mid Week Series : Dummies Guides On Blogging (1)
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I started blogging on blogsport or blogger platform. To tell you the truth, I did not know a lot of tools on blogger platform. Most of the times I discovered the tools by trials and errors or by accidents.
I can write 100 posts on what were the things I wish I have known before I started out my blogging journey. However, I decided against it. I decided to write a mid week series about dummies guides on blogging based on my blogging experience.
Hooked ? :), come on and read more !
If you have paid enough attention to my blog, you would have noticed I have a new page called My Ecafers. These are friends, coworkers , family members who had expressed their interest in blogging and I have set up a network of Ecafers :).
The very first few questions most new bloggers asked would most likely fall into the following :
1. How do I make money blogging ?
2. How do I attract traffic to my blog ?
3. Where do I insert my google advertisement ?
of course the list goes on.
To be honest with you, I would not even think about these questions.
The very first thing I wanted my new bloggers friends to know is MASTER THE TOOLS IN BLOGGER’S platform !
NO 1. BIG GUN TOOL YOU WANT TO MASTER IS LAYOUT
When you first log into your blogger account, you will be brought to your dash board.
The vocabulary you want to know very well - LAYOUT ! After you clicked LAYOUT, you will be lead to this page !
This is the place where you can put all kind of stuffs at your side bar. Have you ever wondered how those experienced bloggers put all those fancy stuffs at their side bar ? This is where the little secret lies.
In layout, you can add page elements. In blogger platform, there are 15 page elements you can used : Do you have to use all of them, NO. But, you have to be a master of a few of them.
These are some which I think you should master :
1. Add HTML/JavaScript
2. Add Picture
3. Add Links
4. Add Text
So, go explore and play with your new tools and we shall move on to the next topic next week.
I decided to take up the task of mentoring new bloggers because I wish when I started blogging , I have someone whom I can asked for the questions that I had. I had a lot of frustrations while I was muddling through the blogging muds at the beginning of my blogging journey. I believe this mid week series will reduce some of your blogging hurdles and lessen some frustrations you have on your blogging journey. The series might even reduce your learning curves time span. We will continue on our journey and might be not too long down the road when you earn enough money, you will tell me you are ready to buy your own domain name, or self-host and move onto wordpress platform ! That is a good vision to have !
Of course, I see this as a win win situation for seaykopitiam blog because the more Ecafers I have, the more things we can do together. It is called synergy !
Every week, I will send out a link of the mid week series plus 1 or 2 extra tips to all my Ecafers.
If you want to be part of the Ecafer chain, all you have to do is copy and paste this beautiful coffee lady sipping her coffee away in a Parisian cafe. 
and link seaykopitiam url address : www.seaykopitiam.com at your blog and send me an email at jamytan@gmail.com.
It is as simple as that , and we are in business :).
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Great post! I’ve stumbled it!
Jamy, great idea. I’m in. As you know, I’m new to blog and right now, I’m not even thinking of making money yet.
For the moment, it kinda like a personal blog for me but who knows, maybe down the road, I can make money.
1st dummy question: I have already link you but how do I paste the lady on my blog? *scratch head*
Thanks Hooi Imm,
No question is too dumb for me, I am still learning like you do.
This is how you do it.
1. Move your cursor on the coffee lady picture
2. Right click on the picture.
3. Save image as seaykopitiam (or whatever you want but use jpeg format).
4. Then go to your blog and go to Layout (that word again).
5. Add page element (chose picture option on add page element)
6. Make sure you uncheck the fit to page option for the picture.
7. After you put in the picture.
8. Add another add page element, now select the option called link list.
8. The name of the link list is My Ecafe and the url is www.seaykopitiam.com
Have a look at these few blogs. They all have the same format.
http://jesieblogjourney.blogspot.com/
http://www.hmskoolrsrus.blogspot.com/
http://marcicorner.blogspot.com/
More or less standardized format. Simple but attractive.
I went to your blog but I could not find your email. I just sent out an email to all my Ecafers.
So if you want to receive 1 or 2 more tips beside the mid week dummies guides, just drop an email to me at jamytan@gmail.com , I will send you the email I just send out this evening.
Also I have added your blog on the Ecafer page of this blog.
Take care !
Jamy
Hooi Imm,
This is what you should start off : “For the moment, it kinda like a personal blog for me but who knows, maybe down the road, I can make money.”
Write something you can relate too - personal.
If you felt that you don’t want to put too many personal pictures, you don’t have to . Put some pictures you have taken in playground, library, roads, train station, bus stop, traffic light etc and blog a topic around that pictures.
As you blog more and more , you are more inclined not to write too much about your own self or family or anything personal.
I started like you but now you will hardly find any personal photos on this blog anymore.
So people who have been complaining that all they see in my blogs are my personal pictures, now they will regret what they have spoken, ha ha ha ha. Jamy is getting secretive now :):), ha ha ha ha. Eventually my personal brand might be a frog or a duck picture, who knows where my fancy leads me :):).
I will now and then go to your blog and see if there is anything I can point out too. That is what I have been doing with Jesie blog as well.
Take care.
Jamy
Helpful post I have so much to learn!!!
Marci,
Glad that you finally find your way here :).
Don’t worry take a baby step at a time , in no times you realize wow, I have learned so much and then you become a pro and write a mid week dummies guides on your own blog, ha ha ha ha.
I think the most difficult task is take that very first step of admitting we don’t really know and have this attitude and vision that ” YES, I want to learn , not matter how long it takes, I will be there
!”
Remember the tortoise story ? what happen to the rabbit ?, ha ha ha ha ha.
eh! i wanna enrol in your class wei! where to legister?
Aiya, Tai lou , I need to learn from you leh. I learned a lot of kung fu from you. If not for you, I still live in my ‘mountain tortoise’ kampung leh :):).
2nd dummy question: I register at mybloglog but somehow could not add you to my community.
However, I added Carin’s blog with no problem.
What’s wrong?
I will check later and let you know.
blog shi fu ! hahaha. nice post for those using blogger or blogspot. for those using wordpress, it’s slightly different. but the underlying idea/concept on blogging is still the same
Alvin,
Oops :). Most of the people I mentor start on blogger platform :).
Yes, the concept and idea are portable :).
Jamy
Thanks for this dummy series. The information is helpful information for new bloggers like me. Have a great day.
Jesie,
I am glad you find it helpful.
Jamy