“If there is
anyway we can
help do this and keep your
contests going I vote YES,
YES, YES!” ~Peggy-B
Thank you everyone for providing such great feedback the other day, about how to make Phase 3 of the Bead Giveaway Contest work for everyone’s benefit. Some specific questions came up in that discussion which I will take the time to address here in today’s post.
First off in general, there appears to be enough positive support for this new initiative, to give it a go… which is wonderful!
| Now in regards to the comments about not knowing how to use photo sharing sites like Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket, PictureTrail, Facebook etc., it is apparent there will be a bit of a learning curve for some of you. Fortunately, most of these free web services are pretty user friendly. Plus… there are members like Silverleaf and Phaedrakat who have graciously volunteered to do some technology tutoring if necessary. Thanks gals for being so helpful.
One suggestion that came up was to set up a dedicated group area in Flickr or on Facebook, where everyone could upload their photos to a central location. A problem I see with using this approach, is that it may be difficult for everyone to agree on which service to go with. Some people love Facebook. Other’s hate it. Same goes for Flickr and all of the other options that exist on the web today. Then there are those who prefer to do everything on their own web site or blog. So by allowing the contest photos and links to be published wherever, this will likely make it easiest for the most number of members to participate. And the regular summary posts I do at my blog will provide handy links for everyone to be able to conveniently follow along.
This really should not be a concern, Brenda. In actuality, pictures and links posted on large photo sharing sites will be exposed to much more web traffic than a personal blog. And remember you can post your stuff on multiple pages if you like.
Silverleaf has already addressed this question quite nicely… “I assume Cindy’s using Google Analytics (GA) or a similar service to track visitors to this site, so that will give her a “referring link” for every visit, and numbers of how many people came from each link. I use GA to track visitors to my MISI shop, and I find that a good proportion of my visits come from this blog when people click on my name, for example.” [Like Silverleaf, I also use Google Analytics for tracking web visitors.]
Thanks for bringing this up, Kat. I agree. The intent for this initiative should be to show off your finished beads and jewelry… not to teach the techniques.
|
 |
The Spotlight features as I have been presenting them over the last couple of months, would no longer be part of the bead giveaway contest. All of the emailing, copy editing, back linking, photo editing, cropping, layout, etc., etc. was just getting too overwhelming to manage. However, what I would like to do is continue with a similar type of Spotlight feature where the topic is focused on problem solving. I did a few of these over the past couple of months and they proved to be very engaging and educational for everyone. Here is an example: Cracking Heart Beads
Furthermore as time permits, I will continue to post some photos in the comment sections of relevant posts. Like this… Tribal Cane.
How often will there be a Phase 3 contest winner?
~Phaedrakat
That is still to be determined. It will depend on how many people get involved with this new Phase 3 contest initiative. But please trust me that I will follow through and provide a nice big prize… just as I did in the Phase 1 and Phase 2.
And on that note, why don’t we just go ahead and get things under way. If some of you want to start posting your pictures, descriptions, stories and links at the site of your choice, then next week in a follow up blog post, I’ll showcase the initial contest entries as examples for everyone to have a look at.
In next week’s post I’ll provide a bit more information about how to do the links. As I’ve already said, they should point to a specific page here at my blog which shows the intro video clip for the technique your projects are based on, or inspired by.
Also with the links, please use Anchor Text. For example if you are referencing the leopard cane, the link should look like:
Leopard Cane Tutorial <or> Leopard Cane Video <or> something similar… rather than… https://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/polymer-clay-tutorial-animal-prints-leopard-cane-video/9778/
Short 2 or 3 word Anchor Text links are much more user friendly. And Google likes them better as well.
I can’t wait to see what you guys post. Remember to let me know via email, where your stuff is published. This is going to be fun!
.
Ok, I’m ready to try, but because I am computer challenged among other things, so many other things, let me ask a very specific question. Say, I want to post a picture on my blog and in the discussion need to create this link back thing to Cindy’s site. For instance, “I learned to create the beads for this necklace using a tutorial by Cindy Lietz. Now,(let’s use the faux jade tut), what exactly, down to the last dot, slash etc. do I type next to create the link? Also, is there some kind of magic “create link” button somewhere that I need to find?
Thanks guys.
