Why You Shouldn't Sell Text Links On Your Blog

As your blog grows and becomes more popular, along with the benefits of increased traffic and depending on the nature of you blog increased AdSense earnings or sales comes some dilemmas.People will want to try take advantage of your success in a number of ways.One way unscrupulous marketers may try to take advantage of an Unwary blogger is an approach with an interest in buying a text link within a post.

A text link or hyper link is the name given to links you probably add to all your posts.If you write a post about Spice Up Your Blog you might add a link to Spice Up Your Blog within the post.These links help the site you link to in a number of ways, as we have previously covered Google follow links so if you add a link to this blog Google will follow that link and crawl this blog.Google also use links to determine the importance of a site, the more links Google find to Spice Up Your Blog the more importance they credit to it, basic SEO.
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6 Tips To Heart-Stopping Post Titles

Guest Post By : Maria Rainier.

Don’t judge a book by its cover is such a trite adage. While there’s merit to it, most people—especially in the blogosphere—don’t heed it. An ugly blog with scrunched up images and missing links aren’t going to get awards. Similarly, readers who come across boring blog post titles will say, “Meh,” and go back to Facebook. Like it or not, your post title is your book cover, and unless it’s made of gold, your post will go unread, unappreciated, unloved.Make sure your posts get the love they deserve by giving it an appropriate title.

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Is Tynt The Answer To Stop Your Blog Content Being Copied ?

Blog content is constantly being copied by unscrupulous amateurs looking for an easy fix to their stupidity.While almost all blogs built on copied content never get off the ground it is frustrating seeing your hard work blatantly copied.In this post we will look at a website with a unique answer to plagiarism.Tynt offer a script you can add to your blogs template that will add a link to your content when copied and pasted elsewhere.

As well as a link back to the original content you can add a Creative Commons link.Creative Commons is a licence service that you can use to indicate what parts of your blog if any can be copied and in what circumstances it can be copied and used elsewhere.You can add a CC licence as well as the link and i would recommend doing so.While someone can remove the link Tynt add to the content the CC link may stop them from using the content in the first place.
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Google Page Rank Finally Updated After 8 Months

Just this week i wrote a post asking Why Google Page Rank Had Not Been Updated For 8 Months.In fact it was a question a lot of people were asking.While Google are constantly updating Page Rank internally the External Page rank the public can view Via the Google Toolbar and Page Rank services had not updated since April 2010.Today i noticed a Page Rank change on some of my Blogs including this one (I bet they read my post and took my advice :D).This has come in the middle of rumors of Google completely scrapping Page Rank and Google losing the exclusive rights to page rank.

If your unsure of Page Rank and how it works take a look at the short video below.

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New - Use Over 70 Cool Fonts On Blogger Template Designer

Back in November last year i broke the news of Google Web Fonts being added to the Blogger template designer.At the time this feature was added to Blogger In Draft a kind of test version of blogger used to try out new additions to the service.Today after a successful test period the fonts have been added to the main Blogger site.Not only this an extra 35 excellent fonts have been added for you bringing the total to 77.Lets look at some of the fonts and how you can use them on your blog.

This great new feature gives you the option to use stylish fonts on your blog with just a click of your mouse.Over the years using a custom font on your blog was a hard process, the launch of Google web fonts made it somewhat easier but you still needed to add sections of code to your template.

Blogger Template Designer Fonts

I added some of the fonts to a test blog for you to see how they look - Blogger Template Fonts.Among the fonts available are some of the most popular Simple Stylish Fonts, Handwriting Fonts, Impact Fonts, Gothic Fonts and a few quiet odd fonts.You can add different fonts to every section of your blog such as the Blog Title and Post title as well as the main font throughout.

One of the fonts i use on Spice Up Your Blog called Lobster is now available.You can see the Lobster font in the Blog Title and Sidebar titles at the time of writing and it's defiantly one of my favorite fonts.

Using Fonts On Your Blog

To change the fonts on your blog simply click the Design link in your dashboard then the template designer link.Under the Advanced option you can start browsing through the fonts.



Remember you can play around with different fonts in the preview, as long as you don't save the changes wont take effect.

