Creating a Blog on your website is easy.  No, you don’t need WordPress or other applications.  You can do it right on your own mySiteWizard.org site.  Surprised?  Let me clear up a misunderstanding that is flying around. Wiki defines a Blog as a contraction of Web Log. That is exactly what it is.  It is a website which includes a chosen subject that you regularly add new information to.  That’s it.  You do not need simple or complicated applications.  You can create a blog directly on your existing site. Here’s how …

Firstly, choose a subject.  If the purpose of your blog is to attract an audience and even participants make sure that your subject has a following.  Is there room for another blog on the subject? Personalizing your information and ensuring that you bring something a little different to the subject increases the likelihood of success.

Sharpen your pencil and visit your competitors.  List what these sites include such as categories, comment forms, polls etc.  After you have completed this decide on the features that you have to have and those which hinder visitors from finding what they want on your blog.

Now log in to your site and let’s do it!

1. Add a New Page and name it Blog.  Ensure that the URL of this page includes Blog.
2. Decide on how your categories will be organized. For example, by subject or by month or both.
3. Decide on the location of this menu.  You may choose to place the categories in the Page Master Menu.  In this case all your webpages will include this menu. Alternatively, you may decide to have this menu exclusively on your Blog pages.   To do this create a new page by choosing Add a New Page then click Copy. Click Blog then change the word Blog to the article name etc.  This saves the time and the aggro of setting up each new page with this menu.
4. If you want visitors to add a comment use the Comment Form
5. If you want to create a membership to send out an email alert to inform of new blog items -then do this.  I choose not to hide any of my pages from all visitors.  The Join function is solely to provide members with a service. Now if you have a site which will be consistently loaded with new information consider using the Directory feature at mySiteWizard.org.  There is a great Search feature for you or visitors and the organization is wicked.  Really!  Whether you choose to use the Directory is not critical now.  You can always do this in the future.

Questions and comments – I’m always here to support you in your website success.

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How do I change my site email to a personal email address.

Once logged in go your Contact Us page click on the Contact Us box and the Editor box will appear. Now click on Setup.  Within Setup, place the email address that you wish to send your emails to.  Most commonly, the email selected is associated with the owner’s website domain. This email address has a professional appearance.

This is the most common choice for website owners. For example, if someone posts a question on www.mysitewizard.org they will receive an email from info@mysitewizard.org. This is pretty logical.  But if they received the response from maryandjohn@gmail.xx this could cause confusion and the possibility of this email being sent to trash-disaster!  Are you still with me?

If you wish to continue with your request you need to only change the email address in Setup to the new personal email address that you have chosen.

Alternatively, your domain provider gives you several great options.

If you choose to keep your professional email address but do not check your domain provider’s webmail this can be a nuisance.  The solution is using the provider’s email Forward To function.

How to do this?  Login to your domain provider, if you have purchased multiple domain names confirm that you are in the correct domain name account. Now click on Domains  and then on Email Forwarding.  Next to your professional email address place your day-to-day email address in Forward To.

Now emails from your website will be sent to two places: your email box at your domain provider AND your personal day-to-day email box.

Ok I am almost finished!  I always recommend that website owners use their domain email address. This provides you with the appearance of a professional identity.  Also, this eliminates any confusion that a visitor might have when receiving an email from an unknown email that is actually you. Yes, I know that I am repeating myself only because this is important.

I recommend that once you receive an email from your website not to respond to it from your day-to-day email address but to return to your domain provider webmail and respond from your professional email address.

If you need any further information, I hear to help.

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www.mySiteWizard.org

Changing the Length of your WebPages (L2)

Like many actions taken while building your website consider the implications. Pause and think about the overall effect.  For example, if you choose to change the length of all your webpages but have varying amount of text on each this effect might be messy having an unfinished appearance.  Alternatively, you could change the page length on a page by page bases thus retaining a balanced and professional look on your website. See Additional Resources for more information.

Level Of Difficulty: Intermediate (L-2)

Preparation:

a. Decide whether you want to change the length to a specific page(s) or to all pages on your website.

b. Select and copy the text that you want to paste on to the web page.

Start:
1. Go to the web page -> Insert -> Body Text
Notice the Height of the text you have just pasted on your web page.  In my example I have a text with 1200 pixels in height.

2. In Edit, go to the top Menu and click on Edit -> Page Settings

3. In Page Settings click on Page Length to reveal the existing length of your webpage.  In this example  it is 860 pixels. 860 pixels includes from the top to the bottom of the web page.

