Shoutmeloud Thesis Theme Customization - Part 1

I'm happy with the feed-backs for the shoutmeloud thesis theme. If you had missed the template, then I highly recommend you to check out this article - Shoutmeloud Thesis Theme For Blogger. Though I received a lesser number of comments for the article, the response via email was tremendous. Many people raised questions about the footer. So, this issue has been addressed in this article.

If you wish to have an exact thesis footer (non-widgetized version) then, you can check out this article - Thesis Theme Footer For Blogger/Blogspot Blogs. (Note: I use the non-widgetized version because it looks exactly the same as found on shoutmeloud blog.) If you want the widgetized version which comes by default with the template, just add the widgets of your choice by hitting the "Add a Gadget" button on the "Design>>Page Elements" page.

However, when it comes to the "Blog Categories" section, you need to manually alter the footer section. This article will provide you a step by step guide for doing the same. If you are not clear about what section of the footer I'm talking about, just check the following picture.

So, follow these instructions to have a "Blog Categories" Section of your choice.

01. Go to "Design->Edit HTML. Make a backup of your template before modifying the HTML by clicking on the "Download full template" link at the top of the page.

02. Once the backup is made, search for the following line in your template. Use "CTRL+F" to fasten your search results.

<li class='cat-item cat-item-68'>

<a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Blogger%20Tutorials' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Blogger Tutorials'>Blogger Tutorials</a>
</li>

03. You will find the links that point to my labels. So, it is pretty clear that these labels (categories) should point to your blog labels. To do so, first remove all the links that point to my blog.
04. To remove the links that point to my blog, you need to remove the following codes highlighted in GREEN.

<li class='cat-item cat-item-68'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Blogger%20Tutorials' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Blogger Tutorials'>Blogger Tutorials</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-387'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Blogger%20Widgets' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Blogger Widgets'>Blogger Widgets</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-874'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Blogging' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Blogging'>Blogging</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-34'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Blogging%20Tips' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Blogging Tips'>Blogging Tips</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-307'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Design%20Tips' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Design Tips'>Design Tips</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-2555'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Free%20Premium%20Blogger%20Templates' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Free Premium Blogger Templates'>Premium Templates</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-215'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Make%20Money%20By%20Blogging' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Make Money By Blogging'>Money By Blogging</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-77'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Make%20Money%20Online' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Make Money Online'>Make Money Online</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-64'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Most%20Downloaded' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Most Downloaded Templates'>Most Downloaded</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-196'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Our%20Reviews' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Our Reviews'>Our Reviews</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-39'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/SEO' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='SEO'>SEO</a>
</li>
<li class='cat-item cat-item-9'><a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Tips%20and%20Tricks' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Tips and Tricks'>Tips and Tricks</a>
</li>

05. You may save your template temporarily. Next, you need to find the links for your labels. To obtain the URL of the various labels in your blog, just hover your mouse over a published post which has got some labels. Check out the following picture for better understanding. 

Alternate method : To get the URL of your labels, just paste your blog URL followed by a '/search/label/' and write down the blog label as such. Note: If you have a space in the name of your labels, then each space should be replaced by %20. For example, let us assume that your blog label is BLOGGER TUTORIAL - has got a space between the word BLOGGER and TUTORIAL. So, the URL of your label should be as follows.

http://www.yourblogname.com/search/label/BLOGGER%20TUTORIAL

06. Now, replace these links with the links you removed in step 4. Add a suitable name to your label as well (Replace those names highlighted in blue in step 4 with your label name). If you are not clear with the instructions I said, just take a look at the example below - your coding should be as follows.

<a href='http://www.newbloggingtipz.com/search/label/Blogger%20Tutorials' shape='rect' target='_blank' title='Blogger Tutorials'>Blogger Tutorials</a>

07. Well, save your template now. Next, you need to design a footer logo with the following dimensions - 166x120 pixels. (Note: The logo should have a transparent background or should match the background color of the footer.) You can contact me via email or hit the services page if you need a footer logo - design charges ($5.00). 
08. Upload your logo to a website such as PICASA and get the URL for the logo you uploaded. Now, find the following link in your template (found in the CSS part of your template).

