Category Archives: Tutorial

October 30, 2017 · 1:26 am

How To Start a Facebook Page for Your Blog or Business-Step-By-Step Guide

If you have a blog or business and you want to create a Facebook Fan Page but don’t know where to start, we can help. If you still have not started a blog and need help, go to our, How To Start A Blog Tutorial first.

You might wonder if you really need a Facebook Page for your blog or business. Social media is one of the easiest ways to connect with your target market or audience. A Facebook Page allows you to bring targeted content, promotions, sales and giveaways in front of hundreds of thousands of potential customers, clients or readers who are looking for what you have. It also gives you a platform to showcase photos of your work. We know a picture is worth 1,000 words. If you are an artist, photographer, restaurant owner, contractor, decorator, DIY blogger, crafter and more, post fabulous photos of your best work to attract your audience.

Bloggers should use a Facebook Fan Page to interact daily with their audience. They can do this by posting call to action posts that ask a simple question like, what is the last book they read or what is their favorite classic movie. Beyond that, all blog posts should be promoted on your Facebook Page. There are many plugins or widgets that will automatically post to your page as soon as new posts are published.

Businesses can use their Facebook Page to connect with clients and customers and improve customer service by engaging and answering any questions or concerns they may have.

So, now that you understand the importance, let’s get your Facebook Fan Page up and running. I promise, it will take only a few minutes.

The first thing you need is the name of your page. If you already have your business or blog, it is easy, just use that name. If you do not have anything and are just starting, think of a name.

Once you have your name, you might want to check on domains for that name if you don’t already have one. The reason I am saying this, is because you may be thinking small now and just want the Facebook page. However, if you decide to start a website for your business or blog later, and want a domain with that name, you might be very disappointed to find it is not available.

You can research domain names on BlueHost , if you sign up for their low-cost hosting for your website, it includes a free domain! If you do find an available domain for your business or blog, it is a good idea to purchase it while it is available.

Step one, go to Facebook. Click “HOME” on the top of your page. On the side You will see pages and then on the bottom something that says “create a page” and you click that.

After that, you will be directed to a page where you pick a category for your blog. For bloggers, photographers, musicians etc. you should choose the Artist, Band or Public Figure. If you have a cause, choose Cause or Community and so on. Just pick the best category for your page. Then, you can choose a sub-category and add your page name.

Next, it will take you to where you can enter your “About” information. Let everyone know what your page is about. You can also skip this, but the more details you have, the more people will find your page.

Now, you need to add a profile photo. I am also going to cover the cover photo here too. To add photos, you can use your own photos.

If you don’t have any that will work, you can try free photo sites like Pixabay.com. These are royalty free and can be used without any attribution. Type a word or two into the search bar and search for images. When you find one you like click on it and then save in your files.

You can then upload the images to Facebook to customize your page. If you want to add elements to your cover photo you can use FotoJet. Just upload your image and customize.

To add a title you can choose an overlay or just add text directly. Many of the features are available for free. Anything with a special icon is only available if you have a subscription. This screenshot is from PicMonkey which has a free trial or you could use FotoJet or any other photo editing software you like.

You can change colors, sizes and more to really make it your own.

When you are happy, save it to your computer and then upload to your page.

Add your page to your favorites so you can find it easily.

You can customize who the ideal audience for your page is. Do not limit your audience too much.

At this point you are ready to go, you can learn more about promotion and adding buttons etc. but the basic page is done.

So what are you waiting for? Write your first post. Good luck guys, any questions you can ask them in the comments.

Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links, if you purchase through these links, I may earn a commission. All of the links in this post are products or services that I recommend because I truly believe they are the best and would recommend them whether or not I earn a small commission from them.

5 Comments

Filed under Blogging, Tech, Tutorial

Tagged as blog, Blogging, Facebook Fan Page, social media, Step by Step Guide, tutorial

October 8, 2017 · 8:24 pm

Candy Corn Painted Rocks-DIY Craft Tutorial

It seems that rock painting is all the rage now. I certainly was ahead of my time and ahead of this craze. I love painting rocks, river rocks are my favorite. Gathering them is a fun family adventure we all look forward to.

