Twitter Buttons~ I share the Secret with Options!

Okay, so I was working on a jam up list of Facebook tips and all, but while working on my other blog, I was trying to find out how to put a "Follow Me" Twitter Bird or Button or something. See then all over everyone's blog, have all kinds of neat gadgets, counters that list number of follower, maps or feeds that list where their visitors are from (geographically speaking),their rank on twitter, I could fill this entire post on thing/gadgets/widgets I have seen (some great some just plain silly to me). SO I have over 1300 follower, I figure if I send it out as a question, surely one of them would share the secret, really didn't even think of it as a secret at the time of posing question, till I got no response. Wait I take that back I got many no clue, and at least 3 or 4 "hey when you find out, please let me know". I was kinda taken back, I would guesstimate that at least 50% of people on twitter have a blog or a site, and who knows what percentage of those have "elusive button", but I know many, because I read several. Even, reached out to one I knew had it, will not mention his name, but got nothing, no repose at all. Really makes me giggle, so I am off to find the "Blue Follow Me Bird" and some other ones too, then I am gonna let the secret out of the BAG!!!
Okay this is the most basic way to get your Twitter feed on a profile, such as your My Space or Facebook page. This is how I first did it, not sure if I was prompted to when I sign up or what but I had on heck of a time finding it again, it is very easy to miss.
To get a Twitter feed on just about any page, if offers code for basic one, such as Blogger, My Space, Facebook, then another option that will provide a code for most other pages, as long as you can enter in HTML code in a text are or some place like that.
*Log in to you twitter account, you have to go through regular site, not an application such as Tweetdeck, sign in just like you would to use twitter (with user name and password)
*Go to upper right corner and click on "Settings"
*Under the first tab. "account", go down to the spot where it lets you add "More info URL", and under says "Have a homepage or blog? Put the address here.".......directly under that is a link, it is little and may not appear like a link, but it is.
*Click on link that says "(You can also add Twitter to your site here)"
*That link will take you to a bunch of choices, you can pick a mini feed, or a bigger on with avatars. You can customize the colors to match you profile r blog you are putting it on. Once you are done you get code and copy/paste it where you want it.

Okay, now how about the "Follow Me" graphics, here are some sites to find those. Once you get the graphic you have to make the graphic a "clickable link" that goes to you twitter homepage where they can follow you.
*Here are the Blue Birds with Follow Me, has several good options, I show only two out of a dozen or so. This is a site be Randa Clay ~ http://randaclay.com/freebies/free-twitter-graphics/



This site has some really cute, non typical Twitter like ones, yet not too far out~
*The site is Siah Designs http://siahdesign.com/archives/150
Here are a couple of the cute ones
(also remember when saving to your computer, that the one that move are saved a .gif)
Actually this selection is so good this is a site to bookmark and change out if you are the type that likes to redesign or has multiple sites




Okay this is the last one I am gonna give you, but it is by far only one more out of tons that are available, and don't forget, technically you can make Follow Me button/badge yourself, just use a program like Paint of Photobucket (my personal favorite, that is a post to come in the future) and make one that says "Follow Me" or whatever then enter that picture into the code that links to your twitter homepage. This is a simple code, if needed add to your post and I will get a post up showing how to do that, you can make it open in a new window, same window, even a different browser. Funny cause I just read an article, I will include, so I can give credit if I use about if people get made about having links open in a new window or same window, ha, I have never given it much thought, but totally made sense.

*This page/button options,the site is ~ Limeshot, which is an awesome site I just discover and will be using in the future , www.limeshot.com
this is the "Follow Me on Twitter badges/logo/buttons" page
http://limeshot.com/2008/follow-me-on-twitter-badges
Here are a few of the MANY ones the offer~


Alrighty that should get y'all started, I am going to put mine on tonight, should do it now, but wanna get this out to all the people I told I would~ so they do not think that I do not want to share the secret too!!
Remember, let me know what you think, if you like, and if you need help with the code putting it together (you can easily find it, but if you need help, like I did the first ten times I did it just post and I will write some easy to follow directions).
Gotta go get the kiddos from school, they ladies at the school pick up line do not take "Mommy's Online" as an answer for being late to pick up. Look forward to seeing the new buttons everywhere!!
SMILE!

Tips & Cool Sites for Graphics, Gadgets, and Everything Else

As promised, I am back to give some tips and some cool sites for My Space. My Space was where I first got my feet wet as far as sites you participate in or make a profile. What is very neat, is that while going over these sites getting this post together I have found that most either work here in Blogger or have a code that works on just about any site....bonus! There is no way to cover everything or every site, there is an endless amount of site, don't believe me, go Google "My Space Layouts".....and see how many come up. As with anything some site are better than other, here are a few of my favorites.......

Layouts & Graphic Sites~

First thing you need is a layout and some graphics......I have found that 90% of the site that have graphic also have layouts. Here are some that have good choices, I have not had issues with pop up adds trying to take over my computer and the codes are spot on.

Pyzam~
http://www.pyzam.com/
Pyzam was the first place I got my 1st graphic, which to me was a huge deal then. I found the graphic I liked, copied the code, went and pasted it to my profile and held my breathe while I waited to see if all those letters, numbers and symbols that looked like a toddler had banged on the keyboard, would turn into a picture, and like Magic, or coding, it did. It is a solid site for Mom's to find all kids of " I love my kids" or anything else you can think one would love and some you wouldn't think of. Show pride for your family, pet, Nationality, you name it. It has several features, you can find anything from layout, some of the better ones in my opinion~ endless layouts.
. Pyzam also has

• slide shows
• flash toys
• layouts
• graphics
• funny pictures
• holiday themes and different stuff at different times of the year.

