Upload code online at Codepad and Textsnip

TWO different websites enable you to upload code online. When your code is pasted, it takes only one click to generate the url where your code will be available.

Codepad keeps the code for 24 days. If you need to save your code permanently, just sign up!

Upload code online for free at Codepad

Textsnip enables you to keep your code permanently without registration. But signing up allows you to keep track of all your pastes.

I personally like Textsnip better because they allow me some customization of the generated url. Not bad, if you like easily understood human language as opposed to computer gibberish.

I think these services will come in handy if you don’t prefer showing code right in the post, but rather put a link to it. The problem is, if your blogging platform doesn’t allow you to upload .txt file (like, wordpress.com), then you have to upload it elsewhere. Why not try out these two options and tell me what you think!

How to use the Addthis button PROPERLY in the side bar of a wordpress.com blog

ADDTHIS is popular with bloggers, as it faciliates multiple social bookmarking options in a blog.

If you are a wordpress.com blogger and you use the Addthis button in your blog, then I suspect your button is linked to http://www.addthis/bookmark.php .

The button is linked in this way in ALL the wordpress.com blogs I have seen so far. This is how I derived at my suspicion.

I also assume that you use the Addthis button to encourage your readers to bookmark the blog post (s)he is currently reading.

Did you know….
that there is 100% chance that the reader will not be able to submit his/her preferred blog post using Addthis in your sidebar?

Why?
Addthis bookmarks ANY url that is present in the address bar of the browser.
And it’s not ALWAYS that the address bar of your blog is occupied with the permalink of a blog post that the reader wants to bookmark!!!

What sort of url’s can occupy the address bar of your blog?
-The home page of your blog
-A search result page (if someone used the search box to look for something)
-A tag page (If a reader clicked a tag)
-A category page (If a reader clicked a category)
-A “Previous entries” page (If a reader clicked a “Previous posts” link under a post)
-A “Next entries” page (If a reader clicked a “Next posts” link under a post)
-An “Archive” page (If a reader clicked a month from the Archives)

You do get the idea, no? If not, why not experiment a bit? Click around your blog in the ways mentioned above. If your blog is configured to show more than one post, you will have at least two posts in the window. Say you want to bookmark a post. What do you do? Click the Addthis button in your side bar, of course.

You will be taken to the Addthis page that has this url in the address bar:
http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php

The peril is not obvious as yet. Choose a social bookmarking site from the list, log in to your account and save the url from your blog. It is NOT the url of a blog POST!!!

My verdict
You should never test the patience of the average web reader. Web readers typically have a short attention span and they are not going to remeber clicking the permalink of a blog post (the only way to make Addthis work for a wordpress.com blog post) in order to save it. They don’t have to do so in non-wordpress.com platforms and therefore they are not habituated with it!

So, what to do?
In my opinion, Addthis in the sidebar can be used only for one purpose – to encourage the reader to bookmark the ENTIRE blog. And how do we ensure that the reader is able to do that? We have to modify the Addthis code.

How to modify the Addthis code for the sidebar of a wordpress.com blog
You must Include your blog url and blog title in the Addthis code.

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?&url=http://EXAMPLE.wordpress.com&title=BLOG_TITLE

Please copy the above code and make necessary changes. Then link your Addthis button to it.

Is there absolutely no way to make the side bar Addthis button to bookmark an individual blog post?
There is no user-friendly way to use the Addthis button in your side bar to bookmark a blog post. Sorry.

However, if you are really desperate, you can use the Addthis button linked to the original unmodified code. But please be sure that you include an instruction right above or below the button. Something like this maybe:

To bookmark a blog post using any bookmark manager, please click the permalink of the post first and then click this button.

If you are lucky and if your reader is not in a hurry (s)he will take the time to make an extra click to bookmark your post.

A suggestion
If you want Addthis to be able to bookmark a blog post, you should have it under the blog post. But you must first modify the Addthis code to work for that blog post and link the Addthis button to it.