Fonts For Custom Templates

While this new feature only works on templates from the Blogger Template Designer you can still use all these fonts on custom blogger templates (Templates Downloaded From Blogger Template Sites).Check out our tutorial and video - Use Template Designer Fonts On Custom Templates.

For more of the Best Blogger Tips check out our Design Posts and Latest Blogging News.

Post Your Comments, Views And Opinions Below.

How To Automatically Redirect A Blogger Blog To Another URL

There are a number of reasons you may want to automatically send visitors to your blog to another URL or from one blog to another.For example if you moved your blog, if you had two blogs and wanted to focus one just one and cover both topics.Automatically directing visitors to another URL is actually quiet easy and only requires a snippet of code added to the top of the template.In this post i will show you the code needed to automatically Redirect from a Blogger Blog to any other URL.

Firstly i should mention some people don't like to be redirected and you should only direct to a site with similar content.If you redirect people to sales pages, sites with adult content or anywhere the user is uncomfortable with it will put your Blogger account in jeopardy.For this reason the code i have in this post can be set to Redirect in an amount of time set by you.So you can set the code to redirect after 5 seconds and place a message at the top of the blog telling visitors they will be redirected.
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Get More Feedburner Email Subscribers To Verify Their Subscription

Most Bloggers Have A Subscribe By Email Rss Option On Their Blog Provided By Feedburner.When A Visitor To Your Blog Fills Out The Subscription Form They Must Confirm Or Verify Via An Email.However Often As Many As One In Five People Do Not Verify, Thus They Do Not Become Subscribers And Receive Your Latest Posts.In This Post I Will Share With You Some Methods That Will Help Get More Verified Email Rss Subscribers.

At the time of writing Spice Up Your Blog has just over 500 Rss Subscribers of which just over 300 subscribe by Email.Of that 300 an Amazing 92 have not verified their subscription !This is 92 regular readers lost, almost all of these people just didn't know they needed to verify or did not understand the Verification Email.
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Great New Twitter Count Button With Username And Suggest Follow Features

We all know how popular the Twitter Count Buttons are as we see them on the majority of blogs.They are the small button you can click to share a post on Twitter and they also display the number of times the post has already been shared.The button you see on most blogs and the button i showed you how to add to Blogger in a previous post is from Tweetme.While that button does exactly as you expect in allowing readers to share your posts on Twitter and display the number of shares a newer button from twitter does even more.

The Twitter count button i will show you in this post has a few cool extras.With the Tweetme button when users shared your posts they would have "Via @Tweetme" at the end, with this button you can have your Twitter username at the end.

Instead of this :

6 Ways to Stay Focused While Blogging From Home | Spice Up Your Blog http://t.co/AMkr2O3 via @Tweetme

You Get This :

6 Ways to Stay Focused While Blogging From Home | Spice Up Your Blog http://t.co/AMkr2O3 via @PaulCrowePro

So not only are people sharing your post they are also sharing your Twitter Profile resulting in more Followers.

Secondly after a reader Tweets your post they will be Given the option to Follow you.The pop up window to tweet the post, first displays the Tweet then displays a Follow option as shown below.

A button that gets more people viewing your blog and more people Following you on  Twitter, Great lets add it to your blog.You can try out the button at the top left of this post to see it in action.I will show you the code for the button and how to add it to the top left wrapped in text as you see on this blog.

Add New Twitter Counter Button To Blogger

Step 1. In Your Blogger Dashboard Click > Design > Edit Html > Tick The Expand Widget Templates Box.







Step 2. Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<data:post.body/>

Step 3. Copy And Paste The Following Code Directly Above / Before <data:post.body/>

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;item&quot;'>

<div style='float:left; margin-right:10px;'><a href='http://www.spiceupyourblog.com'><img alt='Best Blogger Tips' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYqm6xBxp5E1rd4O1aT12fj-dLN-q80OAJ6XqEuhA3xy8Z9sq5bB5SLPNsaP6BSHYZWCHG3fizpfJbCqFftz-1evmQcUCbupu_I-TekVKuOM7HEggqFjkT97zU6gkD78Cm0OcDAJuLX6K/s1600/best+blogger+tips.png'/></a>
<a class='twitter-share-button' data-count='vertical' data-via='TWITTER-USERNAME-HERE' href='http://twitter.com/share'>Tweet</a><script src='http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js' type='text/javascript'/></div></b:if>

Important : Replace TWITTER-USERNAME-HERE With your actual Twitter Username.

