Many of you have asked about having a button that could be used link people to your Outside Blog from your ActiveRain Profile, personal website, 
blog posts or anywhere else that accepts HTML. ActiveRain has designed a fancy little button that is going to be extremely simple to use. You may notice one in my profile to the right already.
This simple button takes about 30 seconds to create and implement. By far, it is one of the easiest things I have worked with in a while. What you need to do in order to make it work, is simply copy & paste this bit of HTML coding anywhere you wish to use the button.
Personalizing the HTML Code
The first thing you will need to do is copy this piece of HTML Code:
<a href="http://www.yourdomainname.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://activerain-internal.s3.amazonaws.com/outside_blog_button.png"></a>
Now, make sure that you replace the http://www.yourdomainname.com with the domain name of your outside blog! If you don't people will end up here! One of my outside blogs is http://myrtlebeachhomesblog.com so this is how my code would look to drive traffic there:
<a href="http://www.myrtlebeachhomesblog.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://activerain-internal.s3.amazonaws.com/outside_blog_button.png"></a>
Now that you have adjusted the coding, make sure to store this in a safe place because you will need this for the future. Below I will show you how to take that new code and place into your Blog and show up along the right bar and then how to add it to your blog posts as a button.
Inserting the Code to Your Blog
To insert the code into your profile, first login to ActiveRain and go to your My Home Page. After you have reached your My Home, you will then click on the settings link along the left side. Then paste your copied HTML code into the Blog Description box. You will see my code highlighted in blue.
You will notice that I added<p></p> at the end of my code. The reason for this was to give it a paragraph break between my outside blog widget and the next widget on my page. After you have entered the coding, click the update button and you are finished.
Inserting the Code Into a Post
Now that we have inserted the widget into our blog description, how do you insert it into a post as a button? You can't just copy & paste the code into the WYSIWYG box or just the coding will appear on your blog. Instead, you will need to save your post in Draft Mode. Then, click on the edit button of your post and slide over to the HTML tab.
Go to the bottom of your post and insert the HTML code that you have saved on your computer and click save. You have now added the button to your post. Once again, you may need to add the html code <p></p> either before or after the button for visual appearance.
Like I said, this is a simple button/widget that you can use for anywhere you wish to promote your outside blog. Now go create your own!
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I am the Co-Founder of 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors. I have traveled the country as a social media speaker. If you would like more information on any of the topics discussed in this blog, please contact me directly. We specialize in social media training, online consulting, and the creation of your own custom WordPress site.
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Always fun to check out new widgets. Thanks for the how to; and for sharing!
Seriously Jeremy could you just do it for me??? I'm bookmarking and I'm going to try and follow the steps tomorrow and attempt to get this done, but I do know where the on/off switch on my computer is and past that it's all greek to me.
I'll give it a try.....I'm tech challenged. Any chance AR can get a hotline for people like me? =)
Thanks, Jeremy. A great button to have. BUT mine is not working quite right - it shows up as code instead of the button and I copied it twice. For some reason it keeps lopping off the <a href... portion.
img src="http://activerain-internal.s3.amazonaws.com/outside_blog_button.png">
THoughts?
Jeff
Jeremy, the step by step instructions make it look very easy. Thanks.
Jeremy,
Nice looking widget. There are other ways to promote the outside blog, but I like this. Thanks. :)
Steve
Not sure why jeff, try this one...
J,
hey, got the link posted to my blog description, but the PHYSICAL button...couldnt figure out how to replace it....or, I shud say, PLACE it over the http address.
Jeremy - Thanks for the widget:)
Jeremy - I had the same problem as Jeff did but just tried the new code. It was because the </a> is missing in the HTML code in your post that caused the image not to appear. I just inserted the new code and voila I have an outside blog button!!! Thanks!
Howdy there Jeremy
It sounds like a fine idea. But I do not think that I can use it this widget. I'm not at all sayen, that I can not put in to my page. I could do that easy. But see that AR some how missed up my My BlogLog, RE 411, and my CopyScape widgets. And at the sametime, has made it where my page will not show widgets on it now. About a week ago I was adding the Twitter widgets to the right side, will low and behold it does not show up there. Even after sending two contacts about it, no one from AR has ever gotten back to me, on it. So I wrote a post about my widgets being taken away. Thinking that someone from AR like Bob or yourself might stop by, a give me a hand. Or at less contact me about it. Will that sure did not hoppen. So I reckon the samething would happen with this one.