You can learn how to automatically modify Addthis for wordpress.com blog posts. This easy process will enable you to modify the Addthis button in such a way that all that a reader has to do is click the Addthis button and (s)he will be able to bookmark the blog post. Even if the address bar is not occupied with the post permalink.

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How to create a customizable Tag Cloud for wordpress.com blogs (non-geek version!)

CREATE your Tag Cloud for your wordpress.com blog and customize it almost instantly. No special skill is required. But you do need Firefox.

In order to have a customizable Tag Cloud, your first job is to complete all the first ten steps as explained in my previous post.

Now while you are still in MS Word customize the hierarchy and or colour of the tags as you please.

Here are some examples. Feel free to feel inspired by these or think up something on your own! I haven’t explored with different fonts. You might try different fonts if you like. But it is not advisable to change the font size, if you want to retain the relationship among the tags. Also you might want to edit out some tags if you are looking for a concise look and create a Top Tgas/Top Categories page instead!

Example no. 1
This is the default Tag Cloud as it appears without any change. How it will look in your blog depends on the theme of your blog.

act online application art badges bangladesh blog blogger’s handbook blogging blogging tips blog promotion blog traffic code code generator content sharing email email a firend email me! freebies HTML image image resource interesting internet just for fun knowledge Link generator LINK sources media must-see Netty Gritty photography polls quiz Sanjida’s internet Search situationist social bookmarking submission tips Submit subversive art Technorati test4blog web2.0 web generator webmasters’ tool Website review web tool widgets wordpress wordpress tips

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Example no. 2
Default Tag Cloud with added colour

act online application art badges bangladesh blog blogger’s handbook blogging blogging tips blog promotion blog traffic code code generator content sharing email email a firend email me! freebies HTML image image resource interesting internet just for fun knowledge Link generator LINK sources media must-see Netty Gritty photography polls quiz Sanjida’s internet Search situationist social bookmarking submission tips Submit subversive art Technorati test4blog web2.0 web generator webmasters’ tool Website review web tool widgets wordpress wordpress tips

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Example no. 3
Default Tag Cloud with added colour gradation

act online application art badges bangladesh blog blogger’s handbook blogging blogging tips blog promotion blog traffic code code generator content sharing email email a firend email me! freebies HTML image image resource interesting internet just for fun knowledge Link generator LINK sources media must-see Netty Gritty photography polls quiz Sanjida’s internet Search situationist social bookmarking submission tips Submit subversive art Technorati test4blog web2.0 web generator webmasters’ tool Website review web tool widgets wordpress wordpress tips

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Example no. 4
Hierarchical method

act online application art badges bangladesh blog code generator email email a firend email me! freebies image resource just for fun Link generator LINK sources media photography polls quiz Search situationist social bookmarking submission tips Submit subversive art Technorati test4blog web2.0 web generator webmasters’ tool Website review web tool widgets blogger’s handbook blogging blogging tips blog promotion blog traffic code content sharing HTML image interesting internet knowledge must-see Netty Gritty Sanjida’s internet wordpress wordpress tips

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Example no. 5
Hierarchical method with added colour

act online application art badges bangladesh blog code generator email email a firend email me! freebies image resource just for fun Link generator LINK sources media photography polls quiz Search situationist social bookmarking submission tips Submit subversive art Technorati test4blog web2.0 web generator webmasters’ tool Website review web tool widgets blogger’s handbook blogging blogging tips blog promotion blog traffic code content sharing HTML image interesting internet knowledge must-see Netty Gritty Sanjida’s internet wordpress wordpress tips

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Example no. 6
Hierarchical method with added colour gradation

act online application art badges bangladesh blog code generator email email a firend email me! freebies image resource just for fun Link generator LINK sources media photography polls quiz Search situationist social bookmarking submission tips Submit subversive art Technorati test4blog web2.0 web generator webmasters’ tool Website review web tool widgets blogger’s handbook blogging blogging tips blog promotion blog traffic code content sharing HTML image interesting internet knowledge must-see Netty Gritty Sanjida’s internet wordpress wordpress tips

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Done picking a suitable style? Good, now please finish the steps 11 to 16 as stated in my previous post.

