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No-cost Resources to Dress Up Your Blog

By Carla Chadwick of WordPlayBlog

In November, ProBlogger.net ran an article about using images in posts. Some of the people who commented remarked that they won’t even read a post if it doesn’t have an image in it. I don’t know about that, but I do know that images can help draw in readers — especially Stumblers who are often passing through quickly.

But where do you find images that are of good quality, won’t give you copyright problems and are completely free? The following resources fit all those requirements, plus they’ve passed my personal test for inclusion: their sites weren’t annoying to navigate.

Clip art
Although you have to exercise good taste when using clip art, using these resources can be a great way to bring color to your post or illustrate a point. Beware of being too corny, but at the same time, don’t be afraid to express your sense of  humor. Sometimes it’s a fine line. When in doubt about using a piece of clip art, remember that images stick in people’s heads, which can work for or against you.

Photography
This resource is amazing. Because such a wide variety of international photographers make their work available on this site, it’s a free collection that’s second-to-none. It has a simple search feature that makes it easy to find photos illustrating just about any concept.

Cartoons
I don’t advocate frivolous posting (translation: posting when you have nothing substantive to say), but sometimes you just want to make your readers laugh. I found four cartoonists who can help you do that. Some offer a free daily cartoon, which can add ongoing value to your blog. Others have no-cost cartoons that are available individually, so you can choose a cartoon to match your topic.

Quotations
You know how it is; some days you feel smarter than others. If you’re not feeling up to your usual sparkling creative level, you can just borrow some juice from someone else. These quotation resources can help you access the words of some of the greatest minds in history. And although they’re not images, you could make a great quote into an image if you wanted to. You could also use one for inspiration for a new post or to illustrate a point you already want to make. Either way, these quotations are free. They’re also fun to look through.

Happy hunting!

Last 5 posts by Aaron at FullTiltBlogging

• Social Networking Resources for New Bloggers - December 18th, 2007
• Calling All Word Manglers! - November 28th, 2007
• Update: Hero Mark Spradley gets his $25,000! - November 19th, 2007
• Odd news: mooning over a pair of pants - November 19th, 2007
• The Office TV show: which is better, American or British? - November 14th, 2007

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