@Elizabeth S.: Well depending on what you use, FB or if you have you own blog. On the blog, you highlight the word for instance “Leopard cane” and click on the insert link icon when you are writing about your particular photo on your post. Then when someone is reading it and click on that, it will take them to Cindy’s site. On your facebook, you can also insert link and a picture when you post. Was that what you were asking Elizabeth? I usually create an album on FB then post it and I may include a link as well. Cindy has a great way of tracking things, so leaving the option open to people is great.
@Lupe Meter:I’m gonna try it. Thanks, Lupe.
@Lupe Meter: Hi Lupe, I have a question about your blog. I see you use blogger. Do the photos on your site come from Flickr, or do you use something else for your photos? I’m trying to figure out the best way to go with mine… Thanks!
Yes, my question too.. How do you do an (i)Anchor Text(/i) link???
Help!?!
~Lisa :)
@Lisa Whitham: My attempt at italics failed… I think I see what I did wrong I think…? *lol*
~L
Looks like a huge learning curve, and change is always hard. I have still to find out how some here put their names in blue. (Very computer challenged.) The jewelry forum, Starvingjewelryartists.com (note: I didn’t create a link) provides a way to put a title or text to the web address in replies on the forum . It’s “web address” and “text” or something like that, in a box that drops down when replying to posts. When the topic is posted only the name is there in the familiar blue text underlined. Now that I have confused everyone, I’m going to try uploading to FaceBook soon. If I remember rightly, uploading photos was actually easy, but I have not included any links yet.
@Koolbraider: Just click “reply” next to the post you want to reply to and it will automatically create a link to the post you’re replying to… I hope this helps?
~Lisa :)
In regards to creating anchor text links, each site is going to be a little different. But basically, as Lupe said, you highlight the words you want to become your link, and then look for the button or feature that allows you turn those highlighted words into a link. That feature will be labeled as “Insert Link” or “Create Link” or “Add Link” or it might even be a just little symbol icon that looks like a double chain link.
And in regards to which words you turn into links, be sure to use keywords that describe the project you are referring to. In other words, if you are referencing the Jupiter Bead Tutorial (for example), then make sure that only the “Jupiter Bead Tutorial” or “Jupiter Beads” words are used in your hyperlink.
Making your hyperlinks say “Cindy’s Blog” or “Cindy Lietz” or “For More Info” or “Click Here” are definitely not good anchor text choices.
Don’t lose sleep over this. Just create your photo pages and let me know where to find them. I’ll be able to “coach” you on the links part if anyone needs individual help with this.
@Cindy Lietz: Thanks so much! I will go to Facebook right now and see about changing my links to Anchor Text links. :)
~Lisa :)
@Cindy Lietz from Popcorn Earrings Project:OK, I’m gonna open my blog and see if I can find all this stuff. Thanks!!
Ok ” so I just add a link to what I already have Post on my Blog page leading back to the into video right? In order to get that link do we have to be signed out?
Ok” I think I figured it out.. It would lead back to the Blog page right? Which has the intro video on it.
@brenda: You got it Brenda! That’s exactly right.
@Cindy Lietz from Faux Agate Video Tutorial: I can’t get the link to appear. HELP!!!!
@brenda: You almost have Brenda. Here’s my suggestion as to how it should look:
To Purchase or View the Tutorial Intro Clip, please visit Cindy Lietz: Mitered Cane Video
… nice work by the way. Your mitered corner canes look Fabulous!
@brenda:OK Brenda, I am officially jealous.
@Elizabeth S.: HUH?????
@brenda: I think Elizabeth means she’s jealous of all of your beautiful jewelry! You’ve got some lovely pieces (so does Elizabeth, of course.) But the sheer volume of your work — I’ve never seen anyone jump on every tute like that so quickly! Also, your leopard pendant is to die for. LOVE it!
Your first link to the Mitered Corner Cane showed up, now you just need to add links to your other photos.
@brenda: I meant that I am jealous that you were able to figure it out.
@Elizabeth S.: You’ve made an excellent start to your blog & website. I love the pieces in your gallery, and the big pile of beads at the top! Beautiful! Plus, something about the way they feel in your hands is sooo YUMMY! And the recipes by your grandkids — how cute is that?! What clay did they use, Sculpey III? (I’m not very familiar with S3 names, so I’m just guessing…)
Wow, I’ve got to get going myself. I planned a blog several months back, but never finished. I might just start fresh. Hmmm. Anyway, good luck with learning all of this fun new stuff. You seem to be doing great! ~Kat
@Phaedrakat:Thanks Kat,
There isn’t much up there, yet, but I’m further than I was a week ago. It’s just so hard when you have to slow down and figure out how to do something (like how to do a link back)lol.