Enjoy your shiny new Tag Cloud in all its customized glory!

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As mentioned in my previous post, this will work for Category Cloud also, please read that post for more information.

The default Tag Cloud widget does not allow you to customize the tags in any way. If you want to customize the look of your Tag Cloud in the side bar, simply paste the Tag Cloud created in the process mentioned in this post and paste the code in a text widget. Don’t forget to save changes!

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If this tutorial has been helpful, then please consider showing some link love.

Email a friend!

Bookmark and share! Please help others find out about this easy customizable Tag Cloud Generation technique.

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Read 4 more wordpress tips

Top 5 ways to promote your Tag Cloud

How to create an Archives page/post for a wordpress.com blog

How to offer a “Share on Facebook” option under (wordpress.com) blog posts

How to use Addinto to offer social bookmarking and email post options for wordpress.com blogs

How to create a Tag Cloud for wordpress.com blogs (non-geek version!)

YOU can now easily have a Tag Cloud in a page in your wordpress.com blog. It’s basically just a copy-and-paste system and very easy. You can view my tag cloud here.

This tutorial assumes that you have Firefox.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Go to your widgets and place the “Tag Cloud” widget in your side bar. Remember to save changes.
2. View your blog (in Firefox).
3. Select all the tags from the sidebar with your cursor.
4. Right-click and choose “View Selection source”.
5. Copy the code.
6. Open a new Notepad file and paste the code.
7. Save the code as Tagcloud.html. Just enter Tagcloud.html in the “Save” dialogue box and the HTML file will be created.
8. Open Tagcloud.html in another window. Voila! Your Tag Cloud appears in the window!
9. Select and copy everything in the window.
10. Open a new MS Word file and paste the tag cloud.
11. Save the MS Word file as a webpage – give it the name TagcloudMSWord.
12. Open the file TagcloudMSWord in Firefox.
13. Select and copy everything in the window.
14. Come back to your blog and create a new page (or post) and name it Tag Cloud.
15. Simply paste your copied Tag Cloud in your post using the Visual Editor.
16. Save and view the page.

You will find the Tag Cloud sitting pretty in your newly created page!

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A suggestion

You might want to remove the “Tag Cloud” widget from the side bar if you have it in a page.

What about the Category cloud?

It is also possible to link to a Category Cloud page/post in the same fashion. But for that you initially have to choose the Category Cloud widget instead of the Tag Cloud widget.

Why MS Word ?

Although MS Word usually clashes with wordpress.com, here it is indispensable. MS Word conveniently changes the font size units from percentage to point – needed in order to retain the variation of size of the tags in a page or post.

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Another useful tip

The default Tag Cloud widget for wordpress.com blogs doesn’t allow for any customization. If you want to have a customizable Tag cloud in the side bar, you can create one in the process mentioned here and paste the Tag Cloud in a text widget!

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Some related issues

• The categories will show the post count (if you chose that when you configured the Category Cloud widget). But since it’s not a self-updating thing, the post count won’t change when you make a new post under a category. Not to worry, this doesn’t mean that your new post won’t show under the category.
• For the same reason no new tag/category that you create after the creation of your Tag/Category Cloud Page will show.
• It is recommended to update your Tag/Category Cloud page from time-to-time in the process mentioned above to keep up with your growing blog. How often you have to update your Tag Cloud depends largely on how up-to-date you want to stay and how often you update your blog.
• As it is known already, items pasted from MS Word has formatting issues in wordpress.com blogs. It is advisable to check if there is a space between each tag. If not, please insert the space using the “Code” mode and not the “Visual” mode. This is to ensure that the space is not inadvertently pasted in a wrong place. Whenever you need to insert a space do so between </a> and <a>.
• This is a very basic Tag/Category Cloud creation method that you can utilize without downloading any program. It is also limited in its features.
• If you are looking for customization of your Tag Cloud, then check out the customizable Tag Cloud generation technique for wordpress.com blogs.
• I also highly recommend Engtech’s ingenious Tag Cloud Generator. A must-see especially if you have CSS upgrade. You have to download it in order to start the process. (The Tag Cloud doesn’t dynamically change over time, though.)
• If you want to learn more about Tag Clouds, you can do so at coelomic.
• You might also want to learn about the difference between categories and tags in wordpress.com blogs.
• Check out what Lorelle says about which one to use (categories or tags) in your blog and why.

