Thursday, May 19, 2011

How to Add a Signature To Posts


How to Add a
Signature to Posts







What You Will Learn

Some bloggers include a pretty signature at the bottom of each of their posts. You can check out Ruby's Reads for a beautiful example. Today you'll learn three different ways to include a signature in your posts.


Let's Do This!

Before We Begin:

First you need to get your signature! A signature is just a picture, so you would use whatever program you usually use to make a picture. I've heard THIS SITE is pretty good and free. You'll also want to make sure you have a place to host the picture for Method 2 and Method 3. Photobucket and TinyPic are both free options.

Here's my example using my awesome Photoshop skills. Try to contain your jealousy: 




Method 1: The Super Easy Way

Because a signature is just a picture, you can add it to your post the same way you would add any other picture. Just go to the picture icon, select the image you want, and insert it.

Click to make larger


Pros:
  • You can choose which posts to include a signature on and which posts you don't want the signature
  • You can customize the alignment in every post
Cons:
  • You have to add the picture manually every time

Method 2: Pretty Easy Way

Go to Settings----> Formatting

Click to make larger

Scroll down until you get to a box labeled Post Template. Paste in this code:

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="Photo URL"/></div>

Where is says "Photo URL" paste in the direct link for your picture (you get this from wherever you hosted your picture: Photobucket, TinyPic, etc). Here's what the code looks like with my photo URL:

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/j67h3r.jpg"/></div>

See where it says center? You can change this to left or right to change the alignment of the picture. Save your changes.

Click to make larger
 

Pros: 
  • Every post you make will automatically have this image in it. 
  • You can easily remove the picture if you decide you don't want it on a particular post.
  • You can change the alignment of the picture from post to post
Cons:
  • Every post you make will have the picture appear in the Compose box, but you need to arrange it's position. It will always default to the top left, so just make sure you type your post before the signature otherwise your signature will appear first. This is an example of what the post box will look like: 
Click to make larger

Method 3: The Slightly More Difficult Way

Go to Design----> Edit HTML and then click the Expand Widget Templates box. At this point you might want to save a backup copy of your code, just in case!

Search (Control-F, F3, your eyeballs, etc) for the following: <data:post.body/>

UNDER <data:post.body/>, paste this code (same code as in Method 2): 

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/j67h3r.jpg"/></div>

Pros: 
  • Will appear in every post
  • You won't see it clogging up your compose box
Cons:
  • You can't remove it from individual posts. It will always be there (unless you remove the code, and then it will be removed from every post).
  • You cannot adjust the alignment. What you set the code to read is what it will be in every post.




I hope that was helpful. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about signatures in the comments.


The form is anonymous, so please don't feel shy at all!

I'm certainly not an expert, but I'll try my hardest to explain what I do know and research what I don't know.

Click here to read previous How To Posts 

23 comments:

  1. Your awesome Photoshop skills are twice as awesome as mine Small! You do not want to see mine on a signature line. It ain't pretty. But I might find someone to make me one. Thanks for the tutorial!

    Heather

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  2. I am very jealous of your photoshop skills :D

    Thanks again for another helpful tip!

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  3. So this where it's hidden. I never bothered to search so thanks for letting me know XD

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  4. Thanks I'm going to try this, this weekend. I've tried doing it before using some other softward, but it didn't turn out right. So hopefully, this will be easy and simple and actually work for me. Thanks again.

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  5. *sigh* Siggys are such a pain in my butt.
    I never get them to be how I want :( But it is fun playing with it.

    Thanks for this post!

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  6. I've been wanting to do this for a while- thank you! It seems like it won't take long and I've already created the signature so I just need to do the code bit and host it on photobucket :)

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  7. I just about died at your Paint signature! It's so cute and funny and amazing. Is it bad that I kind of want that as my signature now? :D

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  8. Wow, this is so helpful! Thanks for the post (even though I already have a signature, I learned a few things).... I also wanted to mention that I'm holding my first giveaway right now. In case your interested!

    http://lulu-bookaddict.blogspot.com/2011/05/very-first-giveaway.html

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  9. Excellent. That was very well explained. I think you draw an excellent heart :-)

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  10. Like always, these tips are super helpful. Method 3 does sound a bit harder but I like that the signature isn't going to be showing up whenever I'm trying to write a post.

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  11. Thanks for stopping by everyone! I’m glad this was helpful :)

    Heather, LOL! I’m sure your skills are at least on par with mine :P That site I linked makes the signatures for you using various fonts, so you don’t have to have any photoshop skills.

    Nic, I know, I know, I am truly gifted with photoshop. :P

    Yiota, You’re welcome!

    Lena, I hope this works for you. If you run into any trouble please feel free to come back and leave a comment here or email me and I’ll see if I can help further.

    Alex, Me too. I look at other people’s signatures and think they’re so pretty but I haven’t found one that feels quite right yet. I like yours though. Your “A” is all swirly and pretty.

    Alyssa, You’re welcome!

    Stephanie, You’re welcome! I’m curious now to see what yours looks like :)

    Missie, I knew I shouldn’t have included that signature. Explosions and near death. It’s downright dangerous! :P

    Logan, It’s totally understandable that you’d covet it. :) But fear not, I’ve made you one now HERE. That blob on the left is a hat (with a feather) and the blob on the right is a magical wand. The dots are magical sparkles. Get ready for skyrocketing follower numbers and droves of onlookers.

    (and, no, I don’t actually expect you to use it!)

    Lulu, You’re so welcome! Thank you for the info on your giveaway. I’ve added it to my contest page for you :)

    Alison, I’m glad you liked the post. Thank you for the compliment on my heart-drawing prowess :P

    A Canadian Girl, Glad it was helpful! Method three is a little harder, but it’s not that hard. It’s more just that it always makes me nervous to mess with my blog code. I’m always afraid I’m going to accidentally mess up the whole thing.

    Angelic Nytmare, I’m so happy you do!

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  12. I not only SCREAMED just now but started giggling like a mad woman while out to eat looking at my special signature! I looooooove it!!!! You just wait. I will totally use it.

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  13. I don't need to use this "How to" post. But it's so nice that you discuss these kinds of things for bloggers! Kudos to you!

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  14. Your posts really are amazing =)
    I did this awhile ago but then it just stopped showing up lol

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  15. Aw, thanks! I can take absolutely no credit for my pretty signature. It was all Emily, my blog designer. But I did approve it, so that has to count for something, right?

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  16. Logan, LOL! I’m so glad you like it! You are the awesomest :D

    Julie, Thank you!

    Books for Company, Thank you! Aw, that’s weird that it stopped showing up. I wonder, maybe it was accidentally deleted or maybe something else is overriding it?

    Rubita, You’re welcome :) I think approval totally counts.

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  17. I love reading your tutorials, haha. Finally I can finish my blog the way I wanted it AND be entertained while doing so!

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