Create A "Link To Me" Form

One way to link to blogs is by using buttons. They can be a nice alternative to text links - especially if the blog name is long.



Some of your readers may not know how to create the image links. You can write a short tutorial like I did but you may find that the html code gets messed up when you post. That's usually due to the long image file names.

You can fix this problem by using a simple html form:

<a href="http://bigblogdir.blogspot.com"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1176/373809733834064/320/button1..png"/></a>

When you right-click in the box and "select all" you can easily copy all of the text.

To create the form I used the following format:

<textarea rows="3" cols="40"><a href="BLOG URL"><img src="IMAGE URL"></a></textarea>

Change the capitalized letters to the appropriate code.

Adjust the rows and columns to fit your post or sidebar. A column width of 20 works for most sidebars in Blogger blogs.

Add the code to an html/javascript widget (in Blogger) titled "Link To Me!" or something similar.

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Check out: Buttons, Bows and Badges for Your Blog.

Links And BBD

Some admin posts in BBD don't allow comments. This is to keep things clear and easy to understand. Other posts allow comments but I may delete comments in some cases. For example: I allow comments in the Blog Finding Resources post. After I check a recommendation I may delete it if I am not comfortable with the links provided.

I am rather picky about my sidebar links. If I find a blog that encourages behaviour I don't agree with I will remove the link. If a blog encourages techniques used by spamblogs or advocates violating the host TOS (terms of service) I won't link to it. I want bloggers to learn blogging not manipulation.

There are a number of beginner friendly blogs that I think are useful but I am uncomfortable with. If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to email me.

Labels And Links

Labels

I moved the label widget to the footer because it is getting quite large. I am finding that most of the labels are used only once or twice. I expected this to happen. I am also starting to see spelling differences show up - for example 'humor' and 'humour'. I may have to do something about that eventually.

Overall I am pleased with the way the system is working. Enough common labels are used that readers can find groups of blogs to check out.

I have thought about requiring at least one location label. However, for many blogs, location is irrelevant. Furthermore, the bloggers who blog about their area a lot usually include location labels with their submissions.

Links

I have been checking out various 'referrers' and 'link-showing' services. I finally chose WhoLinks2Me because it works and the results match those I have seen on other sites. I added the site to the resources section of the sidebar.

Like all referrers this one sometimes shows inappropriate sites. I am not sure what the "Recent Websites" section is all about but I can ignore it.

How To Link To Big Blog Directory

Text Links

Blogger and most other programs can automatically make text links. Previously we had to write out code like this:

<a href="http://bigblogdir.blogspot.com/">Big Blog Directory</a>

...to produce a text link like this:

Big Blog Directory

Text links to BBD are fine. Please remember to use the full name.

Image Links

Using images to link to BBD is easy once you get the hang of it.

An image link usually consists of a button with a symbol and/or some text. The image is uploaded to Blogger or another server just like any other image or photograph.



http://photos1.blogger.com/
blogger2/1176/373809733834064/320/button1..png

The code above is the URL (or address) of the image. I called this one "button1." Blogger added a lot of information which I removed. The URL is all I needed.

To make the button a click-able link you need to set it up like this:

<a href="http://bigblogdir.blogspot.com"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/
blogger2/1176/373809733834064/320/button1..png"/></a>

The code above produces an image link to Big Blog Directory:



Here is a different style of button you may use:



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jA33IGKDuBw/Rd1-4LBNONI/AAAAAAAAALg/
V0Fw_4Mau8U/s320/BBDbannersmall.jpg

These are my 'standard' buttons. You can also use the ones on my BBD Buttons page.

In most cases it is best to copy the image to your computer then upload it to your blog. If you are really stuck use the image URL I supply.

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Because of the length of the image URLs in the above examples I have had to break them up between lines. Copy the code below and insert the image URL.

<a href="http://bigblogdir.blogspot.com"><img src="IMAGE URL"/></a>

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Note: The blue button was made with Banner Maker.

About The Information Links

I am pleased that I finally got my Information Links posted here.

The links were originally posted at UpdateLinks in 2004. I am happy to say that all of the links worked when I tested them last night and only needed minor editing. I may add some more links from UpdateLinks or other old blogs.

These sites were selected in 2004 because I felt they were interesting and inspiring. I hoped that readers would want to learn more and would write about what they discovered. This fit the mandate of UpdateLinks' companion blog (Victoria Update) and it fits the mandate for BBD.

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Note: I turned off comments for the Information Links post. If you have comments or suggestions please do so here.

Information Links For Bloggers

Bloggers can always use interesting ideas to blog about. The following links are presented to inspire my readers to write and promote learning. They first appeared in UpdateLinks a linkblog dedicated to mental health and education.

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Africa Writing Systems

allmusic - information on classical and popular music.

AncientScripts.com - an interesting site about writing systems and linguistics. There are also some games.

Astrobiology Magazine - Search for Life in the Universe. The link leads to the extensive glossary.

Astronomy Picture of the Day - refresh your browser to bring up the latest picture.

BBC - Prehistoric Life - interactive games and information about prehistory.

CIA World Factbook

Earth and Moon Viewer - Look at the earth from satellites or look at specific cities from space.

Encyclopedia Mythica - an encyclopedia of Mythology, Folklore, and Legends.

Encyclopaedia of the Orient

Educational Web Adventures - interactive educational websites featuring some interesting material.

Education Resources - Subject Index

Ethnologue - Languages of the World.

Lyrics On Demand

MapQuest - online maps.

Omniglot - a guide to writing systems.

Religious Tolerance.org - a site promoting religious understanding, tolerance and freedom.

Religious Worlds - information and links for study and interpretation of religions.

Shamanism - Working With Animal Spirits- this site has many beautiful animal pictures and some audio files.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Timeline of Art History

New Sidebar Links

I have added several new links to the sidebar. I also renamed the 'Links' section to 'Information And Inspiration'. I added a new section called 'Blogging Basics'. Most of the sites I have listed in various blogs over the years.

I found two of the links recently while reading other blogs. Thanks to Successful Blog for Blogging Tips and T3G:2 for What Is Blogging?

Let me know what you think and feel free to suggest more links.

Sidebar Links

I have added some sidebar links to useful websites and blogs. Some of the links are specific to Blogger (Blogger Buzz for example) but most of them are not.

Most of the sites are listed because they provide useful information for bloggers. For news stories one can check Google News and this may lead to a post. If you need information on a movie or a band check IMdb or allmusic. I have found all of the sites listed useful in the past.

The Canadian Blog Exchange "is a linker... with a twist - everyone participates in filing useful posts in relevant categories, and in this way a history is built up."*. It is a good place to list a Canadian blog or to find interesting blogs to read. I have gotten some blog traffic from the site.

The Blog Herald offers news related to blogs and blogging. The information can be both interesting and inspiring.

Blog Search is a useful tool for finding blogs to read. The advanced features can allow very specific searches.

Resources

I have added a separate link list for blog resources. I will list websites or blogs that provide tools specific to blogging. Visitor counters, games, and several other types of gadgets may be listed.

Google Gadgets has a number of gagets you can add to websites or blogs. I tested Google Fight and posted about it at Firemind. I added a game to my template at Braindance.