Inserting an animated picture into your blog

This article has detailed steps for inserting an animated picture into your blogspot blog.  

Previously I've given detailed instructions for inserting a picture into a Blogger post and inserting a picture into your blog's sidebar.

However some people have reported that if they upload an animated picture from their PC, these instructions don't work correctly:  the picture is uploaded but animation is missing.

The work-around seems to be to upload the picture to a hosting site (like Picasa) first - independently of blogger.  Then note the URL of the uploaded file, and enter it as:

• The web-address (URL) during the picture upload process, or

• The URL when you use the Picture gadget.

You can then manipulate the uploaded picture as per any other picture (ie for gadgets, drag the gadget around in the Layout / Page Elements view, or drag the picture or manually relocate the HTML for images that are inside posts.

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Related Articles: 



Integrating Picasa and Blogger

Finding the URL of a picture that's stored in-Picasa web-albums

Inserting a picture into a blogger post

Inserting a picture as a gadget

Read more > Inserting an animated picture into your blog

Renault Scénic Kids

Uma das pioneiras do segmento no Brasil, a minivan Scénic daqui atualmente se encontra em um estado crítico. Se um dia já esteve em sintonia com a linha Mégane da qual deriva e com os correspondentes europeus, hoje ela foi relegada a sobreviver inalterada até segunda ordem da marca.

Se suas concorrentes diretas compartilham este mal, pelo menos a Zafira ganhou a remodelação do motor 2.0 flex da marca, e a Xsara Picasso recebeu um elegante face-lift. Enquanto isso, a minivan da Renault apresenta a volta da versão Kids, no intuito de atrair as famílias com filhos pequenos. O atrativo da versão é o tocador de DVD da Clarion, instalado de série, e que vem com a tela posicionada no teto de forma a ser assistida apenas pelos ocupantes do banco traseiro.

De resto, a Scénic Kids é uma legítima versão Authentique, com um interessante pacote de equipamentos, composto por ar-condicionado, direção hidráulica, rodas de liga leve, cd player, airbag do motorista e travas elétricas, entre outros. Sob o capô, ela traz o 1.6 16v flex, de 110/115 cv.

Read more > Renault Scénic Kids

Chitika | Select - expanding beyond search-traffic

On Mon 8 March, Chitika are introducing Chitika Select, a new advertising product that displays ads to some additional readers.  This article is an initial overview of the implications for Blogger users.


Background:

Previously I've given an overview of Chitika.

At the time I wrote it, ads were only shown to visitors from the US and Canada (based on their IP address) who got to the website by searching.   That has now changed.


What's Changing?
From Mon 8 March 2010, Chitika are introducing a new product called Chitika | Select, which they're describing as an upgrade to Chitkia | Premium.  Under this new approach, ads will be displayed to readers who get to your site by search AND to others who some statistical techniques have predicted are more likely to click on ads.


Impact for Blogger users and readers.

On Mon 8 March 2010, all existing Chitka | Premium ads will be upgraded to Chitika | Select - unless you opt-out of this by logging in to your account, going in to the My Account tab, and ticking the option(s) at the very bottom of the page.

Your US and Canada readers may start to see more ads:

• Whether or not the do depends on their behaviour (and I'm guessing it will take a while to work out what sort of factors mean that people are predicted by be ad-clickers).
• Worst-case, seeing more ads could convince more readers to install ad-blocker software.

Some ads (but not all of them) may look different - we don't have any details about this yet, and I'd guess won't until 8 March at least.

The announcements say that Chitika | Select ads will include both pay-per-click and pay-per-impression (CPM) banner and image ads, but they don't actually say whether the latter are a new feature being introduced with Select or not.  The way that the opt-out feature is presented makes me think that they're probably new, though.


What's not changing:

Readers who

• didn't get to the blog by searching, and 
• who also aren't included in the group that Select ads are shown to

will continue to not see any Chitika ads:   the ad-space simply collapses, without showing anything else or displaying alternative ads

The alternative-ads feature will continue to work for Chitika Premium ads, but it wont' be there for Select.

There are some other Chitika products apart from Premium, but they're more focussed to shopping sites, so probably not used by Blog-spot users, and they don't appear to be affected.

For now, Chitika Select is only available for US/Canada readers.   They say that the technology introduced behind Select will let them change this in the future, but it's not changing for now.

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Related Articles:



Chitika Overview

Putting Chitika ads into your Blog

Extra customization of Chitkia ads

And from Chitika:

• The blog-posting announcing the change
• Their white paper giving more background
• Opting out of Chitika Select
• Your questions Answered

Read more > Chitika | Select - expanding beyond search-traffic

Blogger and key non-Google products: an overview

This article is about other Google products that may be helpful to Blogger users.  Each product is briefly described, with links to the help centre, help forum, and other useful hints-and-tips article.

Non-Google products that are helpful for Bloggers:



This is not a complete listing of all other product that may be useful  it's simply a list of some that I think are key, or that I wanted to keep track of.

NB:  Always see the official documentation for official answers.

