A tag cloud is a useful navigation widget that you can install on your blogsite to help your visitors easily find the topics they are searching. To put is simply, a tag cloud is a collection of tags associated to your post – provided that you include tags on your posts. It is different from category links or archive links. Tag keywords are displayed on varying sizes based on the number of blog posts that include them. For instance, if you commonly use the tag “HTML” on your blog posts, that tag will appear to have the biggest font size compared to other tags.
Tag clouds are built-in features in some blog platforms such as Wordpress.com and i.ph. Unfortunately, tag clouds are not readily available in Blogger (Blogspot). This is intended to simplify Blogger templates and offer versatility to users. On the other hand, if you want to include a tag cloud on your Blogger blogsites, you can follow the simple steps enumerated below. Just make sure to first save your original template before proceeding. Just in case anything goes wrong, you can always go back to your backup template. You need to copy-paste three sets of codes on your Blogger template to include the tag cloud widget.
STEP1: Login to blogger and go to the “Page Elements” setup page. Backup your template. Then go to the Edit HTML settings. Make sure that you do NOT check the expand widget box.
STEP2: Find the style sheet section of your template. Go to the ]]></b:skin> tag. Copy-paste the codes shown below just before the ]]></b:skin> tag.Codes:
/* Label Cloud Styles
----------------------------------------------- */
#labelCloud {text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;}
#labelCloud .label-cloud li{display:inline;background-image:none !important;padding:0 5px;margin:0;vertical-align:baseline !important;border:0 !important;}
#labelCloud ul{list-style-type:none;margin:0 auto;padding:0;}
#labelCloud a img{border:0;display:inline;margin:0 0 0 3px;padding:0}
#labelCloud a{text-decoration:none}
#labelCloud a:hover{text-decoration:underline}
#labelCloud li a{}
#labelCloud .label-cloud {}
#labelCloud .label-count {padding-left:0.2em;font-size:9px;color:#000}
#labelCloud .label-cloud li:before{content:"" !important}
STEP3: Again, locate the ]]></b:skin> tag. This time, you should copy-paste the codes shown below AFTER the ]]></b:skin> tag, but BEFORE the </head> tag.Codes:
<script type='text/javascript'>
// Label Cloud User Variables
var cloudMin = 1;
var maxFontSize = 20;
var maxColor = [0,0,255];
var minFontSize = 10;
var minColor = [0,0,0];
var lcShowCount = false;
</script>
STEP4: The preceding codes are only the setting codes. Now, you are ready to install the tag cloud widget itself. Locate the <b:widget id='Label1' locked='false' title='Labels' type='Label'/> tag. This is called the label widget in your sidebar. Copy-paste the codes shown below and replace the aforementioned tag. Save your template after embedding the codes.
Codes:
<b:widget id='Label1' locked='false' title='Label Cloud' type='Label'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<b:if cond='data:title'>
<h2><data:title/></h2>
</b:if>
<div class='widget-content'>
<div id='labelCloud'/>
<script type='text/javascript'>
// Don't change anything past this point -----------------
// Cloud function s() ripped from del.icio.us
function s(a,b,i,x){
if(a>b){
var m=(a-b)/Math.log(x),v=a-Math.floor(Math.log(i)*m)
}
else{
var m=(b-a)/Math.log(x),v=Math.floor(Math.log(i)*m+a)
}
return v
}
var c=[];
var labelCount = new Array();
var ts = new Object;
<b:loop values='data:labels' var='label'>
var theName = "<data:label.name/>";
ts[theName] = <data:label.count/>;
</b:loop>
for (t in ts){
if (!labelCount[ts[t]]){
labelCount[ts[t]] = new Array(ts[t])
}
}
var ta=cloudMin-1;
tz = labelCount.length - cloudMin;
lc2 = document.getElementById('labelCloud');
ul = document.createElement('ul');
ul.className = 'label-cloud';
for(var t in ts){
if(ts[t] < cloudMin){
continue;
}
for (var i=0;3 > i;i++) {
c[i]=s(minColor[i],maxColor[i],ts[t]-ta,tz)
}
var fs = s(minFontSize,maxFontSize,ts[t]-ta,tz);
li = document.createElement('li');
li.style.fontSize = fs+'px';
