How Do You Type A Copyright Symbol With A New Chromebook?

I spent a good part of the morning trying to answer this, going through horrible articles written by people thinking they were helping but they weren't because they didn't have the answer.

It's not Windows, not HTML, not ASCII, no, it's Unicode. What?

Ask the person who has used Windows all of their lives and they are sure they have the answer! It's 0169 using a Windows keyboard. What Windows keyboard-I have a new Chromebook?!

Of course, everyone wanted to talk about doing it in Google Docs but I wanted to use the symbol anytime and was sure there had to be a keyboard shortcut...but this was an Acer Chromebook 15 with a different keyboard so how do I do it?

I was beginning to miss Windows...but then I saw my answer via a stranger in the Chromebook Forum. It was "a9!" I felt like I had the answer to the Ultimate Question Of Life, The Universe, And Everything. But it wasn't enough...

I found some Chrome extensions with the Unicode characters on them that copied the code/image automatically. Neither one I tried had the copyright symbol. WTF?

Then I looked at my new Chromebook keyboard instructions and found that I could hold Shift/Ctrl and by pressing "u" use a code to get the same types of symbols as a Windows keyboard. 

Then I realized the "u" was for Unicode and found the forum where I found the Unicode for the © symbol. It is a9.

This Is How You Do It

Press shift/ctrl together, hold them down, then press u, then press a, then press 9. When you're finished it says "ua9" but don't stop there! When you press the space bar afterward you'll see © (the copyright symbol.)

To get any other symbols look up the Unicode chart and do the same using the corresponding code. You can look that up yourself. "Okay, Google!"

So I'm sharing my find with you because I know I'm not the only writer with a Chromebook trying to figure this out. I love my new Acer Chromebook 15 and it's great not to have to deal with Windows. Enjoy!

© Keep On Bloggin'!

From Newbie To Maybe

From Newbie To Maybe

When I came here I felt just like every newbie, ignored and vulnerable. Google+ was a place where everyone else had friends but me.

I would put up posts and they would be ignored. If I left a comment it would go answered and ignored. Yet when reading comments all the people around me had people talking to them!

I thought, nobody here likes or understands me. I've been on Google+ a whole week already and nothing is happening and what’s up with the pluses? I want to go back to Facebook.

Bite your tongue!

Everyone feels like this starting Google+ after all it’s new and so are the people. You can't rely on your friends joining you here so instead of throwing in the towel do what I did and go from Newbie to Maybe. People will be circling you in no time.

Creative Commenting Is Key

Start getting used to surfing the public stream and if you see a post you like comment on it. Don't just say; “I like it.” Or “Lol!” That’s not going to do it at first. I found by being funny or creative with what I said in comments I started to get a lot more attention. Keep this up and get good at it. People with the posts and the people who comment on them will notice. With a little work you’ll start to get responses to your comments.

In the meantime people will be starting to circle you. Just because people circle you doesn't mean you have to circle them back. Let that sink in for a second. Circlecount facts will back me on this; some of the people with the most followers on G+ don’t follow anyone!

Start Your Circles Please

You will want to name your first circle and start following people. It's the same as friending someone. Name your first circle and be adding people to it as you go. Add people who like your comments and comment you back. Add people whose posts you want to see everyday. 

If you are commenting like I suggested and posting well you should start to see a little improvement in people paying attention to your posts. It takes time but it does happen and you will be making some neat new friends. 

Your posts won't see a lot of engagement for the first few months so anyone who comments or plusses you should be thanked. Tag them (plus their username) so they get notified of it.

You could have a circle for people you like, one for your kids, one for a communities, the choices are varied and up to you but circles are important because it’s your personal view to Google+ and your entertainment.

Talking To New People

You can’t rely on your friends joining you here on Google Plus and unless you want to crawl back to Facebook or Twitter ashamed of yourself you will buck up and meet new people. It’s easier than you think.

Pick people’s posts or comments that interest you and ask a question about that post. Engage the person you wish to know. If you are honest, friendly and open usually that person will be too. People love funny and clever. If it doesn't work out move on no foul.

