How to put Smugmug Blog Alliance links in your own (photo)blog:

[flyingdutchie]

This post describes how to include the links from the Smugmug Blog Alliance (see other thread in this forum) into your own blog.

Each blog can be different and it depends how configurable it is. But, they basically follow the same scheme. Here is how you can do it.

1. Login into your blog and go where you maintain your setttings (admin pages) and find the page in which you can edit your 'sidebar'.
2. Add this PHP code section to your sidebar, at the spot where you want the list of blog-links to appear:
(this means your blog must have the ability to modify parts of its layout; you must be able
to add this <?php ?> somewhere. If not, you can not use this 'blog-roll'... sorry.).

<li>
<?php readfile ('http://blog.antonspaans.com/blounge.php'); ?>
</li>
 

(this code works for SSI (Server Side Includes) using PHP. If your host is running ASP or some other type of web-server, you may need to use different SSI code. E.g. <cfinclude> or <!-- include -->, etc., but the URL will stay the same)
3. The php-script above generates the title of the blog-alliance list (<h2>) and an unordered list (<ul>) of all the links (<li>).
4. If you need to, you can style the list using the following CSS selectors:

.blounge_title {
/* The title of the blounge list (Photographer's Blounge) */
}

For now, the title of the list is Photographer's Blounge. This may change, since there is still a poll going.

Note that this thread is only meant for instructions on how to insert this list into your own blog.

For requests to add your blog to the list, click on this link and leave a comment:
http://blog.antonspaans.com/?p=87

-- Anton.
(Update: Changed the script a little and this post, so that your page validates properly as XHTML)
(Update2: Use php instead of javascript. Google will now be able to find our blounge-links, since the list is generated at the server, not by the browser)

[binghott]

that's exactly what i was looking for.
can you make my link say bloghott please in lowercase just like that if you can?
thanks!!!

[jennyc]

I just added the code. Is my blog on your list?

jen-nyc.blogspot.com
The Student Photographer

Thanks!

Originally Posted by flyingdutchie

This post describes how to include the links from the Smugmug Blog Alliance (see other thread in this forum) into your own blog.

Each blog can be different and it depends how configurable it is. But, they basically follow the same scheme. Here is how you can do it.

1. Login into your blog and go where you maintain your setttings (admin pages) and find the page in which you can edit your 'sidebar'.
2. Add this script to your sidebar, at the spot where you want the list of blog-links to appear:

<script type="text/javascript" 
 src="http://www.antonspaans.com/blounge.js"></script>

  

3. The javascript above generates one top <li> element. It contains the title of the blog-alliance list. Inside this <li> element there is an unordered list (<ul>) of all the links (<li>).
4. If you need to, you can style the list using the following CSS selectors:

#blounge {
/* the list-item containing the entire sub-list of blogs */
}
.blounge_title {
/* The title of the blounge list (Photographer's Blounge) */
}
#blounge ul li {
/* Each individual link in the list */
}

For now, the title of the list is Photographer's Blounge. This may change, since there is still a poll going.

Note that this thread is only meant for instructions on how to insert this list into your own blog. For other questions, requests to add your blog to the list, etc, go to this thread:
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=23531

-- Anton.

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by jennyc

I just added the code. Is my blog on your list?

jen-nyc.blogspot.com
The Student Photographer

Thanks!

If not, i will add it now.

Update: Added!
Jenny, your images in your blog are broken. Maybe you're just working on it, but just to let you know... :)

[Mike Lane]

So Anton you're handling the link list now? If so that's great I really appreciate it.

[flyingdutchie]

I got my first SPAM on my blog. Only one message, but it is a start. If you don't host your own WordPress.org blog, you can skip this post.

I decided to install a security-code on my comments-pages. This basically generates an image with some text in it. The commenter has to copy the text into a field before (s)he can continue. Machines have a (very) hard time reading text embedded in an image. Machine generated floods of spam can be prevented this way.

I installed SecureImage, which you can find here and it works for WordPress:
http://uberdork.supertwist.net/downl...reimage.tar.gz

First make sure that on your host-system the command 'convert' exists (/usr/bin/convert). This command is a tool from ImageMagick Studio that is needed by this plugin.

The above tar.gz file contains one file called secureimage.php. You have to put this into the wp-content/plugins directory. Then you go into your site-admin and activate the plugin (ignore any DROP TABLE error messages, if you get any).