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxxScWMHQdn07yrfxp-lHhqzoOGnx-3Y7Tz6ptGcqrOx4o1tOG9kZXWc_UpsAV6a7_QcsKmzrcNeF6siaSgxEU9a8Fj6FQS3sShdyp4u9YIX4cVI1xeLVhN3zMhCgigPB1iw8iyXLHWI/s800/EAB+Footer+Logo+2.gif

09. Replace this link with the URL of your logo (obtained after uploading your logo).
10. That's it!!! Save your template and have a look the footer.

I hope you enjoyed this customization. I will be posting more and more customizations for the shoutmeloud thesis theme in the upcoming weeks. I recommend you to subscribe to my blog so that you don't miss out any article. You can share your views about the post via comments. Your comments are always welcome!!!

Click4more... 24 Comments

Blogging For Fun Vs Blogging For Money

This is a guest article written by Saksham. If you wish to write for EAB, check out this page - Write For Us. If you ask a blogger if he or she blogs for fun or money, it’s likely you won’t get a proper answer. This is because, other than the professional bloggers who are out promoting products or services, most people blog for fun hoping to earn money in the process. Why do you blog? For fun or money?

BLOGGING FOR FUN

Before you blog, decide if you want to blog just for fun and not to make money. In this case, you don’t have to care for anyone’s opinion; just write what feels right to you and post your random thoughts. Keep it humorous and people will read your blogs. You can even write on controversial topics if you like; just know that you might get hate comments along with your fan mail.

If you have the rare talent of being able to make people laugh, start a funny blog and gain a good fan following. You can then use your blog to place Ads and make money. There are many ways that you can apply to convert your fun blog into a profitable blog.

Note that if you manage your blog well, you can always earn money off of it. So even if your initial intent is to start a fun blog, stay away from controversial topics. Earn a steady fan following by posting good and healthy content.

Unless you are a professional blogger who uses all the latest blogging tricks to generate revenue, try blogging just for fun. If your blog helps you earn money, it’s great. If not, just enjoy your blogging experience.

PROFESSIONAL BLOGGING

If you are blogging for money and not just for fun, your strategy and agenda must be totally different. You need to put in a great deal of thought into the reason behind your blog, and what you plan on achieving from it. Determine how much you want to earn in a year and manipulate your blog to earn this revenue for you.

Use all possible basic and advanced methods to attract traffic to your blog. You can do this by posting intelligent articles on different topics and asking for people’s opinion. You can also allow space for promotions for product and service websites on your blog.

You can upload blog posts in other similar blog sites and get your back links that way. You can use keyword optimization, and upload keyword-rich content on profitable niches and get paid by advertisers. One such profitable niche is medifast discounts and nutrisystem coupons; people are constantly scouring the web for articles and information on medifast discounts and nutrisystem coupons. As a professional blogger, did you know you could help promote other people’s businesses for money as well?

Click4more... 9 Comments

Shoutmeloud Thesis Theme For Blogger

It's been a long time since I posted an article on this blog because I was working on the highly SEO optimized thesis theme exactly similar to that of Shoutmeloud blog. Many people wanted the widgetized version of the thesis footer and the complete theme too. To all those who eagerly waited - here we are, with the basic version of the Shoutmeloud thesis theme!!!

The template which I have designed is exactly similar to the shoutmeloud theme except for few areas. The comments section and the ads below each post are the areas where the coding has to be worked out. I will launch an updated version for this theme in a few weeks time. In fact, the step by step customization for each portion of this theme will follow up in the upcoming weeks - includes the coding for the sidebar widgets (subscription box, banner ads, etc..) as well.

LIVE DEMO

You may have a look at the following two pictures for a complete screen-shot of the home page and the post page. Hit the demo link above to check out a live demo of the thesis theme now.

DOWNLOAD THESIS THEME FOR BLOGGER

Since the features for this template are many in number, I plan to publish articles about each feature in the upcoming weeks. So, don't forget to subscribe to my blog - Subscribe Via RSS. Else, you will lose track of the customization. However, I will list out the features of this template here.

