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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

A to Z Tips - Creating a signature for the #atozchallenge

Here is a tidbit that you might find useful come April.

Visiting blogs and commenting on them is a huge part of the A to Z experience. And so is visiting back! If you want to make sure that people whose blog you commented on can find you and visit you back easily, it is very useful to have a hyperlink signature at the end of your comment.
Here is how that works:

Fill out this template with your own information:


[Your name or Twitter handle] from
<a href="yourblogaddress">Name of Your Blog</a>

You can add more lines if you have more blogs.
For example, my signature looks like this on code:

@TarkabarkaHolgy from
<a href="http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com">The Multicolored Diary</a>
<a href="http://hungarykum.blogspot.com">MopDog</a>

And looks like this when you see it at the end of my comments:

@TarkabarkaHolgy from
The Multicolored Diary
MopDog

IMPORTANT: SAVE YOUR SIGNATURE somewhere where you can easily find it and copy-paste it. Me, I have it saved under Drafts in my Gmail box. Every time I go visiting, I just Copy the code, and then Paste it at the end of my comments.

Also: Some commenting formats, like Disqus, don't read HTML. In those cases, just copy and paste your blog URL. The important thing is to leave an address so people you visited and easily visit you back, without having to sift through your G+ profile or your Blogger lists.

124 comments:

BrazenRaven said...

Thank you. This is helpful - assuming I did it correctly. Please delete if I botched it!

Traci Nathaniel Walker
Traci Nathaniel Walker
@TraciNathaniel on Twitter
Traci’s Facebook Page

BrazenRaven said...

Nevermind. They work! Again, thanks. This will be a productive month and some, I can see that already.

JazzFeathers said...

This is really very useful. I still had my signature saved from last year. I used it the first day of the theme reveal.
Thanks so much for sharing this :-)

JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - Jazz Age Jazz

Mary B said...

This is a very helpful tip. Thanks!

Mary
Twitter: @KnottyMarie
Jingle Jangle Jungle

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi ATH - I need to get this sorted this year .. cheers Hilary

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Think I got it right this time :)
Zeljka from
The Truck Traveller

Nilanjana Bose said...

So glad to see this highlighted here, thank you. This is a serious time-saver. Helped me no end navigating my first (and all subsequent!) A-Z.
Best wishes,
Nilanjana.
Madly-in-Verse

Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond said...

Thank you I never even gave that a thought!

Leanne said...

I loved this idea and hopefully I've done mine right too - thanks so much :)
Leanne from
cresting the hill

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Fortunately it's rather easy to figure out which blog in my Blogger profile is mine. But this would be helpful for those with Google+ profiles because it's a pain in the butt to find a blog there.

Piper Presley said...

The last part of this blog post is important - some commenting formats DON'T read HTML. Don't assume they all do. If there's no way to preview your comment, and you enter your signature via HTML, you won't know if your signature appears properly until you've completed the process. The link to your blog will still be there even if the HTML didn't take, but it will just look funny because it will be mixed in with HTML coding.

A to Z Theme Reveal: Becoming an Author

Molly said...

LOVE this tip ... thank you so much!

HistorySleuth said...

It makes a difference. And Last year I put the instructions on the bottom of all my posts.

HistorySleuth said...

I forgot to say that the reason I added it to my posts was so others would do it and explained some people are very hard to find in order to respond back.. I keep my code as a sticky or note on my desktop.

lyndagrace said...

Thank you. This is a great helpful tip. Now can you help me with trying to figure out what I'm going to write about? :)
Lynda Grace from my blog
Lynda Grace An Hour Away

Deb Atwood said...

What a neat trick! Thank you. I'm going to try it out, so here goes:

@deb_atwood from
Pen In Her Hand

LA Nickers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LA Nickers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LA Nickers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LA Nickers said...

(Sorry, I was fiddling with codings on multiple sites. Please remove my earlier deleted comments.)

Finally got it set up. Thanks!

Doing at least SIX blogs this time. (Five themes have already been revealed. Working on the sixth one and adding that blog to the A-Z Linky list.)

Here we go!

Fad to the Bone – Dog Products Revue
Heart of a Ready Writer
Just Workin’ It – Job Starts and Smarts
Kicking MS to the Curb
Nickers and Ink Poetry and Humor
Practically at Home

Find me on Facebook
Find me on Twitter

Jemima Pett said...

Can I warn people who are new to this that a lot of blog systems have a default that sends comments with more than two links (or two or more) to the spam area.

So if you want your comment to go straight up, stick to one link (which still might get bounced or moderated), or at most two.