@ Anyone well aquainted with Facebook… Dang it..! I’m unable do Anchor Text at Facebook. They don’t allow html. And when I highlight and right click there are no options for adding/creating/inserting a link… If there is a way to do it at Facebook and I’m just not getting it, could somebody please let me know how it works..? I sure would appreciate it!
~Lisa
@Lisa Whitham: I haven’t played around with this much, but I tried to add a link and it wouldn’t allow me to, either. I searched help, and it says the functionality isn’t available. Maybe we’re missing something. I’ll look into it some more.
@Phaedrakat: If you are talking about FB you can go under the Profile page and add a direct link to Cindy’s site. But as far as linking the photo’s I don’t think you can unless you typ it into your comment section under your photo. Now you can make a comment on your homepage and link it to Cindy’s page. I don’t think I want to link every photo.
@brenda: Yep, talking about FB. Cindy said she wanted the photos linked directly to the page showing the video tutorial intro, but if it can’t be done…?? The rules will have to be a little different for FB photos, unless she says there’s another way. If you spell out the words in your description, and have the link in your profile, that might be enough. Cindy, what do we do about this?
You say you don’t want to link every photo, but wouldn’t you want to link each different tutorial type? Like one link for all the Zebra Cane photos, one for the Leopard Print cane, etc. The more links you have, the better the chances someone will click over from the link — to Cindy’s site, chalking up another “point” for you in the contest.
You would only have to type each tute name once under a photo. Then copy it to any other photos made from the same tute. After that, add “extra” details to the photos, as needed.
Example: type something general, like: “Zebra Cane made using Cindy Lietz’s Video Tutorial at beadsandbeading.com/blog/polymer-clay-tutorial-zebra-cane-animal-prints-video/9975/”. Copy this text to each zebra photo.
Then add something like, “These J-earrings are my own design, handmade from a custom” —
Put this text in front of the copied text, and you’ve got a complete sentence, linked to the correct tutorial, without too much effort. Add other details to the rest of your Zebra photos, and you’re done!
Yep, I know. Let’s wait on Cindy! LOL
@Phaedrakat: I know how to link back. I am just saying that it won’t be a clickable link in your picture folders, unless you add it to your wall post. When I create something new, I post that on my wall and link to my blog page, and it shows my homepage thumb nail pic and link. It also allows me to post about what I had made. Therefor, I am eleminating all that extra work. of upload to FB and adding a caption to each photo, which I would have already done on the blog. Kind of like advertising :) I also do this with my Day Care. does that make sense? I guess I am trying to do this without a lot of work.
@brenda: Makes sense! Understand the “without a lot of work” part!
OK, I don’t see the comment that I thought I just posted so I’m gonna do it again. I was able to establish a link to the site from my blog but not to the specific tut intro (faux jade). Is that supposed to happen or does the reader have to scroll to find it?
@Elizabeth S.: You need to add the exact web address, which in this case is:
beadsandbeading.com/blog/polymer-clay-tutorial-multi-colored-faux-jade-technique-video/9229/#video
(I removed the http & www. part to avoid waiting for moderation.)
@Phaedrakat:OOOOHHHH. I get it. As soon as I finish my spaghetti sauce I’m going to try to fix the link.
You know guys, I’m old and so I am interested in these things–they say for every new thing one makes the brain learn, the chance for the development of Alzheimer’s Disease is reduced. I gotta tell y’all (I’m from Texas) that after today I must be immune.
Except, except that that comment I thought I posted earlier–it showed up on the faux agate preview (I gotta watch where I am commenting). Well, maybe that reduces my immunity by a few years.
Thanks, Kat. don’t know what I would do without you.
@Elizabeth S.: Mmmm, I’ll have some of that homemade spaghetti sauce, please! Not that I was invited, but in my experience, y’all are pretty friendly in Texas. (I’m a California girl, but I slip into a southern drawl very quickly when talk to friends from the South.)