Note : The button is set only to be displayed on the post pages, if you want the button to also be displayed on the home page remove the code in red.

Step 4. Save your template, your Twitter button has been added to your blog.Remember you can add the code in your sidebars in a Html/Javascript gadget or other sections of your template.

Check out more of our Twitter Tips And Blog Gadgets.

Comments, Views And Questions Welcomed Below.

6 Ways to Stay Focused While Blogging From Home

Guest Post By : Maria Rainier

In November, guest blogger Alvia Lopez talked about warding off and curing blogger’s block (check out the post here: Tips To Fight Blogger Block). Sometimes, though, blogger’s block isn’t about vision, audience, or the need to reinvent your blog. In fact, most days, it’s just about distractions.

Arguably, this isn’t blogger’s block at all but just that: distractions. These include kids, roommates, the phone that won’t stop ringing, and the cat that keeps meowing at you for the expensive wet food instead of that dried nonsense you scoop out of a bag. Your friend assumes that because you doing some work from home, you won’t mind working until 5 AM and spending the afternoon helping him deal with his infestation problem instead of working.You sleep in the next day until noon but figure, what’s another three hours? and end up getting absolutely nothing accomplished for your blog the entire week.

Still, whether it’s distractions or blogger’s block, it’s important to have as many things working for rather than against you when working from the comfort of your own home.

The key to successfully working at home? Don’t get too comfortable. It’s easy to imagine yourself working from the couch in pajamas and pink bunny slippers, but it doesn’t work this way. When you work from the couch in your pajamas in front of the TV, you spend hours watching Gordon Ramsey screaming at people instead of blogging, you spill your coffee and waste time looking for your household cleaners instead of writing advertisements, and you fall asleep at 3 o’ clock in your post-lunch funk.

Prep yourself for productivity and success by pretending that you work a real job from a real office.

6 Ways To Stay Focused

1. Take a shower, brush your teeth, and wear deodorant. You wouldn’t go to the office smelling like a subway, would you? Feeling clean is refreshing and will make you feel less like falling asleep on the job.

2. Wear clothes that you could imagine wearing to lunch with an old friend to a nice café. You don’t need to wear heels or cufflinks—just something that’s comfortable when you sit up but not so comfortable that it makes you want to lie down.

3. Work at a desk. If you don’t have one, get one, and don’t work at the kitchen table. That’s for eating; a desk is for working. Find a desk and a chair with lumbar support on Craigslist or a used furniture store. If you don’t work from an office with a desk, how are you supposed to pretend that you’re doing important things that are getting you a paycheck?

4. Don’t accept calls from friends or relatives unless it’s during your lunch hour or after your designated work hours. You wouldn’t accept them if you were working from behind a desk under your boss’s nose.

5. Take fifteen minute breaks after two hours of work. Don’t spend them at your desk; take the dog for a walk, do some yoga, or clean the kitchen. Doing something on your feet will refresh you from the eye strain and sitting of desktop work.

6. Keep a tally of what you’ve accomplished by day’s end. Before leaving your desk for the day, write down your goals for the next day. Writing down a to-do list will remind you that you have to wake up when the alarm goes off the next morning instead of hitting snooze thirty times.

Post Your Comments, Views And Questions Below.

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By Guest Author - Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online degrees. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

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Use The Old Layout Blogger Templates Including Minima And Rounders

I was recently contacted by a disgruntled Blogger telling me they had been using the Minima Stretch template, decided to try a custom template and wanted to switch back.Since Blogger launched the template designer with brand a brand new selection of Templates he went into a panic as he didn't know how he could still select Minima or any of the old Blogger templates.You will be glad to know you can easily access all the Blogger standard blogger templates from before the introduction of the Template Designer.

