How to Find Pictures for Your Blog

When I first started blogging, I used Google to find pictures. I knew I might eventually run into copyright issues, so I stopped and looked for other options. Below are my notes from the research I did about sites that offer royalty free pictures.

One side note: Before creating an account on photo sites, I hardly ever received spam e-mail. Now I receive spam mail every single day. Make sure you have a good spam filter on the e-mail you use to register on these sites. I'm not sure which of the four triggered that: Deposit Photos, Fotolia, iStock or Dreamstock.

What's Royalty Free?
According to this article from Stock Photo Guide, royalty free is "a type of license that gives you permission to use a stock image in certain ways. Royalty free means you are not required to pay a royalty each time you use an image."

Royalty free doesn't mean we can use the pictures whichever way we want. Some licenses may not allow you to use the pictures for commercial purposes, for example. Others may specifically state that the pictures cannot be modified. Each site has its own specific rules, so make sure you read the license carefully before using any pictures, even when they're free.

Flickr
Pictures on Flickr are free to use, but require you to credit the author by linking back to their profile.  This article on Skelliewag.org gives advice on how to find and use images on Flickr.

[The article mentioned above is no longer available, but you can find Flickr advice here instead. (edited 3/28/17)]

Users can search images within six types of Creative Commons copyright licenses.  To be on the safe side, search for images within the Attribution License, which allows you to modify the images and to use them for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. The other five licenses are more restrictive.

I never use Flickr, because I don't want to bother linking back to that site every time I use a picture, and I found the quality of pictures was generally lower than on paying sites.

MS Office Clipart
I occasionally use MS Office Clipart pictures when I'm in a hurry to find a picture.  I tried to find out if it's okay to use them for blogging, but every answer I find links to this contract, which is very tedious to read.  I'm assuming it's okay, since I'm not using them for resale or business purposes.

Deposit Photos
Most of the time, I use Deposit Photos to find pictures for my blog. This site doesn't offer free photos, but I always find a good selection of pictures on that site for only $0.50 each. I don't mind paying for getting exactly the picture I want. The minimum purchase is $10.00 for 10 credits, and all the pictures I bought so far cost 1/2 credit each.

Fotolia
Fotolia offers some free pictures, but most are sold for 1 credit or more. The minimum purchase is 10 credits at $1.30 per credit (cheaper for greater quantities). A bit expensive compared to Deposit Photos.

Dreamstime
Dreamstime offers free pictures as well, but most of them cost credits. The minimum purchase is 8 credits for $9.99, which is good for up to 8 pictures. It all sounded good, so I registered and bought some credits.  There was a catch, though.  In order to download any of them, even the free ones, I was asked to update my profile information, including my first and last name and my mailing address. I became very suspicious of that site for this reason. Why would they need my mailing address? I'm thinking I'll probably start getting a lot of junk mail if I enter it. They'll let you create an account and buy credit by just entering your e-mail, but then you can't use it unless you complete your profile information. Hmm... Fishy.

iStock Photos
iStock Photos doesn't offer free photos, as far as I know.  The minimum purchase is 6 credits for $9.99. I found it a bit pricey, although they have a good selection of photos to choose from.

Articles About Finding Royalty Free Pictures
I know there are a lot more sites out there where bloggers can find royalty-free pictures. I haven't looked into them because the sites I've found so far are enough for my needs. For further research, I suggest you read the following articles.

Squidoo: Finding and Using Public Domain and Royalty Free Images and Clip Art Pictures
About.com: Top 6 Sites to Find Free Photos to Use on Your Blog
Mashable: 26 Places to Find Free Multimedia for Your Blog
Squidoo: Where to Find Free Images & How to Use Them

Where do you get pictures for your blog?

Seven Best Types of Blog Posts

In my research on how to write good blog posts and articles, I came across a book called KaChing, by Joel Comm.  His book is specifically on how to make money with an online business, but one of the chapters is about writing good web content, in which he lists and describes the seven most common types of content.  I recognized all of them in blogs I read regularly.

Here is a list of the seven types of content, along with my summary of their strengths and weaknesses (from what I could gather in this section of the book).  I've also added a link to some of my own blog posts as examples for each type.

1.  How-To Articles
Strengths:  If you have the knowledge, it should be very easy to write.  You simply take the readers step-by-step through a process you're familiar with.  The information tends to stay current for a long time, unlike news articles.
Weakness:  Posting a lot of this type of content turns your site into a practical resource.  It may not be the type of articles your readers want for casual reading.
Example from my blog: How to Write a Good Query Letter

2.  News Articles
Strengths:  News sites are very popular on the web. If you include an occasional news article on your blog, it shows that it's dynamic and up to date.
Weaknesses:   It may be hard to come up with original news content on your own.  One solution is to link to several news articles about one subject, like AppleInsider.com does.  However, some news sites may soon start charging for subscription, which will make it more difficult to collect the information.  Another way would be to rewrite news articles in your own words and state where the information comes from to avoid breaking any copyright laws.
Example from my blog:  WriteOnCon!