You will meet people on posts and in comments. If you join communities you can meet people surrounding a shared interest and have a closer relationship than in public. I suggest you join one and you will get invites. As with following people just because someone invites you to join a community doesn’t mean you have to join.

Don’t Think People Don't See You

This is a social network and people will be watching you. Just because you can't “see” people following you doesn't mean you are invisible. On the contrary, you are constantly being circled, your profile checked and more by cautious plussers who can see everything you write online.

When new you should minimally fill out your profile and always have some sort of profile photo. People hate seeing stock profiles with no photos and you will have a big strike against you right away. People refer to these accounts as "Blue Heads" and avoid them.

Just because you write something to someone else and don't tag anyone the next person can come along and read your whole conversation on a public post. Remember that and use the tag feature instead if it gets personal so you don't say something you regret.

I have had people come up to me and tell me they were observing me react with another person online and it touched them. I was shocked to find out I could be watched that close but remember Google is a search engine first and foremost so people can follow you easily especially if they have you circled.

Important: If you say (write) something stupid and delete it on a public post that person can still read it if they are receiving email notifications so watch what you do and write online it's never invisible.

Posting Popularity

Posting is an important part of Google Plus and gaining followers. Learn from your mistakes (when your posts are poorly received) and post accordingly. I even delete posts that get ignored and it happens! 

People won’t circle you if they don't like your posts it’s what draws them to you. If you argue and pick fights calling it discussions it won't work. Humor is a 2 edged sword depending on what it is and being right is not always might. 

If you really stink and can't pick your own then share the good posts. There are plenty to go around so learn to recognize them and circle the people who share them they can be your best friends and assets. 

Just because one person doesn't have a success with a post doesn't mean you can't. If it's something good repackage it by all means. I've had some of my best trending posts that way.

Thing’s People Like On Posts

• awesome sayings or quotes
• good humor and classic cartoons
• animated Gifs
• good photography, personal pictures or selfies
• animal pictures and cats on #caturday (every Saturday)
• the space program or photos from NASA
• breaking or interesting news
• technical and business news
• anything about Google+
• beefcake for men or women
• movies and TV shows
• informative posts that teach you something
• music or YouTube videos
• recipes or food photos
• car or motorcycle photos
• posts that invite you to engage, like word games
• politeness and kindness

Thing’s People Hate On Posts

• dropping personal links or otherwise in comments
• becoming super friendly too fast
• pushing yourself or selling products constantly on your posts
• having a smart or dirty mouth in comments
• arguing with others on a post especially if it’s not your post
• getting into marathon discussions about something you can never agree on
• going “off topic” on other people’s posts-start your own chat
• constant negative images and words on posts
• pushing your beliefs on others especially religion there’s a time and a place
• racial profiling or bullying
• no profile photo (Blue Heads) or blank profile

There's many more not listed but a big one is killing a conversation on some one's post. Some people put up posts to “chat” with their friends about a subject. They will watch notifications and answer immediately and if they are discussing a recipe (for instance) you don’t talk about how fat you're getting. The conversation is ruined for the person posting because they wanted to talk about eating food and it’s your fault.

If you still have a tough time of it you might want to check into communities. Depending on which one’s you join you have an audience that is looking at one subject instead of many and you can find something you like. If the community is large (over 2000 people) one post can get a lot of attention and pluses. Smaller communities will afford you quicker attention by the members and meeting people so it depends on what you're looking for.

Picking the right people for your circles is important because that is what you will see in your streams on Google+ the most. They are the people you will share with and will entertain you. It’s your own fault if you end up with duds but you can always start over or share circles with others.

I fully believe that you don't need to share circles or be in them to get followers it's a personal choice. Better to get to know people a little first. It’s better to share circles when you're not a newbie anymore and need some stimulation in your stream.

Everyone who starts at Google+ wants instant success and wants a similar experience from whence they came even though they are looking for something different. It's not a "race" to see who can get the most +1's or followers. Slow and steady gets you followers that won't drop you later. Give yourself 2 months practicing these methods and you won't believe how far you will have come.

One thing's for sure instead of fretting about being a Newbie you now have the tools to become a Maybe…and after that anything is possible.

Source: Google+ and my experience as a user with 11.5 K followers. I am the final stage after Maybe; that would be “Got It” and you will too.