4. In this example the web page length is 860 pixels and the text is 1200 pixels therefore much of the text will be off page and not seen.

5. To solve this you must change the page settings to at least 1500 pixels. Click OK.
Note: Click Apply this Length to All Pages if this is your plan.

6. Save and test. Repeat the above steps to make necessary adjustments.

Set-up of Google Maps
3) In the Editor click Place. Enter the address such as 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY   10019 (MOMA) or an internationally well known landmark e.g. MOMA New York.

Additional Resource:

1. Considerations:Web page Length  click here to view

2. Practice these skills at here

Did I miss something? Do you have a question? Locate and click on Comment at the beginning and to the right of the article and I’ll respond.

Coach Carol – www. mySiteWizard.org

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Knowing how to link to an affiliate could be the beginning of your internet earnings.

The following steps are simple but can be a bit tricky for the beginner.

1. Download the affiliate image (not html) to your computer. There are several ways that you can do that.

a. The most common is left clicking on the image/banner on the affiliate’s site.  From the drop down menu that will appear choose Save Image As.

b. Alternatively, you can take a screen shot by clicking Shift+Control+4.  Now place your curser at the top left corner of the image and left click and drag the tool across the banner then stop.  The image is now stored on your computer.

2. Upload the banner image to your file manager. Now upload it to your page, position and resize the image.

3. In editor, click on Link tab and select the first icon.  It is shaped like a mini world.  If you mouse over it the following text will appear:  Link to external URL.

4. Now stay alert for the following.

a. Most often your affiliate has sent you information that includes the image (that you have now copied) and HTML that includes your special affiliate ID.  The code will include HREF attribute of the <a> tag in your HTML.

You do not need all of this code.

b. Copy only the URL beginning with www.the affiliate site  followed by code etc including your affiliate ID AND ending just before </a>.

c. Paste it to Link to External URL

d. Now click Apply.

Your attention to details will pay off. Go to View (upper right of your screen)  to see if all went as planned.  Click on your now linked banner and be taken to the affiliate site.

Practice these and other website building skills here.

Happy money making.

Coach Carol             www.mysitewizard.org

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www. mySiteWizard.org Tutorial – L2
Insert a Google Map on your website
Many businesses and services depend on their website to drive prospects to their front door.  Literally!  In many cases website owners assume that the prospect will look at the provided street address and simply drive there.  This could be a serious misjudgement.  Providing a map to your location will help but providing the interactivity of a Google Map will give the driver as good or better information than the local map directory.  Don’t you want to provide your prospect with the best – after all they may become your client and that’s what it is all about.

Level Of Difficulty: Intermediate (L-2)
Preparation:
a. Start at the page that you want to insert the Google Map
b. Decide where you want to place the map on this page
c. Have the address of the location you want to map available.

Start:
1) Go to the top Menu and click on Insert -> Image ->  Library
2) The File Manager will appear. Click on Library -> Our Favourites -> Google map -> Use this. The Google Map and Editor will appear (see next image). To get out of the File Manager click on the X located in the upper right corner.

Set-up of Google Maps
3) In the Editor click Place. Enter the address such as 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019 (MOMA) or an internationally well known landmark e.g. MOMA New York.

Choose the colour of the placemaker (see red balloon) by clicking on the down button in the coloured box. A colour palette will appear. Click on your chosen colour.

4) Click once on the map and drag and drop it to your chosen location.

5) Click on an edge or corner and drag it to the correct dimensions OR go to Info Tab on the Editor and change the dimensions here.

6) Click on Setup Tab.  Try all of the choices provided.  I choose both Show Controls and Show Map Types for all my websites.  Show Navigator Panel is not useful unless the overall size of the map is quite large. Experiment and make your choices.

7. Click on the Google Map navigation buttons magnifying the map to a suitable size.

Click on Satellite and view a live satellite feed of your chosen destination. This technology is inspiring!

9) Click on Map and choose the magnification that you want on your website.

Now save

Tutorial End

Tips: For website that have an international client-base such as Plastic Surgeons or Recruitment Companies use less magnification so the visitor can see e.g. a map of Europe with the placementmarker of your company location. With this global orientation they can then use Google Maps to magnify to view the street you are situated on.

Practice these skills at http://tinyurl.com/kom9fv. Resources:

Additional Resource
Adding Google Maps Video – coming soon

Did I miss something? Do you have a question? Locate and click on Comment at the beginning and to the right of this article and I’ll respond.

Coach Carol – www. mySiteWizard.org

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