Very interesting fact about Alzheimer’s—I need to put it to good use & learn new things myself. I still have to create my own blog, so that’ll teach me a thing or two. I’m glad you worked out the link issue. I’m looking forward to checking out your blog every now & then to see your creations. It’ll be fun reading about your cute little artistic GK’s, too. I gotta say, I didn’t think you were very old. You look quite young in your photo; I was thinking 30’s, maybe early 40’s. “Old” is relative, of course, but if you’re older than that, I am truly surprised!
Just an FYI, your blog shows 5 posts. Only one of them has a picture (the one with the clay recipes.) Not sure if that’s intentional, but I was unable to click over to the photos from the blog. I know you’re still learning and building (and trying to boost your immune system!) But I wanted you to know what WE see.
Don’t worry about the comment you “misplaced”. It happens to just about everyone, at least once. It’s weird, like, “where did it go?” You’re lucky yours ended up visible somewhere. It’s awful when you type a long answer & it just disappears. For some reason, when I re-type, I end up with an even longer reply! Well, enjoy your yummy dinner, and y’all have fun! (Sorry—too much?) ;D
@Elizabeth S.: Ooops, didn’t finish. You can search for the correct tutorial page, then copy the url at the top of your browser. If you want it to go directly to the preview video, click above the video where it says, “Here’s a Quick Preview Clip….” It will generate the URL for that part of the page, taking the reader directly to the video. I’m not sure if it’s best for the reader to see the video first, or read the article. Cindy wasn’t specific, she just said the page that shows the intro video. Either way is good for the reader…
Make sure your text is complete, like “Faux Jade Video Tutorial” (Yours is good, I’m just mentioning this as a general comment…) Good luck!
I did it! My brain is fried, but I did it! Thanks, everyone.
@Elizabeth S.: Yay! It works, too!
Eeeek!!! My head is spinning. Good thing tomorrow is Friday.
@Koolbraider: Sorry about that! Are you on Facebook or anything? Do you need help with anything in particular? There are lots of people here who are experts on different topics. I’m sure someone can help you with whatever you need, or we’ll find some help! What’s making your head spin?
Kat, I have a FaceBook account and Flickr. Finally took pictures this afternoon so I’ll have something to work with. When they get edited I’ll take a look around FB and see what’s there. Haven’t really spent much time with FB although I’ve uploaded pics. Thanks for the offers of help. When asking for more help will this be still the place to ask? I mean, this thread or will another thread be dedicated to questions?
@Koolbraider: Not sure what Cindy wants, but it’s probably best to keep all the info on one thread so it’s not being duplicated over and over. This thread might work, plus there are some answers here already. I think general, how-to tips would be great placed here at the blog. Lots of people need the info, and they come here often anyway — they won’t have to go out of their way for the tips! For specific help for certain people, it can be done wherever — their Facebook account, via email, here or wherever they need it.
I don’t think I know your name yet, so I can’t find you on Facebook. If you want to send me a friend request, search for Gianna Spelling, and you’ll see the same cats/picture icon I used here. I’m in Riverside, CA. When you send the request, send a note saying “it’s KoolBraider” so I know who you are. Thanks, Kat :D
Kat, my secret identity revealed…Susan Daigle (Sue to my clay friends). I’m in Oakland, Maine and going to try FaceBook today. The heat and humidity are going to be awful so inside work is calling. (Usually I can ignore it by covering my ears and singing “Lalalalal….”)
@Koolbraider: LOL! Cover you ears all you want, but the work doesn’t go away, does it? Thanks for revealing your “secret identity”, I promise I won’t tell… ;D Where did the Koolbraider handle come from? Do you do braided jewelry or something? Cool hair braids? Just wondering. :D
I’ll try to meetcha later on Facebook. I don’t even have any pictures to post yet, but I still feel like I have so much to do! Anyway, try to stay cool (or Kool!) there with your heat & humidity. I’ve always been a big baby about the heat. And the humidity is killer (I hate to sweat like that!) I know, I’m a big sissy! Talk to ya later~
Hi Cindy,
I am a relatively new member, but I wanted to get more involved with the new contest by sending in some links to my work. Right now, I’m keeping everything at Flickr, and have three items linking back to your site. There will be more to come in a few days. Do we need to contact you with each new link, or is my main Flickr address sufficient?
