Blogging 101.2

You've survived to this point, that means its time to

Create Content

Starting from your blogger dashboard: Push da button. The orange one with the pencil...

Which will lead you to a brand new post:

Step 1: Post Title

This is not the same as your blog title. Your blog title is your entire blog. The post title is just for this blurb.

Example:

My blog is Happy.Happy.Happy.Happy.Gay.
My last post was 'Back to School Sale Week 2 Sneek Peak.
My next post will be 'How to Crochet Holes: Part 2'. The blog will still be 'Happy.Happy.Happy.Happy.Gay"

Step 2: Post Body

 

This is the article. Put whatever you want... perhaps within reason. Apparently, the US gets kinda anal about some things... so... maybe not WHATEVER you want... unless you want to live in an airport in Russia...

Step 3: Post Settings

 

If you move your mouse over to the right side of the screen, a menu should pop out. Hover in this area (to 'hover' means to hold your mouse over an area of the screen for a prolonged duration) to keep this area available for fine tuning.

Labels

This feature is known in most sites as tags or keywords. Plug in relevant keywords here.

Schedule

This is where you program publishing, in the event that you wish your article to publish at a time other than 'right now'. If you have opted for scheduled publishing, remember to hit publish, as you normally would when you are finished prepping- if you hit save, it won't publish at it's scheduled time (figured this out the hard way).

Permalink

This gives you the option of the original URL that would be handed to this post, or customizing it. Personally, I don't see the point in it... but... sure, whatever floats your boat!

Location

Where are you? You don't have to share this (I don't), but some people are into reading things from locals. This helps them find you.
 

Options

 Reader comments: allow/ don't allow. Show HTML literally/ don't show HTML literally (we'll cover this later). Line breaks: Use br tag/ press enter for line breaks.

If you don't know what the hell any of that meant, it is a pretty safe bet that you shouldn't play with it yet. This is all pretty far beyond our current level, but we will be getting to it in later lessons.

Step 4: Publish

Just hit that button right there...

Which will take you to this screen. It's a share to your Google+. Don't panic... you can do this!


After hitting share or cancel, you will be taken back to the dashboard. TADA!

Blogging 101.1

Get Yerself a Blog

 

I am writing from the perspective of someone who uses blogger. There are a few reasons for this: free wordpress has issues. Their customer service sucks. I moved here. It works well. I've never needed customer service.

I also love the fact that, if I already have an account with any of Google's services, I have access to ALL of their services. (Do you have any idea how many account passwords I lose every year? This helps with that issue- A LOT!)

So, if you already use something like G+, you just need to take a trip over to blogger.com and sign in. If you don't have a Google account, you will need to sign up when you get there.

(If some of these steps are a little base to you, I apologize. Better safe than sorry!)

Create the Blog

 

I have two blogs, so my screen looks different than yours will if you don't have a blog yet. (In that case, you won't see any blogs on your 'dashboard' yet). Click 'New Blog'.

This will lead you to a prompt to give a title and url that looks like this:

First, pick a title for your new blog. If this is specifically, for your shop... that works as a title.

(Because blogs that are strictly sale pitch tend to fall on deaf ears and I have lots of other things to talk about, Happy.Happy.Happy.Happy.Gay is intended as a mix of arts and crafts, human rights and "can we please do something about Global Warming before we all drown?" with a side of "please buy something". So... all the things that make me happy, with a hint of Marriage Equality- cuz... it'd make me happy!)

Second, put in the url you want for your blog.

Unlike some sites, on blogger, you come up with the URL. It should match the title you chose as closely as possible to keep it memorable. Ultimately, it's your choosing, but try to keep it short and devoid of unnecessary punctuation marks. 

(If you are using your shop name as your blog title, it's not gonna make sense if the URL is something like iloveveronicamars.blogspot.com. Not only does it not make sense, it'll make it hard to remember. Sooo... do your best to get matching title and URL. At the same time, try to keep it short enough to be remembered. And... none_of_this-crap-   weird punctuations just make URLs hard to remember. Don't shoot yourself in the foot.)

Third, pick a template. Don't fret, this can be changed at a later date. Trust me, I don't like what I have up... I'ma screw with it till I get it right. (That's a later class... I'm not out to make your head explode, I promise!)

It's worth noting that you won't be allowed to hit 'create' until you've selected a unique URL. If someone else has the web id that you have chosen, the button will be inactive. Once you have corrected the issue, the button will become bright orange.

 Hitting create will take us back to the dashboard:

Congratulations! You have now created a blog... using it is another matter...


As you can see from the above illustration, the creation of a new blog will cause a banner to open on the dashboard, prompting you to make a new post or dismiss. This is the only time you will ever see this banner. From here out, if you want to make a post, push the pencil. Pun intended.

