Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Embedding audio files into blogger...

It's maybe not the easiest thing to do in the world, but you can embed audio files into Blogger. Here's what you need to do:
  1. First, get your MP3 file ready (using Audacity, for instance). Put it somewhere easy to find, like on your desktop.
  2. Start a blog entry, and copy this bit of code into it:



  3. Now, you'll need to find a place to host your sound file. There are tons of options out there, but two are user-friendly and trustworthy: Google Pages or Microsoft Sky Drive. Both are free, both offer lots of server space, and both are easy to sign up for. It took me, maybe, 30 seconds. (If you use Sky Drive, make sure to put files that you want to make available on the blog in the "Public" folder. The Google Pages -- Site Manager, right-hand side, "upload stuff.")
  4. Upload the file, following the directions provided on either site. It's just like attaching a file to an email.
  5. Locate the file on the server (on Sky Drive or Google Pages). Right-click with your mouse, and copy the http address of the actual file ("copy link location"). This part is tricky: make sure that you are copying the address that launches the file (either as a download or in a player, depending on how your browser's configured). You don't want the page that contains the file -- you want the file itself.
  6. You now have the address to the sound file in your computer's paste memory. Go back to the blog entry you've started, and in the code that you pasted a second ago, find the part where it says [MP3 file address]. Replace that phrase with the location of your file (paste it into the code). (Get rid of the brackets around that phrase, too.)
  7. What you'll get is a simple, no-frills player. Push the button, and play!

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