Here are a few more in no particular order

• http://www.myhotcomments.com/ My Hot Comments
• http://www.girlossary.com/ Girlossary~ great site for all things girly
• http://www.peachyprofiles.com/ This one is also on the girly side, has cute Mommy to be layouts and graphics for a baby to be born in any month
• http://www.butterfunk.com/ Butterfunk is fun, just like its name, it also has a steamier group of pictures if you are looking for something a little sexy. I love to go there because I like there day of the week graphics
• http://www.webfetti.com/home.jhtml Webfetti is you one stop shop for generators and other cool text makers and such. It is how I made graphic at top of post.

Pictures ~

One of the most fun things about having a page on My Space is showing off your photos. I love to make slide shows with my photos and the best place I have found is Slide!

http://www.slide.com/

Slide is a great site anyone who loves pictures or creating new ways to show your photos. Us moms love to brag and take pictures, here you can do all sorts of fun stuff with your pictures. I have made slide shows & posters with animation. They offer just about any theme you could imagine for slide show, from old Polaroids dropping like they are being looked at, to a stage for you pictures (complete with stage curtains) to having them puzzled and unpuzzled as they move from picture to picture. I love to use them to make slide show of my new handmade products that I am getting ready to upload to my store to let my local and online my space friends see it and get some feedback, plus it is just fun to play. When you are done it will give you the code for My Space or just about any other site. I have put it on countless sites. There are a lot of cool features.
And I found out while getting this post together, which is great for moms and business women (men too)....Slide offers Image Hosting No Limit...free image hosting for your profile picture! neat, always looking for good image host!

As you can see you can do all kinds of things, even add music to your slide shows, which I disabled so that it would not play on every post looked at.

Music~

Your choices for putting music on your profile are endless, like everything else.

My favorite is My Playlist for these reasons......they have a huge selection of songs, playlist hold 200 songs, you can make more than one playlist, and they have a code for just about any site or page you would want to add music to.

http://www.playlist.com/

They also have video play list you can make and put on your site.

Tips~

• When looking for a layout and/or graphics, pick one and go back later or take it from me you will be sitting there with your eyes glazed over hitting the next page button a zillion times looking at theme after theme- same goes with comments. Pick them & put them up, that are not Tattoos, you can easily remove them.
• If you are not looking to be bombarded by people looking to meet single people or dates, either set your page to private or make sure you mark the "Married" or "In a relationship" button so that people know. I did that and my girlfriend did not and she had over 100 friend request in one day ~ all by guys.
• If you do not want to get a ton of e-mails go under notifications and deselect all options that e-mail you any time someone contacts you and so on, at first it was okay, until I got more involved, then I had a over 60 in a day, just a pain to delete.
• What I suggest is setting up an e-mail for different things you have to sign up for, such as My Space, Slide, My Playlist......and that way after you get your first e-mail to activate you can pretty much only check it once in a while. Then when it gets so many that it is unmanagable you can always start another one. It is a mistake to give your primary e-mail address to all these sites to send you all kinds of stuff making it where you might over look an important e-mail.

Most of all ENJOY, it is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Once you get the hang of it, it is like riding a bike- the example always given for something that will eventually come second nature. Hope you find some of these sites useful. Many of these sites were my answer on many days to the question "Where is Mommy?"

Mommy's Online!

Hello My Space ~"Where is Mommy?"

Quick picture of life before My Space entered was that my free time was taken up by my family, mostly our twin 6 yr old boys, my love of crafting, a lot of housework, and watching my favorite weekly shows. We live on 15 acres way back of the road and life revolved around it, my family, and my beloved crafts.

Fast forward ~~> Summer this year (2oo8)
One day, like many before, a friend was over while we were doing kid things, swimming, sliding.....anything to tire them out and get us together. My friend, knows who she is because I still blame or accredited her for getting me "sucked in", and she alway laughs was already addicted, even if she was still in denial stage. Anyway while chatting she mentions this "My Space" and I have no clue. I had a brand new computer as a mom and a craft not, I was really only used it to find patterns, or look up some symptom one of the boys had, or keep in touch with the teachers and boy scout leaders. We go my office, which till then had rarely even been uses....and now is the "go to spot for looking for Mommy" and she pulls up her My Space profile page, where I am amazed and amused by her cute comments, graphics stating her love for her kids, her life.....and I notice a lot of people that I know are on the My Space. I had only heard about it on T.V. as far as parents watching out for their kids....which is mega important, but that was all the real knowledge I had about it.....till that summer day.
SO a few days later I sign up and with in days am sucked in....and thats when I hearing the question
"WHERE IS MOMMY?"
Since then I have expanded my social network 20 fold , and will detail as I post, but My Space was the beginning. I still actively use my My Space accounts, yes I said accounts ~ tell you all about having two online identities-- or what I have learned about it (not like trying to fool anyone but one for a business or organization)
If you have not checked out My Space it is still a great way to connect and just about everyone ~ from Rock Stars, to Comedians, to Movie Stars, all kinds of Wonderful Organizations, non-profits.
Also My Space has launched a newer more streamlined, even more- like anyone thought that was possible, customizable version. My next post I will give some sites to get good graphics, some tips I have learned from trial and even more Error, info on a few of the apps (applications) they have to add, some time saving tips and just some cool links I have discovered.
So go sign up...and by the time you do I will post those for you!

Here is it made easy for you

http://www.myspace.com/

This is off The Official My Space Quick Tour Page~
My Space is a place for friends
Search Friends
Find old friends
Make new friends
MySpace is Your Space
Express who you are
Upload pictures & videos
Add music
Your own web address
MySpace keeps you connected
Keep up with your friends
MySpace Mobile
Share what you're up to

And this is funny but becoming more true!

SMILE!