Saturday, January 06, 2007
Everything You Need To Know To Join (And Remain In) The Blog Ring
I've decided to consolidate ALL of the information on this blog into one big post in order to minimize the confusion for people that want to join the ring but don't want to take the time to read all of the archived posts on this blog. ;) However, I will leave all of the previous posts and comments in tact. In addition, PLEASE remember to read all of the rules on the RingSurf application page that are located in a little white box in the top right corner. Thank you, and happy ring surfing! :)
Since there are *so* many Etsy sellers who blog, I decided to start a blog ring; so now we can all easily connect to each others' blogs! The only requirement to join the ring is that you have an Etsy shop, that you blog, and that you have a link to your Etsy shop and the ring code in the sidebar of your blog. Pretty simple, non?
A few things to note:
1. Please ensure that you enter the ring code into your blog template right away. I can't approve you until that code is there.
2. Please place your code somewhere that is easy to find so people can continue making the ring rounds with ease. Sidebar placement works best. :)
3. Please have an easy-to-find link to your Etsy shop somewhere on your blog. Please don't make me hunt through your whole blog for it.
4. Please see the instructions below for adding the button to your ring code.
5. Please enter your BLOG URL in the RingSurf application, NOT YOUR ETSY SHOP URL. This is a BLOG ring, so there is no need to enter your Etsy shop link anywhere on the application page other than in the description of your blog.
6. Don't forget to leave comments on each others' blogs letting them know that you found em through the ring! :)
If you can think of any ideas to make this blog ring better please leave me a comment here, or over on my blog: http://ubercherry.blogspot.com.
Let the blog ring-ing begin! :)
Sometimes I have to delete people from the blog ring queue and/or the previously approved members list. There are many reasons why this occurs, so if your account is deleted please do not send me angry emails. Maybe you deleted the ring code from your blog? Maybe you deleted your blog entirely? Maybe you applied using your Etsy shop URL instead of your blog URL? Maybe you didn't enter the code into your blog template? Unfortunately I am just one person who is maintaining this ring in my spare time and I do not have the time to personally inform each person about the errors on each blog. It will require some initiative on your part to make the ring work with your blog.
Please realize that while it may take a few minutes for you to join the ring (or reapply), it takes much more time than that for me to deal with the results of your incorrect application; so PLEASE follow these steps:
Please take the time to read the rules in the right hand box on the RingSurf application page when you apply for the ring. I know it's small and you may want to ignore it, but don't. I've taken the time to outline the steps that will ensure a successful application, so please take the time to read it then as opposed to emailing me after the fact with questions that I've already answered in those rules and here on the home blog.
Please read all the posts on this blog (even the archived ones). There aren't that many so it won't take very long.
Please include a LINK to your blog in any emails you send me asking for help with problems specific to your blog.
Please understand that I am not a blog tutor. I am willing to help you sort out code issues within my time/skill means, however there are many excellent tutorials on line if you take a few minutes to do a search, OR you could ask another fellow blogger for their help. Take a trip through the ring and find another member who is using the same blog template as you. They will be able to offer much more help than I can since they have the template specific knowledge that you may require.
When you first sign up to RingSurf you will see a box near the bottom of your account info page that will have the necessary code in it. RingSurf also sends you an email with a link to the code. Please ensure that you enter that code into your blog template right away. In addition, you can also view the necessary code when you log into your RingSurf account.
*** Where to put the code in your blog ***
1. Copy the ring code as is from the email sent by RingSurf or directly from your RingSurf membership page
2. Open your blog template and paste the code somewhere under where it says "enter stuff for your side bar here" OR if you don't have a sidebar field like that, paste it under or above your Archives section
3. See below for how to insert the button image code
*** Why you can't see the ring code on so-and-so's blog ***
1. Perhaps the code is not in the sidebar...some people have it alllllllll the way at the bottom of their blog. LiveJournal users have it on their "User Profile" page, so if you're looking at their LJ, you'll have to go back to that page to continue surfing the ring.
