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message 1: by Vicky (last edited Aug 19, 2011 08:18PM) (new)

Vicky (librovert) Following is a basic lesson in HTML, to help out anyone who is having trouble with using HTML tags on Goodreads! :)


The HTML tag always has to be enclosed within the inequality symbols "<" and ">." Example: <b> for bold, <i> for italic, <u> for underline.

Using bold as an example:

Typing <b> opens the HTML tag, or tells the browser "from here on out, I want my text to be bold."

Unless you want everything else you type in that post to be bold you have to tell the browser by closing the tag. To close a tag you use "/" within the inequality symbols - </b>.

Links and images are a little different (this is where it might get a little confusing!).

The HTML string for links is <a href=""> </a>.

The "a" is the anchor tag - called because it "anchors" two things together. Just like an anchor "links" your boat with the sea floor, it links your text to a URL.

The "href" (which stands for hypertext reference) is an attribute of the "a" tag, which is why you only the "a" is closed at the end of the HTML string.

Images are similar - to insert an image you use <img src="imagelink.jpg"> where "img" is the tag and "src" (standing for source) is a link to (or the source of!) the image you want to share. When closing the tag, you only have to type </img>.

To put this into more everyday terms... say I have a ball pit, and I want to take out blue ball to play with.

I take out a blue ball. <ball color="blue">
I'm done playing with the ball and put it back. </ball>

We already know the ball is blue, so we don't have to say it again.


message 2: by [deleted user] (new)

Wow Vicky, thanks for the lesson. I've known how to use HTML for a long time, but I never knew what the codes and letters stand for.

[image error]


message 3: by Kim (new)

Kim (kimmr) Likewise. Thanks Vicky.


message 4: by Cheryl, first facilitator (last edited Aug 20, 2011 06:56PM) (new)

Cheryl (cherylllr) | 692 comments Mod
my review of Palazzo Inverso has a spoiler tag! :)


message 5: by Cheryl, first facilitator (new)

Cheryl (cherylllr) | 692 comments Mod
OK I'll calm down now. Pretty heady stuff though - I feel so empowered!


The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) (pirateghost) So, this is how we italiciz? I hope.


The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) (pirateghost) Okay, thank you, that's been kickin my but for a while now.


message 8: by Cheryl, first facilitator (new)

Cheryl (cherylllr) | 692 comments Mod
Yay Hugh! You got it!


message 9: by Cheryl, first facilitator (new)

Cheryl (cherylllr) | 692 comments Mod
I forgot to bring over BunWat's tip (from 'Do we always have to mark spoilers?). This helped me even more after reading Vicky's explanation of html.

She said:

"So basically any of the tags work the same

write many watermelony things

say something very ironic

These don't work because there is no watermelon tag or irony tag, so you can see the structure. But if you were to put spoiler, or b (for bold) or i (for italics) where I wrote watermelon or irony, then you'd have a working tag."


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) ^^


☕️Kimberly  (Caffeinated Reviewer) (kimbacaffeinate) great tips.! I just made a button for my blog yesterday and these explanations, explain a lot about the code i used.


message 12: by The Pirate Ghost (new)

The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) (pirateghost) So how do I put a picture from my hardrive in a post... as opposed to one off the web somewhere?


message 13: by Vicky (last edited Sep 05, 2011 11:53AM) (new)

Vicky (librovert) Hugh (The other Hugh) wrote: "So how do I put a picture from my hardrive in a post... as opposed to one off the web somewhere?"

It has to be on the web to include it in a post. You can use a free image hosting site to get them online though. Some good options are:

Photobucket - http://photobucket.com/
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/
Picasa (by Google) - https://picasaweb.google.com/


message 14: by The Pirate Ghost (new)

The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) (pirateghost) that would explain why I was having trouble then.. huh? Thank you GoodReads Book Fairy!


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) Wait, are you talking about Blogger? Because there is a way to get it off your h drive.


message 16: by The Pirate Ghost (new)

The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) (pirateghost) I'm not a blogger... yet... working on that.


message 17: by Zaira's Bookshelf (last edited Sep 06, 2011 06:13PM) (new)

Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) There is still a way! You load your pic on your pictures in your profile (Up by your profile pic,) and load it up there. Then you right click, view image and copy and paste URL into [image error] and walla! It works really well, I do it all the time.


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) Just get rid of the astrid.


message 19: by The Pirate Ghost (new)

The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) (pirateghost) Thank you... I took some pictures of the Blue Angels at an airshow this weekend. I promised some pics.


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) ^^ No prob!


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) Does anyone know how to make a link with a name? Sorry if that isn't much of an explanation but it's like a direct link to something or other. Let's say I wanted to make a link to my GR. And I added a direct link to my goodreads but instead of the link it said My Goodreads, green-brown and underlined, like on post number 4, what Cheryl did! Anyone know?


message 22: by Riona (new)

Riona (rionafaith) Zaira (Allisa) wrote: "Does anyone know how to make a link with a name? Sorry if that isn't much of an explanation but it's like a direct link to something or other. Let's say I wanted to make a link to my GR. And I adde..."

It's in post #1, after how to make things bold and before how to add images.


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) kay, thanks!


Zaira's Bookshelf (zairasbookshelf) I did it! Thanks Riona!


message 26: by Leona (new)

Leona (wdwcbm) | 2 comments Sorry, not sure this is the right place to ask my question. But I have recently found that the like button on my reviews have disappeared. I usually could click on it to see how many people had liked my reviews. Do you know how I can get that back.

I think this is happening on my more recent reviews.
Thank you.


message 27: by Cheryl, first facilitator (new)

Cheryl (cherylllr) | 692 comments Mod
You'll have to ask in the feedback group - I have no idea, but it seems like a bug. As always, of course, you can try clearing your cache, using a different device and browser, logging in and out.... But if nothing like that works, def. try asking in Feedback.


message 28: by Leona (new)

Leona (wdwcbm) | 2 comments Thanks


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