FEATURES OF THIS TEMPLATE:

1. TOP NAVIGATION BAR - Added | For Customization - CLICK HERE

2. HEADER WITH 468x60 BANNER AD - Added

3. SUB NAVIGATION BAR - Added | For Customization - CLICK HERE

4. GOOGLE ADSENSE LINK UNIT (728x15) - Added | Replace with your ID

5. ADSENSE UNIT BELOW POST TITLE (300x250) - Added | Replace with your ID

6. READ MORE AND OPINION BUTTONS - Added

7. RELATED POSTS - Added

8. MULTIPLE AUTHOR WIDGETS - Added | For Customization - CLICK HERE.

9. RETWEET AND FACEBOOK SHARE BUTTONS - Added

10. SOCIAL BOOKMARKING BUTTONS BELOW POST TITLE - Added

11. SEARCH BAR - Added

12. SIDEBAR SUBSCRIPTION WIDGET - CLICK HERE

13. NEWER/OLDER POSTS/HOME BUTTONS - Added

14. FOOTER (For Blog Categories and Logo) - CLICK HERE

15. BACK TO TOP BUTTON - Added

All those which carry the text coding will be posted soon or article coming soon mean the articles are yet to be published. Once I publish the article for customization, I will be updating the list here. You can also send me suggestions via comments about various other features which you wish to have on this theme - for example, a featured content or an ad unit at the end of the post that will facilitate 125x125 ad banners, etc..

Moreover, if you feel some portion of the template is little bit different from that of the original shoutmeloud thesis theme, you may leave your opinions via comments. I will answer to all your queries. So, share your thoughts via comments!!! We would love to hear from you!!!

Note: Template best viewed on Firefox. IE does not support curved CSS. So, I suggest you to view it on Firefox.

Click4more... 94 Comments

Fatal Error Made By Marketers - Searching Products to Sell

This is a Guest Post written by Saksham. If you wish to write for EAB, check our guest posting guidelines - Write For Us. Many new Internet marketers who enter the fold follow a product orientated strategy. Basically, Internet marketers visit sites like Offervault or Clickbank and view the various affiliate products available. Later, they choose a product and begin to market the product.

This strategy is flawed and it places a limitation on the Internet marketer to expand their business in the future. Niche selection should be the first step to build an online business rather than product selection. This article basically highlights the flaws associated with product oriented strategy and includes the benefits of niche selection. 

PROBLEMS WITH PRODUCT ORIENTED STRATEGY 
The problem with choosing a product first is that, products in general go through a life-cycle. A typical product will enter the market and go through various phases that include:

[1]. Growth Phase

[2]. Maturity Phase

[3]. Decline Phase

When a product reaches the decline phase sales decrease considerably and the product itself may become obsolete. This means that the market demand reduces significantly and in turn your sales take a knock. The impact on you as an Internet marketer is that you are left in the lurch and your efforts to market your chosen product was done in vein. Imagine the amount of time, and money you could lose if a merchant suddenly pulls a product off the market? A product orientated strategy is a risky approach for doing business and it is a route, which I advise you, not to follow. 

ADVANTAGES OF NICHE ORIENTED STRATEGY 
A niche which is a specific sector in a market that displays similarities such as age, gender, interests, needs and wants will never become obsolete. That specific market segment will always exist. An example of a niche will be women aged between 40-50, who are overweight and are extremely conscience about their weight gain or successful men aged between 35-45, who are going bald and losing their self-esteem as a result. Niches of this nature are prevalent and the people within these niches will always possess a wide variety of needs.

If you target a niche, your options will not be isolated when marketing products to the individuals within your chosen niche. Besides offering hair loss treatments to balding men, you could offer shampoos, gels, and even nose hair trimmers. You could even market an ebook that teaches an individual to raise their levels of self-esteem. The possibilities are endless! A niche gives you a wider spectrum of opportunities and it is the best route to build a sustainable business.

Now can you see why choosing a product first is the wrong approach to marketing online? Share your experiences and thoughts via comments. We love to hear from you.

Click4more... 2 Comments

Why To Hire A Professional Photographer For Your Blog?

This is a Guest Post written by Sally. If you wish to write for EAB, check out this page - Write For Us. It seems like everyone fashions themselves a photographer these days. The ubiquity of digital cameras and home photo editing software makes it possible for just about anyone to dabble in photography. Moreover, everyone always has a camera, even if it is just the camera on their smartphone.