2. Perhaps the person removed/incorrectly reformatted their code and it is now missing from their blog. If this is the case please send me an email and I will remove them from the active members list
*** Why your code does not work ***
1. Having the code in your blog DOES NOT mean that it will immediately be activated. I need to approve you first, so please allow a few days for the code to become functional. If your code is still not working within a week or so, then feel free to send me an email. Please ensure that you DO NOT forward me any emails from RingSurf that contain your password information. I would obviously never hack into anyone's account, but still, remember to play it safe when it comes to password information.
Here is the button for the blog ring.
This button was created using the Brilliant Button Maker by LucaZappa.com
*******************************************************************
1) Right click on the button image above, and select "SAVE IMAGE AS"
2) Save it somewhere on your computer and give it a name (ie. etsy bloggers)
3) Create a new post in your blog and upload the image of the button
4) Publish that post (you can delete the post later once the button image is properly visible for you)
5) Now, go to Edit mode for that post, and select the "Edit Html" tab
6) You should see a line of code that looks something like this:
< src = " whatever you named the image (ie. etsy bloggers) "> (there shouldn't be all those spaces between the < > and the text and the quotation marks, i'm just doing that so you can see the text instead of a broken image here)
7) Copy that line of code
8) Go into your blog template and find the ring code for the blog ring
9) Paste the image code between the quotations where it says "INSERT IMAGE HERE"
10) Either grin with satisfaction, or scowl with frustration and try again.
If you ever get curious about how many people are in the ring, and just *who* all your fellow ring members are, here's how to find out:
1. Go to Ring Surf's homepage
2. Click on the Arts link in the ring category directory
3. Click on People in the sub-category directory
4. Click on Etsy Sellers Who Blog
5. On the left side you'll see info about how many active members the ring has, how many members are waiting to join, and how many hits each blog has received. You'll also see a listing of the all the blogs in the ring in the centre of the page.
When you apply for the ring, you must enter the URL for whatever page you put the code on. For LiveJournal users, this means that if the code is on your "User Info" page, then that is the page you must put in your site link spot, *not* the front page of your LJ where nobody can see the code.
Unfortunately MySpace users cannot join the blog ring as MySpace does not allow you to enter html code into your blog template. I apologize to those of you who use MySpace blogs, however you could always do like I do and have two blogs that you just double post in using the wonderful world of copy/paste! :)
What Is The "Etsy Sellers Who Blog blog ring" All About?
Since there are *so* many Etsy sellers who blog, I decided to start a blog ring; so now we can all easily connect to each others' blogs! The only requirement to join the ring is that you have an Etsy shop, that you blog, and that you have a link to your Etsy shop and the ring code in the sidebar of your blog. Pretty simple, non?
A few things to note:
1. Please ensure that you enter the ring code into your blog template right away. I can't approve you until that code is there.
2. Please place your code somewhere that is easy to find so people can continue making the ring rounds with ease. Sidebar placement works best. :)
3. Please have an easy-to-find link to your Etsy shop somewhere on your blog. Please don't make me hunt through your whole blog for it.
4. Please see the instructions below for adding the button to your ring code.
5. Please enter your BLOG URL in the RingSurf application, NOT YOUR ETSY SHOP URL. This is a BLOG ring, so there is no need to enter your Etsy shop link anywhere on the application page other than in the description of your blog.
6. Don't forget to leave comments on each others' blogs letting them know that you found em through the ring! :)
If you can think of any ideas to make this blog ring better please leave me a comment here, or over on my blog: http://ubercherry.blogspot.com.
Let the blog ring-ing begin! :)
Why People Are Removed From The Queue And/Or The Approved Members List.
Sometimes I have to delete people from the blog ring queue and/or the previously approved members list. There are many reasons why this occurs, so if your account is deleted please do not send me angry emails. Maybe you deleted the ring code from your blog? Maybe you deleted your blog entirely? Maybe you applied using your Etsy shop URL instead of your blog URL? Maybe you didn't enter the code into your blog template? Unfortunately I am just one person who is maintaining this ring in my spare time and I do not have the time to personally inform each person about the errors on each blog. It will require some initiative on your part to make the ring work with your blog.
