ActiveRain Photo Blogging Group Presents The A B C's Of PhotoBlogging
For many members of ActiveRain, this post will be mostly redundant. But as a refresher, let's start from the beginning. In the beginning there was Adam and Eve, we will skip over that part and get to the good stuff.
A Photo blog tells a story with a photo, augmented by words to position the story and expand on it. The first element of this is then adding a photo to a post. But not necessarily the first thing you do in setting up that post.
The first thing you encounter when you are adding a new post is the title bar. This is where you decide if you want Google Juice for that post. Google Juice is that warm fussy stuff that people work so hard to obtain. In a nut shell, it is Page ranking for your post.
While we are on that subject, what do want in return for the photoblog presentation? Kudos from your subscribers or real page ranking. So let's assume it is the latter, otherwise I don't have a very good reason for writing this.
Selecting a title for a Photo blog is really no different than that for a regular blog post. Does the title capture interest? Wait a minute, the spiders and crawlers don't care about interest. They are interested in key words people use to search for things and that is what they are looking for.
For example. Here are two posts titled differently based on the same photo story. Pardon me while I add a bit of interest for myself and San Diego as I select those titles.
A. San Diego Real Estate PhotoBlog - Make this Beautiful Townhouse Your New Home.
B. San Diego Real Estate PhotoBlog - San Diego Housing Prices Drop, Make this Stunning San Diego Townhome Your New Affordable Home !
What have I accomplished here in the second title? I incorporated search terms that are likely to be searched by those looking to buy property in San Diego. So lets add up the search words or tags that the spiders and crawlers will pick up on. [ housing prices, san diego, san diego townhouse, affordable home, new home, san diego real estate]. That is a lot of search terms for just the title, wouldn't you agree?
Assuming we have now selected that as the title , what's next? To optimize the title. How about using it as the first line in the post. Google also likes the key words to be used more than once and definitely wants to see them used in the post or photo story, sort of re-enforcing why you chose them in the first place.
Now I just know that you went back up to my title of this post and saw nothing of what I just said. The search terms for the title of this post are [activerain,photoblogging, abc'S] Not going to be a lot of people searching those terms other than ActiveRain. So you can see my title of this post will not get very good page positioning in Google. But if you can learn some basics here, it will be worth the effort anyway.
Should we write the story first or load the photo. We know that the first line of the story is going to be your title re-stated. So I would add that first. The next step is put your cursor where the photo edge will be and then go to the picture icon. Adding a photo from your computer or where you store them online is is easy. But each of those locations will take a slightly different action to load the photo.
Here is a little tutorial on Adding Photos to your post that Jeremy Blanton of ActiveRain created to help you with that process.
This first video will just show the 2 different ways to insert a picture onto your blog.
This second video shows you how to align the photo in your post, re-size it & also place some white-space around your picture so that the words of your post do not run into your picture
Now that you have your photo downloaded into the post, you are ready to embellish your photo story. You have seen the word PhotoBlog used in this post and I think I should better define it.
You may ask, " what's the difference between a PhotoBlog and a regular blog since both can and usually do have photos" ? It is a nuance of course but here is how I would explain the difference. When you write a blog you will naturally want to illustrate it and add a photo or a slideshow. The photo and slide shows add interest and support the blog or story you have written. In a photo blog, the photo or slide show is the story and you write words to further enhance and embellish the story.
Think of it as photo journalism. The photo becomes the story and the words support it. As I mentioned this is anuanced meaning that it is open to other interpretations. That is why we started the ActiveRain Photo Blogger Group. To share resources , to share experiences and to learn how better to enhance our own photo telling stories and presentations. We also share in photo enhancements,tutorials on photo taking, branding and copy writing your photos for public presentations, etc.
Your photos are your valuable property and you should determine how they are used and by whom. And our Photo Blogger posts are ALWAYS with our own photos. Some of our members posts even share how they originally took the photos. There is so much we can all learn about Photo Blogging but it is mostly about having fun and sharing what we do.
We welcome you to become a member of what we think will become one of the strongest and growing groups in the Rain. We will have contests, we will present you with awards that will appear right on your posts for all to see. We use guidelines that have been approved by ActiveRain and by doing so, our photo posts are also eligible for consideration for featuring just like the regular blog posts. We welcome you to the ActiveRain Photo Blogger Group.