Onward, to part 2!

On the Cost of Handicraft

When people look at handicraft prices, they are often thrown for a loop by the price. After decades of buying goods made in third world countries that pay workers less than a livable wage, and paying prices that reflect these practices, seeing the cost of paying an American worker a fair wage can seem astounding. We handcrafters hear about it often, and some even see it reflected in low sales.

 I live, work, and run my business from the state of Oregon, which has a minimum wage of $9 an hour- one of the highest minimum wages in the USA. That means that I have to pay the people who make my items $9 for every hour of labor put into these items, whether that check is written to myself or to someone working from my patterns to fill my shop. Every time I do so, I am helping someone feed their family and keep a roof over their head.

In India, for instance, it costs a family of four $2 (US) a week to survive, but a worker brings in an average of $0.05 (US) per day. Can you imagine surviving like that? Do you go without food, or go without heat? Trick question- your home is made of corrugated tin and you don't have electricity. Six months out of the year, floods will drive you and your children from this shack.

This is one of the beautiful things about the handicraft movement- when we buy from businesses that pay their workers fair wages, we are putting pressure on businesses that have taken their manufacturing overseas to provide cheap products. We are telling those companies that we believe human beings have a right to earn wages that will enable them to support their families, too! We are telling them that we citizens of great nations to not believe that children should go hungry or live in back alleys or die of preventable/ treatable illnesses!

If you can't afford handicraft items at American wages, that sucks... but don't chew out the artist who is just trying to feed their family. That's not right. How would you feel if someone went into your place of work and complained that the cost of your fair wages was making something inaccessible to them. Save your money, offer a barter, find a way to make it yourself, ask if they'll take payments... but don't try to make us feel bad about knowing our worth.

I'll get off my soap box now.

Back to School Sale- Week 2 Sneek Peak!

Summer break is rapidly drawing to a close and school has already begun for some families. Of course, the first day always brings jitters. From kindergarten to college, whether you grew up with these kids or just moved out of your home state, even teachers start the year with nerves on edge!

Tell someone special that you believe in them with a one of a kind gift from Willow by the Tide! During the week of August 8-14, the entire jewelry section is 20%! (Check back on the 19th for a sneak peek at what's going on sale next!)

Matyroshka Doll Earrings for a young lady with new piercings!

Art Nouveau Necklace- teachers need love, too!

Key to My Heart Pieces say 'I'm always with you'.

Back to School Sale Begins

It's that time of year again- if your kiddo's school year hasn't begun already, it soon will! While getting the kidlets stocked up for to return to the land of academia, why not shop for some handmade goods? You may find yourself paying a little more up front, but your young ones will be returning to school with items that are one of a kind and built to last!

To celebrate the impending start of the school year (and sanity in my home), we are having a sale in my Etsy shop, Willow by the Tide. During the week of August 1-7, all knit and crochet items are 10%off! (Check back on the 5th for a sneak peek at what's going on sale next!)

Amigurimis Make Great Gifts for Kid's Leaving for College!

Cold Fall mornings are on the way!

Take a moment for you after the kids go back to school!

Donations to Autism Association of Oregon

I'm so excited! I got a response to the message I recently sent the Autism Association of Oregon, where I asked if I could put into some of my item descriptions that I would be donating profits from the items to AAO. Guess what? They said yes! Currently, I have these two crochet hats- but there will be more as we grow!

 (And yes, Christmas in July is on it's last week- hurry up and get your gift shopping started for half the price!)

Rainbow Color Lace Stitch Slouch Beanie

Rainbow Spiral Kid's Beanie

Hey Gang,

July is almost over, which means the end of my Christmas in July sale. Come check out my shop wide half off sale while there is still time! (Did you know that I currently have more than 20 items under $20 and nearly as many items for $50 or less? Catch these deals before the return of regular prices **cue cheesy horror music**

AutisMate: Unlocking Augmentative Communication Devices in th...

AutisMate: Unlocking Augmentative Communication Devices in th...: There is a large selection of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and iPad/Android apps for children with autism. Most...

And Now, For Something New

Hey guys,

I've been working tons on the Etsy shop- trying to get everything squared away for the Christmas in July event! Many shops that I have seen use a service that generates the sales for them- Etsy sale. We're giving it a shot this time around to see if it's worth spending money to use in the future...

Yes, I just said 'we'. I've added a friend to the shop to help out here and there. Mostly, Raven is the marketing guy, sharing on twitter, furaffinity, etc... But he may help out in other places, too (especially if we get to the point that I can afford a piece of professional work-space-away-from-home!)

PS If you like free stuff, use this code to get free credits at EtsySale.com and see if you like the service, yourself! http://www.etsyonsale.com/sellers?referralCode=5I9LLKIYMT