1) Faux Raku A:
flickr.com/photos/nicolerennell/4705045484/
2) Faux Raku B:
flickr.com/photos/nicolerennell/4705045024
3) Jupiter Beads:
flickr.com/photos/nicolerennell/4704399941/
Thanks so much, I enjoying visiting your site every day!
Nicole
@Nicole R: Hi Nicole, so glad you’re a member! Your pieces are really beautiful! The resin on the Faux Raku
pendants makes them that much more gorgeous! I see Cindy answered your question about having to send in the exact link for each photo. Anyway, I wanted to say, “Welcome,” and wish you good luck in the contest! ~Kat
@Phaedrakat: Thank you so much! I’ve been lurking around here for a while now, but I definitely want to start getting more involved.
@Nicole R: That’s awesome! I did some lurking around exactly like that at first, too. In fact, I think it was the first contest that got me wanting to be more involved! Anyway, don’t be shy, everyone is very friendly here & happy to have new members / clayers join. Feel free to speak up, and join in the conversations any time.
If you’re still trying to find your way around, using the search box can help you find things. There’s one at the top left of each page. Type in one word or several, and it’ll give you a list of articles on the topic. It’s a good idea to read some of the older articles. There’s lots of information, as well as inspiration, in those older posts. I’ve read quite a few by now, but I still run across a new (old) one from time-to-time. Or you can just ask someone, of course.
Same goes if you have questions about how things work around here. Please just ask. :D I sure hope that you enjoy it here as much as I do, and that you have lots of fun! ~Kat
You guys are doing a GREAT JOB of making all this tech stuff work. It’s not that difficult once you get the hang of it. And… the lessons learned will be helpful in general, with getting better at using all that the web has to offer.
Next week in a separate blog post, I will showcase some of the photo entry pages you guys are creating. They will help everyone to “see” how it all works. If you can’t wait, there are some links posted above that you can take a look at for ideas and inspiration.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When you email information about your contest entries to me, be sure to include a direct link to the individual photo page that you created. This is the only way I will be able to effectively keep tabs on where everyone’s stuff is being published on the big old web. If you don’t tell me specifically where to look, chances are I will never see it :-)
Kat, I love kumihimo, Japanese braiding. I taught myself to braid about 5 years ago. I’ve always loved fiber, yarn to silk. I prefer braiding with silk. It feels wonderful and comes in many beautiful colors. You can see some of my necklaces at satincord.com. The complicated one, with all the braids and beads, took second place for color on the Starvingjewelryartists forum. Dawn Howard painted the beads; they’re wood but she makes them look like stone. Oh, never try braiding with cats in your lap!!!
I’ve sent you a friend request, as well as one to Lisa. I tried adding the link to Cindy’s blog; things have changed since the last time I was there. I wound up with two ways to get here, but now can find the link function. But you can click on the link there and it will bring you here to the blog. Is that what Cindy was asking us to do: connect to the blog page? Neat thing: there’s an icon of Cindy’s site with my post, which is really cool. (I didn’t put it there myself, FB stuff did it.)
@Koolbraider: Wow, that’s really gorgeous! I love your work (I can’t imagine how a cat gets in the way, though…?) Right! LOL You certainly deserve an award, all of your Kumihimo is lovely. The Japanese braids look like they’d pair perfectly with polymer pendants. Have you been doing that? Seems like you could match your clay to your fibers, and end up with some gorgeous pieces! Even a very simple pendant would look spectacular on one of those braided chokers.
You know, I love fibers and things, too. I’ve never tried anything like Japanese braiding, but I bet I would love it. I learned to sew at a young age, and always “collected” bits of fabric, yarns, strings — anything that felt nice that I thought I could do something with. Does it take a long time to learn? It looks like it takes SKILLS!
Thanks for sharing the link. I now have an even better appreciation for your Kumihimo. I also love that shop! I’d love to buy some cording, silk, and some of those fun little rubber jump rings from there… Too many gorgeous things I want to buy!
Ok.. It seems that I was able to link my Blog page to My Fb account. I then noticed that everything that I have on my Blog is in my Notes under Profiles. I just posted on the interchangeable Pendant that I made. It went on my profile page. Now my Question is……. Did any of you gals get it on your facebook page?
@brenda: I meant to tell you — YES! Sorry, I thought I already had. They’re all showing up on FB with a link to Cindy’s.
