The right hand side bar of WildlifeDirect blogs is composed of Widgets.

We have already set one widget on all the blogs, the donations widget. You can change your sidebar and move, add or delete different items content (but please don’t delete the donations widget). I’ve adapted this information from Wordpress

First log in to word press using your username and password – http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/wp-login

Once you have logged in go to → Presentation  → Widgets

The Widgets SubPanel allows you to manage and configure widgets. Widget are drag-and-drop elements (if you like–gadgets or gizmos) that allow you to add various pieces of information to your theme’s sidebar content.

Widgets, for example, can be used to add Categories, Archives, Blogroll, Recent Posts, and Recent Comments to your sidebar.

You will see what widgets are available in the Available Widget box. Available Widgets This area displays one box for each of the widgets that has not been dragged to the Sidebar box above.

To drag a widget to the Sidebar, hover your mouse pointer over the widget, click and hold the mouse button (usually the left button), drag the widget to the Sidebar 1 box above, and release the mouse button.

Reverse the process to delete a widget from the Sidebar.

Archives - displays archive links for each month that has posts.

Title — description that appears over the list of archive links.

Show post counts — if checked, this box causes a count of the number of posts for each archive period.

Display as a drop down — if checked, this box causes the archives to be displayed in a drop-down box.

Calendar - displays a calendar of the current month. Dates appear links if there are posts for that day. •

Title — description that appears over the calendar

Categories - displays a list of post categories as links to those posts. •

Title — description that appears over the list of categories.

Show as dropdown — if checked, this box causes the categories to be displayed in a dropdown box. •

Show post counts — if checked, this box causes the count of the number of posts to display with each category. •

Show hierarchy — if checked, shows parent/child relationships in an indented manner.

Links - displays list of links (blogroll) separated by category. (Blogroll includes all your permanent links (eg. To your website or to other blogs you want to highlight. To decide on what goes into your blogroll enter this in the Blogroll menu bar which is on the main menu just before Presentation).

Recent Comments - displays a list of the blog’s most recent approved comments.

Title — description that appears over the list of recent comments.

Number of comments to show: (at most 15); enter the number of comments to be displayed.

Recent Posts - displays list of the blog’s most recent posts.

Title — description that appears over the list of recent posts.

Number of posts to show: (at most 15) — enter the number of posts to display.

RSS 1 - displays an RSS Feed. Using RSS Widgets lists several feeds to use with this widget.

Enter the RSS feed URL here — enter a complete feed URL, e.g. http://wordpress.org/development/feed/

Give the feed a title (optional) — enter a description that appears over the list of feed items

How many items would you like to display — enter the number of items from the feed you want displayed.

Search - displays a Search box to enter text to search your blog. A submit button is also provided. •

Tag Cloud - displays list of the blog’s tags is a tag cloud.

Title — description that appears over the tag cloud.

Text 1 - used to enter HTML, Javascript, or just plain text. Using Text Widgets details a number of possible uses for text widgets.

Title area — a description of the text widget

Text area — use this area to enter text, valid HTML, or even valid Javascript.

You can also insert a picture or logo here

Meta - displays links to meta functions such as Site Admin, Login/out, Entries RSS, Comments RSS, and WordPress.org.

Title — description that appears over the list of meta links. Pages –displays a link to each Page. (you currently have only one page)

Title — description that appears over the list of pages.

Sort by — select the order to sort the list of pages. Choose Page Title, Page Order, or Page ID from pulldown box (this was added at 2.2.1)

Exclude (Page IDs, separated by commas) — enter the Page ID(s) to exclude, separating each Page ID with a commaa (this was added at 2.2.1)

Save Changes Click this button to ensure that any changes you have made to your Widgets get saved. Once you click on the button, a confirmation text box will appear at the top of the page telling you that your Sidebar has been updated.

Sidebar Arrangement - Dragging and Dropping Widgets Widgets must first be dragged-and-dropped from the Available Widgets box to the Sidebar 1 box. To place a widget in the Sidebar 1 box, hover your mouse pointer over the desired widget, click and hold the mouse button (usually the left button), drag the widget into the Sidebar 1 box above, and release the mouse button.

