Bloggers sometimes fear posting or re-posting content from other sources on their blog. A successful blogger will not want to solely post information from other sources on their blog without any original postings. However, it is perfectly acceptable for you to put these types of postings on a blog from time to time.

If you are going to re-post content that appears elsewhere online you want to make sure you give proper credit to the original source. You should also introduce the posting with your own words or give some other commentary on the posting.

Every blogger will need to decide on their own when they need to provide a source and when they do not. Typically, if you are going to copy content directly from another source (without paraphrasing) you should give proper reference.

Your followers will appreciate the fact that you are alerting them to content that they may find interesting and it will avoid someone reading a story on your blog that they read previously and wonder why you did not credit the original source.

Videos & Images

Videos and images can be added to your blog even if you are not the creator of the image or video. If you obtain the content from sources like YouTube and Flickr you can safely add the videos or images to your blog. If you think the original poster of the content is in violation of any copyright laws then you should avoid adding the content to your site.

You can contact video sources directly and ask them for permission to post a video clip on your blog.

Some bloggers rather beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission. That is a judgment call a blogger will need to make directly. For the most part if you posted a video or image that you should not have posted you will be requested to remove it and you should immediately remove it.

Bottom Line about Non-Original Content

The bottom line is that you can add non-original content to your blog when appropriate. Make sure you give proper citations and are not in violation of any copyright laws. If the content is created by and posted by the creator on a site like YouTube or Flickr you should have no problem adding it to your blog.

Be careful but do not be afraid to add non-original content to your blog when you deem appropriate.

Using Video on Your Blog

Using video on your blog is a good way to keep it interesting. You can both inform and entertain your blog followers by incorporating video onto your blog. It is important to keep some basic rules in mind in order to make it effective.

Video Hosting

Some blogs allow you to post video directly on your blog by first uploading the file to the blog’s server. The file will then be embedded in your posting so your readers can click on the video and watch it.

You can also host videos on YouTube. This is a very common practice and is perfectly acceptable. Basically you want to create a YouTube account that will be used for all the videos you want to use on your blog.

The major blogs have an easy process for adding a YouTube video to a blog posting. Typically all you need to do is copy and paste the URL of the video into the blog posting editor. Some specifically have an icon you can use to add a YouTube video to a posting with just a couple of clicks of your mouse.

Video – What is Appropriate?

Your goal is not to add video for the sake of adding video. You want to make sure the videos you choose make sense for your blog. They should appeal to your target market and be relevant based on the content you typically put on your blog.

It is perfectly acceptable to add YouTube videos created by and posted by other people. You can credit the source though there is typically no specific need to.

If you are going to add other people’s videos to your site you want to watch them carefully and make sure there is nothing inappropriate in the video. Watch it several times to make sure. You do not want to be embarrassed by having video on your site that has something inappropriate in it.

Video – How Many is Too Many?

There is really no definitive number of videos that can be considered too many. It will depend on your blog and the videos you are adding. Short video clips tend to be better than longer clips.

A good rule of thumb is to only add one or two videos per posting. More than that can become confusing or cumbersome.

Go ahead and experiment with video on your blog and see how your followers react.

The Use of Images on Your Blog

The use of images on a blog is a good way to add more interest and impact to your postings. The right image can highlight a point or make a point all on its own. A picture is certainly worth a thousand words. It is perfectly appropriate to add one or more pictures to any and every blog posting.

When Images are a Must

There are some times that images are a must to add to your blog. If you are blogging about a particular person, place or thing an image is a must. For example, if you are talking about a new car model on the market you should have one or more images of the model with the posting.

You do not want to leave your followers disappointed that they are unable to see what you are talking about.

How to Get Images

You can find images online. You need to check and make sure you can use the images on your blog without there being a copyright infringement. Give the sources of the image or images when you post them as well.

A Google image search or a Flickr image search should help you find images for just about anything you are blogging about. You can also use drawings, cartoons and other images to highlight a point.

Size and Placement

If you are adding images to your blog you want to make sure they are sufficient size to convey what you are intending to convey. Typically a blog posting will contain a thumbnail or smaller size of the image that appears embedded in the posting. When someone clicks on the image it should increase to its fullest size to show greater detail.

Images can be put in various places within a blog posting. For the most impact you want to consider putting the image in the top right corner of the blog posting. Centered on the bottom of your posting is another good option for an image.

The Bottom Line About Images

The bottom line is you should try to use images to convey a point or emphasize a point on your blog. Images make a blog more appealing while adding greater impact. Make sure the images you use are appropriate for your readers and that you have permission to post them on your blog. Follow these guidelines and add some images to your blog.

Author Bio: Learn how to work at home today. Visit Brian’s website, http://www.HomebasedBlogging.com and learn how you can make money from blogging, freelance writing, and work-at-home business opportunities.

Category: Writing
Keywords: blogging, work at home, make money online, freelance writing, social media, blogger