The old Blogger Templates were launched in 2006 and included 16 Templates in a number of styles, colors and sizes.The templates included Minima, Denim, Rounders, Minima Stretch, Herbert, Harbor, Scribe, Dots, Thisaway, Snapshot and Tic Tac.

How To Select The Old Layout Blogger Templates

1. In Your Blogger Dashboard Click > Design > Edit Html > Scroll To The Bottom Of The Page.

2. You will see the Old Templates And Classic Templates Option, Click On 'Select Layout Templates'.



3. You can now pick from the old layout Blogger Templates, Make sure to not click the Classic Templates option this reverts back to old Blogger Template Code.

Simple, you can check out the Best Blogger Custom Templates on our Templates Site.

Drop Any Comments, Views And Questions Below.

Why has Google Page Rank Not Updated For 8 Months

It's been 8 months since the last update of Google Page Rank, a system that was updated every 3-4 months for the last few years.In this post we ask why, first a little on the Little Green Page Rank Bar.

Page Rank Has Since Updated, details here - Google Page Rank Update

Google Page Rank is something you will have often heard me mention here on Spice Up Your Blog.Page Rank is an algorithm Google use to rank pages on the Internet by importance.Going from 0 to 10 with a page rank 10 being the highest, page rank exists in two ways.Firstly there is an internal page rank kept by Google, this page rank is only known by Google, is constantly updated and is used with lots of other factors to determine a pages importance.The importance Google place in a page will of course effect where that page appears in search results.Secondly there is the visible page rank or toolbar page rank.This is page rank that anyone can see, is updated every few months and can be seen on the Google Toolbar.

If you have the Google Toolbar you may have seen the separate little Green Bar that fills to display the page rank.There are a number of other ways to check the page rank of a page.You can use sites like PRchecker to generate the page rank of any page and you can even have a gadget on your blog that will display your page rank to your visitors.Remember every page on a website or blog will have it's own page rank.Unlike Alexa Rank that gives the same Ranking for every page in a domain, Page rank Gives the Home Page and every other page an individual rank.

Image Credit

Page Rank Update

OK with that out of the way here is the question, why has Google Toolbar Page Rank Not been Updated since April 2010 (8 Months At The Time Of Writing).Google had been updating Page Rank every 3 to 4 months and the last 2 years seen an overall update at the turn of the year.

Firstly, Google seem to regret ever making Page Rank available to the public.If you believe what you read (Or what i read) they play down the importance of Toolbar page rank.This has lead to talk of Google giving up or phasing out Toolbar page rank.Secondly, the patient for Page Rank is actually owned by Stanford University.Google has exclusive licensing rights to Page Rank from 2003 to 2011, so this year unless Google take action others could also use the page rank formula.The actual patent expires in 6 years 2017.So will this force the hand of Google and make them give it up, or could we have "Google Page Rank", "Yahoo Page Rank" and "Ask Page Rank" ?

Google tell us Page Rank is not that important after all and they may be losing the system altogether.For me that stinks a little...

Page Rank Importance

Page Rank has been a visible sign of progress for Bloggers, seeing the page rank of your pages increase let you know you were going in the right direction.Yes it may not be hugely important in the overall picture but it was something.Why do we check our stats three times a day, why do we check the number of Rss subscribers daily, why do we check our social Followers or Fans ?

All these are visible markers of progress that give Bloggers especially new Bloggers reassurance that they are heading in the right direction.Getting 5 new Rss Subscribers is not a big deal to a Blog with over 500 but going from 10 to 15 is an injection for newbies.In the same way having your page rank jump helps give some extra drive.

There is still talk of Page Rank being updated this month and some people have reported seeing internal pages (Post Pages For Blogs) being updated in the months since the last overall Update.Either way i think Google should let us know whats going on.Important or not important in the bigger picture, in the smaller picture Google Page rank helps attract Advertisers, Contributors, Return Visitors,  Subscribers, Followers and feeds our Egos !

