Blogging from Flickr

In the last several blog posts you learned some easy ways to start using SEO to get more traffic to your blog. I wanted to take a moment and tell you just a little more about using Flickr with this technique.

In the last blog post, I said that if you have a Flickr account, you can set up your blog(s) from your account page. You can also set your own copyright preferences for your own photos. For more information on this, visit http://creativecommons.org/choose/ Based on how other photographers set their own copyright preferences, you can blog about some photos directly from Flickr to your blog.

Yes, Flickr accounts are free and very easy to set up. No, Flickr doesn't pay me to promote them; I just use Flickr for most of my online photo management and love how it works.

Once your Flickr account is set up and your blog(s) are set up, do a keyword search. I did a search in Flickr for "Ceramic Paint Pens" (quotes make sure the exact phrase is searched, not single words in the phrase.) If you see a picture you want to blog about and the copyright settings allow others to blog it, just hit the "Blog This" button and blog it from there.

 

Easy peasy.

Here's how my blog post looks:

Soup tureens with ladle., originally uploaded by Terry Wallis.

In this Flickr picture, photographer Terry Wallis mentioned how he bought ladles separately and used ceramic paint pens to paint them to match the tureen set.

I posted this directly from Flickr. If you click on the picture it will take you to the Flickr page where this photo is located.

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One more super easy SEO trick to boost your blog

In my last two blog posts I shared some tips on using basic SEO to get more traffic to your blog. I hope you've had some nice results from these tips. Today I've got one more thing you can do to build on the last post.

In the last post I suggested using Google Analytics to find out what keywords people were using to get to your site, and then blogging about these keywords. Using that trick, let's go one step further.

1. Go to Google Alerts and type in your keyword. Select what kinds of sites/blogs you want to search, how often you want to be alerted, and where the alert should be sent. In my case, I set up a Google Alert for "ceramic paint pens" (in quotes so Google searches that exact phrase.)

2. Like in the last blog post, you'll need to give it a week or so for the results to show up. When they do, browse through the links and see if anything would be of interest to your readers. I found this intriguing and related blog post at Re-nest. (The tea set shown there is amazing, isn't it?)

3. When you've found something interesting, blog about it, using your keyword three to five times. Write your own content with your own opinion and viewpoint. Be sure to get permission to re-post any relevant pictures found on the other website. Include a link to that site - partly as a courtesy to your readers if they want more info, party to add credibility to your own post, and mostly to give credit to the owner of the original content.

Your loyal readers will appreciate you sharing some interesting and related info and you'll have something fresh for your new readers. Don't be surprised if you get a mention at the other website for sharing their info with your readers.

Where else can you use this SEO trick? It depends on what your keyword is. Instead of just setting up a Google Alert, I have also found great content to blog about with a keyword search at the following sites.

Crafts, handmade goods, art - Etsy or Artfire

Food - try recipe sharing sites such as Recipezaar

Local stuff, travel, scenery, misc - Flickr

(If you have a Flickr account, you can set up your blog(s) from your account page. Then, if you see a picture you want to blog about and the picture owner has chosen to allow others to blog it, just hit the "Blog This" button and blog it from there. Easy peasy.)

If you try this on your blog, comment here and let me know how you liked it.  Don't forget to get permission before using any photos - and let the owners of the original content know that you've posted about them whenever possible.

Cheers!

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Promote your blog via Flickr - part II

I had posted earlier about how to promote yourself via Flickr. In that post I suggested submitting your photos to various groups. Here's an expansion on that idea:

Have you ever stumbled across blogs that showcase handmade items? Two fine blog examples are Gift Rap and Cuteable.

Where do you think they get their ideas?
Flickr.

Aha! I can just imagine the lightbulb going off in your head and the ideas are starting to churn.

Yes. You are correct in your thinking: Join the flickr group for these blogs and submit your pictures to them.

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In fact, here's part of the Cuteable flickr group welcome page:

We regularly check the group for new pictures, and occasionally select outstanding entries for posting on the Cuteable blog!

To small and home-based crafts businesses: the Cuteable Flickr group is a great way to spread the word about your product(s) and get FREE advertising.

Be sure to include a nice description and high quality pictures, as this will increase your chances of getting some mega-primo-time on the main Cuteable blog.

Cuteable stats are here. Good news is they get a LOT of traffic. Bad news is that they have a lot of submissions. My advice is to submit your stuff and continue to keep up with your other promotion methods.

