| Author | |
Martha in VA
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 15 2006
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 496
|
| Posted: Feb 17 2009 at 8:20pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I'm setting up a new blog with more of a family focus and am trying to add some Amazon Associate links with images in my sidebar. I'm using blogger. Is there anyone who has done this successfully who could walk me through it? It's just not working for me.
Thanks!
__________________
Blessed wife & mom to
4dds,miracle son 4/09, 2 in heaven
My Conversion Blog
Our Family Blog
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Feb 18 2009 at 9:50am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I've done it recently, Martha. This is a copy of an email I just sent to a dear friend from here stepping her through. See if it helps you...
Quote:
Somewhere in my Associates preferences, it asked me if I wanted my Associates toolbar at the top of every Amazon page - I said yes...or ok...or something. Anyway, across the top of my Amazon page is a gray toolbar that says in this order...."hide, link to this page, add to astore, your earnings summary, what's new, discussion boards, settings"
So, go to an amazon page of a book you'd like to link on your blog. Now, in another tab or window, open your blog, and in blogger, you'd go to the "add a gadget" section of customize layout and choose "add 3rd party html". Once that window is open head back over to Amazon.
On that Amazon page, up on that gray toolbar click, "link this page". It brings you to a page with some options - choose the aesthetic options you like. I...umm....fiddled here for a long time to find the color code# that matched the background of my blog exactly so the book looks like it's floating. Once I found it I wrote it down so I would be consistent on anything I linked. Anyway, once you're done choosing how your link will look, click "highlight html" and then copy all of the code. Go to that window you left open for blogger, the one waiting for your html code...drop it in and hit save. That's it.
Once you get it down it moves pretty quickly, I really just wish I could figure out how to get that "buy from Amazon" button off there, but it's not an option that I can find. |
|
|
Let me know if you have any questions...though, I *just* figured out how to do it myself. If anyone knows how to get the "buy from Amazon" button off the link, please let me know. I can hide prices (which I haven't done yet on the links on my blog) but there seems to be no way to remove the buy from Amazon link. I suppose that makes sense since you're *supposed* to want to make $$ cash from these links, but all I want to do is link book covers to amazon and this is the best and most simplified work around I've found.
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha in VA
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 15 2006
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 496
|
| Posted: Feb 18 2009 at 10:02am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well, I really don't want the toolbar but I do want images (without text) in my sidebar. That's what I have been unable to do. I can get the images WITH text but i can't seem to figure out how to do link just the images. I don't know which sidebar gadget to use to paste the HTML code into and then I don't know how to get the picture in there.
__________________
Blessed wife & mom to
4dds,miracle son 4/09, 2 in heaven
My Conversion Blog
Our Family Blog
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Feb 18 2009 at 10:15am | IP Logged
|
|
|
The toolbar is only viewable by you, the amazon associate, on your amazon pages.
You can get the image only on your blog, but it was WAY more work than I was willing to do. I think you have to save the image on your computer *and* copy html code to drop into your blog.
I'd love to know if you figure out how to do just images and which gadget you use. I tried to do this in "3rd party html" and only a link was there when I viewed - no image.
I know someone who has only images and the author and title only of books listed on their blogger sidebar...I'll try to email her soon.
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha in VA
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 15 2006
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 496
|
| Posted: Feb 18 2009 at 12:15pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mackfam wrote:
I know someone who has only images and the author and title only of books listed on their blogger sidebar...I'll try to email her soon. |
|
|
Thanks, Jennifer. I keep thinking it shouldn't be this hard?! But no matter which Gadget I try, it just doesn't work. 
__________________
Blessed wife & mom to
4dds,miracle son 4/09, 2 in heaven
My Conversion Blog
Our Family Blog
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
aussieannie
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 21 2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7251
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 6:04am | IP Logged
|
|
|
My trouble too, only recently, so I'll see if I can add with image and text then...
__________________
Under Her Starry Mantle
Spiritual Motherhood for Priests
Blessed with 3 boys & 3 girls!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 9:07am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I DID IT!!!!!!
Ok - ladies...here's what I did.