Thank you for the idea anyways.
That looks like a pretty good idea thanks.
Jer...
This looks awesomely easy, I'll try it right now!
Jeremy - Thanks for the button and the explicit instructions.
thanks Jeremy. I will be adding this one for sure
Thanks Jeremy - I was on the webinar last week but have not gotten started with my outside blog. I have set aside time to do that today and will keep the widget instructions to use. Thanks!
thanks Jeremy. I also love, love, love we can now add comments to the outside blogs.
Jeremy, I am so glad you are doing this AND real estate. You have helped me more than you realize with so many aspects of the blogging thing and I thank you!
Thanks for the detailed instructions!!
I tried following directions yesterday after reading this and ended up with a big mess in my sidebar. I will try again.
Jeremy - Always great to have another widget that's not intrusive and nice to look at. Thanks for the cool new toy!
Jeremy, that's pretty neat. Off to try it.
Hopefully poor Dale will get his problem taken care of.
Jeremy, funny timing as I was admiring this button on your blog the other day and wondering how I could get one. I just added it in about 30 seconds. Thanks for the easy to follow tips.
dan
Thanks for the info! I will definitely be using this tool.
I love new goodies. Thanks for handling that little spam issue for me while I was down in your neck of the woods laying by the pool!
Jeremy this looks really cool, BUT, there's something I'm not sure I get. Isn't everything on our Outside Blog also on our AR Blog? If so, why link to it from here?
I guess I'm still struggling with the differences between AR blog, outside blog, localism, localism sponsored city, . . . It seems they all have most of the same posts with AR being sort of the "master" blog.
Could you clear all this up? :-)
Thanks,
Mike Hendren
Jeremy, that was easy. It took about a minute to add the code. Thanks.
Awesome - i am going to give this a try now!
Hi Jeremy, Thanks for the instructions for the widget. I find this stuff alot easier with ppl like u willing to help give ideas!
So, when are the html and wysiwyg modes going to be connected so that we don't have to go out and in again to swap between them?
Awesome! I saw this on Jeffs blog and thought - I WANT ONE! thanks! off to install!
Jeremy: are the " "'s important????
Kat- copy it just like I have it above. If not, it will not work.
Lane- I am not sure on that one...Don't know how easy/complex it is to do.
Maureen- The code should be correct now, I had made an error in copying it yesterday.
Jo- Now you can have it too!
Michael- Glad it worked for you!
Missy- pretty cool eh?
I love your new widgets and your easy to follow instructions. They make me feel so empowered! :-)
You said "One of my outside blogs ..." Does this mean we can have more than one outside blog? If so, how do we set that up, and is it free for founding Rainers?
Jer,
This will be a very nice addition to both my blog here and to my website. Thanks
thanks jeremy, keep up the good work.
cool it works...thanks
Thanks for the tip!
By the way guys, thanks for fixing the problem I was having the other day while you were doing the webinar. Also got the phone company to check my lines for static. Remember I was dropping off multiple times?
Good job Jeremy!
Jeremy.....I'm going to have my tech gal help me on this one! I was just chatting with her yesterdy about exactly this. Timing is everything! Thanks
!
Thanks Jeremy - I will check this out. I have bookmarked another post today!
Thanks so much for the Widgets. I just finally figured out how to use them.
Adri
Yay! Thanks for this.
~ Aloha, Lana
Wow, another tech page to bookmark for later use. I'm so overloaded with widget envy. My brain can't absorb it right now, but I'll stash this one for later.
Thanks Jeremy....this was the easiest task. Ii was going to insert the button in in my last post, but forgot.
Thank You Jeremy... This was a VERY EASY add on.... Even I was able to do it.
Jeremy, YEAH!!!! If I have trouble with it, you'll be hearing from me. :)
I always wondered how people git those bells and whistles on their blogs.
You have created a monster, thanks.
Jeremy- Yippee! It works! Very Cool Now I must add it to my signature and many other places. Very cool! Thanks
Yeah, I did it. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions.
Wow Jeremy, I have to say i am thrilled to have found you. I just started blogging and am committed to making my blog a success but there is so much info out there i just get overwhelmed. I actually started reading your most recent post (part deux) but have consequently gone back and begun reading the other stuff in your archives. Thanks so much for the help and I look forward to coming back to you often to borrow some tips to make my blog better.
-Andrea
http://www.andrea-realestaterollercoaster.blogspot.com/