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Posts from September 2017

Featured Blog: What The Junk?!

Featured Blog What the Junk!?

Ann is a Blogilates Popster that is into fitness, Adventure Time, Bullet Journals, snail mail, pen pals, and much more. She is also a Starbucks and a coffee addict! What the Junk?! is her personal blog that explores all her interests. She blogs about her fitness journey and has lost 60lbs with POPilates. She is known around the web as Anndroid Girl because of her love of Android phones and her first name fits! Learn more about Anndroid Girl and her blog What the Junk?!; you may get a pen pal out of it. 

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Featured Blog: Unityspeaks

Featured blog- Unityspeaks

Unity Ivongbe created Unity Speaks | Tranformation Happens Here. He loves to share wisdom on life, leadership, business, and society. His goal is to help people better themselves. His posts are full of thought provoking topics to help determine where your life is and what you can do better. Each post has bite size wisdom to help get you through the day. Start enjoying Unityspeaks today.

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Update: Embed Social Media Posts in Your Blog Post

While Typepad has made it much easier to embed an Instagram image into your blog post, sharing status updates from Facebook Twitter and Pinterest is also pretty easy. With recent changes these platforms have made, we are updating you on how to insert a status update into your blog post.

How to Get Your Embed Code to Share

Facebook

Every status you see in your Facebook feed has three dots on the upper right corner:

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Click the three dots to see an expanded menu of options, including the "Embed" option: 

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When you click Embed, you will get a pop-up of a code you can insert into your blog post: 

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Twitter

In Twitter, each tweet has a down-arrow on the right corner, when you click that arrow, a menu will appear and the second option is "Embed Tweet."

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Pinterest

If you want to share a pin, you will have to click on the actual pin to full view in order to get to the "Embed" option, also located by clicking the three dots over the image: 

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The "Embed" link will open up to a developer page with widget options.  Make sure the "pin" option is selected.  You can also select the size of the pin and if you want to include the description when you embed it: 

Screen Shot 2017-09-12 at 7.49.11 PMYou will see a preview of how the pin will appear when you share it.   In addition to the embed code, there is a javascript code they recommend you include in your blog before the </body> tag:

Screen Shot 2017-09-12 at 7.52.55 PMThis can easily be added to your blog by going to Design > Content > Modules > Embed Your Own HTML - place this code in the pop-up and save it at the bottom of your sidebar.  You only need to add this code once in your blog and will be applied for all future pins added to your blog. 

How to Share on Your Blog

In your blog post, you can quickly insert this code by clicking the "Source Code" button in the Rich Text editor menu bar, this allows you to insert HTML into a blog post without switching to the HTML editor: 

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A pop-up of the source code will appear and you insert your embed code here.  You may not see the embed in your Rich Text draft so click the Preview button to see if it's placed in the right spot.  


Featured Blog: Time Goes By

Time goes by logo

Time Goes By is written by Ronni Bennett, who had a captivating career in media before she took up blogging. Her idea for the blog started when she looked around a room and thought to herself “My god, I am the oldest person in this room and not by a few years, by decades.” That is when she started researching everything about getting older. After years of research she decided to start the blog, Time Goes By. Ronni is passionate about sharing what she has learned with others. She writes not only about getting older, but about blogging, culture, politics and much more! Check out her blog to learn more about getting older. We all will be there soon.

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How To Use Constant Contact To Keep Your Readers Engaged

Typepad and Constant Contact

Keeping your blog posts in front of your readers is important to help them stay informed and up to date. They may not be on your blog or social media sites to see new posts or promotions. A great way to make sure your readers never miss a blog post is to create a sign up list. A mailing list is a great way to stay connected with your readers.

There are many email marketing companies out there and one we recommend and use is Constant Contact. Constant Contact is an email marketing company that helps you create and send professional looking emails to your readers. A great feature they offer is creating a customizable sign up form for your blog. You can customize the sign up form in Constant Contact and either link or embed the form on your blog. If you look to the right, you will see our email sign up button (sign up today!).

Add An Email Sign-Up Form To Your Blog

Typepad Sign Up Form
Join our mailing list!

After you create your sign up form in Constant Contact, you are given multiple choices to display your form. You can create a button, embed your form, or link to your form.

If you choose to embed your form or button; in Constant Contact they will give you code to add to your blog. You can use the Embed Your Own HTML module to add it to your blog's side bar. Click on the Blogs tab, then the name of the blog. Click on the Design tab, then Content. Under Categories, select Widget > Embed Your Own HTML. Click on Add This Module to get a window to add your code. Next to Label give your module a title (Like Newsletter sign up or Join Mailing List) then paste in your code in the HTML box. Click on OK and Save Changes. You will now see your sign up button or embed form on your blog!