I change that default (under the 'discussion' setting in Wordpress) two three during AtoZ, then back again. In Blogger I haven't found where to do that yet!

Jemima Pett

Daffyd said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Daffyd said...

@Daisy Willows from
Daisy in the willows

Susan Scott said...

Great idea thank you! Time saving - so needed!

Liesbet said...

Thanks for the tip!
Liesbet
Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary

Michelle Wallace said...

Thank you.
This saves so much time during the challenge.
I wish more bloggers would leave the signature link when they comment.

Unknown said...

This is a great idea! I'm new to this challenge and I write Adult Content. I've added the (AC) to my blog signature, but I'm wondering how people would feel about that as showing up in their comments section? I want everyone to be well aware before clicking on the link, but at the same time, I don't want to imply anything - even though I would never say anything content inappropriate on another's blog! - simply by having the (AC) in my signature. What do you think?
@RebeccaNoon from Enjoy A Nooner (AC)

Paula said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nananettie1969 said...

[@nananettie1969] from
Annette's place
Hope I did it! Just joined twitter too!

Paula said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paula said...

I don't know what I am doing wrong but it just doesn't work for me. Is there an easier way??

Paula said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Well, this is interesting information! I have wondered how people did this. I am new to A-Z, and this is so useful. If I do it wrong, please delete! Thanks!
McGuffy Ann Morris from
McGuffy's Reader

Anonymous said...

Thanks you! I saved it in my drafts, too!

Unknown said...

I've learned so many things just by being part of this A to Z community. Last year it was the IFTT and now this signature. Thanks. One question though. I created it and tested it out. It connected me to my blog but even though I used the home page as the web address, I came to an error message that what I was looking for wasn't found, try a search.

@ma_holloway from
<a href="https://mholloway63.wordpress.com/”> If I Only Had A Time Machine</a>

When I tried it out, I had my editor in text and then switch to visual where it show up properly. I just pasted it above and didn't convert. What's the trick?

Dixie@dcrelief said...

Okay - I'll try this.

@dcrelief from
Remove the rose Colored glasses
anartfulblogger
dcrelief - Battle of the Bands

Dixie@dcrelief said...

Too cool. Thanks!!!

LittleCunningPlan.com said...

Ok, that looks pretty cool. Let me try that right now and if it works, thanks!
Melissa from
LittleCunningPlan

Anonymous said...

I can barely handle one blog and you're doing SIX!? I'm in awe.

A Tarkabarka Hölgy said...

I think putting it in your signature next to the name of your blog is a good way to do it. That way, people who don't want AC don't click on it, but it is clear that you are a participant.

A Tarkabarka Hölgy said...

I think putting it in your signature next to the name of your blog is a good way to do it. That way, people who don't want AC don't click on it, but it is clear that you are a participant.

Parul said...

Great tip! Copied it on sticky notes on my desktop for easy access. Thanks for sharing :)

Parul from
Happiness & Food

Unknown said...

Great Tip, thank you. Saved it on my computer for future reference.

Josefine from
Getting to the end

Dahlia said...

Thanks for the great tips. Trying out the signature. Hope it works (first time it didnt - my bad).

@mysilverstreaks from
Storiesandmore

PS well the signature did work, but am not able to include my Wordpress URL due to 'illegal characters' so Google account it is - dunno how that got created :(

Faith said...

I tried on my blog and it didn't work. Let me try here:
Faith
Household Diary

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Great idea. I saved it in Evernote so it shares over devises. Plus I created a short cut on my iPad so I only had to type the short cut , delete and fix typos and repost.
Fran @travelgenee
from the TravelGenee Blog

Ida Thought said...

Great advice thanks for the reminder... I had to dig around a bit but I found the one I saved from last year... let's see if it still works

Reflex Reactions

Tj6james6 said...

Another tip: My blogging is mostly via WordPress with a bit in other places. When you like or comment I can visit you by clicking your name at the top. It helps me keep track of whom I've visited and sent a reply to without taxing my brain or resources.
You can find me at tj6james6.wordpress.com or https://lilathisnalilofthat.wordpress.com/.

Tj6james6 said...

Another tip: My blogging is mostly via WordPress with a bit in other places. When you like or comment I can visit you by clicking your name at the top. It helps me keep track of whom I've visited and sent a reply to without taxing my brain or resources.
You can find me at tj6james6.wordpress.com or https://lilathisnalilofthat.wordpress.com/.

Unknown said...

