Do you like taking pictures, and at the same time wish you had an easy and personalized way to share them online? In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to take advantage of two free services (WordPress.com and Flickr) to start your own photoblog.
Your Goal: An Easy to Use Photoblog
A photoblog or a photo weblog is a blog that features photographs. As an example, take my WordPress.com blog, The Occasional Post, which I use in conjunction with my Flickr photo account. Whenever the mood strikes me, I’m able to browse over to my Flickr account and use the Post to Blog feature to quickly add a new photo to my blog.
Using Post to Blog combined with the convenience of uploading my photos to Flickr means that I’m able to maintain this blog with minimal time and effort. Plus, since it’s free, this type of setup is great for anyone who wants an inexpensive way to keep your family and friends updated via the Internet.
Step 1: Create your WordPress.com and Flickr Accounts
WordPress.com is a blogging community powered by the same software that I use to run this website and virtually all of the websites that I build for my clients. Your WordPress.com blog is where you will be displaying your photos for all the world to see. Creating your own blog at WordPress.com is as easy as registering your name and email, picking a layout and getting started by writing your first post.
Flickr is an online photo management and photo sharing community. Their service provides several easy ways to upload and share your photos. Creating your own Flickr account is also free and easy. (As Flickr is owned by Yahoo!, you will need to use a free Yahoo! ID during sign-up.)
Step 2: Add Your WordPress.com Blog to Your Flickr Account
Adding your WordPress.com blog to your Flickr account makes it easy to post photos to your blog. When you add your blog to your account, any time you browse to a photo in your Flickr account, a “Blog This” button will be listed above the photo. Clicking on the button reveals a drop down that lets you select from any blogs you’ve added to your account. Selecting a blog, takes you to a page where you can add a title and any text you want before you click “Post Entry” to send it to your blog.
Follow these steps to add your WordPress.com blog to your Flickr account:
- In your Flickr account, select You > Your Account.
- Once you are in the Your Account section, select the Extending Flickr tab.
- Under the Extending Flickr tab, there will be a section called Your Blogs. Click edit or Add a blog.
- Next choose WordPress blog and follow the instructions to finish adding your blog.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve got your WordPress.com blog added to your Flickr account, you’re ready to launch your successful foray into photoblogging. These two easy-to-use free services make it a cinch for anyone to start showcasing their photographic skills online.
If you have further questions or if you’ve found this helpful, please be sure to leave a comment below. Plus, be sure to check back next week for part two of this series called Develop Your Photoblog Workflow where I’ll share tips on how to add some efficiency to your photo offload and uploading process.