Welcome to the weekly blogging tip! This week I’m talking about adding social media icons to your sidebar.
I’ve written before about the importance of having RSS and social media buttons in a prominent place on your blog. Today I’m going to tell you exactly…
How to add cute social media icons to your sidebar
Step 1: Find Icons You Love
Have some fun and start looking around for social media icons that fit your personality and blog’s branding. Here are a few sites to get you started:
- 25 Amazing Social Media Icons Sets
- The Best Social Media Icons All in One Place
- 44 Must Have Social Media Icon Packs
You can also simply Google “social media icons.” Once you’ve found a set that you are happy with, download the images to your desktop.
Step 2: Choose the Right Size
Now choose the specific social media icons you want to use on your blog. Most of the icon sets you download will include several graphics you won’t use and often several different size options. For example, the set you download may include icons for RSS, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and StumbleUpon, each in 3 different sizes. But perhaps you only want to use the RSS, Twitter and Facebook icons in the smallest size, like 60×60 pixels. In order to host these images on your blog, you’ll need to upload the social media icons you want to your blog or to a free image hosting site like Photobucket or Flickr.
Step 3: Grab the HTML
For each graphic, upload accordingly and find the social media icon html code. Use the direct link option. The html should look something like this:
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/username/icon.jpg
Step 4: Add the Social Media Icon HTML to a Widget
Now you need to put the HTML code in a widget so your icons show up and link to your social media accounts from your blog’s sidebar. Below is the HTML format to use — be sure to substitute your own URLs for your social media accounts (your Twitter page, your Facebook page, your RSS feed URL, etc) and your link code from the image hosting site (from Step 3):
<a href=”http://www.linkgoeshere.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://www.imageurlhere.com”></a>
Create code like this for each of your icons. The a href part of the HTML code is the URL you want your readers to go to when they click. The img src part of the HTML is the link code to your image (from either your blog or Photobucket, Flickr, etc).
As an example, here is what the HTML code looks like for our Twitter button here in The SITS Girls sidebar:
<a href=”https://twitter.com/#!/SITSGIRLS”><img src=”http://www.thesitsgirls.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/twitterbutton.png” alt=”" /></a>
Step 5: Stand Back and Admire Your Work
When you get all the codes typed in, save the widget and see how it looks on your blog.
Great tips as always! Hope that everyone enjoys this weekend. I know that we are.
Kim
The Misplaced Midwesterner
.-= Kim´s last post: PhotoHunt – Sweet =-.
now following!
love your blog!
Jennifer
http://www.lebedafamily.blogspot.com
Have a great holiday weekend, great info here on adding to the blog.
.-= Aine´s last post: Present and Contemplative Friday =-.
Have a great weekend everyone!!!
Cheers!
Ami Lang Crafts
http://www.amilang.etsy.com
.-= Just Like June´s last post: Crochet for A Good Cause =-.
Hi SITs gals -
Shannon, the social medis site you posted about is wonderful.. I am redoing my blog and this is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you thank you. Happy Easter Everyone
.-= Diane @ InMyOwnStyle´s last post: 6th Day of Spring Winner =-.
Happy Easter everyone! I’ll be working, but I hope everyone else enjoys a fabulous Easter dinner & fun times hunting easter eggs!!
.-= Lindsay´s last post: I Spent HOW Much!? =-.
hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! it is beautiful here!
.-= All three of us´s last post: Cherry Blossom Season =-.
Remember when Saturdays were days to rest?
.-= Dani G´s last post: World Autism Awareness Day =-.
Saturday, Saturday, ever-lovin’ Saturday! Sunny and beautiful here– hope yours is as nice!
.-= Leah Rubin´s last post: Making Toast =-.
I neeed to learn how to do that! How cool =) Happy Saturday Ladies!
Just finished making this awesome recipe for Dreamland style banana pudding, OMG it is SO good!
http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/04/dreamland-style-banana-pudding-recipe.html
Happy Saturday everyone!!!
Off to hide the eggs!
http://www.mrsblogalot.com
Great info for newbies – took me AGES to work this out when I was adding buttons to my blog!!
I don’t know about anyone else, but I just love these tips! I’ve been learning soooo much!
Settling in for some Ten Commandments – not gonna lie, I kinda look forward to seeing it at Easter. Dork? Perhaps.
Happy Easter and happy blogging!
Twitter: Amethyst_M
says:
Happy Saturday!
.-= Amethyst Moon´s last post: Saturday Shorts: The White Rabbit Edition =-.
Hope you all have a blessed Easter!
.-= Sally´s last post: Wishing you.. =-.
Yes, lovin’ the tips. Thanks SITStahs!
Not sure if I have a favorite post, but this one is pretty entertaining: http://lucilleinthesky.blogspot.com/2010/03/poop-lots-of-poop.html
Happy Easter Sitsa’s! Woofy Woo to all of you!
.-= lookielou´s last post: Congratulations “Jan’s Funny Farm”, featured blog on Pet Blogger Support Saturday! =-.
Happy Easter!
.-= Alison´s last post: paying down the debt =-.
I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a moment to check in here in the past few days. whew!
I hope everyone has a lovely Easter.