Ok let's see if I can get this to work! So much going on for this challenge. I've been preparing since February and I can't believe it starts this week! Good luck everyone, and thanks for posting this helpful hint!

[@NikisSimpleLife] from
The Richness of a Simple Life
May 2016 Kindness Challenge

Anonymous said...

Great tip. Thank you!

Instagram #The_Sugar_Free_Runner from
The Sugar Free Runner

Niharika Dergasi said...

This really helps
Just From Right Brain

Unknown said...

So helpful!
@NinaRubin1
Afterdefeat
Coaching By Nina Rubin

Vancity Girlfriends said...

Cool tip! I'm preparing for the A to Z Challenge.

Maria from
Vancity Girlfriends
Coupon Chef

Rajlakshmi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rajlakshmi said...

Thanks for this... One more to be added to the checklist :)

@sunjhini from
Destiny's Child
Twinkle Eyed Traveller

Rajlakshmi said...

Thanks for this... One more to be added to the checklist :)

@sunjhini from
Destiny's Child
Twinkle Eyed Traveller

Sadira Stone said...

Let's see, does this work?
@RhondaGilmour from
Late Blooming Rose

Sadira Stone said...

Groovy! Thanks much.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Last year I created a blogger account so I could comment on blogs outside of Wordpress because even with the option to comment as my wordpress blog it would always show up as Anonomys which is annoying. But this is a Great tip as usual. I've had a few bloggers recently comment with these signatures and wondered how they did it. Now I can too. Looking forward to Friday and all the great blogs to read.
@lilly2412 (Paula) from
Random Musings and Wanderlust

Unknown said...

That's awesome! Thanks!
@WendyGassaway
Falconer's Library

Anonymous said...

@lilly2412 (Paula) from
Random Musings and Wanderlust

Penelope Potty Snooper said...

Thanks am trying it out
[Bellybytes] from
Name of Your Blog

Penelope Potty Snooper said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Penelope Potty Snooper said...

Hope I've got it right this time
Thanks for this great tip!!!
Bellybytes@unishta from
MumbaoOnAHigh

Unknown said...

Thanks for the information! Looking forward to the challenge!!
[Bobbi Capwell @Bobbic07] from
Thoughts on My Life and Laughs

Stephanie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Samantha Bryant said...

Excellent tip! Thanks so much!

@mirymom1 from
Balancing Act

Unknown said...

Nancy Thornton from
Lightheaded

Paula said...

I would love to see this work. What am I doing wrong????
Paula from
Smidgen, Snippets, & Bits

A Reading Writer said...

Thank you for this tip! :)

Let me try:

@rosemawrites from
A Reading Writer

Archana said...

Extremely useful!! Thank you so much :)

Seena said...

Awesome tip! Thankyou.. :)
So excited to be part of this challenge!
Seena from
Thinking Aloud

Kalpana said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Raesquiggles said...

Useful tip
@Raesquiggles from
The Quiet Writer

Unknown said...

Thank's! Let me try it: [AmyMontallana] from
erhynireh

NIV said...

Ooooo...useful! I think I prefer to default to just the URL so I don't have to think about whether the comments will support it. Which will make it look like...this!

@niicki from OfftheBeatenPlan.com & IVEYbooks.com

River Glynn said...

Wow! This is very helpful. Thanks so much!

Sharon Arthur Moore @good2tweat
Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time

The Side I Hide said...

Pooja from
The Side I Hide

Kalpana said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thank you for the tip! I wish everyone luck! I am learning so much.The A to Z Challenge is a labor of love!
@ffmamacoach from
Fabulous Fit Mamas

cleemckenzie said...

I had this on my to do list, so this is perfect timing. Thanks.

cleemckenzie said...

I had this on my to do list, so this is perfect timing. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Thanks very much for this. Having a go at creating a handle. anything could happen ...
[@kimcooper63_kim] from
Kimberleycooperblog

Rosa Doodle said...

Maureen
@rosadoodle1 from
Rosa Doodle

The Voluptuous Book Diva said...

Let's see if I did it correctly:

Laura Hernandez
@VoluptuousBDiva from
The Voluptuous Book Diva
YA Book Divas


The Voluptuous Book Diva said...

Woop....woop!!! Thanks for this information.

The Voluptuous Book Diva said...

Let's see if I did it correctly:

Laura Hernandez
@VoluptuousBDiva from
The Voluptuous Book Diva
YA Book Divas


Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond said...

Sue from
Sizzling Towards Sixty" Thank you!

Anonymous said...

My turn ;)

[Rian Durant] from
Rian's Randomness

Teachezwell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Teachezwell said...