3.  Opinion Articles
Strengths:  You can make news articles more useful by combining them with your own analysis. Tell your readers why the news is important to them.  This transforms content everyone has access to into unique information, your own expert advice.
Weaknesses:  I didn't find any weaknesses stated in this book, but I would say it probably takes more time and effort to write this kind of article, as opposed to posting a list of links or rewriting a news article. Also, you may lose readers that disagree with you, I imagine, if you have a strong opinion on touchy subjects.
Example from my blog:  About Blog Awards

4.  Review Articles
Strengths:  This type of content is very popular because it's easy to monetize.  You can place an ad to buy the product you reviewed.  Advertisers will be willing to pay more money if they are confident your readers will want to buy the product.
Weaknesses:  In order to write a valuable review, you have to try the product you're reviewing. This might be a problem if you want to review computers or other expensive products.  You can write a review without actually testing the item yourself, but your review will be missing something important.
Example from my blog:  MG Book Review: Truth Teller, by Kurt Chambers

5.  List Posts
Strengths:  This is the type of content that is most likely to be shared online.  When readers see a title such as "12 Ways to (...)" they know they'll be able to skim through the article, each item being only a few lines long. On a side note, my most popular blog post of all times is a list post, which you can see in the picture to the left.
Weaknesses:  The longer the list, the more likely it is to bring in readers, but it requires a lot more work and research than it seems.  This kind of post is a bit shallow and shouldn't be used extensively, but they can act as an occasional traffic bait.
Example from my blog:  Treasure Chest of Quotes for Writers

6.  Interview Posts
Strengths:  This kind of post is high quality and unique.  If the person interviewed is influential in your field, readers will want to read it.  It's a lot easier than it seems.  Call or e-mail to request an interview, then e-mail 10-12 questions or set a date and time for an interview by phone.  Include a link to their site as part of the article, as a "fee" for the interview.
Weaknesses:  Interview posts take time to organize, and the person may refuse or not reply.
Example from my blog:  Interview with Anastasia Pergakis About Self Publishing

7.  Multimedia Content
Strengths:  Sometimes multimedia content complements a written post, but it can also be a replacement for text.  You can make a video post using a webcam and publish it in the space of about five minutes.  YouTube videos can be embedded in a post.  Photos can help attract viewers.  Use your own photos, or purchase them on sites such as iStockphoto.com or Fotolia.com.  Search for photos on Flickr and include a link back to the Flickr page (make sure you search only for photos under Creative Commons - Attribution License to avoid copyright issues).
Weaknesses:  None were stated in this book, but I would say my main challenge is finding public domain content and not breaking any copyright laws. It may take time to find the exact picture or video that would fit a certain article. And I'm way too shy to post a video of myself talking.
Example from my blog:  Baby Bird Rescue


Other Articles You May Want to Read
How To Write A Great Feature Article, by SammySpam
10 Post Types That Gets Plenty of Shares, by Yeremi Bolton
What is the Recipe for a Great Blog Post, by Ann Tran


What's your favorite type of blog post?

100-Followers Contest at the Crew!

The Crew, one of my favorite blogs, is getting very close to having one hundred followers and is holding a contest to celebrate!

You can win:

(2) fabulous journals with a personal note from Frankie
(1) tarot deck, Easy Tarot

So if you're already following, click here and post a comment with your e-mail address to enter.  If you're NOT already following, what are you waiting for?  Click the Follow button and THEN leave a comment.  Simple, right?

Oh, and while you're there, post your query for critique.  That's a new feature on The Crew blog, which I'm looking forward to read.

And if you have time in your hands, browse through the true stories.  You may run across a REAL vampire, The Curse of the 12th Century Monk, and other creepy, funny, witty stories.

About Blog Awards

When I received my first blog award, I was flattered, but clueless.  I had to ask the person who gave it to me what to do next.  I received many others since then, and figured out a few things on my own.  Here are my thoughts about blog awards.

What's a blog award?
A blog award comes as a picture accompanied with instructions.  It's a token of appreciation that's passed from one blogger to another.

What do I do when I'm a lucky recipient?
1.  Thank the person who gave it to you by leaving a comment on their blog.
2.  Save the picture (right-click and save as...) onto your computer.
3.  Create a new picture gadget* to display the award on your blog's side bar.
4.  Insert the picture on a new blog post and follow the instructions that came with the award.
5.  Pass it on to other bloggers by typing their names, linking back to their blog, on the same post.
6.  Let them know they got an award by posting a comment on their blogs, including a link back to yours.

*To create a picture gadget (if you're using Blogger/Blogspot):
1.  Go on your dashboard and click on Layout.
2.  Click on Add a Gadget.
3.  Click on Picture.
4.  Title:  [blog award name]
5.  Caption:  Thanks, [name]!
6.  Link:  [link to the blog where the award came from]
7.  Image:  upload image from your computer.
8.  Drag the newly created gadget where you want it to be.