li.style.lineHeight = '1';
a = document.createElement('a');
a.title = ts[t]+' Posts in '+t;
a.style.color = 'rgb('+c[0]+','+c[1]+','+c[2]+')';
a.href = '/search/label/'+encodeURIComponent(t);
if (lcShowCount){
span = document.createElement('span');
span.innerHTML = '('+ts[t]+') ';
span.className = 'label-count';
a.appendChild(document.createTextNode(t));
li.appendChild(a);
li.appendChild(span);
}
else {
a.appendChild(document.createTextNode(t));
li.appendChild(a);
}
ul.appendChild(li);
abnk = document.createTextNode(' ');
ul.appendChild(abnk);
}
lc2.appendChild(ul);
</script>
<noscript>
<ul>
<b:loop values='data:labels' var='label'>
<li>
<b:if cond='data:blog.url == data:label.url'>
<data:label.name/>
<b:else/>
<a expr:href='data:label.url'><data:label.name/></a>
</b:if>
(<data:label.count/>)
</li>
</b:loop>
</ul>
</noscript>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>
</b:includable>
</b:widget>
If you carefully followed the instructions, you can now preview your blogsite and will be able to see the tag cloud. If the tag cloud does not appear, you probably have not carefully followed the instructions or you probably do not use tags or labels in your blog posts.
POSTCRIPT:
You probably do not want the default settings of this tag cloud widget. But all of these can be configured. You can change the colors, font sizes, and other settings.
The settings in the Variables section will be where you make most of your adjustments. Here I'll explain what each setting does.
var cloudMin= 1;
This setting you can use to limit the number of labels shown (for example if you have a lot of labels). Leave the setting at 1 to show ALL labels. If you enter in a higher number, then only labels that have at least that number of entries will appear in the cloud.
var maxFontSize = 20;
var maxColor = [0,0,255];
var minFontSize = 10;
var minColor = [0,0,0];
var lcShowCount = false;
The lines for
maxFontSize
maxColor
do what you may think they do. The first one sets the size (in pixels) of the label with the most amount entries. The maxColor sets the color of that entry (in RGB format). Similar with
the next two
minFontSize
minColor
Just these are for the label with the least amount of entries. Again the size is in pixels, the color is in RGB format. Any labels between the two will get their color/sizes based on how many labels they are, and where their entry count falls, giving the much desired cloud effect.
From my experimenting, there are many factors that make up a pleasant looking cloud. From color/size choice, to the number of actual labels, to how well be dispersed the entries are among the labels. 3 Labels don't make a good cloud as there isn't much to work with. You just have to experiment around to see what looks good with your setup.
IMPORTANT, when change the color settings, Keep them in the format supplied. In between the [] and the numbers separated by commas. The default colors are BLUE for the max and BLACK for the min. You can select any valid RGB color combination. If you don't know what RGB colors are, don't worry. It's just a way of defining a color. You can use many charts on the Internet to
get the correct RGB value for the color you want to try. Here's one that is fairly good.
RGB Color Code Chart
Remember, if you get the 3 sets of numbers to enter them in correctly. Inside the [ ] separated by
commas.
Also experiment with different font sizes. Again it depends on how many entries, how dispersed they are, and how much room for the cloud is available as to what looks good.
The last variable there is
lcShowCount
This can either be false (default) or true. All this does is turn off/on the post count displayed next to the label. Usually in a 'traditional' cloud the count isn't used. But if you go to a 'flat' listing then it's sometimes useful to turn it on.
Now to the CSS section. Most people won't need to tweak these much, and it's not necessary to understand what all those entries are for. Most are just to make sure that other styling elements from the rest of your page don't inherit in and ruin the cloud. But there are a few that you may want to change to suit.