Product / Application	What it does	Where to get help
Twitter	Micro-blogging, ie posting very small (140 character) notices. Used for information sharing, but very effective for advertising in some niches.	Help centre Help forum Blogger-HAT articles
Facebook	Social networking	Help centre Help forum Blogger-HAT articles
Advertising networks	Everyone knows about AdSense, but there are lots of other advertising networkds that you can use on your blog.	Each programme has a help site. Advertising and Blogger - things to consider List of advertising programmese
Site-Meter	Statistics about your blog	Help centre Help forum
Statcounter	Another statistics tool.	Help centre Help forum
Amazon	The world largest bookstore - these days selling a lot more than books.    Different versions for the USA, Canada, UK/Ireland - and more.   Lets you put pictures of interesting things on your blog, and make money through affiliate links.	Each counrtyr's Amazon has its own Help centre and forum. BloggerHAT Amazon articles
ChipIn	Fundraising by campaign, with some helpful campaign management tools	BloggerHAT articles
Chitika	One particularly popular advertising programme	Help centre BloggerHAT articles
Flickf	An alternative photo-management tool - it also has a tool to let you search for public-domain (well Creative-Commons licensed) images that you can use in your blog.	BloggerHAT articles
LinkedIn	Social networking for your professional life	BloggerHAT articles
PayPal	Managing payments between you and just about anyone	BloggerHAT articles

What other non-Google applications are you using on, or with, your blogspot Blog?.

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Related Articles: 







Blogger and other Google products - an oveview



Understanding your Google account



File-sharing hosts:  other places to store files used in your blog



Showing a PowerPoint presentation in Blogger

Read more > Blogger and key non-Google products: an overview

Citroën C3 Solaris

Se a linha 2010 do compacto não o premiou com alterações de estilo ou motor, as novidades recebidas são de importante valor para a imagem do carro, como a série Solaris, cujo atrativo principal, como o nome diz, é o teto solar de série, e que chega por R$ 48.310.

O equipamento, inédito em C3 no Brasil, é fornecido pela Webasto e vem cheio de recursos: acionamento elétrico, função antiesmagamento, proteção contra raios UV, cortina corrediça, e a parte externa que vira um defletor quando aberta. Além disso, o Solaris premia seu comprador com um completíssimo pacote de itens, que traz ar-condicionado digital, direção elétrica, airbag duplo, freios ABS e sensores de chuva e crepuscular, entre outros, como o câmbio automático.

Sempre equipados com o 1.6 16v de 110/113 cv, os C3 Solaris inicialmente serão apenas 1.400, mas este número pode crescer em caso de a série ser bem-recebida pelo público. A outra novidade para o C3 é a promoção Pack Star, estendida a todas as versões do modelo, prevista para durar até o mês de maio, e que consiste em oferecer rodas de liga leve de 15 polegadas, computador de bordo e cd player com comandos satélite sem custo adicional.

Read more > Citroën C3 Solaris

Ford Ranger Sport 2010

Re-estilizada no ano passado, a picape média da Ford mais uma vez teve a mesma carroceria dos anos 1990 retocada, ainda que mais profundamente que no caso da sua arquirrival Chevrolet S10. Agora quem se atualiza ao catálogo é a versão Sport. Ante rivais cada vez mais modernas, a Ranger se vale da versão Sport por mais um ano para manter a competitividade e as boas vendas, dessa vez focando no mercado das picapes compactas. Sua principal arma para isso é o preço baixo, R$ 53.885, sempre com cabine simples e motor 2.3 16v a gasolina de 150 cv.

Entretanto, ela traz atrativos visuais exclusivos entre a linha Ranger. Baseada na versão XLS, a Sport incorpora caixas de roda com novo desenho, mais destacado, molduras plásticas laterais e adesivos da versão na caçamba, além das rodas de liga leve de 16 polegadas, e as cinco opções de cor, sendo a mais chamativa a vermelho Paris. Outro ponto forte da versão é o pacote de equipamentos de série, que inclui o sistema de som MyConnection, com vários recursos multimídia e quatro alto-falantes, volante com regulagem de altura e faróis de neblina.

Read more > Ford Ranger Sport 2010

Ford Focus 2.0 Flex

Se o Focus foi um marco no mercado quanto à modernidade e ousadia, sua nova geração o contradisse ao chegar no Brasil. Moderno, o motor 2.0 16v Duratec oferecido no lançamento fazia o possível, mas beber apenas gasolina foi uma cruz que o modelo precisou carregar até o fim do ano passado.

Em compensação, 2010 já está sendo ótimo para o médio: Depois de ganhar o 1.6 16v Sigma junto de versões mais acessíveis, agora ele finalmente recebe a tecnologia flex no motor maior, tanto para hatchback quanto sedã, ainda que sem alterações muito grandes. Sua caixa automática sequencial ganhou novo acerto, enquanto a manual foi substituída, a antiga europeia cedendo lugar a uma de produção nacional.

Produzindo 143/148 cv (gasolina/álcool), o 2.0 16v flex passa a equipar as duas carrocerias do modelo, nas versões GLX e Ghia, e com as opções de transmissão manual ou automática. O Focus 2.0 GLX manual tem preço inicial de R$ 56.570, enquanto o 2.0 Ghia automático começa em R$ 69.900. A versão sedã segue esta tabela, mas sempre com um acréscimo de R$ 2.000.

Read more > Ford Focus 2.0 Flex