Click On Photo Below If You Enjoy My Blog
Thank You !
I love when people use technology.
Thank you for your posting, much appreciated!
-David
William good overview....actually detailed outline of the group and how its designed to showcase your photoblogs!
I am new to ActiveRain and your psot was enlightening for me. I always wondered if google recognized photo titles and descriptions??? I always tried to write something about my photo and the local area I sell real estate in. I will continue to do so!
THANKS FOR THE INSIGHT
Hi Joseph, I so appreciate you dropping by and hop you our new group for your photoblogging efforts. We are all having fun over here while we all learn by tutorial and example from one another.
Thanks for sharing this...I love photography. My oldest daughter is a commercial photographer and I am learning, little by little. I think I will join the Active Rain Photo Blogger group to learn more!
Hi David, That is some photo you are using as your avatar. Just beautiful. Come and Join us!
Hi Liz, nice to see you again. Delighted that you have joined our group and we are looking forward to sharing some of your wonderful posts.
Thank you for your sharing.
Hi Carrie-Lynn. We welcome you to our group. Yes Google does recognize the photo log as long as you add the title tags to the photo and don't leave it as just an unidentified irrelevant .jpeg photo
Hi Kin, Thanks for dropping by and we hope you will join us in the Photo Blogger group
Hi Lori and Bruce. We are delighted that you will be going us. If you need anything in the way of help, just let us now and we will be glad to help you . Welcome !
Hi William, Good post. Thanks for sharing.
Best - Sash
Photos are an integral part of my Internet presence, I often take it for granted.
Carry camera, get photos, index photos on hard drive, draw on library of photos when needed.
Fact is, our photos can greatly enhance our Internet presence, IF we simply use them.
So many photos. So little time.
Thank you for this post. I have been having trouble in this area, and now hope I can add pictures to my Blogs without a lot of pain.
WOW in 2 paragraphs I learned so much thank you
Too many fail to realize the power of the camera inreal estate
Thanks for sharing this great post. I've bookmarked it for future reference.
Very good post and you are right. . pictures speak volumes
Great post, all the tips and tricks certainly help. Phots are worth so much. People have a short attention span these days, so you have to tell your story fast and it must be attractive. A photo works every time!
Jean Richer
Ottawa, ON
Yesterday, I bought a new purse for fall and winter.
It is big. Someone asked me why I needed such a big purse?
The flip and my camera go where I go.
I have got leads from my photos, strange isn't it?
They are my own and it is a good connection.
William - There is so much more to learn about Photo Blogging - Interesting group, have to check it out. Thanks for sharing!
I love the idea that the photo is the story. sounds like the Photo Blogging group will be very interesting.
I am really bad at using photos. Might need to make that an actual goal so I get photos part of the habit.
Thanks for sharing William. I see you have a passion for the camera and for people who enjoy success like yourself. You truly accomplish great things in such a short post. I am grateful for the content and will be implementing your sage advice when the time presents itself.
Hi William, really enjoyed this informative blog!
Question??? You know they were coming didn't you!?
When you are inserting what is the best thing to put in the image description and title, keeping in mind we are after google juice and page positioning. We know you lead us to Jeremy on the photo part, but we want YOUR take on it if you do not mind.
William...
I joined the group yesterday and I am looking forward to see where it goes from here!
William- This is a great idea for a new group. I always have my camera with me and try to add pics to my blogs. I've posted some Wordless Wednesdays, but I like the idea of photo blogging - enhancing the photo with text.
Sound good.....I'll join the group as well.
Thank you,
Patricia/Seacoast NH
Thanks William. We never can get too much technology blogs to help us along the way with our own blogging. Joyce
William: Lots of great information and advice here. I have learned to carry my camera with me. Now I need to take more photos ... and learn how to effectively use them in my blogs. Thanks for sharing the information ... so much to learn and do.
It'd be great if Active Rain introduced a way to email photos in to Active Rain blogs. I've been email photos into my wordpress blogs via FLickr and now Posterous for a few years now. And recently, as I've been introducing the technique to clients, I've found that they've been very excited to be able to take a picture with an iphone or blackberry and have it live on their website within a few minutes.