Sometimes I know exactly what size and shape rocks I want. This is due to the fact, that I have a specific project in mind. Other times, I try to find rocks that inspire me. You might not think rocks can inspire people, but they can! I see them as a blank canvas and they speak to me…well, some of them do.

A few rocks I made for my daughter.

I can clearly visualize the masterpiece they can become. Sometimes it is a fish, ladybug or owl, and other times it is a heart. One of my favorite projects was making rock candy corn.

The one that started it.

It was so much fun to find the shapes I needed. Since I wanted to make a candy corn family that represented ours, when I found the especially tall and thin triangular river rock, I literally squealed with delight. That rock clearly represented my son Michael, it was so easy to see. I asked my youngest sons, who were gathering rocks with me, and they wholeheartedly agreed. It was definitely Michael, no doubt about it.

A Trip to find triangular rocks.

All you need is some acrylic craft paint, paint brushes, paint markers for detail painting and ModPodge sealer. If you want you can paint your rocks white on both sides first. It will take at least 2 coats of paint to get nice coverage.

When the tri color rocks are dry, you can then add personality with the paint markers.

He reminds me of Bozo!

Use ModPodge to seal and protect your creations.

This guy makes me laugh!

Please let me know if you try this project, I would love to hear about your results.

They needed personality, so I gave them some!!!

3 Comments

Filed under Crafts, DIY, Halloween, Tutorial

Tagged as Candy Corn, Crafts, DIY, Fall, halloween, ModPodge, Paint, Painting Rocks, River Rocks, Rock Painting, thanksgiving, tutorial

September 7, 2016 · 12:55 pm

Stinky & Dirty Can Help Teach Kids Problem Solving Skills! #StinkyAndDirty

This post has been sponsored by Amazon Studios.

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I don’t know if you have any little boys in your house but my little guys love trucks, playing outside and best of all getting dirty. Playing with their trucks in the sand, dirt or best of all mud is just the greatest thing. What’s a mom to do besides directing them to the shower and remembering that someone said dirt is good for them? Did someone say dirt is good for them? I hope so because I could swear I heard that and that is what I am going to continue thinking.

You can imagine their delight when they watched the new Amazon Original Series, The Stinky & Dirty Show. Stinky is a garbage truck and well, the name certainly fits. Dirty is a backhoe loader that is constantly working with dirt and so his name fits equally well. The two are the best of friends and this strange duo are even what you might call heroes. They are quite creative and love challenges. They constantly ask themselves “What If” when trying to tackle issues or when obstacles are in their way. The series is based on the books by Jim and Kate McMullan and was written and developed by Guy Toube. You can stream the episodes free on Amazon if you have Prime. If you don’t you can still watch 1 episode for free.

My kids loved the series from the get go and I enjoyed it as well because it teaches kids good problem solving skills. Problem solving skills are something everyone needs because things rarely go as planned and obstacles, challenges and road blocks are something we all face. In order to achieve our goals we must find ways to tackle those obstacles, overcome the challenges and remove the road blocks. Stinky & Dirty show kids that when things get tough the tough find solutions.

Kids can get frustrated when something does not go as they hoped. This series can help them see they need to think and talk about other ways to figure out the solution. They will learn the importance of negotiation and brainstorming with others. In the end they will see that when they keep going instead of giving up, they can reach their goals. As a mom, I feel this is such an important life lesson. I come across many adults who do not have problem solving skills. If a hurdle comes across their path, they fall instead of learning what they need to do to jump that hurdle. The earlier kids are introduced and learn problem solving skills, the better off they will be.

In the Jump at the Dump episode Stinky & Dirty face many challenges creating a stunt course for Jumpy the stunt cycle who needs a new venue to perform her show. They have to figure out how to make mud that has just the right amount of “sploosh” for Jumpy. Their first challenge is to find a way to direct the water from a spigot to the dirt. When their first idea does not work, they come up with another and when that does not work, they brainstorm another way until they find the perfect solution. The way Jumpy and Stinky talk to each other and ask each other “What If” helps them find the solutions they need to complete their tasks.