Subscribers And Followers You Ask - Why is the Feedburner Gadget with the number of subscribers displayed on blogs with big subscriber counts ? Surely the number of subscribers wont effect your decision on whether you should subscribe.Why do many of these blogs also show the number of Twitter followers ? Because these factors help show the credibility of a blog and so does Page Rank.If ten thousand people subscribe it must be good, if the page rank if 5 it must be good.

I think Page Rank should be updated or Removed completely as the current page rank displayed is not accurate.The lack of news from the large SEO websites leads me to think we will see an update soon but will that be the last, what do you think ?

Drop Your Comments, Views And Questions Below.

Anatomy Of An Engaging Blog Post

A blog post, at its best, is a carefully constructed body of work where each of its parts work together to convey information that is attention-grabbing, entertaining, and enticing—a good post bodes well for the blog as a whole and keeps new readers coming back for more. Constructing a successful blog post does not require surgeon-like precision, but it does demand an understanding of what parts are needed to create a functioning beauty rather than a revolting Frankenstein.

A concise, clever headline

As the very first element readers lay eyes on, the post headlines needs to be concise, but also instantly attention-grabbing. It also needs to be reflective of the content below. Play around with headlines, and don't be afraid to keep a post in the “drafts” folder until you come up with a better one. The best headlines will contain SEO keywords so that the post will rank highly in search engine results, thus driving more traffic to your blog.

Scannable content

If a reader sees a lengthy, college-level dissertation before them, they will lose interest before even giving the post a second thought. Blog readers have short attention spans and want short, bite-sized paragraphs for easy scanning to extract the information they need. The body of your blog post should be succinct; cut the fat by using concise, short paragraphs and by deleting any tangents or extraneous information.

Pictures and videos

Use images to complement your words. Blogging is a visual media, so incorporate pictures and videos as applicable to bolster your writing and provide the reader with a total sensory experience. However, don't go crazy on visual content to the point that it detracts from your content, and don't include pictures and videos just for the sake of having them. Again: no fat; use only what is necessary.

Writing void of spelling and grammar errors

Though blogging is a different kind of writing than, say, academic writing, it should still be proofread and free of mistakes. Spelling and grammar errors make a blog post look rushed, the writer look unskilled, and the content undeserving of consideration. Don't turn off readers by making easily avoidable mistakes.

Use tags and categories to your advantage

To attract readers to past posts, create categories that tie in with your blog content and that you will use frequently. Tags do the same thing but will also show up in SEO searches. If a reader likes a post with a particular tag, they’ll be likely to check out more posts with the same tag.

Keep it interesting, unique, and personable

The heart of any blog post is what makes it unique, what makes it something that cannot be found elsewhere and what will keep the reader coming back for more. Find a niche (whether it’s cooking or creative writing), and write with passion.

Comments, Views And Questions Are Invited Below.

Add Image Icon Beside Sidebar Titles On Blogger

In this post i have a neat Blogger design tip for your blog.With just a small snippet of Html code we you can add an icon beside the titles on your Blogger sidebar gadgets.This looks great and also helps helps your sidebar appear less cluttered.You can add any icon you like the only restriction will be the size of the image you use as it needs to be similar in size to the Title Text size.So lets look at a demo i created, i have added a simple Green Star Icon beside the titles in the demo.

Live Demo - Click To See Demo : Image Icon Beside Sidebar Title

Add Image Beside Sidebar Titles Blogger

Step 1. In your Blogger dashboard click Design > Edit Html





Step 2. Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

]]></b:skin>

Step 3. Copy and Paste the following code Directly Before / Above ]]></b:skin>

.sidebar h2 {
background:url(IMAGE-URL-HERE);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position:left center;
padding:10px 3px 0 30px;
}

Note - You must now add the image URL for your icon.Replace IMAGE-URL-HERE with the image you want to display.

Find Images - Google image search is a quick way to locate the right size image.When you search Google images you can use the options on the left to choose the exact size you want to find.

Once your happy save you template and check out the Sidebar Icons.Be sure to check out more of our Best Blog Design Tips.

Drop Your Comments, Views And Questions Below.