To delete a widget from the Sidebar, drag-and-drop the widget from the Sidebar 1 box to the Available Widgets Box. The order, or arrangement, of the widgets can be changed by simply dragging-and-dropping the widget to where it should display.

You can move any widget to any position within the Sidebar box. The order of the widgets in the Sidebar box is the order those widgets will be displayed in the blog’s sidebar. Don’t forget to click the Save Changes button below the Available Widgets box to save changes you’ve made.

Click View site to quickly examine how it looks without having to log out. Configuring Widgets Once a widget is within the Sidebar box, that widget can be configured with more specific information.

If a widget can be configured, a configuration icon appears on the right side of each widget box (it looks like a little page inside the widget box). Clicking on the configuration icon causes the configuration window for that widget to open. Once the window is opened, make the changes appropriate for that widget, then click on the X at the top right of the window to close the configuration window.

Don’t forget to click the Save Changes button below the Available Widgets box to save changes you’ve made. Here’s a description of the various types of widget along with their configuration options:

Below the widget box are some additional options

Categories Widgets How many category widgets would you like?

[X] Use the pulldown box to determine the number of category widgets you want available in the Available Widgets box. Click on the Save button and that number of widgets will be made available for assignment. The minimum number of Category Widgets is 1 and a maximum of 9.

Text Widgets How many text widgets would you like?

[X] Use the pulldown box to determine the number of text widgets you want available in the Available Widgets box. Click on the Save button and that number of widgets will be made available for assignment. The minimum number of Text Widgets is 1 and a maximum of 9.

RSS Feed Widgets How many RSS widgets would you like?

[X] Use the pulldown box to determine the number of RSS widgets you want available in the Available Widgets box. Click on the Save button and that number of widgets will be made available for assignment. The minimum number of RSS Widgets is 1 and a maximum of 9.

By the end of this post you should know just how important linking is.

A link is a way that you can connect your blog to say ‘hey this is important and relevant’. It’s  a vote of confidence in that post. It’s one important way of creating a conversation. Links also influences the popularity of the blog you are linking to so you want to link in a way that drives links back to you. There are only 2 rules you ABSOLUTELY MUST follow.

1. Use links in every post (a few not hundreds!)

2. Make sure that links are truly relevant because Technorati tracks the number of links and the unique source of links to determine the breadth and readership of any author or site. Technorati monitors the ongoing conversation – who is linking to whom and which bloggers are commanding attention on various topics. You can monitor your ranking on Technorati very easily by just entering your blog URL in the search window.

You need to know about the difference between “inbound links” and “outbound links” Inbound links refer to hyperlinks from other sources citing your blog (these are valuable). Outbound links refer to hyperlinks from your blog to outside sources.

 A successful blog needs links from other quality sites, for several reasons. The first is to direct traffic: people will click from those sites to yours. The second is for better search engine ranking: when the search engines notice that other sites have linked to yours, that increases your site’s importance.

So do whatever you can to get links from other good blogs, particularly those on a related topic. It’s most valuable when you collect new links over weeks or even months. This steady flow of new links is not only easy for you to manage but the search engines will also see it as more natural. Excessive links can lead to penalties from the search engines (such as being de-listed) or can simply cause your blog to look like a flash in the pan that’s unworthy of long-term visibility.

If you want people to find your blog, you will need it to appear in search engines. For those with WildlifeDirect.org blogs ,search engine optimization (SEO) is handled by WildlifeDirect through Google.

A key to generating traffic is to have your site appear high up in search engine results for relevant searches. Ideally, this means appearing on the first page of search results, but showing up in the first three pages is pretty good. (Most searchers don’t venture past Page 3 of search results.)

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the art of getting your site noticed by search engines so it is listed more frequently and ranked higher in “organic” (unpaid) search results. When users search for “lions” for example, you want them to quickly find your site on the subject of lions conservation.