Please realize that while it may take a few minutes for you to join the ring (or reapply), it takes much more time than that for me to deal with the results of your incorrect application; so PLEASE follow these steps:
Please take the time to read the rules in the right hand box on the RingSurf application page when you apply for the ring. I know it's small and you may want to ignore it, but don't. I've taken the time to outline the steps that will ensure a successful application, so please take the time to read it then as opposed to emailing me after the fact with questions that I've already answered in those rules and here on the home blog.
Please read all the posts on this blog (even the archived ones). There aren't that many so it won't take very long.
Please include a LINK to your blog in any emails you send me asking for help with problems specific to your blog.
Please understand that I am not a blog tutor. I am willing to help you sort out code issues within my time/skill means, however there are many excellent tutorials on line if you take a few minutes to do a search, OR you could ask another fellow blogger for their help. Take a trip through the ring and find another member who is using the same blog template as you. They will be able to offer much more help than I can since they have the template specific knowledge that you may require.
Information About Ring Codes
When you first sign up to RingSurf you will see a box near the bottom of your account info page that will have the necessary code in it. RingSurf also sends you an email with a link to the code. Please ensure that you enter that code into your blog template right away. In addition, you can also view the necessary code when you log into your RingSurf account.
*** Where to put the code in your blog ***
1. Copy the ring code as is from the email sent by RingSurf or directly from your RingSurf membership page
2. Open your blog template and paste the code somewhere under where it says "enter stuff for your side bar here" OR if you don't have a sidebar field like that, paste it under or above your Archives section
3. See below for how to insert the button image code
*** Why you can't see the ring code on so-and-so's blog ***
1. Perhaps the code is not in the sidebar...some people have it alllllllll the way at the bottom of their blog. LiveJournal users have it on their "User Profile" page, so if you're looking at their LJ, you'll have to go back to that page to continue surfing the ring.
2. Perhaps the person removed/incorrectly reformatted their code and it is now missing from their blog. If this is the case please send me an email and I will remove them from the active members list
*** Why your code does not work ***
1. Having the code in your blog DOES NOT mean that it will immediately be activated. I need to approve you first, so please allow a few days for the code to become functional. If your code is still not working within a week or so, then feel free to send me an email. Please ensure that you DO NOT forward me any emails from RingSurf that contain your password information. I would obviously never hack into anyone's account, but still, remember to play it safe when it comes to password information.
Adding The Blog Button Image
Here is the button for the blog ring.
This button was created using the Brilliant Button Maker by LucaZappa.com
*******************************************************************
1) Right click on the button image above, and select "SAVE IMAGE AS"
2) Save it somewhere on your computer and give it a name (ie. etsy bloggers)
3) Create a new post in your blog and upload the image of the button
4) Publish that post (you can delete the post later once the button image is properly visible for you)
5) Now, go to Edit mode for that post, and select the "Edit Html" tab
6) You should see a line of code that looks something like this:
< src = " whatever you named the image (ie. etsy bloggers) "> (there shouldn't be all those spaces between the < > and the text and the quotation marks, i'm just doing that so you can see the text instead of a broken image here)
7) Copy that line of code
8) Go into your blog template and find the ring code for the blog ring
9) Paste the image code between the quotations where it says "INSERT IMAGE HERE"
10) Either grin with satisfaction, or scowl with frustration and try again.
Ring Stats
If you ever get curious about how many people are in the ring, and just *who* all your fellow ring members are, here's how to find out:
1. Go to Ring Surf's homepage
2. Click on the Arts link in the ring category directory
3. Click on People in the sub-category directory
4. Click on Etsy Sellers Who Blog
5. On the left side you'll see info about how many active members the ring has, how many members are waiting to join, and how many hits each blog has received. You'll also see a listing of the all the blogs in the ring in the centre of the page.
A Note For LiveJournal Users...
When you apply for the ring, you must enter the URL for whatever page you put the code on. For LiveJournal users, this means that if the code is on your "User Info" page, then that is the page you must put in your site link spot, *not* the front page of your LJ where nobody can see the code.
Info For MySpace Users
Unfortunately MySpace users cannot join the blog ring as MySpace does not allow you to enter html code into your blog template. I apologize to those of you who use MySpace blogs, however you could always do like I do and have two blogs that you just double post in using the wonderful world of copy/paste! :)
