A picture is worth a thousand words and it certainly enhances a blog. Pictures get attention and help illustrate a point. Sometimes pictures have no point, but then some blogs are pointless too! :)
Before adding a picture, you need to know if it is protected by copyright. If it doesn't belong to you, you can but the rights to use it, or you can use your own photo. Using a photo that does not belong to you is stealing, plain and simple.
Where can you find pictures to purchase?
Doing a Google search for "royalty free photos" will yield many sources for photos. Please note, just because the photo is "royalty free" doesn't mean it is free. You will need to pay for the photo. You can buy a catalog of real estate photos, or a single photo. I like using
IStockphoto
Stock.xching
Corbis
Most of the time, I prefer to use my own photos of sites in and around Denver, Colorado. I take tons of photos and have a collection of pictures from many places. So when possible I use my own stock. You can do the same.
Instructions for uploading Photos
I keep my photos on my hard drive in a folder called, "MY Pictures" Within that folder I have additional subfolders named after what ever the photo is about. When I use a photo in my Blog, I keep that photo in a folder named "blog pics" just so I can easily find it.
Once you have written your blog, you can add a photo. While in the blog composition box, you click on the tool bar at the top.
After clicking on the "picture of a tree" another dialog box will appear. It looks like this:
The red arrow above shows where you need to click, It will bring up a "search box" that looks like this:
The next step; click on the "Browse" button. Now you need to know where the photo is on your computer. Surf to the proper file.
My photo file looks like this:
When you find your photo, click on it. The file will then load into the "File Name" box. Click "open"
The picture file is then loaded into the "Upload box" that looks like this:
Once you click on the "Upload Photo" box, the next box you will see will be one that requires you to adjust the photo's attributes for positioning on the page. You will also give the photo a description (to aid impaired viewers & a title) Be sure to pay attention to BOTH tabs at the top. See the illustration below.
The Appearance tab looks like this:
The second tab is very important for placing your photo on the page. If you don't give the proper instructions, you end up with a mess.
Once this section is complete, click INSERT. In a few seconds (be patient) your photo will appear on your blog. If it doesn't work, keep practicing. Usually if it fails it's a user error. I know about that, trust me! :)
I can only imagine the amount of time you must've taken to put this blog post together considering all the photos and detailed instructions... but what I find even more amazing is that you did not get a gold star for it! It's more than well-deserved. They may not have awarded you an official one, but here's one from me!
Kristal,
Michelle Minch, Moving Mountains Design & Staging, Pasadena, CA
Hi Kristal, I'm definitely a big fan of pictures in blogs... that is, afterall, how you found your dream house in Wenatchee!