In an episode titled The Art of Trash, Stinky & Dirty clean up a vacant lot full of trash to make a park, but when they can’t remove some large items, they turn the items into a trash sculpture instead! This is similar to turning trash into treasure or finding ways to recycle and re-purpose things that might normally end up in a landfill. My kids and I just made some Frankenstein Monsters for Halloween decorating using some old scrap cut off boards that were in our basement.

With some green craft paint, we painted the boards and then added some foam embellishments to create hair, eyebrows and a tooth. We used a permanent black marker to draw the mouth and a paint marker for the nose. Then to really make it authentic we screwed two bolts into either side.

You can have a lot of fun with this and there are other monsters and Halloween critters you can create in this fashion. You can create a mummy if you wrap the board in gauze and add two googly eyes. Make a Jack O’ Lantern by painting the wood orange and using black paint or foam to create eyes and a mouth, add a green bow or green block to the top to serve as the stem.

Whatever you make, your kids will have a great time and learn all about re-purposing and recycling, another great life skill that will improve their world. Let me know if you have watched The Stinky & Dirty Show and what you think. I would love to see your thoughts in the comments.

Make Our Get “YOU” Back To “YOU” Treat Bags -#EatASNICKERS

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EatASNICKERS #CollectiveBias

Have you ever been so hungry you turn into a different person? Do you find it hard to even think straight at that point? If so, you need something to take the edge off that hunger. You need something fast that’s going to satisfy that extreme hunger that’s transforming you.

Many people including myself seem to turn into someone else when that hunger strikes. I have found it is better to be prepared for these hunger attacks. For me, SNICKERS® bars are an extremely satisfying and delicious way to curb my hunger. Mine usually strikes mid day for me. SNICKERS® has been one of my favorites as far back as I can remember. I love the caramel, milk chocolate, nougat, and roasted peanuts that are packed into each bar.

SNICKERS® Get “YOU” Back To “YOU” Treat Bag Tutorial:

I want to share a fun and easy gift bag tutorial with you. These SNICKERS® Get “You” Back To “You” Treat Bags are funny and serve a purpose. Keep some in a basket on your counter, on your desk at work or in your purse. You can hand one to that mom in the school pick up line that is clearly not herself. Give one to your coworker who is coming unhinged or your best friend, who is turning into someone you don’t know. Whoever you share them with, they are sure to appreciate you helping them get back to themselves. Don’t forget about yourself, you want to be able to get back to you fast too!

I was in Walmart recently and picked up some multi packs of SNICKERS® full size bars in the candy aisle. SNICKERS® individual full size bars can be found on store displays and in/near the checkout aisles. While I was there I picked up some craft ribbon, treat bags in clear, red and yellow and some colorful paper napkins.

I made three different bag labels with PicMonkey and Microsoft Word and printed them. You can add your own touch in saying what you want. Next, I glued them to some heavy construction paper using a glue stick. You could also use card stock.

After that, I cut them out and punched a hole in the tag for the ribbon.

I took a treat bag and put one full size SNICKERS® bar and a colorful paper chevron stripe napkin. You need the napkin because as you or someone else turns back into themselves they will remember their manners.

Then use the little twist ties that come with the treat bags to close the bag. Use any kind of ribbon your like to attach the tag. That’s it! Wasnt’ that easy. You can do all kinds of variations of this idea. All kinds of treat bags can be used, you could add a mini bottled water if you like. You really can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. Customize them for your child’s teachers, bus driver or babysitter.

Now I have something really fun to share with you. Find out who you are when you’re hungry by taking the quiz below. Let me know your results in the comments. I also love to hear what you think of the treat bags and if you are going to give them a try.

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Filed under Humor, Shoppertunity, Tutorial

Tagged as #Collective Bias, #EatASNICKERS, Crafts, Hunger, Quiz, Snickers, SoFab, Treat Bags, tutorial