For the image-text, it uses a default font called FreeSansBold.ttf. For me, the plugin did not work right out of the box, because the FreeSansBold font did not exist on my host. I had to copy and configure the font i wanted. This is what i did:
1. I ftp-ed the font comicbd.ttf (comic sans bold) from my Windows system into the directory wp-content/plugins of my blog-host.
2. I went into my blog's Site Admin and went to the 'Options --> SecureImage' page. You'll find a field there called 'Font (size min/max)'. The value of this field must be the full path to your font. In my case that would be "/usr/mnt/a/antonspaans.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/comicbd.ttf".
3. Hit the 'Update Options'.... and voila, it worked.

Note that the security code is not presented if you are logged in into your blog.

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by binghott

can you make my link say bloghott please in lowercase just like that if you can

Done. Just refresh your page.

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by Mike Lane

So Anton you're handling the link list now? If so that's great I really appreciate it.

I think i will handle this link list. I got the feeling you were quite busy.

[flyingdutchie]

I updated the first post of this thread:
The script tag is surrounded by a <li> now. This will insure that your page is valid XHTML. Without the enclosing <li> tag, the list still works, but your page will likely be invalid XHTML. If you don't care about this, ignore this update

[flyingdutchie]

Another way to get a bit more visibility of your site and blog is to register with http://www.photoblogs.org/

Register your blog at Photoblogs, create your account and add the Photoblogs.org icon to your own blog, look for the other blogs in our smugmug blog alliance at Photoblogs.org and mark them as one of your 'Favorites'.

Photoblogs.org seems to be rather popular and many people use it as a portal.

[Mike Lane]

Also everyone should definitely register with www.technorati.com. And if you have the time you should absolutely go over to www.blogexplosion.com and set up an account and work on getting traffic to your blog.

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by Mike Lane

Also everyone should definitely register with www.technorati.com. And if you have the time you should absolutely go over to www.blogexplosion.com and set up an account and work on getting traffic to your blog.

I tried blogexplosion.com, but when i try to add blog.antonspaans.com, it gives this message: "The blog have been blocked for the following reason:" and it gives no reason whatsoever, just this message.

Anyone knows why this would happen?

[flyingdutchie]

I updated the original post with this addition:
======================================
...
For requests to add your blog to the list, click on this link and leave a comment:
http://blog.antonspaans.com/?p=87
...
======================================

[Raymondh]

I just moved to my own host and loaded wordpress but can't get the Blounge list formated right www.pnwimages.com/blog is the site.

Can someone help?

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by Raymondh

I just moved to my own host and loaded wordpress but can't get the Blounge list formated right www.pnwimages.com/blog is the site.

Can someone help?

1. Add this CSS element to properly size the font. E.g.:
.blounge_title {
font-size: 10px;
}

2. Style the <li> element around the script. E.g.:
<li class="blounge_list">
<?php readfile ('http://blog.antonspaans.com/blounge.php'); ?>
</li>

and style it (especially to get rid of the list-style-type):
.blounge_list {
/* Add your custom style elements here */
list-style-type: none;
}

[Raymondh]

Originally Posted by flyingdutchie

1. Add this CSS element to properly size the font. E.g.:
.blounge_title {
font-size: 10px;
}

2. Style the <li> element around the script. E.g.:
<li class="blounge_list">
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://www.antonspaans.com/blounge.js"></script>
</li>

and style it (especially to get rid of the list-style-type):
.blounge_list {
/* Add your custom style elements here */
list-style-type: none;
}

That pretty much did it!!! For some reason I get a bullet on the top of the list but only when viewed with IE.

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by Raymondh

That pretty much did it!!! For some reason I get a bullet on the top of the list but only when viewed with IE.

You can see the bullet in FireFox as well. It is just a little more to the left (make your browser really small (less wide) and you'll see it show up at some point).

But i don't see the link within the 'blounge_title' anymore... did you remove it through CSS? This link is there to allow people to sign up with the blounge if they want. It would be nice if it shows up.

Ah.. i see you hid it: visibility: none; and font-size: 0; ....

[cwphotos]

How can I add this to my blogspot.com photoblog. Can someone who uses them give me a heads up ?? Thanks.

[flyingdutchie]

Originally Posted by cwphotos

How can I add this to my blogspot.com photoblog. Can someone who uses them give me a heads up ?? Thanks.

-Login into your blogspot account.
-Change Settings
-Template: Edit Current.
-Find the text <!-- Begin #sidebar --> in the big editable field.
-Below that text, were you see fit, add:
<?php readfile ('http://blog.antonspaans.com/blounge.php'); ?>

And that's it (you have have to use CSS to style the list generated by this script; see my previous posts for that), and don't forget to 'Republish' your blog.. otherwise you won't see your changes :)

Update: I don't know if you can just insert <?php> tags in blogspot/blogger... still investigating this

[Raymondh]

Is anyone starting to see these backlinks showing up in search engines yet? You can check by entering @URL in most search engines.