Using SEO Keywords For More Google Search Traffic

In some of the more recent posts i have been looking at Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and making your blog better equipped for Search Engines.Google and the other leading search engines want to find and index your blog and have become very advanced at their methods but there is lots you can do to help them help you.As i mentioned before many of the blogs i visit are very poorly set up for SEO.I'm not talking about any advanced techie stuff that could go straight over your head but just basic steps anyone can take.

When you first look into Search Engine Optimization one of the terms you will constantly meet is 'Key Words'.Key Words are something all bloggers should get to grips with and try to understand.Implementing key words into your blog can have a huge effect in the performance of your blog on Google and other search engines.This also rings true when it comes to the performance of individual posts.Explaining Keywords without putting you to sleep can prove hard, the first draft of this post read like a book so here is the shortened version !

So lets start with a simple question.

What Are Keywords ?

Simply Speaking Keywords are words people type into search engines when they want to find something.

If i want a new laptop i might go to Google and type "Cheap Laptops" this is a keyword.Or if i want to improve my typing to speed up my blogging i would type "Improve My Typing Skills" this is also a keyword.

You will notice that i called each a keyword even though there are a number of words.This is just the term used, although "Improve My Typing Skills" has four words it is generally known as a single keyword.You will also hear it referred to as a "key phrase" which i think makes more sense but then i don't make the rules.

So your job is to find keywords related to your blog and individual posts that people search for.However while it would be great to rank on the first page of Google for the main keywords related to your blog the competition will be huge.It is almost imposable to make your health blog rank high for "health tips", or make your cookery blog rank high for "cookery tips" and so on.The competition for the most popular keywords is just too fierce.

Long Tail Keywords

This is where long tail keywords come into play.Long Tail keywords are longer keywords that are not as popular but are also not as competitive.Your cookery blog cold rank first for "Simple Sunday Lunch Cookery Tips", or your health blog could rank first for "New Alternative Cures For Teen Acne".

If you can find good long tail keywords related to your blog you can generate great search traffic with little competition.

Keyword Tools

You may be thinking how do i know what keywords are popular ? Well there are a number of tools that can help.Tools like the Google Keyword generator will generate a list of keywords that people have been searching for.When you type in a Popular keyword such as Cheap Laptops they will show you related long tail keywords and how popular the are.

Another neat tool is Word tracker, it works similar to the Google keyword tool.The free version will quickly generate pages of keyword suggestions.

Adding Keywords To Your Blog

When you write a post you add the keywords you generated.It is important the keywords fit with the content and are not 'Stuffed' in.Try to add the chosen keywords a few times depending on the length of the post in question.Now, it is also great if you can add your keyword or parts of the keyword to the title of the post.

If this seems like a bit too much work you can just keep keywords in mind as you blog.Simply adding some level of keywords to your posts will have a positive effect.So the next post you write if you want research the keywords you use or add some you think will work, make sure you help Google and other Search Engines help you ! Check out more of our Blogger SEO posts.

Drop Your Comments, Views And Questions Below.

Create An Animated Flash Flickr Photo Stream Gadget

Flickr is a very popular service among Bloggers and as well as being an Image hosting service Flicker works like a social network.Many Bloggers like to display their latest Flickr photos and videos in their Blogs sidebar or footer, I'm sure you have seen Flickr gadgets on some of your favorite blogs.In this post i will show you how you can have an Awesome Flickr stream on your blog that uses Flash Animation to constantly scroll through your images.As well as having the option to display Images from your Flickr account you can choose to display images from all Flickr accounts via key words and tags.You also have the option t create a standard html gadget that will simply display some of your most recent uploads.

Live Demo - Click To See The Demo : Animated Flash Flicker Photo Stream

Add A Flicker Image Stream To Your Blog

Step 1. Follow this link to Flicker Gadget Page.

Step 2. Choose the Html Gadget For A Standard Gadget or The Flash Gadget for the animated effect.



Step 3. Follow the easy steps to set the photos to be displayed, choose the colors and generate the code.



Step 4. Copy the code and add it to a Html/JavaScript Gadget in your sidebar or footer.You can also add the gadget within posts or anywhere that accommodates script.

That's your flash Flickr Gadget, Check out more of our Best Blog Image Tips And Best Blog Gadgets.

Leave Your Comments, View And Opinions Below.