When you create your sign up form, you can select to get the URL to your sign-up form. This is a great option if you want to use your own sign-up button (learn to create custom buttons). To add a clickable image to the sidebar of your blog, click on the Blogs tab, then the name of the blog. Click on the Design tab, then content. Under Categories, select Widget > Add A Sidebar Image. Click on Add This Module to get a window to upload your own button image. Next to Target URL, you will paste the URL Constant Contact provides you. Click OK, then Save Changes. Your image is now a clickable link to your sign up form.

You can also add the link to your sign up form on your navigation bar. Click on the Blogs tab, then Design. Click on Content, then next to the Navigation module, click on the pencil. Add a title and then paste in the URL Constant Contact provides you. Click Ok, then Save Changes. Now readers can sign up on your navigation bar. 

Don’t leave your readers hanging after they sign up, Constant Contact also has a Weclome email you can customize. Welcome them to your mailing list by telling them what you will send them and why. Provide your readers with links to your social media sites and encourage them to like and follow. Speak about any promotions that are going on that they may be interested in.

Some other features you have access to if you use Constant Contact.

Autoresponder
Facebook Sign Up Form
Text to Join
Create a QR code for your sign up form

Get started today with Constant Contact with their free 30 day trial. 


Interview with Sandy from Social Embers

Logo

Social Embers is a blog about death and technology created by Sandy Weatherburn. We all leave a digital footprint as we use technology to communicate more and more. Social Embers brings to light many issues surrounding your digital property when you pass on. She uses her knowledge to provide services for you and your loved ones regarding your digital property and legacy. Digital bereavement will be more and more important as those that have grown up in the digital age start to get older and pass. Sandy was nice enough to answer some questions we have about her blog. You can ask some too in the comments!

1) Can you tell us about yourself and your blog?

My name is Sandy Weatherburn and I am the founder of Social Embers a Community Interest Company based in Dorset UK. I write a blog about death and technology! My blog started originally when I was researching the topic of digital legacy. I was interested to find out what happened to our digital lives after our physical life had ended.

The blog has developed into a leading resource into the topic, which is often not considered by many of us until someone dies. I have used the blog to discuss all aspects of the end of our lives, from live stream funerals to digital autopsy.

2) What is your process for writing a blog post?

I like to find connections with things that are happening in my life and the news. I usually plan a blog post over a week, taking an interesting article or event and looking at it from my own perspective. I may use a photograph if I have taken one myself.

3) What is the funniest thing that has happened in your blog?

The post Death By Emoji was amusing.

4) What is your favorite feature in Typepad?

I have my blog embedded in my Social Embers website. So probably the feature to embed your blog and create a url that is synchronized with the website is probably my favorite.

If you would like to embed your blog you can check out this great FAQ: How To Display Recent Blog Posts On Your Website  

5) What other programs do you use to help you with your blog?

I use a digital newspaper publishing platform Paper.li which allows me to include my own blog posts along with other relevant news stories.

6) What is the most important thing you have learned from blogging?

To be aware that anyone in the world might be reading your blog. I have a lot of comments from the Nairobi Library so my blog is reaching a worldwide audience, which I did not consider when I started it.

7) You have a few minutes, what is your go to tip about blogging?

The Typed platform allows you to create draft posts, so if you have an idea, then make a note of it using the draft feature. It may be just a title, but recording that idea when you are busy, may lead to a very interesting post when you have time to write it.

8) What blogs do you follow?

I follow blogs written by those who have been bereaved. I also read some who are written by those who have terminal illnesses.

I also follow a blog and a vlog which is one of my favorites, The Order Of The Good Death by Caitlin Doughty, who I was delighted to meet this year at a conference called ‘Death and the Maiden’ at Winchester University in the UK.

9) What is one goal for your blog in the next 6 months?

I have recently read a book called ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig, which is about a man overcoming depression and anxiety. This is a quote from his book:

“Goals are the source of misery. An unattained goal causes pain, but actually achieving it brings only a brief satisfaction. In fact, if you really think about it, a life made of goals is going to be disappointing. Yes, it might propel you forward, keep you turning the pages of your own existence, but ultimately it will leave you empty. Because even if you achieve your goals, what then? You may have gained the thing you lacked but with it, what then?"

I believe Matt to be correct in this statement, so I am not setting myself any goals. I write my blog because it gives me pleasure, and helps me to research a topic that I am interested in.

Recent Post

Intellectual Digital Legacy

Social Media

Social Embers is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram


Featured Blog: Lost & Found Vintage Toys

Lost & Found Vintage Toys

Bren, owner of Lost & Found Vintage Toys, is a collector of vintage toys & children's books. She has hosted a website called Gumbyland for many years. She wanted Lost & Found to reflect her love of vintage toys and books of all kinds, and share with other nostalgia minded people.

Every day, for the last 5 years, Bren has posted a toy, book, or holiday item to her blog Lost & Found Vintage Toys. There you can remember toys and books from your childhood as she showcases old and new items. We hope you will have as much fun in her toy room as she does!

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