Taking it a bit further, (and this may work on active rain actually), you can use Slideoo.Com, to embed random photos from your flickr stream into the home page or sidebar of your site.
Example: Home page of HeyCentralPa.Com. We're currently in the process of setting up each agent at the company to be able to email in photos as blog posts, with the images also being featured in the home page stream.
The expectation?
1. Agents will get excited about creating content, because taking a random picture and posting it to a site is fun!
2. The individual photo posts will rank for less competitive keywords for people, places, and businesses in the region.
3. The strength of the overall site will be enhanced, making it look more alive to the inlooking public.
4. Agents from other offices looking in will say, hey... I want that. (Yep, short term this could be a cool recruiting hook, if integrated with your overall "Agent Technology Package")
So, even though the implementation with wordpress could involve an in-house retechnologist to handle the maintenance, perhaps it's possible that AR could implement something similar via its multi contributor outside blogs?
great post! This is such a fun aspect of real estate and marketing and the technology is changing and improving every moment. Thanks for the info, Lisa
Though I'm far from an expert photographer, I love the story you can tell with a well thought out picture. I'm working on it and am trying to get more out of my Nikon D60 all the time. I'm going to join the group and see what else I can learn. Thanks.
How do I join this group? It's not under GROUPS at the left of my profile page?
Patricia/Seacoast NH
I just started a photo blog on a word press platform. I am populating it now with various area photos before I start talking about neigborhoods and such. Take a look. www.frenchquartercondotrends.com
William, I can really use every bit of photo education. And this blog is now bookmarked for me! Thanks.
Eric, I love your photographs. They encourage me get out more often and photograph our beautiful area here in Naples, FL!
This is so exciting. I would love to join and learn.
I already knew this stuff... But, I still had to comment and tell you that I am really impressed with your post. The videos and the whole deal. Definitely one to be featured and I'm glad it was.
I've always thought photos and real estate go hand in hand!
I am looking forward to learning a new facet of blogging - starting with a picture and writing a story about it.
William - I am going to join your group right now. I appreciate the information here about photo blogging and titling the posts appropriately. Thanks!
William--Thanks so much for the helpful post. Photos definitely tell the story so much better than we can with words...
William - I as well kinda new this stuff but it's always good to see it again for reinforcement of the basics.... A well deserved feature I might add as well. You did a very good job on this tutorial and I will be posting to this new group soon. Thanks William :-
An insightful and helpful post, to be sure. I wish I could put into words how much I appreciate it. Oh wait, I just did!
William,
that is great information. Thanks for the help as I am technologically challenged.
Very rare to see such a great explanation or how to do something. Thanks for sharing - I was compelled to join your group. I'm a groupie!
Beautiful post, William. Why am I not surprised?
I love beautiful photos however lack the inherent ability to capture them via photography. That's why I'm on the financing side of this business;)
William, love the idea of having a "photo blog" in addition to just a blog.
Hi William, Great premise to the group. As your newest member I look forward to sharing and learning !
Williams..this is such wonderful group..I am so happy you have started this..It is so informative..and Fun too! I also see many AR friend enjoying this group..BRAVO..:0)
HELPFULHANNAH yor friend in Philadelphia
William, I loved how you explained that nuance to the photoblog rather than merely inserting a graphic into the regular post.
I have yet to use some photos I've been meaning to....and it more than an enhancer....it speaks volumes of the written word .....or just speaks all on its own :)
I am such a visual learner that the photos always speak more to me than the words. I'm going to join the group. : )
Hi William. I maintain a photoblog so have been watching your new group. ~Lana
William, Congrats on the feature. Good information.
I wrote a photoblog post this evening but was not sure about putting it in the group as it was about a local tea party.
William ~ What a great idea... I am not a great photographer, however, I can see I will learn a lot. This post is a perfect example. Good luck with this group... it is going to be a great addition to AR.
William your group is certainly going to help us to be effective photoblogger. Thank you.
William, you have demonstrated that there is hope for the technologically challenged. I will definitely pay closer attention to your blogs.
Great blog...thanks for the help.
