Wordpress help!

[Erika]

I'm super jealous of everyone who has blogspot because they are able to use Google friend connect. I can't do this with wordpress. Is there something equivalent to it?

Please help! Here's my blog...

http://bibliophilelibrary.com/

[Ravenous]

If you are using free wordpress, there really isnt anything comparable. Upgrading your account to premium won't change it either. In order for you to use the photo linky/google connect or anything comparible to what folks have on blogspot you'll have to find a host and use wordpress.org. It's the java script that is required that prevents you from using them and wordpress.com restricts it (these "programs" widget) in the widget areas for free accounts. Truthfully, the free version of wordpress.com is very limited. Wordpress.org is AWESOME. User friendly for the person who wants a very specialized and personal website. It gives folks who build their own or maintain their own sites easy maintainance with the cool looks and you don't have to be an expert with html(which it the awesome thing). Wordpress.com however restricts the users in many ways. I use wordpress.com. I like it. It serves it purpose. Yes, I'm also jealous of folks on blogspot, but I know eventually I'll change to a wordpress.org site and the transition of blogs will be so much easier with low issues of importing incorrectly since the two are operated by the same "peoples" (kinda).

If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I'll try my best to answer them. The questions you have I probably thought of myself and wanted to do myself and I probably spent hours researching it, maybe I can save you some time. :D

You just ahve to make your wordpress.com site as intersting as possible by using pictures and link. That's what I tried (still trying) to do.

PS. I'm following you now. You can follow me at:
ravenousbibliworm.wordpress.com
:D

[Erika]

Thanks, Ravenous! I have my own domain (no clue if that makes a difference or not??.
I guess I'll check out Wordpress.org and see if that is a better fit for me.

There's so much to learn!!!

I'm following you now too.

Thanks again for the info!

[Ravenous]

Owning a domain? You mean a domain name? That's just having the "rights" (being exclusive to you) to your url name. If you have a host and domain name then yes you can pretty up your blog. :D Whose your host? What service host are you using?

[Erika]

I think it's Google. My email is gmail. I did it on Wordpress and just followed the prompts. I still use the Wordpress dashboard.

[Pam]

I've been wondering the same thing. Just started a blog and network blog and linky friends doesn't work. Have you found anything that works yet?

Pam
www.moonlightreader.com

[Erika]

I haven't yet. But if I find something I will make sure to let you know!

P.S. I'm following you now :)

[Pam]

Yay! I'm following you as well. :)

I just made a facebook page for my site and I'm going to synchronize the RSS feed from the blog right into facebook. This way you can get people to like it on facebook and it will actually show at least the number on the blog. I'm still playing with it but check it out on my site. moonlightreader.com. It's better then nothing right? lol.

[Erika]

Good idea!

[Pam]

Thanks Barbara! Following you now too. :)

[Ravenous]

Awesome, I followed both Pam and Barbara now too! Cause since I'm relatively new to wordpress I may have questions in the future.... always nice to find help.

[Ravenous]

Oh and Barbara, you lost your followers when you went from wordpress.com to wordpress.org? Hmm would you recommend me changing now while I can so I wouldnt have the hassle? I know I can carbon copy my blog over (layout and all) I thought followers would go too. I like how my blog looks now. I just want java script capabilities and have more pictures in my widget areas (like yours! :D)...

[Erika]

Thanks for all the good info, Barbara! I'm now following you. I'm pretty happy with Wordpress and how my site looks.

[Pam]

Thanks Ravenous, following you too!

Ravenous wrote: "Awesome, I followed both Pam and Barbara now too! Cause since I'm relatively new to wordpress I may have questions in the future.... always nice to find help."

[Rose]

Wow! I never knew so much else existed! I'm on wordpress.com and it suits my needs (and time available) for now.
Following Erika, Rave and Pam (although I couldn't WP Reader follow Pam? so had to email subscribe) Couldn't spot a link to Barbara's blog...

[Kim]

@Ravenous Do you think you could help me? I just switched from blogger to wordpress, because I didn't want to get accidently deleted. The problem is I have no idea how the heck you're supposed to put plugins in! You need an sql and I have no idea how to do that, and... Ahem.
It just sort of confuses me. Please help! Gr. So frustated.
My blog is...
Um. Actually. Does anyone else know how to add the link? Do you just copy it from the sample and put your url where they tell you to?
snugglemybooks.wordpress.com

Does that work? When I click on it it keeps going to Goodreads?

[Rose]

@Kim,

If you just cut'n'paste your URL from the line at the top of the page and hit "send", GR will sort it out and display (most) of the URL path.
There is an instruction on the "Edit Review" page on the HTML code needed to insert a link under specific text.
The link in #18 does just go to GR, which means you didn't fully edit the HTML.

<_a-space-h_ref_=_"URL"_>your text<_/_a_>
is the format, with a space instead of "-space-" and removing the underscores (had to put them in so you could see the code!!)

[Rose]

Hi All!!
Anyone got any recommendations on the best way to host a giveaway on wordpress? I've heard rafflecopter doesn't work, so any recommendations on a transparently fair way to identify winners is appreciated!
Thanks in advance :-)

[Briana]

I've done one giveaway on my Wordpress blog, and I just had people leave a comment in order to enter. If they wanted, they could post their email address in the comment. If not, the email address shows up in the comments section of your dashboard, so they don't have to publicly post it.

I think I've seen people use Google docs for giveaways on Wordpress, but I have never tried it myself.

[Rose]

Thanks Brianna! I decided that's the way I would go after doing some reading around...I thought I'd offer extra entries for liking/friending on Fb and for following my blog. I've been recommended www.randomizer.org to choose the winner.

One blog I saw has the entrants emailing her to say for which category/ies they are eligible.

One WP blog I visited used rafflecopter via a link from the post...it seems you don't have to embed it. I'll need to look at it in more detail, so maybe I'll try that later!

I hope these comments will also be useful to others :-)

One other thing for wp.com users: watch out for the WP usage rules and don't contravene the sponsorship ones. I have it from an "admin" that offering a giveaway is ok, as long as you don't advertise it in the sidebar or add adverts for the donator of the prize.

[Katy]

My friend and I just started ours...
http://agirlaboyandablog.wordpress.com/

And then I just realized everyone and their mom uses blogspot. :(
I'm going to follow all of yours, but ours is...
http://agirlaboyandablog.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/agirlaboyanda
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Girl-...

[Ravenous]

@ Kim

Are you using wordpress.org or wordpress.com

Org is the self hosted one and Com is the wordpress hosted one. Com is very restirctive in widgets and plug-ins. What plug ins were you planning to do? Sorry about the delayed repsonse, my feed has so many updates I missed this link...