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Here's a little blurb from The Gift Gurus flickr group page:

Get the latest tips and suggestions from the www.gifts.com "Gift Gurus," check out cool items from the "Gift Rap" blog and share your own gifting photos and stories with other gift-giving (and receiving!) aficionados.

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Cuteable and Gift Rap are not the only ones out there who use their flickr group to collect new ideas. If you do a search for Flickr groups based on keywords that fit your item(s), you'll find more. Don't forget to check the following keywords: blog, gossip, shop, buy, baby, fashion... etc.

Now before you go running off to send your stuff to Cuteable, Gift Rap, and others, here are some rules and suggestions.

Rules:

• DO NOT include a link to your Etsy shop or any other commercial site in the description of any of your photos. Ever. This puts your entire flickr account at risk of being deleted without warning. If you must add a link, it can go to a blog or other NON-commercial site.
• Don't submit multiple shots of the same subject. It's overkill and can make you seem spammy and/or desperate.
• Refrain from adding "please feature me on your site" in your photo description. That's tacky and is more likely to get you ignored.
• Just use common sense when posting, follow the flickr TOS (even if other people are posting their Etsy links,) and have fun.

Suggestions:

• Include a non-salesy description of the item in the picture. Write as if you were showing it to a friend, not as a sales pitch.
• Use the best photo you have, with a clean background, good lighting, etc. Edit it to improve it, if necessary.
• Post photos of new items regularly, maybe once a week or so, to keep your flickr name reappearing. Psychologically, this builds your credibility as a serious crafter/artist.
• Just like in blogs, comment on other people's photos. Be complimentary, ask questions, and make your comments relative to their subject.
• Last, like in my earlier post, blog about your picture (if you have a blog) before submitting it to the group, and the include a link to your blog post in the photo's description. Here's an example -

The PlateWrap is a fun, re-useable cloth "gift wrap" for your Pass It On Plate.

This particular plate started its journey in northern California and you can track it here: passitonplates.blogspot.com/2007/07/200706150005.html

Excited about this? Go see what you can find out there. I'd love it if you would comment here with other groups come across.

Oh. And as of this writing, there are only 24 members in the Gift Gurus group (as opposed to 2500 at Cuteable). I'm going to watch and see how we can make this little group membership simply explode.

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Blog Header for Etsy Tutorial

About six weeks ago I showed you a fun tool called a Blog Header Generator. While this would be nice for a blog, this could be awesome for Etsy.

If you missed the earlier post, you can check it out here: http://www.pamhawk.com/2009/02/flickr-blog-header-generator.html

I am currently building a website for my high school. The school closed in 1990 when the school district dissolved (very sad for all of us) and now we have an all school reunion being planned for next year. I'm using this technique to create a header for the website, but you can use this technique to a header for your Etsy shop, your blog, a website, or wherever.
This is soooo easy.

1. Find a picture you want to use.
In this example, I'm using a photo scanned from an old yearbook.

2. Run your picture through the blog header generator (There's a link in the sidebar, too.)
After trying it with Center, Upper Left, and Lower Right, I decided on Center. Here's the blog header that was generated. Save it to your computer.

Why not just crop and edit in flickr or another program? I could, but this crops it to ideal dimensions and scales the picture to the correct width. It's just easier and faster this way.

3. Upload the picture you just saved to your flickr account.
Click Edit, then click the tab that says Create.
Now click Text to add your title. Adjust the color, size, font, and placement until it's perfect.

In this case, I used the name of the school, since that's also the name of the website. You could use your blog name, your Etsy shop name, and if you're using this header for a special sale or special event you can customize your text to promote this event.


Ta dah! Finished product. You can see that after adding text, I also clicked Frames and added rounded corners.


If you want to see this in action, you can take a peek at the school website at www.ondossagonaggies.com

Meanwhile, if you try this, please comment here with your links so we can all visit your shop and see your handiwork!

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Tips and tricks for uploading photos to Flickr

My mom is starting to upload photos to her flickr account. Since she is the "keeper of the family photo album" with pictures from almost 100 years ago, I have been encouraging her to scan and upload all the photos so they can be shared with our extensive family scattered across the globe.



She's going to practice on a few more recent pictures first.



I wish we lived closer, but with over 1700 miles between us, I emailed her some instructions that I would like to share with you as you learn to navigate the wonders of flickr.



How to upload from the flickr website:

1. Go to http://www.flickr.com/ and log in to your account. If you don't have an account, you can log in with your Yahoo identity.