With this plethora of cameras out and about in the world, it may seem silly to ever hire a real professional photographer to serve the photographic needs of your blog. However, what many individuals seem to forget these days, with ever increasing rapidity, is that photography is a true art form and requires a real artist to be done right. While an amateur home photographer may be able to fulfill the basic photography needs that he or she may have, retaining the services of a professional photographer can give your blog that extra edge that it needs to stand out from the crowd.

First and foremost a professional will have the right tools for the job. Even the most devoted amateur’s collection will pale in comparison when stacked up against the arsenal of equipment that a pro will own. Lenses, filters, you name it, they will have it and by having those various tools in their employ they will better be able to serve you and your needs. Imagine how much your blog will benefit from photographs taken by a competent, trained professional.

Second, a pro will possess an artistic eye that many of us sadly just do not have. There is a reason why this individual makes a living taking pictures. They have a different view of the world; they understand lighting and angles in ways that the home photographer likely does not. If you can, and if you are seriously considering hiring someone to take pictures for you, you definitely should, take a look at their portfolio. Compare their work with some of your own or with some of those taken by your friend who styles himself to be the next Alfred Stieglitz. Certainly you can see a marked difference between them. Be it a natural artist’s intuition or the result of their artistic education, the pros know what they are doing.

Finally, a professional has experience and that can go a long way when deciding what kind of photos you want taken. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise by asking them some questions. Perhaps that can provide you with some advice or insight into what they think would help your particular photographic needs.

So don’t let your blog flounder when you can make it shine by employing the services of a professional photographer.

Click4more... 3 Comments

Why Blogger is better than Wordpress ?

This is a Guest Post written by Navjot Singh. If you wish to write for EAB, check out this page - Write For Us. Most of the times, we see that many bloggers are blog on Wordpress! Even me. But why? We know that Wordpress is better than Blogspot. The reason being, its features like more flexibility, less coding, high end features, a much better interface for multi-author blogs. But, there are many things for which Blogger is better than Wordpress.

HOSTING

If we are going for Wordpress, then we need a self hosted blog and for that, we will need to pay for hosting every month or year. But in case if you choose blogger.com you don't need to pay for any hosting charges. Your blog is fully hosted on Google and if you go with Wordpress (self hosted), well you need to buy a custom domain as well. But, in case of blogger you get your own xxx.blogspot.com and meanwhile, your Wordpress blog is hosted on other company servers where we don't get a 100% up-time, but in case of Blogger you get 100% up-time. Just think about this for second- can Google go down?

HUGE AMOUNT OF THEMES (FREE)

Well, after Google launched it's XML powered themes function, many themes have been developed and most of them are available for free where as most of the Wordpress themes are paid ones. Well, we can take Mukund's My World template which is highly customizable and we just need a little knowledge about html and xml and you are ready to go. Most of the templates listed on Mukund's blog are SEO Optimized & multi-author optimized. So, what more you need?

BETTER FOR NEWBIES

Even when I started my blogging, I started with a blogspot domain because it's simple and easy to use. The interface helps the newbies to understand what blogging is... When it comes to understanding, Blogger will defeat Wordpress in straight sets. You can play a lot with the codes. Most important  factor is that you don't need to invest anything. You just start out blogging and after that when you really want to become professional, you can choose Wordpress!

But, I would truly say that when I first saw "EAB - www.newbloggingtipz.com" I thought that it's a Wordpress blog run on Thesis theme. But when I came to know that this blog is hosted on blogger with a custom domain, I was amazed. It shows that how customizable Blogspot blogs can be! So you can choose Blogspot as your main blogging platform too. What actually matters - your content and a better design!!!

MORE AND MORE NEW FEATURES

Blogger has started to introduce many features. The first being - xml driven blog, then a new template editor and now, there is a big change that will soon come into effect. The whole blogspot.com interface will be changed to new look, and that will be really awesome. Take a look at the video below:

We can conclude that we CAN opt Blogspot as our main blogging platform too. It can be easily edited to match with that of the Wordpress features and the dashboard look, well, it's soon gonna change. So, be it blogger or wordpress, enjoy what you do - blogging!!!

Click4more... 11 Comments