Creating a Header Graphic

• Select one or more pictures you would like to incorporate into your header. I chose to make a collage.
• Go to http://www.picmonkey.com/. (I just used the basic, free version. There is a subscription option with more choices.)
• Click on the "Create a Collage" tab.
• Start with the "Photos" section. Select "Your own" from the drop-down menu.
• Click on "Open Photos" to upload the photos you would like to use.
• Select "Layouts" which is the second section. The icon looks like a page layout.
• For a header shape, choose "FB Cover."
• You can select one of their pre-formatted layouts, but once you start working in it, you may find that you want to move things around and re-size certain frames. That's okay!
• Now go back up to "Photos" to drag and drop your photos into place. Feel free to play around with layout.
• If you want to incorporate a quote, leave one of the spaces blank for now.
• When your photos are arranged to your satisfaction, if you'll be using a quote, go to the third section, which is "Swatches."
• From there you can select a theme from the drop-down menu. The Spring Fling and School U categories had some nice backgrounds to choose from. Select one of these to fill the blank space as a background for your quote.
• The fourth section, which looks like an artist's palette, is where you can adjust the spacing, make rounded corners, or select a background color, if you like.
• We'll be adding the quote and border as an additional process, so for now save your creation to your computer.
• Once it's saved, go back to the http://www.picmonkey.com/ home page.
• This time select "Design."
• From here "Open" the file you just saved.
• Go to the "Text" section. (Icon is "Tt".)
• Decide on a font for your quote.
• Click the "Add Text" button. This will put a text area on your collage. Drag it to the space where you want it and drag on the edges to adjust the size. Then type your quote in it. 
• Once that is adjusted to your satisfaction, go to the "Frames" section and choose a frame.
• I used Museum Matte and changed the colors to match the Sonlight website. Clicking on the swatch will show you the hex code and you can change it if you want. Here are the Sonlight hex codes:
• Logo Blue: 0089d0
• Dark Blue: 005d93
• Yellow: f2be1a
• You can also adjust the thickness of your frame.
• At this point, I was done. You may want to play around in Pic Monkey to see if there are other special features you'd like to add to your header.
• Save to your computer.
• Upload as a picture to your first blog post in the position where you want it. I selected "X-Large" as the size, which made it run off the side on my actual blog, but showed up as a nice size on my Sonlight landing page.

The above directions are how I created my header. There are other ways to do it, if you have other graphic-editing software. Another tutorial using Power Point is available at http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-a-website-header-image-powerpoint/.

Design

In 2009 when I helped some of you set up your blogs in Florida, I recommended customizing the background using a design from Cutest Blog on the Block or similar sites. Since then, Blogger has upgraded their template options, so it's no longer necessary to use outside coding to have a customized look that reflects your personality. A specially designed header is still a nice touch, but not as necessary as it was previously. Look for the Template Designer tool under the Design tab on your Blogger dashboard.

Your blog design should:

• Reflect your personality.
• Look professional.
• Have an easy-to-read font, especially for the body of your posts. Save the fun fonts for titles.
• Not be too cluttered.
• Leave off the music.

Have fun!

Content

In my experience, blog posts should:

• Be warm, personal, and real. 
• Be professional.
• Include personal anecdotes, not just "business."
• Be relatively short. Around 400 words is considered "ideal."
• Include a picture.

Typically, blog readers won't take the time to read lengthy articles. I've gotten the best responses on posts that offer trivial glimpses into my personal life -- activities my family is involved in, decorating and kitchen tips, craft projects, even the weather! I try to maintain a professionalism by not over-sharing with too many intimate details or controversial topics.

Have fun with it. Post about things you are sincerely interested in.  If you're just blogging as a sales tool that will be obvious, and you probably won't get many followers.

It probably goes without saying to use good grammar and spelling. Avoid "text typing" and abbreviations. Spell out words such as Sonlight, Instructor's Guide, and Language Arts. Not all of your blog readers will know what SL, IG, and LA refer to.

I like to include a snapshot I've taken whenever I can. I keep my camera handy and snap pictures often with the idea in mind, "I might want to blog about this." Alternatively, you can find royalty-free pictures on stock photo sites.

It is helpful to add some labels to your post, especially if it's a post you would like search engines to find. I like to have a Labels gadget on my sidebar to help people find the topics they are interested in.

Blog Post #2

This is the second post on your blog, and it's the one that feeds the side-bar on your homepage at Sonlight.com. Be sure and update it with your convention schedule each year. I like to include a picture of my booth at the top of this post, for visual appeal. (Keep the picture small so it will fit nicely on the side-bar.)

I also added a Facebook "Like Box" here so people who visited my homepage on Sonlight could also subscribe to my page on Facebook. (For step-by-step directions, see the How To page tabbed at the top.) In addition, I put the Facebook box on my sidebar, so that's there on my blog even after this post is buried.

Blog Post #1

This is the first post on your blog. It is the one that feeds your homepage on Sonlight's website. You'll want to be sure to update it regularly to keep it current. You can do that by clicking on Edit and then the "Publish Post" button when you've made any changes. Be sure you don't ever delete this post.

For visual appeal you could include a personal picture... maybe one of your family, or local scenery. I pasted in my blog header. I also included my head shot in this post, since my Blogger profile is more of a scenery picture.

Include your contact info:

• Email address (linked, so they don't have to copy it)
• (I don't list my phone number as I don't like to have it "out there" on the internet, but you can invite them to email you if they would like a call.)

Also links to other social networks:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• link to blog (yes, that's here... but when it shows up on the Sonlight page, it's not "here")

I also list links to some of my blog posts that have to do with homeschooling that I think other homeschool parents might find helpful.