** I have an Amazon Associates account. I don't know if it's necessary with the instructions I'm about to give, but I did go through my Amazon Associates link page in order to save the image of the book. This would be helpful if you wanted to link to a book without the little "take a look inside" graphic that is sometimes on top of the book. Using Amazon Associates I can save just the image of the book cover. However, I don't think this option I'm about to list will get you an Amazon Associate Link to your blog. For some reason, that won't work for me. It should in theory, but the link isn't working....I'm going to keep trying though. Here's what does work:
1. Find a book/product you want to link - go to that page.
2. On the top of your Amazon page (if you're an Amazon Associate) there is a gray toolbar, click "link to this page".
3. On the link page, choose image only.
4. Now go to the link below the image - it says, "Right click on this link text and choose 'Save target as' to save the product link." - right click, or if you're working from a laptop like I am, ctrl-click that link.
5. Choose where you want to save the image - I save to my desktop so that I can easily drag images to the trash after I'm done linking them.
6. Now...go to your blog and choose "customize layout"
7. On your sidebar choose "add a gadget" and choose "picture"
8. On that little window that opens up, under "Image" choose "From Your Computer" and Click "Browse" until you find the image of your bookcover and choose it.
9. Now, the image is there, but you need to link it back to Amazon --- theoretically, you could go back to your Amazon Associates page, highlight and copy the code, paste it into the link spot and be done. But mine doesn't work when I do that. (still fiddling) So....
10. Navigate back to the page of the book you're linking. Copy the url address.
11. Head back over to your "Configure Image" window for blogger and paste the url address into the link spot.
12. You can add the title of the book if you want in the title spot.
Now, you should have a picture on your sidebar of a book that links back to Amazon. To add a group of books, you'll have to upload them as individual gadgets - that seems annoying...there has to be a better way.
....I'm back and I've been working on this....go to step #9...
9. Try this, it seems to be working for me: Once you've uploaded your image, go back to the Amazon Associates page - the one you've been working from - it says "Customize and Get HTML" at the top of it.
10. Go down to this section: 3. Get HTML Code For This Product Link
11. Copy everything except this tiny part right at the beginning of the code: <a href=. Copy it to the Link section of your "Configure Image" window. So you're link should start with http://www.amazon.com.......... (the code that says "<a href=" is kicking my link back to my blog for some reason, but removing it routes the link to Amazon...it may also remove something important for the Amazon Associates link to be enabled???)
12. Save it.
Suzanne --- I don't know if you're reading this, but you asked me one time about posting book cover pics without those silly "look inside" graphics...this should get you what you want. 
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
RyaneM
Forum Pro
Joined: July 13 2006
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 290
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 9:31am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Your blog looks great Jennifer! I love how the books turned out.
I think i am going to try it. First I have to get a three column layout though. How did you find your layout? I have tried several 3 column templates that I found via a google search but they all seem to make the items in the columns squished right up next to the middle text.
__________________
Ryane in NY
Mama to ds (3/05), ds(1/09) and dd (4/10)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 9:39am | IP Logged
|
|
|
RyaneM wrote:
First I have to get a three column layout though. How did you find your layout? I have tried several 3 column templates that I found via a google search but they all seem to make the items in the columns squished right up next to the middle text.
|
|
|
I have hacked into my code before to add 3 columns, Ryane, but it was a huge pain!!@!!
My 3 column blog is from Michelle at Shabby Creations. I paid her to design/format my blog (well, I chose a pre-made template/design) and I paid for her to add 3 columns to my blog. Best thing I EVER did! Check her out!
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
RyaneM
Forum Pro
Joined: July 13 2006
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 290
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 10:00am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks, Jennifer.
__________________
Ryane in NY
Mama to ds (3/05), ds(1/09) and dd (4/10)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SuzanneG
Forum Moderator
Joined: June 17 2006
Location: Idaho
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5465
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 12:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mackfam wrote:
Suzanne --- I don't know if you're reading this, but you asked me one time about posting book cover pics without those silly "look inside" graphics...this should get you what you want. |
|
|
 Great! "look inside" be-gone! 
__________________
Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha in VA
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 15 2006
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 496
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 7:09pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
RyaneM wrote:
First I have to get a three column layout though. How did you find your layout?
|
|
|
If you use Blogger, there are instructions in the "Help" section for adding a 3rd column. I just did it!
__________________
Blessed wife & mom to
4dds,miracle son 4/09, 2 in heaven
My Conversion Blog
Our Family Blog
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Amazon Associate Links in Blogger??