@Phaedrakat: Ok Cool.. I was just wondering though if and when I udate a photo to my blog, will the RSS feed send it automaticly to FB???? I uploaded a pendant to my blogg but didnt see it on my fb. I’ll get it together LOL
Kat, thankyou for the praise! Braiding is like anything else, you need to practice, practice and practice some more. You can learn from any of Jaqui Carey’s books and then keep on braiding. When I started there wasn’t much on the net so I made my first maru dai from something I found on a site, a round disk cut from a cereal box. I took up clay because I needed beads with large holes. And since there weren’t any affordable clasps (didn’t want sterling silver because that was way too expensive) I learned some wire working skills. The satincord shop has so many choices for cord. Now that Cindy is working with UV resin I’m thinking I could make some nice lightweight pendants (and also affordable).
I may have made a FaceBook goof, though. I’m not sure if I said the price was $3 a month or $10 a month. Can’t seem to find the post, FB can be wicked slow. But, someone has already asked about Cindy’s blog because they work with clay but want to go further. And, am also trying to figure out how to “fan” members of the starvingewelryartists.com folks. Apparently you can make a fan page for yourself, so that’s next.
Thank you once again Cindy! I have been playing around with the idea of posting images on the internet for some time, but have been fiddling around and felt no great urge to work out how to set something up since I wanted to dedicate all my free time to polymer…..then along came “Phase 3” of your bead give away contest! I am now the proud owner of a little blog and have also learnt how to do links thanks to your helpful input. This is great fun!
@Susan B: Nice blog! Some cool, fun, and fantastic work on there, too — you did it! Hard to pick a fave, but I especially love the striking black & white disc beads & the gorgeous jupiter beads necklaces. Congratulations! :D
@Phaedrakat: thank you so much for your feedback! I want to improve the photos and get rid of the fuzzy ones — but I thought it was important to get started and then improve bit by bit. :-)))
I too posted photos on FB and it went to the profile page. I pasted the url link to the video page. Was anyone able to see it on FB??? My photos are not on the list this week so maybe I did not do it right.
@Cheryl Hodges: What video?
@brenda: I think she means the video here at the blog she’s linking back to (the intro, or preview, video.)
Facebook seems to work oddly and sometimes it’s verrrry slow. And it’s bewildering. There are so many different things you can do. Apparently, now, instead of “fanning” someone you now “like” them (learned this on the starvingjewelryartists site where members are linking their sites to each other which is a great idea for the folks here).
@Koolbraider: I agree that FB seems very slow. I helped some family members get their facebook accounts going nearly a year ago, and FB was nice and fast. Maybe they aren’t keeping up (equipment or server-wise) with the number of people & applications they’re providing.
I would love it if someone who’s been successful posting their links on FB would describe how they did it to everyone. If you could tell us all, step by step (like we’re big dummies! – so there’s no mistaking) — it would be awesome!!! Sounds like there are lots of questions, but no one is giving solutions… Unfortunately, I haven’t done it, or I’d gladly try to help…
If everyone sends some positive energy in Silverleaf‘s direction, maybe she will share some of her Facebook wisdom and tips with everyone.
I did post a bit of information about Facebook in the most recent post in this bead giveway article series (see link by my name). Here is what I said over in that article…
“Please note that if your photos are only posted on your Facebook Wall, I will not be able to include them in the photo entry summary posts that I will be posting here at my blog on a regular basis. This is because the photos posted on your Facebook Wall can not be viewed by everyone. What you will need to do is also post your pics on pages that are publicly available, where the visitor does not have to be approved as a friend in order to view the page.”
@Cindy L: Hi Cindy,
Well, it looks like anchor text cannot be used for the Facebook photos, only a regular URL. I have tried to make it work—not happening. I’ve also searched for anchor text in other people’s photos, not just members, but I haven’t seen it anywhere. So my question is—can we just use a regular URL instead of anchor text for Facebook photos? Is this acceptable?
We need to know if a click from a regular link (not anchor-text,) in a description of a photo in Facebook, will be acceptable & earn points in the contest, if the following conditions are met:
1. The person has the same photo posted elsewhere, like a blog, website, or photo-sharing site like Flickr or Photostream; and they have the proper anchor-text link in that photo’s description. (per your comment above)
and
2. The person has emailed you the link to the exact location of the photo in Facebook, as well as to the photo mentioned in #1 (either previously or at the same time.)