The first line
#labelCloud {text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;}
You could change the fonts used in the cloud here if you wanted. Also, the text-align statement can also be changed. I have it set to center by default but you
could use
text-align:justify;
text-align:right;
text-align:left;
If those suit better.
The next line
#labelCloud .label-cloud li{display:inline;background-image:none !important;padding:0 5px;margin:0;vertical-align:baseline !important;border:0 !important;}
Well don't worry about most of it unless you are a hardcore CSS'er. The only one of real importance is the first entry
display:inline;
You can change that to
display:block;
To get the 'Flat' (each entry on it's own separate line) listing of the weighted entries. Usually if that is set to block you would probably want to change the sort frequency from
alphabetical to frequency. You do that by editing the widget from the Page Elements tab in
Blogger.
And the last bit I'll mention is the line
#labelCloud .label-count
If you set the lcShowCount variable to true to show the post counts, you could change the color/size of those numbered entries with that line.
2008-07-25
Blogger Tag Cloud
HOME||CONTENTS
Affiliate Program
HOME||CONTENTSThe internet is not only a cornucopia of information it also offers a bounty of earning opportunities. However, not all opportunities have the same payout. One of the most convenient ways to earn passive income on the web is through affiliate programs. Simply put, affiliate programs are online marketing schemes that are similar to traditional media advertising. The big difference is that you do not need to own a TV network, newspaper, or radio network to earn. You do not even need to own a website. A simple free sub-domain blogsite is enough. Rx Affiliate is one of the upcoming affiliate sites that offer high commission.
Rx Affiliate Resources cover a wide range of services. These include online customer service, wire transfers, epassporte, etc. An Epassporte Rx Affiliate can expect weekly commissions of up to 40% on product purchases and other transactions. Like many other affiliate programs, a potential affiliate is required to have a high-ranking site. This assures that a significant number of visitors are likely to click the ads posted on the site. Rx affiliate program offers both pay per click and direct commission on every transaction. This is advertising made easy. You can earn passive or residual income by simply embedding the affiliate advertisement codes on your site.
2008-07-24
Ski Holiday in France
HOME||CONTENTS
If you are looking for a superb ski France holiday, there are several ski resorts that you can visit. Charmonix, Deux Alpes, Espace Killy, Three Valleys, and Grand Massif are just some of the interesting resorts you can visit. If you are departing from UK, traveling to France is very convenient and affordable. You can do it by train, plane or by barge. It does not really matter how you get there as long as you enjoy your stay. From the main urban centers, you can take the regular bus rides or shuttle rides to these ski resorts. You really do not need to spend too lavishly if you intend to have exciting ski holidays in France.
You can enjoy the best skiing facilities in France at very reasonable prices that are within your budget. The snow conditions of the resorts vary throughout the year. However, the variations are not that radically different. Regardless of the season, the skiing conditions are always perfect for your holiday adventures. On the other hand, the accommodation facilities of these resorts are comparable to classy hotels of the urban areas. France skiing facilities are world-class facilities that are very competitive in terms of fees and amenities. If you have already tried visiting the different skiing resorts in Europe, you can personally compare the skiing resorts in France. France is not called the romantic center of the world for nothing. Even in the mountains of France, you can expect romance. There is nothing more romantic than communing with the great beauty and grandeur of nature.
2008-07-15
US Online Casinos
HOME||CONTENTSThe United States of America is the wealthiest nation in the world. Its people have surplus wealth that they can spend on leisure, such as a USA online casino. Betting online is becoming one of the most popular entertainments among those who have enough time and money to spare. USA online casinos are far from outdoing Las Vegas casinos but they are competitive enough when it comes to payouts of prizes. USA online gambling may someday replace Las Vegas casinos. The main advantage of online casinos is that they can be conveniently accessed in any part of the world that has internet connection.
Protecting Against Identity Theft
HOME||CONTENTSThe internet has made the world a smaller place. An overwhelming wealth of information can be accessed through the internet. Geographical distances and cultural differences have been bridged by the internet. People online even created a culture of their own. Economically speaking, the most important role of the internet is trade. Billions of electronic dollars pass through the internet each day. If you have an online business, you need to reach as many customers as possible.