The most important part of SEO are keyword phrases. Choosing a keyword phrase for each page on your blog is an essential part of SEO. Before you start writing a blog entry, think about what you’re going to be writing about. Then think about what you would type into a search engine to find what you’ll be writing about. While you’re writing your blog entry, make sure to include the search phrase in your entry, several times at least. Use the same keyword phrase in the title of the page and at lease twice in the first paragraph.

Use these keywords in your title and enter them into the ‘tags’ section. Use keywords and phrases that refer to your post – they should be words or phrases that people may use to search for your blog entry.

I’ve just discovered this amazing bloggers hand book written by the reporters without borders on the Kabissa site.

Bloggers are a weird community of people but the statistics show that we can’t ignore them. More than 15% of Americans are blogging or reading blogs, - in South Korea 40% of the population has a personal blog!

So, we have no choice to make a difference in wildlife conservation we have to blog. The more that I have gone into it, the more I realize that there are some unstated rules that govern blogging etiquette… here’s a few things you should be aware of or risk being an blog outcast

1. Get personal and bare it all Effective blogs require a certain amount of frankness. It’s exciting to hear and feel emotions, to hear strong opinions, and to hear a different perspective. But its boring when your opinion is middle of the fence, or when you talk in third person. Always be honest about who is writing – don’t mislead your readers, EVER.

2. Update regularly and frequently Your content will get stale unless you refresh the blog at least two to three times a week, if not more often. Tell your story in bits so that we are drawn in and forced to log in and read the next stage in some unfolding drama.

3. Interact with your community Find ways to encourage visitors to post comments and join the conversation. Thank your readers, listen to opinions and answer questions.

4. Don’t be offended by comments Sometimes comments can be a bit nasty – an inspired reaction is indeed a good indicator of how good your blog is. But hold back, don’t get offensive at any point just enjoy the conversation and wait for things to cool down. It always does….

You’ll find more interesting and useful tips on blogging etiquette here and here and here

If I told you that your blog is a personal diary then I lied. Your conservation blog is so much more than just a diary, it’s a conversation between you and your readers who you want to become supporters. They must not just read your posts, but to feel compelled to take action. It could be in the form of a comment on the post, which is nice, or preferably in the form of a whopping great donation. Yes! Always keep this goal in mind while you develop your conservation blog.

I’m no expert, but I hope that these tips below help everyone, from beginners to the experienced conservation bloggers, and especially the fatigued. Use these tips to get started - or re-started, to energize your blog posts and drive up traffic and donations. To see what I mean in full colour go to one of my all time favourite blogs which is written by an American retired conservationists, Chris Wemmer who describes his personal adventures in the American wilderness in Camera trap codger
HEADLINE MAGIC

Did you know that 8 out of 10 people read the headline, but only 2 out of 10 go further and read the actual blog post?

To get the reader beyond your title you first need a magnetic headline

“Your headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader. Without a headline or post title that turns a browser into a reader, the rest of your words may as well not even exist.

But a headline can do more than simply grab attention. A great headline can also communicate a full message to its intended audience, and it absolutely must lure the reader into your body text.

At its essence, a compelling headline must promise some kind of benefit or reward for the reader, in trade for the valuable time it takes to read more.”

by Brian Clark

To hook the reader on your title use key words and phrases that get normal people, not just conservationists and donors excited like “Five reasons why gorillas wont survive”, or “Confessions of a poacher”, “secrets of our wild dogs”, “Why I hate scorpions”, “Encounter with a lion” and of course your typical campaign titles eg. “One thousand dollars will save a rhino”Grab attention with an interesting headline - check out Right name for a Spitter)

Raise alarm responsibly! - check Distubing news from Lodja

And above all, be honest - read Safe haven for congo’s orphaned chimps

Are you hooked yet? To read more about headlines go here

I’ve started this blog to share a resource of conservation tools that I know can make a difference anywhere in the world. I’m starting with the opportunity conservationists need to grap onto with two hands - blogs.

Most conservationists I know have a mental block about the internet, websites and all things technical including blogs. I want to demystify blogs and wake you all up to the fact that blogs can be your best friends in conservation.

A blog is also known as a weblog which sounds complicated but it’s just an online diary and guestbook.