2. You can upload photos in a couple of ways. The easiest is to click "Upload Photos & Video" then click "Choose Photos & Video." Then navigate to the folder on your computer where you have your images stored and click on them.


3. Click Upload.

Tips:

• When you open the folder where your pictures are, click View on the top task bar then click Thumbnails to see the actual pictures.


• Use your mouse and drag to select several pictures in a block.


• To select several in a linear manner, hold down the shift key on the keyboard and use your mouse to click the first and last image in the series that you want to select. Let up on the shift key when you're done clicking with the mouse.


• To select a few pictures from the group, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and then use your mouse to click the pictures you want. Let up on the CTRL key when you're done clicking with the mouse.

How to upload via email:

1. The first time you want to do this, you will need to log in to your Flickr account and click the dropdown arrow for You and select Your Account.


2. Click the link that says Email.


3. Click your Flickr upload email address and attach the photos to the email that opens up. You can also save this email address and email pictures to your flickr account without having to go to flickr.

Note: When you email photos to your flickr account, they will be public and visible to anyone. If you want to keep them private, just email them to your flickr email address and add +private to your address so instead of username@photos.flickr.com it will be username+private@photos.flickr.com You can change the photos from private to public later, when you log into your flickr account. For more flickr email tips, follow the first two of the email steps and click the edit link to the right of your flickr email address.

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(And remember, all comments are do-follow, so your comment left here supports YOU.)

Promote your blog via Flickr

Do you use Flickr? You'll love this tip to use Flickr to promote your blog.

1. First of all, when you log into Flickr, click on the drop down arrow by the tab You and select Your Account.

2. This will bring you the the tab that says Personal Information. Click the tab that says Extending Flickr. Look for Your Blogs and click Edit.

3. Click Add A Blog and follow the instructions. If you want to add more than one blog, repeat the process for each blog you want to add.

4. Next, go to a picture that you want to use in a blog post. Above the picture, click Blog This and follow the instructions to post it to your blog. You'll see that there is a place for you to add text to the blog post. If you know a little HTML you can also include formatting like bold and italic, as well as links.

5. Post the picture to your blog, then click the link provided by Flickr to visit your blog. (It will open up in a new window so you won't lose your place at Flickr.)

Here is an example of one that I posted to my other blog:
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Ta-dah! Dressed up gift box, originally uploaded by passitonplates.

You can make this in my quick and super easy tutorial: How To Dress Up A Gift Box

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6. While at your blog, copy the link for the blog post you just made, then go back to Flickr and click return to this item's page.

7. Just below your picture there is a box to add a description. The box turns yellow when you hover your mouse over it. (It's above Comments.) Add a description and invite viewers to visit your blog post for more information. Here's where you'll need a little HTML to insert the link. If you're not sure how to add links with HTML, just copy this code:
<a href="
then without adding any spaces, paste your link and follow it by
">
next, type in the text you want people to click on and follow that by
</a>
Your completed link should look something like this in HTML:
<a href="http://passitonplatesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-dress-up-gift-box.html"> How To Dress Up A Gift Box</a>
and your readers will see:
How To Dress Up A Gift Box

8. Add tags to your picture.

9. Now you're ready to promote your blog. Near the top of the Flickr page, click the drop down arrow for Groups and click on Search for a Group. Start searching based on your keywords, but don't forget to use category keywords as well, such as craft, food, family, etc. Join any and all groups where sharing your picture would be appropriate. The more, the better. I really don't know how many groups are on Etsy, but I guarantee there are thousands and thousands and I'm sure you'll find at least one that your picture fits into.

Do you sell on Etsy? Try these groups:
Etsy-Look and Learn
Craft
Get Crafty
Crazy For Knitting
Artisan Jewelry on Etsy
Painted Furniture
Softies

10. Watch your blog traffic. Depending on the "interestingness" of your picture, you could get a lot of traffic. This gift box photo has given me a nice bump in traffic, and even though I posted it over a month ago, I'm still getting a trickle of traffic from it. Your Flickr stats also show how many views that picture gets and you can even learn what search keywords people are using to get to your photo. If you include these words in your actual blog post, that will help guide search engine users to your blog post as well.


Two very important notes:

1. Flickr TOS requires that when you blog about a picture, the picture must link back to its page on filckr. If you like messing with your HTML, don't change where the picture leads to.

2. Flickr TOS also forbids selling on Flickr. If you have photographed something you have in your shop, you can blog about it but you cannot include links to your Etsy shop or mention that the item is for sale in the Flickr description.

(And remember, all comments are do-follow, so your comment left here supports YOU.)

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