What's the point?
An award is fun to receive.  It means your followers enjoy reading your blog, which is always a good sign.

It's sometimes hard to find things to blog about.  An award can trigger interesting posts, especially when they come with questions to answer or other wacky instructions.  The award doesn't have to be posted right away.  I keep mine for when I'm short of ideas.

It's a way of networking and letting other bloggers know you appreciate their blogs.  I sometimes find new followers that way.

Here's an example
Thanks, Mireyah for giving me this award!

The instructions with this award are simple.  I only have to pass it on to three people I like.

Since everyone I like already has numerous awards, this award will go to my next three followers, in appreciation for their support.  I will add their names as they start following this blog.

(The fun thing about blog awards is you can flex the rules. LOL)

New Follower #1: Karen Jones Gowen
New Follower #2: Roland Yeomans
New Follower #3: Jennifer Shirk

Other examples
Superior Scribbler Award
Circle of Friends Award
Honest Scrap Award
From Me to You Award

What are your thoughts about blog awards?  If you're new at blogging, tell me if this explanation works for you.  If you're a long timer, let me know what I can add or change to make this post better.  I'm planning to direct new bloggers to this post whenever I give them an award.

What I've Learned About Blog Layouts

On my last post, I asked several questions to help me choose a new blog layout.  I promised to highlight the most useful answer on my next post, and the winner is... Harley!  She answered all five of my questions and gave me valuable tips.  You can read her entire comment on my previous blog post or by clicking here.    


I summarized her answers and added other feedback I received in my search for the ideal blog layout.

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Layout Preferences
Harley doesn't like blogs that are full of ads and other things that draw attention away from the main content, and blogs that use too many font sizes and colors.


Personally, I like blogs that are not too simple, and not too loaded and complicated.  Anything balanced and pleasing to the eye works for me.  I prefer layouts that have a theme.


Customized Banner
Harley offered to make me a custom image for my top banner.  (How kind!)  She explained two ways of inserting the image into the header area: by adding the code for the image directly into the template, or by inserting the image into the header area, straight from the Customize Layout page.  


For now, I like the one provided with the template I chose, but I'll know where to go if I want a customized one later on.  Thanks, Harley!



Templates
Harley recommended btemplates.com where her two blog templates came from, and www.eblogtemplates.com, which also has WordPress blog themes.


Cheree recommended www.pyzam.com.  I looked it up and it also has Twitter and MySpace layouts.  I'll be back to look into it further.


I didn't have to research many sites.  I found great templates in the first one I tried, btemplates.com.  I browsed around by number of columns, colors, and themes, and downloaded a template for free.  Following the easy steps on the site, I had it up and running within minutes.


Font Colors and Background Colors
Harley's comment:  " The obvious rule of thumb is if you have a dark background use light font and a light background use dark font. I will say that yellow, orange and anything in neon (like pink or lime green) to me is just - distracting and blinding."  Good advice!  I totally agree.


For Cheree, any color scheme is good, as long as it's not too contrasting and hard to read.


In general, people I talked to prefer dark characters on a light background, something that's easy to read and not a strain for the eyes.  I tried several font colors and backgrounds, and the ones I found the most attractive were light on dark.

Favorite Layout
Harley loves the three-column layout (side bar - main content - side bar) because she finds it easy to organize widgets and such.  For two columns, she prefers the sidebar on the right side.


Her comment helped me decide to get a three-column layout.  I couldn't find a template I liked with a side bar each side of the main content, but I found one with two sidebars on the right side.  It does make it easier to organize things around.  And now I don't have to scroll down as much to see my visitor counter!

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Thanks for all your help!  I learned a lot by doing this.  What do you think of my new blog layout?  Kurt and Harley like it, according to their comments on my previous post.  Any other feedback?  Don't be shy!

Experimenting with blog layouts

Don't be alarmed if you see strange things on my blog in the next few days. I'm experimenting with different layouts to find out what works best.

So if the colors don't match, if the header is too large and out of shape (and ugly), or if you can hardly see the text on a similar color background, you'll know why. No worry. It will come out right in the end, I promise.

Any suggestions welcome.

I have a few questions for you, dear followers (and anyone happening to just pass by):

1) Is there any blog layout elements you like to see or you can't stand?
2) How do I create an awesome banner for the top of my blog?
3) How do I find free layouts, other than the ones provided on Blogspot?
4) Are there colors that are more attractive than others for backgrounds and for fonts?
5) What's your favorite blog layout? Any example I can check out?

Thanks! The most useful answer will be highlighted in my next post.

Experimenting with blogs

I don't know what's gotten into me this morning, creating a blog. I guess I just want to see how it works. If you see weird posts following this one, don't be alarmed. It's just me experimenting with my blog's different features. :)