Is anything scarier than HTML??
October is often associated with goblins, ghosties, and ghastly ghouls, but for a new blogger those things can seem tame compared to the idea of having to write something in code for your sidebar or header. But learning a little HTML actually isn’t all that frightening. It’s like going through a haunted house in the daylight…once you see how it’s all put together, you realize you had nothing to be afraid of.
A lot of times, in fact, when you want to create a widget or button for your sidebar, you don’t even NEED to know code. Both Blogger and WordPress have dozens of sidebar gadgets that are already coded for you. All you have to do is click and choose which one(s) you want, then decide where you want it situated on your sidebar, and voila! Instant widget.
Other times, you want to add an off-site button or widget, though. For instance, you might want to add your Facebook profile badge to your blog sidebar. Or maybe you have a favorite forum you visit and you want to share it with your blog readers. Chances are, most of the sites or networks you want to promote already have their buttons and badges pre-coded for you! All you have to do is copy the code, create an HTML gadget in your blog sidebar, paste the code there, and click “Save”. Voila again!
There ARE a few instances where you might want to create text or image links on your sidebar, but don’t have the built in code handy. Our Blogging 101 course includes a handy resource for guiding you through the basics of HTML coding for blogs, if you ever need it.
See? That wasn’t so scary, was it? In fact, it’s almost too peaceful around here.
That’s much better.
