Bloggy Basics: How to Add Social Media Sharing Icons

Recently, I had a bit of excitement here at Rediscovering Domesticity.  As I checked my stats over a few days last week, I realized there was a bit of an anomaly going on.  I was having the same number of visitors in an HOUR that I would previously have in a DAY.  This went on for a few days.

It took awhile, but I figured out what happened - I was Stumbled!  StumbleUpon is a social media outlet that allows for the internet to be surfed a whole new way.  StumbleUpon, Digg, Facebook, Twitter, and many others are ways of staying connected through social media.  This post isn't about each specific outlet.  It's about making it easy for your readers to SHARE what you write!

I posted a few weeks ago about the importance of making it easy for your readers to comment on your blog.  That same principle applies in social sharing.

Blogger has an easy way to set up basic sharing, right from your design board.  First of all, click to go to your design page.  You can get there from your navbar at the top right of your screen.

Now you are in your design pane.  Find the Blog Post box and click to edit.

You will then see a series of check boxes.  Check the box that says "Show Share Buttons."  At the bottom of the screen, you can drag and drop for ideal placement.

Make sure to save your work and view your new element!

If you would like to add other share options, you may choose to use an outside widget source.  I have used BlogPlay for a few months, but just recently noticed it wasn't working correctly.  I just installed ShareThis.   Installation of the basic "Share" button was a breeze.  Adding other buttons is a bit more time consuming and I will cover that in a future post.

1. Go to ShareThis.
2. Scroll down and click on "Get This Button"
3. Click on Blogger
4. Select your blog and add your widget! Drag your widget under the Blog Post in Design.
5. You now have a share button!  When readers click it, they see:

Now your readers can share your work on their favorite social networking site!

What's YOUR favorite site to use for sharing? Let me know in the comments!




This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday because sharing bloggy love works for me!


Want to be a better blogger?  Check out these tips:

• Explanation of Bloggy Basics
• Networking
• Create Your Own Blog Button in 5 Steps
• HTML Code: Center
• Growing Readership in 5 Steps