A personal blog is your best friend because although it is the fastest growing new activity on the internet, you can do it and be part of it without any training - from today! Blogging is the ultimate in free speech, it allows everyone to share their thoughts – about everything and anything.

It’s true, absolutely anyone can start a blog! There are millions of them out there already and growing by the millions every day about all manner of topics – especially politics. I specialize in wildlife conservation blogs which are under represented, especially in Africa, Asia and south America. But this is about to turn around…

WildlifeDirect pioneered the use of blogs for conservation community building to raise awareness and much needed funds. Through the Wildlifedirect.org blog hosting platform there is a large community of field based conservationists in some of the most remote corners of the wilderness who are using blogs to inform the world about their lives in the field, to raise global awareness, to involve the community of readers, to solicit help, and to share and learn. A community of supporters on Wildlifedirect.org are starting their own blogs to support specific projects - these are campaign blogs. This has been so successful that some projects have raised significant funds through their blogs.

If you are a conservationist, here are Six reasons why you should start a blog

1. A blog will allow you to express yourself and raise awareness about things that are important to you and the world, as they happen. Blogs are current and if you post articles as thing happen you could boost your reputation as an expert in your field and generate tremendous media interest. Two rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo now run one of the most well known conservation blogs raising significant awareness and funds for Gorilla protection in the Virunga National Park.

2. Blogs enables you to establish relevant networks and stay in touch with people who care and are willing to help. A blog allows you to keep communication lines open with so that you can always interact with readers and supporters. It also helps nurture trust in you as an individual. Another blog, manioc valley from the Congo written by the Wildlifedirect team has drawn attention to the plight of internally displaced people, schools, a hospital, and the domestic energy crisis there. This has led to a campaigner starting a companion blog called ending charcoal to explore alternative energy in Africa and to raise funds for implementation.

3. It’s a great way of generating knowledge through sharing and getting regular feedback. Readers can comment on what you have posted and leave you information, advice, criticisms, and links to resources that you need. Joyce Poole and Petter Granli ’s blog, Elephant Voices shares information on research in elephant communication and how this is relevant to conservation policy.

4. Even an idiot can blog – it’s easy, it’s free and it’s is not labour intensive. You don’t need any computer programming knowledge. Posting once every two days is enough – this takes only a few minutes. I know this first hand because I’m an idiot and I have a blog! Wildlifedirects blog community includes NGO’s, individuals, international organizations, scientists, explorers, fund raisers, Maasai warriors, community organizations and even government rangers. Blogging can be done anywhere so long as there is network. Bloggers can post using computers or telephones from virtually anywhere on this beautiful planet, including the middle of the rainforest in the Congo.

5. It is a FANTASTIC way to promote your cause, project, NGO or website. Blogs can be linked to all these which will drive traffic to your other sites. It may be your most cost effective means of advertising your organization. Check out how it has been used to draw attention to the Mara Conservancy to raise funds to overcome a crisis in the Masai Mara. Also see

6. Blogging WILL make a difference in conservation. By talking, informing, sharing and participating in networks bloggers from all over the world are equally empowered to have a voice, and have access to a global community of environmentally conscious supporters. Rangers, scientists, conservationists, teachers, students, community workers, volunteers … can all have a say through blogs. Balemba in the Congo uses the Rumangabo Youth Alliance blog to network with schools around the world, and give his sporting event a global audience.

In addition, WildlifeDirect offers a bunch of freebies to help conservationists raise money so that they can get on with what matters - saving the wildlife. This includes free technical support, marketing support, media support and financial support. Not just any old financial support like all those other NGO’s that help you raise funds, we’re talking funds transferred for free (donations are transferred net only of bank transfer fees). That means WildlifeDirect takes nothing from donors, that’s Zero, Nada, Zilch… and yes, when you put your funds through the big conservation orgs you WILL feel a big ‘ouch’ - up to 40% of your money can be deducted for ‘overheads’ so WildlifeDirect is pretty extraordinary.

If you are convinced then you will want to start a conservation blog with WildlifeDirect immediately! Just write to me! paula@wildlifedirect.org