Was this post helpful? Do let me know!

How about some link love?!

Grab the suitable code – it will create a text link that will say “Create your own Tag Cloud” and “Create your own Category Cloud” respectively. If you use this tutorial to create a Tag Cloud page, then please paste the following code under the Tag Cloud.

<a title="Tag Cloud page creation for wordpess.com blogs!" href="http://shongjog.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/how-to-create-a-tag-cloud-for-wordpresscom-blogs-non-geek-version/">Create your own Tag Cloud page!</a>

If you use the tutorial to create a Category Cloud page, then paste this code instead.

<a title="Category Cloud page creation for wordpress.com blogs!" href="http://shongjog.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/how-to-create-a-tag-cloud-for-wordpresscom-blogs-non-geek-version/">Create your own Category Cloud page!</a>

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Automatically create “Email this” features for wordpress.com blog posts using the one-click Feedburner bookmarklet

HERE is the one-click Feedburner bookmarklet I created to help you automatically generate the Feedburner web form with which you can offer your readers the option to email your wordpress.com blog posts to friends!

“Email this post” Feedburner bookmarklet for wordpress.com blog posts

Step-by-step instructions

1. Copy the code from the above link in a Notepad file.
2. Open a new Notepad file and paste the code. Be careful to paste the code as it is. Save the Notepad file as an html file. Just write Email this post.html in the SAVE dialogue box and the html file will be created!
3. Open the Email this post html file in Firefox. The hyperlinked words email this post will appear in the window.
4. Place the cursor over the link. Drag and drop the link in the Bookmarks Toolbar Folder of your Firefox. This will generate a new bookmarklet in your Firefox.

All this is a one-time process. Now every time you need to offer “Email this post” feature under your wordpress.com blog post, do the following.

1. Publish a blog post.
2. View the blog post. Make sure you see the permalink of the post in the address bar, and not the blog url!
3. Click the “Email this post” bookmarklet. An email this web form from Feedburner corresponding to the blog post will be generated!
4. Copy the url from the address bar.
5. Go back to Edit mode of your blog post and write the words “Email a friend” under the blog post.
6. Link the words “Email a friend” to the copied url. Just paste the url in the Link dialogue box!
7. Save and view the post. If you click the link “Email a friend” you will find the web form that will enable your readers to email the blog post to a friend!

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As mentioned in my earlier posts, this trick will only work if you have Feedflare activated for your blog. Log in to your Feedburner account and view your feed. Click the tab “Optimize” and choose Feedflare (on the left). Activate and save it. If you don’t have a Feedburner account, create one now and burn your feed. It’s easy and free! Feedflare enables several blogging platforms to automatically have “email a friend” options for posts – when it’s activated and “email a friend” option is saved. Unfortunately, wordpress.com is not one of them and this is why we have to use a roundabout solution.

By the way, burning your feed at Feedburner as opposed to using the default feed of your wordpress.com blog has other advantages, Engtech has created an eloquent list.

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An added extra
The “email a friend” Feedflare functionality from Feedburner that works for non-wp.com platforms incorporates only the blog post title in the web form. But my bookmarklet generates not only the title of the blog post, but also the title of the blog!

So, now that I have made your life a lot easier, how about appreciating me?

The comment box is just for you!

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Promote this post!

Email a friend

Bookmark and share! Help others find this easy solution.