Not sure I've got it right. Here goes:

@Teachezwell from Teachezwell

Holly Jahangiri said...

Looks great! Some blogs also don't allow URLs (some, like mine, only allow them to pass unmoderated after you've left a certain number of comments and proven you're human, not a spambot). Try anyway. It's a great way to get backlinks, if they're allowed; if your comment's good, it will probably be published after review; if it's banned, oh well. Better luck next time!

URLs are most likely to be permitted (at least on my blog!) if they can be verified, go where they appear to go (aren't misleading), and aren't blatantly commercial in nature (no "landing pages" for MMO schemes!), etc.

If they contain a backlink to your own blog, Facebook, Twitter and you're inviting people to connect, that's great! It's also super convenient for people who want to visit you.

Dyanne @ I Want Backsies said...

I feel like a complete bonehead, but I have NO IDEA how to make this work. Do you copy and paste the signature after you type a comment and before you hit post?

Kalpana said...

Great idea! Thought it would be simple but somehow haven't been able to make it work yet :( Trying again.
@kalpanapster
From
Kalpanaawrites

Kalpanaawrites on Facebook

Kalpanapster on Instagram

Daffyd said...

https://daisywillows.wordpress.com/category/atozchallenge/

Daffyd said...

@DaisyWillows from
daisywillows.wordpress.com/category/atozchallenge/">Daisyinthewillows

Daffyd said...

I did it thank you xx

Unknown said...

@bloggerabhi1 from
StyleBurp

Daffyd said...


@Daisy from
Daisyinthe willows

A Joyful Chaos said...

Thanks for the tutorial! I often wondered how people do that.

Mary Ann from
A Joyful Chaos

Holly Jahangiri said...

There you go - that one works!

Holly Jahangiri said...

Another suggestion: Get a Gravatar. Not all of the blogs you'll be commenting on are Blogger blogs. Gravatar is almost universally recognized, and not only can you pick a different profile pic (if you really want to) for each email address you use, you can set up your own bio page, so that if someone clicks your Gravatar, they'll learn a bit about you and see all your links - any you want them to see, anyway! Just go to Gravatar.com (you may need to open a WordPress.com account, if you don't already have one, but that's painless and quick and well worth it). BONUS: As an anti-spam measure, some bloggers refuse to accept comments - or put them into moderation - from people who do not have a Gravatar. Why? Because it's difficult for a bot (automated script or program) to create a Gravatar. It gives you a bit more credibility - like having a Google account and profile photo here does.

L.G. Keltner said...

Testing to see if this works.

@LGKeltner from
Writing Off the Edge
Parallels
Warped Nerdiversity
Facebook Page
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page

L.G. Keltner said...

I probably won't use the full thing since I don't want to take up too much room, but it's good to know that I can get it to work! Thanks for the amazing tip!

@LGKeltner from
Writing Off the Edge
Parallels

Holly Jahangiri said...

It's not so much the "room" (most comments fields are wide open when it comes to that - bloggers love conversation on their posts, right?) but the NUMBER Of allowed links. I think many bloggers limit that to just one or two. But - you could keep variations of your signature in notepad, and use different ones according to the customs of the individual bloggers you like.

Holly Jahangiri said...

Also, on most blogs, if you see them ask for your website URL and/or Twitter handle, those will be live links. You could use your links to share other sites you're on - Facebook, maybe. Another blog. You could, conceivably, double the links you get.

Dyanne @ I Want Backsies said...

I did it! I did it!

Dyanne from Backsies Is What There Is Not

Jen said...

Thank you THANK YOU for this! I've always wondered how people did those nifty signatures. I'm so NOT computer literate. Just figured it was more of that techno magic I'm not gifted in. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for the tip!

Stein Castillo from
Opinions, stories, pictures and thoughts…

Unknown said...

@liannekruger from Computare Citus

Unknown said...

Thanks!

Melissa Sugar said...

Just testing
@ Melissa Sugar From
Melissa Sugar Writes

Melissa Sugar said...

From Melissa Sugar @
< a href= "Http://melissasugarwrites.com"> Melissa Sugar Writes < /a >

Melissa Sugar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melissa Sugar said...

Melissa Sugar Writes

Melissa Sugar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Let's see if I did this right.

@Kathleen01930
Meet My Imaginary Friends
#AtoZchallenge

Melissa Sugar said...

Trying again so if I get it right I can save it somewhere.

Melissa Sugar Writes

Melissa Sugar said...

Melissa Sugar Writes