I know—huh? [8~P] Lots of prepositional phrases there. I had myself confused! So, will these Facebook photos count…?
Thanks, Kat
That brings up the privacy policy that FB is having a problem with right now. I just posted to a wall, don’t remember if it was strictly mine and got comments on the pics. I think you need to work with your privacy settings. Since I don’t post anything personal I don’t mind if anyone who sees my stuff. Some folks have their settings so that only friends or fans or just a small group can see what you post. Cindy, maybe this is what’s happening? I also created an album and think anyone can see that as well. (Cindy friended me, or I friended her, because I remember getting the request.)
Word of warning: please be careful with what you post and your privacy settings.
i think that’s my problem cindy; I don’t know how to post it so everyone can see it. I uploaded my photos with a link to the video page and it got posted to profile. Can anyone helpus with posting this at the correct place,please?
Hey there. For the Phase 3 contest, can it be work based on any of the tutorials? I noticed in Phase 1 it was just Volume 14. Just wanted to be sure. Thanks!
@Heidi Lusk: Hiya! I looked at your blog and you’ve got some cool stuff! I only took a quick look, but I loved your quick & easy (and very inexpensive) light box setup. I’ve seen this before, but I love your spin on it. Nice to meet you!
~Kat, Riverside, CA USA (Where R U From?)
It’s wide open Heidi. Your contest entries can be based on, or inspired by any of the tutorials. Can’t wait to see your submission(s) :-)
Here’s some notes and commentary about how you can make Facebook work best for you, in the current Bead Giveaway Contest….
@Phaedrakat: The short answer to your comment is, Yes. What you described will definitely work.
But here’s what I would suggest:
1) First post your photos, description/story and anchor text links on your “publicly accessible” contest entry page (i.e. at your blog, website, or on a photo-sharing site like Flickr, Photostream, etc.). This is the page I will link to and promote for you, in the contest summary posts that will be published regularly here at my blog.
2) Then when you “chat it up” on “conversational” or “status update” sites like Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, etc., just send them to your own contest entry page… the one that you created in Step 1 above. Once there, they will be able see your full spread of photos, read your story/description, and click through to my site if they are interested.
The above two step approach will allow you to use Facebook to better promote yourself instead of me. And it will also make it so that I cane effectively track any and all referral traffic that ends up coming to my site as a result of your contest entry.
Does that make sense to everyone?
@Cindy Lietz: That makes sense. But let’s say someone was, lets say lazy, LOL, and didn’t want to leave Facebook. They could browse through one of our photo albums in Facebook and we would get credit for that “click” to you. Is that true?
Another question: does every click to your site get counted, or just the first one from a certain browser, computer or ?? What I mean is, can someone click their same link every day and it will count? Just curious.
@Phaedrakat: As long as the clicks come from static pages with permalinks, we should be able to track it. Your Facebook Wall is not a static page… it is constantly changing with dynamic feed updates happening in real time. Clicks from a Facebook Wall are difficult to track.
Any to address your second question, every click is trackable. That being said, Doug has ways to see if someone is just sitting there clicking away on their own links to try to get their count up :-)
@Cindy Lietz from Facebook Happy Dance Side Effects – Selling Your Jewelry: Aha!! Yes, it makes sense!
(Lightbulb lights up over my head!!!)
Does anyone know how to put a hyperlink in flickr? I put a couple pictures up but don’t want to put more until I can put in the link. I don’t think I can edit the description where I would put the link.
@Freda K: Hi Freda, I put the instructions on in this comment, and in the ones above & below it. I see you put some links in a couple of your photos, so maybe you’ve got it figured out now. Just in case, read my comment here: Anchor Text
All you have to do is make sure you’re signed in to your Flickr account, then go to the picture you want to edit the description for. Click into the description box, and it will open it for editing.
Use the code in my comment, or use the instructions above the comment to find the instructions on Flickr. Make sure you use good “anchor text” or “link text” language. For instance, say something about your project, “blah, blah, etc. etc. etc, using Cindy Lietz’s (then go into anchor text or link text) Zebra Cane Tutorial. A descriptive anchor text link is helpful to Cindy, and her website/blog, as well.
After you’ve finished editing, save your description. Test the link by clicking it to make sure it goes to the correct place in the blog. Let me know if you have questions, and I’ll be happy to help. Good luck, Kat