Creating your own banner for a blog or website...

Okay, branding is a HUGE thing when it comes to business, charities or even people. If I show you a yellow smiley face, what do you think? WalMart? Yeah, me too. So why? Well, because they know how to brand! Now it's your turn. Once you have a blog or website set up your next step is to create a banner that you can exchange with other, similar blogs or websites - or with forums or anyone else that will post it... But how do you do it??  It's much easier than is sounds - I promise!

Step One - Creating Your Banner
If you have a logo for your company, business or site, you don't need to worry about creation, but you do need to make sure it's the right size.

If you don't have a logo already, you can easily make one. Start by taking a photo or finding a picture that will go with the theme of your site or blog. You can easily do an image search on most search engines or you can look on Photobucket.

Once you find one that you like, right click and choose "Save Image As..." on the menu that pops up. Make sure you know where you save it and what you call it. - just makes things easier...

Open the file in your Paint (or comparable) program and use the "Letter" option to put the title of your site or blog on to it. Once that's done, resize your logo to 125 X 125 pixels.

Your Button is now complete!

Step Two - Creating an HTML code for your Button
Upload your Button to Photobucket. If you don't have a Photobucket account, open one.

Once you have uploaded your Button to Photobucket you will see a number of choices for Sharing it. Choose the one labeled HTML code and copy it.

Open a Note Pad, NoteBook or other word processing program and paste it there so you can make changes to it. It should look something like this:

<a href="http://s608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/?action=view&amp;current=Banner-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Now you simply need to change a few things and you'll be good to go.
First, remove the current Photobucket web address and replace it with your own.

BEFORE:
<a href="http://s608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/?action=view&amp;current=Banner-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

AFTER:

<a href="http://howyoucanchangeyourlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Next you just need to change the title from Photobucket to the name of your site or blog.

BEFORE:

<a href="http://howyoucanchangeyourlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

AFTER:

<a href="http://howyoucanchangeyourlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Financial Fitness"></a>

And you're done! You now have your HTML code for your button! Remember to save it so you can give it to banner exchange sites or use it as an ad.

Step Three - Creating a Code Box  (so others can snag and share your button)

In that same NotePad/Word processor page where you have your Button Code, skip down a few lines and copy and pastes the following:

<textarea cols=”15″ rows=”4″ wrap=”VIRTUAL”>YOUR BUTTONCODE HERE</textarea>

 

Now, simply copy and paste the Button Code your created before in to it.

BEFORE:

<textarea cols=”15″ rows=”4″ wrap=”VIRTUAL”>YOUR BUTTONCODE HERE</textarea>

 

AFTER:

<textarea cols=”15″ rows=”4″ wrap=”VIRTUAL”><a href="http://howyoucanchangeyourlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Financial Fitness"></a></textarea>

 

Save this code, and the Button Code together (this under that) in your word document for future use.

 

Here is an example of what it will look like when finished and saved together:
(note, this is for this blog if you should choose to - take and use it!)

<a href="http://howyoucanchangeyourlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Financial Fitness"></a>

<textarea cols=”15″ rows=”4″ wrap=”VIRTUAL”><a href="http://howyoucanchangeyourlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/SabrinaMBowen/Banner-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Financial Fitness"></a></textarea>

Final Step - Using your codes!

Now that you have your codes you cam use the HTML "Gadget" option on Blogger or your website to add this to your blog or site. When you visit other blogs or sites similar to your own, contact the owner and offer to exchange buttons! Now you're reaching not only your readers, but theirs as well!

**NOTE: If you use WordPress.com, you will not be able to display the codebox. WordPress.com does not recognize the code! To get around this I recommend doing a blog post announcing your new badge and providing the code to your readers that way. Then you could create a widget on your sidebar, linking to that post.

 

AND YOU'RE DONE!!!  

Every day we each wake up and make a choice as to who and what we are going to be. We choose what to wear, what to eat and who we will and will not associate with. We even make the choice as to what kind of person we are going to be. Today, you made the choice to find my blog and read it, and had I not made the choice to create it, you would have nothing to read!

The point is that every thing we do is a choice. And even when life seems to be at it's worst we have choices in the way we handle things and how we deal. If you can't look at your life today and say I am 100% happy where I am, then it's time you make a change. It's easy to say, but usually seems like an impossibility for most people...

Is this what you are thinking?  "How can I change my life? I have kids, a husband, a wife, a lousy job, no car, an apartment that's too small and no money... Where would I even start? It's not worth it!"

Well, I can answer all that in just a few short words... STOP THINKING - START DOING!

You see, the difference between thinking and doing is that when you are doing, something actually changes. You can THINK about change all you want! But if you refuse to act, nothing can change. Now, you may be thinking it's easy for HER to say I can do it, but SHE doesn't have my life, my family or my situation... Well, you are right. I don't have YOUR life. But I have my own stubborn unsupportive family, a home that's too small, no car and two small children to worry about. The difference is that I am willing to ignore the family and lean on MY strengths, ignore the house knowing it's only temporary, walk to the store and enjoy the trip and build my new life FOR my small kids so they don't have to be where I was!

Today, I am a successful home based business owner with an incredible company and team! I don't yet own my dream home, but I'm getting there! My husband has been able to come home full time and my beautiful children are happy and healthy by my side. I have gone from being miserably unhappy and depressed to knowing and understanding that I can and do rule my own world and my life. My choice to be happy, healthy and successful was all it took to change everything for me... 

So, how did I do it? Where did I start? Well, it was much easier than you may think. I just stopped listening to everyone else... I got up in the morning and refused to listen to the negativity... A news story about a fire would come on and I would turn it off... My mother would start to tell me how building my business isn't going to support us, and I hung up the phone. I stopped letting ANYONE bring me down. And I started looking for reasons to believe in ME!

This blog is being created to give YOU the option to change your life the way I did. To find all the best options for YOU and YOUR life. Regardless of where you are starting out today you have choices to make that can change your life. Where will you start? For most people the thing that needs to change the most is their money situation. The old saying is that Money can't buy happiness. But I never understood that... I mean, sure you can be rich and miserable - BUT having the money to meet the bills each month, fix the car and have a hat and coat in the winter makes it a WHOLE lot easier to be happy! So, this blog will focus mostly on that aspect, but not totally.

Here we will explore the different options concerning working, shopping and a number of other areas that can help to change the way you live and thus - Change Your Life!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Welcome to it! Make the choice to enjoy it!

Sabrina M Bowen