Ask-A-Rat

After our blog button contest was finished and the winner was announced, here on the team blog we made that button available for you to grab and use as you see fit. Some of you might be wondering how to do something like that for your shop or blog. Well, at least MollysMuses wondered.

How do I make a button/badge for 

my shop to put on other blogs?

First off, you need to make an image for your button. 11m2 designed and made an amazing button for the Lab Rats. If you have a logo that's a great option, otherwise you can simply use one of your product photos. You'll have to decide on a size as well. Our logo is 200 x 200 which fits great in our wide sidebar, but may not work for everyone. 150 or 125 pixels are also good widths. When you're satisfied with your image, upload it to an image hosting site such as imgur, photobucket, or flickr.

Now for the technical side of things. You will have to create some coding so you can display your image and make the code visible for others to take and add to their site. This article has easy to follow information for doing just that. Follow the instructions there adding in your image and shop urls where directed and you'll have your code and badge set up in no time. 

Getting others to feature and use your badge may be a tricky process. One possibility is to find other shops and blogs that are a similar style to yours, but not competing and offer some cross promotion. You put up their blog button and they put up yours. Another option is the next time you are doing a giveaway or similar promotion, grant extra entries to followers who are willing to put your badge on their blog. These are the two that come to my mind first. Hope this gets you started!

Blog Button Challenge Finalists

All who contributed did an awesome job, but we've narrowed down the choices for voting

Here they are...the top 3 Blog Button Challenge Finalists!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to our top 3

Yarnabees, Squier, and 11m2!!!


Now it's time for YOU, each and every LabRat, to squeek for your favorite!
Voting will begin on September 1 and continue through September 4.

The winner will:

• have their blog button design used on the LabRats Blog
  
• have a long-term link to either their shop or blog in the LabRats Blog Sidebar

Check out the entries below, and then vote for your favorite in the poll at the end!

Presenting.....

Yarnabees



Squier



11m2

Vote for your favorite LabRats Blog Button!!
	Yarnabees
	Squier
	11m2
pollcode.com free polls

Blog Button Contest

Not that kind of button - a blog button! We're bringing the competition back in search of a badge and logo that represents the Lab Rats team. It starts today and you have until the end of the month to get in your entry. Make sure it follows two simple rules:

• Make sure it not only relates to Lab Rats but says "Lab Rats"
• The image should be 200 pixels wide and 150 to 200 pixels tall

It's easy to enter, but only team members can play. Upload your design to a photo hosting site like Flickr or imgur. Heck, use Twitpic if it works for you. Comment here with the link and you're all set. Just like the Treasury Challenge our judges, Rose from SevenSails and Laurie from LauriesCustomCreate, will be selecting the top designs. When the cream of the crop are announced the voting will start. So show us what you've got. Have fun and good luck!