Why Plus On Google+

Art by Ron Hicks follow him on G+.

Starting out on Google+ no one seems to like plussing and once learned it's quickly forgotten. I never understood why "Like" and "+1" seem so different since they both convey the same type of information.

But it's not the same if you look closer plussing is a shorthand language and the perfect way to let our friends know what we are up to during the posting day. Google+ uses a notification system to let us know if someone or something is looking for us and it depends on you plussing to have it work.

I've talked about tagging so let's look at it. To tag someone (plus them) is to send them a signal that you have:

• read their comment
• liked their post
• saw what they wrote and agreed
• shared a private post (only between the 2 of you)
• shared content with them
• invite them to a post you want them to see 

Nothing is worse than having a friend waiting for your post and them not getting it. Or you are waiting for something important and it doesn't show up.

People like to blame Google+ for glitching but most of the time one or both sides are not tagging (plussing) correctly. If you forget your post will not be seen unless the person lucks onto it or resorts to looking on your profile for it. If it's more than a few days late good luck finding it.

It's so easy to tag a person when commenting on their post and it makes sure they see your comment right away. Even if they have time to follow their own post they may not see your comment until later. 

Time is a factor when communicating online make sure they see you commented by tagging (plussing) their username before you leave your comment.

To tag someone you type a + followed by their username. After the first few letters, you will see a drop-down menu pop up where you will find their name to select. You have plussed (tagged, pinged, etc.) them successfully.

A name that is tagged correctly looks like this "+Bekkie Sanchez" and I will see it in my notifications right away.

It's always good to show your friends and followers that you enjoy what they post by plussing them. This is where Facebook, Google+ and most social networks are similar. It's all about what works, what's fun and what's going viral all voted on by us.

Using Google+ to your full advantage and learning the shorthand is the smart thing to do. It's a simple system that makes everyone's day easier but it must be put into practice to work. Google+'s notification system and the stream doesn't read minds it depends on our plusses.

(Notifications should be checked constantly during the day the more the better.)

"Google+ is not made up of equal experiences. There are newbies, trolls, regular Joe’s and then there’s the people who know." 

© Bekkie Sanchez

Some Helpful Tips For Blogging Success

I have been blogging for over 10 years, my first website Bekkie In Wonderland (this very website), was started at Windows Live Spaces and later moved to Blogger after Live Spaces ended. My biggest problem was writing posts that engaged my readers' encouraging comments and discussion.

Doing research on popular blogs I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be successful at blogging I needed to do more than just talk about myself and my day. It takes hard work, clever planning, a sense of humor, brilliant writing, and the right moves to become a successful blogger. We can always improve, can’t we?

Remember it's not just what you write either. Do the extra work and make your site something to look at. Make it entertaining and fun. Do some research on using color and movement to engage your readers. Watch what fonts you use for your site what looks good to you might be hard for others to read which would ruin the whole idea of having people read what you have to say.

Most of all, you should have fun with it and look forward to it. If you aren’t enjoying yourself maybe blogging isn’t for you.

Tips For Blogging Success

• Publish Consistently

Daily posts are important! Content should be consistently posted because readers like predictability and will look forward to new posts from you on a daily basis. Figure out a publishing schedule you can live with and stick to it. Once a week or twice a month, whatever your blogging time permits stick to it. You are only as good as your last post.

• Co-Blog with A Partner

Regular posts for blogs can be a hassle for some bloggers to manage solo. If you know you will not have the time to blog yourself, invite a co-worker or a friend who shares the same passion and dedication as you and ask them to co-blog. It keeps your regulars on your website instead of looking elsewhere and a different perspective never hurts.

• Get Your Site On The Search Engines

When you start a blog fifty is a magic number in blogging terms. I don’t know why the number 50 was picked but after 50 posts your website will start to be picked up by the search engines and the page views will begin to increase. The page views will grow exponentially with the increase in search engine queries. The more searches your site shows up in the better. 

• Use Original Photos Or Images

It has been reported that blogs with original photos earned twice the number of page views than those articles with license-free images. Take the time to pick the right images to complement your blog content and your blog will bring even more page views. I find that using animated GIF files grab people's attention immediately.