=)
Katie
.-= Katie´s last post: it’s all too much =-.
Hello my sweet peeps! Happy Easter to you! May you day be filled with chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps!!
Easter, Springtime & Pastels are sooo Pretty!
http://margaritabloom-glamourville.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the great blog tips.
Baby
.-= Thankless Job´s last post: I’ve Been Reading Again: To Survive Caregiving =-.
Happy Easter everyone!!!
.-= Katherine´s last post: Master of Procrastination =-.
Happy Saturday!
Come visit http://www.bylittlehands.com
Happy Saturday!
Come visit … http://www.bylittlehands.com
I love learnign new stuff like this! Thanks.
.-= zeemaid´s last post: The Power is Out =-.
Have a great Holiday weekend!
.-= Jessica´s last post: We have a sandbox! =-.
Better late than never! Happy Easter to you and your family.
Such a helpful post! I am looking forward to many more to um…get with it in the blogging world ;^) Have a wonderful Easter!
.-= Cynthia´s last post: Love =-.
Have a lovely Easter everyone!
.-= theUngourmet´s last post: Radish Butter with Lemon and Chives =-.
I literally just added social network buttons yesterday! After adding a 3rd column and rearranging my post column to start on the left. So much to learn about blogging!
.-= liz´s last post: My Problem Area =-.
Really helpful post.
Happy Easter everyone.
.-= Foxymoron´s last post: Happy Easter =-.
One of my first posts, but still one of my favs! (now I just have to hope I’m not the last person to comment here today!!! hehehe)
.-= Shannon´s last post: What I’ve Been Up To… =-.
Ooops! Forgot the link!
http://googiemomma.blogspot.com/2010/02/dolls-tale.html
(Do I have to visit myself now?)
.-= Shannon´s last post: What I’ve Been Up To… =-.
I have been practicing this awhile but I was looking for something else to chance them too. Glad for the link.
Great post! I’m debating adding the buttons to my blog.
http://greenmomwannabe.blogspot.com
.-= Heather´s last post: 30 Day Shred – Day 1.5 =-.
Busy Day!! Have a Happy Easter!!
.-= Jenn´s last post: I Just Can’t Shake It… =-.
Yegads! I’m just getting to this now! Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!
.-= Cheryl´s last post: Gotta Run =-.
It’s the wee hours, but that’s often when inspiration hits me, so here I am!…Happy Sunday and have a great Easter everyone!!
http://bizmommy.com/working-hard-vs-achieving/
I”m a little late to the party, but I just wanted to say love this post and Happy Easter!
http://www.justanothermomday.blogspot.com
.-= Amy´s last post: Remodeling… =-.
Rather than linking to one fave of the week, I’ll give you a choice (all from this week):
read about healthing eating: http://just-precious.com/2010/04/01/healthy-eating-starts-with-expecations/
Or making choices in your life (loosely related to Darryl Strawberry and the Celeb Apprentice): http://just-precious.com/2010/04/02/what-we-can-learn-from-darryl-strawberry-celebrity-apprentice-2010/
Or read about Opportunities in blogging: http://just-precious.com/2010/03/31/defining-opportunities-in-blogging/
thanks for visiting my blog!
.-= Julie´s last post: What we can learn from Darryl Strawberry (Celebrity Apprentice 2010) =-.
Happy Easter everyone!
It’s not really Saturday anymore, but I just discovered this gem of a site, so please forgive my lateness.
Here is a post that seemed to be popular this week.
Can’t wait to start reading all of yours.
http://girlybitz.blogspot.com/2010/04/that-psycho-scissor-wielder-works.html
.-= Taylorvillegirl´s last post: Those would be so hot without the muffin top. =-.
It is not Saturday here either but I am just getting caught up with my blog reading
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter Sunday!
http://www.lifeonpossomtrot.com
I love all the helpful post on the SITS site!! Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!! Visit my Blog: http://kdcevents.blogspot.com/2010/03/wedding-shoeswhat-to-wear.html
.-= Denice C.´s last post: No Joke, We Have A Winner! =-.
Win a hand beaded seed and glass bead lasso necklace in the color of your choice at
http://flirtylasso.blogspot.com/2010/03/flirty-lasso-monthly-giveaway.html
So late for the sharefest, but better than never!
Please read my latest blog entry, it’s for a good cause:
http://web.me.com/redshoearts/Redshoearts/Blog/Entries/2010/4/4_Crafting_Hope.html
Win a hand beaded seed and glass bead lasso necklace in the color of your choice at
http://flirtylasso.blogspot.com/2010/03/flirty-lasso-monthly-giveaway.html
I was just trying to make this code work last week – and for some reason it just wasn’t! Well, I guess I’ll go back and try again!
p.s.~ It’s weird how often the tip of the week is exactly what I’m currently doing with my blog!
.-= Megan (Best of Fates)´s last post: The Kennedy Center =-.
I’m brand new to blogging (I started on March 1st) so these tips are so useful to me. Thanks a lot!
I was all caught up. Now I’m behind again. It’s the story of my life.
http://www.handbagsandhandguns.com/2010/03/funny-of-day-team-jacob.html
.-= hotpants™´s last post: The Talk of Tinseltown has relocated today. =-.