BLOGGING CAN BE TAXING

DESIGNING A BLOG CAN BE AS TAXING AS TAX PREPARATION

Here are some of the problems I’ve run into in getting this blog up and running:

Adding Site Meter
I had a lot of trouble adding the ‘site meter.’ Which tells me how many people have viewed the blog. Finally I had my daughter log in using my ID, etc. and set it up.

Changing Print Colors
At first I typed directly in the section for posting to the blog. Later I decided to type things into Word, then copy and paste them. This created a problem. Suddenly I couldn’t get things to print in red or blue, only black. The solution: I had to make sure to click a tab that said “compose” then I could copy and paste, then change colors.

Inserting Links:
It was a difficult job to make a link work when I typed in www.xyz.com in a message and I copied and pasted it unless I was in the compose mode. Selecting 'compose' was the solution

Adding the “Add to Google” button:
This is fairly simple and is covered in “Betablogger for dummies” but I began to suspect that I was a level below a ‘dummy.’ Finally, after trying to copy and paste the button, I went back and re-read the instructions. All I had to do is copy the HTML and paste it in the HTML portion of the blog layout. At first I had tried posting it elsewhere unsuccessfully. But as soon as I posted it in the HTML section, the button showed up.
Hopefully if anyone wants to add my blog to their Google Reader or Google Home page, they can do so by clicking the "Add to Google" button.






Adding the Subscribe thru Bloglines Button
Somehow I managed to get this one on the blog with no difficulty. The problem I discovered was that when you read the blog on Bloglines, it omits all but the text of the blog. So I added the message below to a word page that I use to set up new blog postings.:
If you accessed this Blog thru BLOGLINES, click: http://wwwtaxman.blogspot.com which will contain additional information, prior postings and linkage to IRS and other sites.

Directing reader attention to IRS.
The blogs I write are intended to give the reader a general idea of various aspects of the topics discussed, I thought it would be best if someone was actually dealing with the topic on his/her own tax return, they should go a step further and read the more detailed instructions from the IRS. Although I have a link to the IRS web site in the ‘Links’ section of my blog, I thought each message should also include the link so I added:
After you read this if you need further, more detailed information see IRS Forms and Publications at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html

Adding a disclaimer:
After reading my blog, someone might think it was something other than I intend it to be, so I’ve added a more-or-less standard disclaimer I’ve seen in messages from other CPAs.
This information is not intended to be advice to the recipient.In compliance with Treasury Department Circular 230, unless stated to the contrary, any Federal Tax advice contained in this Blog was not intended or written to be used and cannot be used for the purposes of avoiding penalties.