• Use Keywords In Your Titles And Captions On Photos

Keywords (or labels) help people find your posts through your photos and captions give an extra anchor for readers because humans are naturally visual animals. It’s a little extra work but before you upload a photo for your blog, title each image with a keyword or label. It ensures that the search engines optimize these keywords so your website can be found by either the photos or posts on your blog. Do a search on yourself to see how you’re doing.

• Comment On All Comments

Be social and grateful to your readers that leave comments. Most readers will not respond to blogs, even if they like them. I receive a lot more page views than comments because readers take the information and move on. So when you get a comment respond promptly. Address them by name, add to the discussion and invite them back. Thank them for their time and readership.

• Read And Comment On Other People’s Blogs

Following someone’s blogs isn’t enough. You expect your Followers to read and comment on your blogs so it’s only fair play to visit, read, and comment on your Followers blogs. Do this on a daily basis and they will return the favor.

• Publish An Honest, Complete Profile

When you like a website the first thing you wonder about is who's writing this stuff? Websites introducing some facts about the author's work or life you're Following seem more legit than those with a frivolous profile page. People like to know things like where you’re from, your interests, around what age you are, where you live, etc. Don’t be shy, I can tell you from experience that an honest profile with a real picture of yourself goes a long way.

• Guest Bloggers

Find a blogger that you think is brilliant? You can learn from them by asking them to guest blog on your site. Ask them to write about a certain subject or leave it up to them. Thank them for participating, give them credit and a link back to their website. Guest bloggers can help you with exposure. When you link to that blog, many of their Followers will come to check out your site. Depending on the number of readers they have it’s a great way to boost your page views or find new Followers yourself.

• Be Interesting

Readers want to find fresh, valuable, entertaining and remarkable information. Make an effort to deliver more than just the facts. Make it about your subject matter, not you. It doesn’t hurt to be personal but avid blog readers won’t find blogs that talk about the weather everyday sound that interesting. Just like you, they want some meat on those bones.

• Get Your Point Across

Style, grammar, spelling, layout, all count for nothing if your audience doesn’t get your meaning. Make yourself clear and understood. Watch your spelling and use a friendly font on your posts that's easy to read.

• Hold On To Passion

Keep the fires burning, don’t let your blog subject turn into a chore. It’s important to recognize when you need to scrap a blog too, sometimes they just aren’t good enough to post. Learn the difference.

• Make A Good First Impression

Do new visitors know what your blog is about in under 10 seconds? Can they navigate your website easily? Make sure your blog is set up professionally so that your readers can clearly understand your subject matter and find what they are looking for.

• Build Momentum And Optimize Your Posts

Keep posting daily and take advantage of popular subjects that your readers like. It's not easy to do but pick a writing schedule you can deal with and keep it up. If you tell your readers to expect daily posts about a certain subject in the future and they don't show up that's a bad thing. It takes less effort to keep going than to stop and start again. Your readers are what makes your website popular so do what you can to keep them coming.

• Look Good And Be Unique

Appearances count, in terms of your blog design and your posts. Make your content stand out by using the template designer in the advanced mode and make it your own. Make your color and font choices easy to see and read. Pick great images or better yet supply your own artwork.

• Using Blogs Of Note For Ideas

Look at your Blogger Dashboard for “Blogs Of Note” and check out the blogs there. These blogs are the crème of the crop and have loads of Followers on them. Find the ones that interest you or are similar to your blog and learn from them.

• Monitor Your Stats

Stats tell you the health of your blog and where the traffic is coming from. Keep an eye on your statistics to make sure you are writing content that brings new readers in while keeping your old ones. Your stats will also tell you if your blog strategy is solid or if you need to make some changes.

• Communication Fascination

If you love your subject matter then let your readers know it. If you share your enthusiasm it becomes contagious and makes your readers excited about it too. Give them a reason to want to leave a comment.

• Explore And Experiment

Blogs that make an effort to stretch, to break the mold or provide something unique are the blogs people flock to, chat about, and return to. Be inspired to have your blog under “Blogs Of Note.”