On the other hand, you also need to evade as many online thieves as you can. Online robbery is not anymore limited to plagiarism. Financial ruin is now faster because of online hackers. If you are an online businessman, you do not want just anybody to have access to your personal or business account. Protect yourself and your business from identity thieves. Visit lifelock.com for more information on how to shield your business from financial losses.
Indemnity is the keyword when it comes to securing your online financial safety. Get your own lifelock promotion code and be protected from identity thieves while maximizing your online presence. Do not rely on mere luck. Lifelock ensures the viability of your online business in spite of the risks. LifeLock is confident and competent enough when it comes to guaranteeing your online identity. It assures you of up to $ 1,000,000 of compensation in the event that your cyber space identity is stolen.
Online Stake
HOME||CONTENTSAre you tired surfing the internet trying to find worthwhile casino games? Few gaming sites offer high prizes for minimum bets. Some people have biases on about online casinos. These people think that the real-world casinos are more credible than those that exist only as electronic packets of data. Online gambling, however, is not that radically different from the so-called real-world gambling. Chance or luck still plays a big role.
Affordable Eyeglasses
HOME||CONTENTS
Fake PayPal
HOME||CONTENTSI have been writing blogs for almost a year now. Just like many other bloggers, I was attracted by the prospect of earning money by simply writing blog posts. Writing blog reviews was one of my alternative sources of income on the web. If I would compute my earnings on word-for-word basis, I was earning more from blogs compared to my regular job as web copy writer.
The most convenient way of receiving payments for paid blogs is through PayPal. Although it is not as fast as receiving money through wired transfer, it is more economical. PayPal worked well for me. However, I was almost victimized by a bogus PayPal site. I recently received an email that was purportedly sent by PayPal. The email stated that my PayPal account was restricted and I had to fill-in some online forms to lift the restriction. I was almost fooled into giving my passwords and debit card account details. Luckily, a pop-up warning on my Mozilla Firefox browser appeared. I realized that I was about to log-in on a cloned site. The web design was an exact copy of PayPal but the domain name was different.
The picture below shows the bogus PayPal email that I received. As you can observe, it seems authentic and harmless. However, if you are duped into logging-in on the link provided, the site will only steal your credit card or debit card details as well as your PayPal password.
If ever you receive a similar email, check if the link really leads to the authentic PayPal site. Check the domain name. Better still, directly log-in to PayPal.com. Protect your account from cyber space thieves.
2008-07-01
Optimizing Web Presence
HOME||CONTENTSIf you have an online business, it will be a failure if your target customers are unable to find it. The stylish web design, expensive software applications, and top quality products of your site will be virtually useless if very few people are able to find your site. Even if people truly need the products you are offering, how can you make a sale if your target customers do not even know that your site exists? It is like opening a store somewhere in the jungle. Hence, search engine optimization services are necessary to make your web presence known. Advertising your website is not as sophisticated as you think. It is also not as expensive as traditional media advertising.
You can hire the services of a credible search engine optimization company if you want to increase visitors to your site. SEO companies are your PR partners. Some offer software packages while others offer content services and linking services. Content and links are as important and sometimes more important than software programs. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AltaVista tend to look at contents and links. The search engines are your tools if you want more web site traffic. However, you should first make your site SEO-friendly.
Casino Guide
HOME||CONTENTSThe age of the internet has brought great convenience. The internet has made the world seem to be a smaller place. Distances were bridged and communication was made easier. The world has become a global community. In the process, it also has also created a community of its own. It created a virtual village that mimics the real world. Entertainment, commerce, communication, and information are now accessible with just a click of the mouse button. Even leisure activities, such as casinos, can now be availed online. An online casino, for instance, is a virtual casino that offers entertainment and opportunity to win big. Online gambling via online casinos is a good alternative to traveling to Las Vegas. You will spend lesser amount of money but can still win big.