Since your blog post exposes potential clients to you (through the magic of Active Rain's powerful Internet presence) you want it to be the best representation of your ideas and commentary. Just as we do when we stage a home to make it appealing to target buyers we want to do the same with our blog posts so that readers will find them attractive and well-presented.
If you haven't already, be sure to read all of the great Blogging Tips written by A/R staff & members ~ and don't miss Brad Andersohn's great post about 5 important blogging principles ~ it should be required reading!
Remember that in your post's draft mode there's a built-in spell checker, so there's no need to worry about misspelled words ~ it's the "ABC" icon with a check mark at the far right end of the tool bar above your draft.
Inserting photos and clip art is easy ... just read Kristal Kraft's post about it ~ a step-by-step illustrated post that even beginners can quickly master.
You'll soon be an expert at Adding Links thanks to Jeff Turner ... and besides the Blogging Tips mentioned above, you can use the Search Bar found in the band at the top of each page and type in whatever info you're looking for.
I still consider myself new to blogging, but hope these few tips I've learned along the way help you!
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Maureen Bray of Room Solutions Home Staging in Portland OR helps Homeowners & Realtors prepare homes for sellling using professional home staging techniques. For a free staging proposal contact us @ 503-246-1800 ~ Staging that Sells Portland Homes.
Licensed • Insured • Accredited • Certified
2012 Professional Home Stager of the Year - Western U.S.
(Real Estate Staging Association)
Copyright © Room Solutions Staging LLC 2006-2012
"Staging That Sells Portland Homes"
Content may not be reproduced without permission.
Maureen, thanks for the one-stop-shop on blogging basics. Just what newbies (and some not-so-newbies) need!
Thanks for some great blogging basics! For those starting out, it can be very overwhelming, to say the least.
Newbies really do need to realize that you CAN make your blog look as great as your website! There are also some great tools that AR provides for customized blogs too!
Kathy
Hi Maureen, this is great information you've pulled together. Now that AR is getting so big it can seem overwhelming by many when you land here.
By the way, that is a totally cool fireplace is that marble? I'd love to see a larger pic.
Thanks for the great review of the basics - for the newbies and not so newbies.
Laurie ~ You're welcome, I hope you and others find it helpful.
Jessica ~ It can be overwhelming for all of us, I agree!
Kathy ~ You're so right about A/R providing the best tools. I'm just getting started with my Outside blog and have to customize it to add some "glitz" -- my next project.
Cynthia ~ I'll be writing an upcoming blog post about this LEED house that will include photos of the spectacular granite fireplace, which was crafted using recycled granite from a local yard.
Leah ~ Many of us can use a refresher of the basics, it's true. Thanks for stopping by.
I'll keep my eye out for it Maureen. I'm gathering ideas for my own FP I want to tear down and redo. Well let's just say I usually sketch up the projects and my wonderful husband implements them, we make a great team.
Maureen - This is very helpful. Thank you! The only thing you mentioned I haven't done yet is get up to speed on adding links. Thanks for the reminder to read the post and dive in.
Nice post, Maureen. Your point about "staging" your blog is an important one! Thanks for sharing.
Kathy
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. The links are very helpful.
Patsy ~ Adding links really is easy to do so jump right in!
Kathy ~ As home stagers we want our posts to look appealing too, and yours always do!
Irene ~ I'm glad you found the links helpful, I've learned so much here too from all of the great info from other members.
Thank you for taking the time to write this blog.
I tried to follow the link for Kristal's steps on how to insert clip art and the link in your email didn't appear to work?? Or did I not follow it correctly??
Thanks,
Sharon ~ You should click on the words "Inserting photos" which will bring up Kristal's post .... good luck!
Great concise information all in one spot! Wish I'd had this post when I started blogging. It will help a lot of people create blog posts that are more interesting for us to read. Thank you!
Thanks for all of the blogging tips.
Pangaea ~ Thanks for stopping by with your comment. We can all learn a few things about blogging can't we?
Sandy ~ You're more than welcome, hope you found them helpful!
Hi Maureen,
I just invited someone to AR and I'm going to make sure they read this post. Thanks for the one stop shopping.
Susan ~ Great, I hope they find it helpful. I wish I'd known these things when I first started! :-)