• Poll Your Readers

Run different polls, the results are newsworthy and fun. Have a fixed date for the poll to be finished and blog on the results. Find out what your readers think about the subject you pick. Make your poll fun and interesting so your readers take part in it and want to know the outcome.

• Join Forums

Break out of your blogging bubble. Network by meeting potential readers online, discuss cool subjects and make new friends. You can learn a lot depending on the forum you are taking part in and you may find something awesome to blog about at the same time.

• Get More Experience And Develop Expertise

Do new things, broaden your horizons, practice your writing and stretch your limits. Practice makes perfect. In no time you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t. You will develop a good idea as to what to write about to bring the readers to your website (blog).

• Toot Your Own Horn

You worked hard for it, your blogging success will grow as you do and you’ll have more Followers then you ever imagined. Good for you!

As I've said for years. Keep On Bloggin’!

To Code Or Not To Code

I coded this.

What if you could design and publish HTML websites without writing code or using templates to do so? A website where you can focus on creativity alone to put exactly what you want on your website. Adobe has made this possible with (codename) Muse.

Muse, now in public beta, is for graphic designers that want to design and publish unique, professional HTML websites without worrying how to write code. So far 300,000+ designers have already downloaded Muse and have been very pleased with the results.

Check it out for yourself at the Muse website. First, watch the video called Meet Muse for an introduction to Adobe’s brainchild. On their site, you can also Get Muse to try out and they have video tutorials to watch if you need any help learning how to use it.

To see what can be done without code take a peek at the Muse Site Showcase to see how others are using this program to make fantastic one of a kind websites for themselves.

Right now to design your own website you have to know one of the many programs (besides HTML) to do so. As well as Blogger works when you design your site you still have to work with a choice of already designed templates that they offer and follow Google’s policies.

There have been plenty of times I tried to embed content or applications on my websites and had problems. Wouldn’t it be great to forgo this and put what I want to on my website with nobodies policy but my own? If you have a website or are thinking of starting one then I’m sure you agree.

Keep On Bloggin’!

Improving Your Blog With Gadgets

Blogger has gadgets and widgets to use but what are they and which should I use? Actually, they are the same thing and can do wonders for your website. If familiar with code you can write them yourself.

A Gadget is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user (people using the gadget) without requiring additional compilation. They do many different things. 

They are derived from the idea of code reuse. Other terms used to describe gadgets include widget, badge, module, webjit, capsule, snippet, mini, application, flake and more. Gadgets usually but not always use HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, or Adobe Flash. 

End users primarily use widgets to enhance our personal web experiences or the web experiences of visitors to our personal sites.The use of widgets has proven extremely popular, where users of social media are able to add stand-alone applications to blogs, profiles and community pages for free. Widgets add utility in the same way that an Android smartphone uses applications.

The developers of these widgets often offer them for free which gives them a form of sponsored content where both parties gain. This can pay for the cost of the development.

Blogger can use gadgets from all kinds of websites not just what's listed which is the beauty of using these ‘portable chunks of code’. Because the coding is all very similar I have found gadgets from other websites that I was able to ‘tweak’ to use on my website. (By tweaking I mean changing the code a bit so it does work.) 

If you’re looking for new ideas for Blogger or your website, One Gadget At A Time is the site to read. It explains everything you need to know to use awesome gadgets. You can use just about any of them as long as the ‘embed code’ works. (Sometimes if they don't a few tweaks and you can get it working, the code can be a little different depending on what version of the code required.)

There’s a big difference between some gadgets and others. Compare them and see what I mean. The best place to find the coolest gadgets is by searching online there's so many to use for free. 

You have a Blogger website so why should you have to deal with gadgets? Because gadgets are not only for fun they can give you important information about your website's statistics. These gadgets tell you who’s following you, how many people visit your website, what kind of comments you get, the friends you make and so much more. 

When you have a new website although they're already set up you need to go and install certain gadgets to make it complete. Make your website "pop" by experimenting with movement, looks and colors. Some gadgets help get your point across and convey the "mood" of your website. To be successful you must attract readers and your site is only as good as your last reader.

“If we could only pull out our brains and use only our eyes.” Pablo Picasso

That would hurt like mad Pablo! Lol!

Keep On Bloggin’!