Hello Everyone, We certaily generated lots of comments and a few questions and even some reaching out for help. I will endeaver with your acceptance to answer the comments that have questions or need some help above the wonderful and encouragng comments from the rest of you. I so appreciate your support and enthusiasm. If I can, I will of course try to answer everyone. But I will say this. This group is going places. And in some cases to places none of us have ever been. In the realm of photo journalism, there are more and more of these photo journalists on the planet because of the wonderful ability to digitize things and with the larger number of megapixels to actually take out raw digital photos and locate the real story photo. Over time we begin to realize the limits of the lens power and the kinds of equipment that help us accomplish that which is closer to what our goals are.
I will use Jeff turner here as an example of being ahead of his time. Here is a really wonderful member here in the rain that understood the the visual , emotional and real value of virtual tours, video tours and photo story telling before it really became popular r understood. Showing and telling a photo story augmented with words is very powerful. And that is true especially for us in real estate marketing listings. Imagine those same listings tied to a photo story supporting the uniqueness of the community or the shopping ,the industries, the recreational resources, schools and places of higher learning, wilderness , parks, beaches, waterways, etc and you begin to grasp the power of where photo blogging can go. Tying real estate to the property, the community and all of its surroundings. That is after all what comes with any purchase, isn't t?
This is likely to be a post within a post but I will use myself as a good example to make this point. I wrote several blogs about the desalination plant that was being proposed in the Carlsbad area in San Diego county and it read pretty well. No apologies. But with my photo blogging mind set, I had never captured anyone's imagination inspired by the photo story. There was no photo story though there were photos I added to the blog for interest. As I recall I even bought those photos online. This late summer I went there and with what I observed and took in would have a made so much a better story than the ones I wrote in my blog posts . I saw the land, I saw the location and the lagoon and the photos that I was able to take would tell a remarkable story that could capture anyone's imagination and interest.
That is the nuanced difference. I am no expert in this arena, not even close. What I am is enlightened to a few more possibilities that open up new channels and ways of expressing ourselves to our readers and especially consumers. I feel certain that with some of the posts I have already seen, that many others are also "getting it".
It matters little at what level you are. If you are interested come on and join in and we will learn together. That is one of the most remarkable strenghts of ActiveRain. It is about what we share together to enhance our professional skills and in the process we build such wonderful friendships. I didn't mean this to sound like commercial for ActiveRain but it is really difficult to be a part of all this and not be so much in appreciation for the opportunity.
WhooHoo! Go PhotoBloggers! You did a fabulous job on this, William :) We live in a fast paced world - finding ways to grab the attention of the folks we want to communicate with is paramount. Combining our OWN photos, with commentary to describe, tell a story, or make a point is a whole new way of blogging. PhotoBloggers ROCK!
Debi
Awesome William! Thanks for so much imformation! I'm excited about our new group!
Hi and thanks for the info. I am joining the group in hopes of learning a few things about enhancing my photo skills. I have a Canon Rebel XT, love the quality, but admit I don't really know how to use it :(. I am interested in buying a lens that will let me take interior room shots with little skill and money. Suggestions welocme.......Kelly
Very helpful post with the video tutorials added. I look forward to reading and learning from all the pros in this group.
William, I am thrilled with this new group and the information! I still wonder after all this time how to correctly tag my photos so it's been a big help already!
"The photo is the story" is something I need to keep in mind everytime I step behind the lens. Nice insights on how simple changes to our titles can produce some very good search results.
Nice info.
William,
Thank you for explaining in detail some particulars to photoblogging. While being aware of these things, it helps when someone spells it out.
I did join your group but have not contributed any thing yet. I'm really glad that it is here and plan to spend quite a bit of time reading posts that have been posted to that group because I am anticipating learning a lot from you and other members on being a better photoblogger!
Great post!
William, I swore I posted a comment here. Oh well, I just wanted to thank you for the great education! You've inspired me to get better with my photographs.
Thank you so much for the video demonstrating how to do this. I just googled it and your blog popped up, it was wonderful and very easy to follow. Active Rain is awesome!
Thank you very much for the video. I am going to go give it a try!
Thanks again!
Hello David, I am delighted that you found the post and that it helps you. If not just send me an e-mail and I will walk you through it.