I have been working on this post for a little while, after a request from Cait who wanted to know a few little hints and tricks to spice up her own blog. So here are few simple and easy ways to hack the blog without forking over a pretty penny for designer assistance.

1 Adding an image to a post without having to download it first (careful, be sure the site is something you expect will never change, because technically this is a link. If you’re concerned at all, just download and insert instead) : <img src=”IMAGE URL” alt=”” width=”YOUR SIZE” height=”YOUR SIZE” /> . This will be added to the HTML section of your blog post. This is a great way to incorporate photos without having to download/upload them to your blogging server, which takes up space. The only downside is if that photo somehow disappears from its original source, it will no longer show up in your post either.

2 Keeping images from being “pinned” with Pinterest, add the code <class=”nopin”>  after your image. This may be helpful for certain images like your “signature” or maybe illustrations on your blog header, footer that you don’t want shared. HINT- if you’re using WordPress.com as your host, you will not have access to your HTML of the template. WordPress.org users do, as do Blogger users. Sorry, WordPress.com (hey, I’m in that boat too).

4 Adding a “Blog Author Profile” which is seen at bottom of posts for WordPress users. Just give yourself a profile under USERS –> My Profile. This will automatically show up below your post on most templates. This is a great idea for blogs that are authored by more than one person ( like this one!).

5 Take advantage of the scheduling/draft features of your blogging platform. Create drafts for blog post ideas that you have randomly , put as much detail as you want and then return to it later. Schedule posts ahead of time when you know you’ll be out of town to keep your readers engaged in discussion.

6 WordPress shortcodes – a great way to add some information without coding! One example to add a recipe feature would be to use –[ recipe]– Add your details here and close with —[/recipe]–. It would like something like our post for the most delicious black bean burger.

7 Link  your blog to Facebook and Twitter so that your posts are automatically shared to your wall and feed – this saves you a LOT of time in having to go in individually and share the links. You can find a guide for this setup for WordPress.com here and for Blogger here.

8If you do not post regularly, use your blog’s Facebook or other social media to share your older posts that you liked, or that garnered a lot of attention. Share them again with a new twist or spin, such as “looking for a cake to bake for that Christmas party? This my favorite chocolate cake recipe, and there are SO many ways to make it unique – like adding thin mints between the layers, give it that holiday taste!”

What tips and tricks do you have for blogging? Share them below or comment on Facebook!