How to Make Your Own "Add Me" Buttons
"Add Me" buttons are graphic or form buttons that let people add you as a friend on their social networking accounts. You can use free buttons available on the Web, or you can make your own. Custom-made "Add Me" buttons are a nice way to personalize your profile in MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites.
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Things You'll Need
- Image-editing software (e.g., GIMP, Photoshop, Photo-Paint or Paint Shop Pro)
- Image-hosting server
- Social networking account
Instructions
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Create a graphic button using your image-editing software. Start with a small blank file. Add a background color and text such as "Add Me" or "Connect to Me." Make sure the colors and fonts you choose will match your profile page or web page where you wish to add the button. Save the original file in a format that supports layers to keep the text in its own layer. Do not combine the text with the background in the original. Save a copy of the button as a JPEG file and combine the objects in the latter. If you don't know how to start from scratch, you can use an existing graphic file.
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Upload your graphic button online. Open an account at a photo album site like Photobucket or Flckr. Upload the JPEG copy of your "Add Me" button to your album. Get the button's web address once you have uploaded it. It should be a direct URL such as http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/xxxx/userpics/P0000.jpg.
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Get your social networking identification number. This is usually a unique ID number used for adding friends. Log in to your account to access this ID number. Depending on the type of social networking site it is, you may need to take different steps to find your ID. For example, in Facebook, right-click on your profile photo and copy the long series of numbers at the end of the link, which may look like: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10000023456. In MySpace, copy the number by right-clicking on "My Profile" under the "Profile" tab. You can also access it directly through your profile address, such as www.myspace.com/1234567 if you don't have a custom MySpace URL.
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Find the code for adding a friend in your social networking site. You can find this by looking up another user's profile and copying the "Add as a friend" link. Replace the other person's user ID with your own.
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Combine the "Add Me" button with the link. Use an HTML code for embedding a hyperlink in an image. Don't forget to change the user ID number to your own. In MySpace, the code may look like this: <a href="http://friends.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=invite.addfriend_verify&friendId=1234567890"><img src="http://photobucket.com/mypictures/addme.jpg" /></a> where the hyperlink contains the link that adds you as a friend, and the image is the button. In Facebook, the code may look like this: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/addfriend.php?id=1234567890"><img src="http://photobucket.com/mypictures/addme.jpg" /></a>.
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Insert the code in your profile page or web page. You can use the sample code wherever HTML and images are permitted. In a MySpace account, click on "Edit My Profile" under the "Profile" tab. Copy and paste the HTML code to the "About Me" section. Save your changes. Your MySpace profile should now have a custom "Add Me" button.
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Tips & Warnings
When designing a button, always keep objects in the original graphic file separate from one another, in layers. This will make it easier to change the design later on.
If you don't see your "About Me" section in your MySpace profile, go to "Customize Profile" in the "Profile" tab. Go to "Modules" and turn on "Blurbs." Save your changes.
Keep your button sizes small. Save the first button you use. To create more "Add Me" buttons with different styles, use the original file as a template.
You don't have to use a public image-hosting server. You can use private web hosting if you have one.
You can use a form-style button instead of a graphic button, if you wish. The code would be like: <form action="http://www.facebook.com/addfriend.php"><input type="hidden" name="id" value="1234567" /><input type="submit" value="Add Me!" /></form>
To test your link, try clicking on the button. If you are logged in to your own MySpace or Facebook account, you should get a message telling you, "You cannot add yourself as a friend."
