Using the Various Modules

I haven't written here for some time, and today I've been reading a lot of your Wizzles just getting a feel for how it all works before I jump in again. I can't seem to get the video tutorials to load today, and I can only scroll down to the bottom of the forum pages sporadically, so I'm hoping some of you can help me . First, I've seen a lot of beautifully laid out work from all of you. My only experience has been on Squidoo and HubPages, except for my few Wizzles written long ago. On Squidoo, I know many code their modules to make them more impressive. Is that how you do it here? Or do those Amazon and Zazzle modules just naturally have those lovely big images and seem much different than the way they look when I type the codes into text modules on Squidoo. I suppose one way to find out is just to jump in and see what happens, but I also like to look before I leap. 

I'm also wondering about the size and shape of the intro images. I didn't find any specs on image sizes for any of the modules. Does it matter? I normally make them 600 px wide for Squidoo. 

Are there some guidelines I missed on ratio of product ads to text? Although I normally write plenty of content, I also like to feature a lot of Zazzle products to illustrate some of it. I don't want to violate any guidelines I'm supposed to be aware of. Is there an outgoing  link limit I should be aware of? 

So far I seem to have gone off in all directions here, so I'm trying to find a niche. I have one in mind, but I have no idea if it matters to anyone but me. I love my local community and would like to put it on the map. I'd also like locals to learn more about the wonderful walks I've discovered. So far I've only shared one of them. There are many places along my main highway I live on that are perfect for families needed a rest stop and a bit more without going out of their way too much. Just not sure how much the potential for traffic is. Plenty of traffic travels this highway, though. 

Any help would be appreciated. I'll go make some more Zazzle products and check back a bit later. 

Most of your questions are answered here: http://wizzley.com/service/help/

And it really would be the best if you try it out and switch between edit and page view mode to see how everything works, you never need to publish that 'sandbox article'.

Hi Barb,

I think that some of your questions can be answered on the help page.  Many things have been discussed in this forum, so searching here may help you a lot. (Sam beat me!)

I find that adding images here is much easier than at Squidoo.  Here the image gets re-sized so you don't have to be as picky as at the other place.    The intro one has to be smaller but I can't tell you off hand what size - it's thumbnail. 

You will need a certain amount of writing to accompany the ads although I can't tell you the exact amount of that either.  So someone else will probably jump in with the numbers.

Sam, I'd already checked the help pages and FAQ, but they didn't have these answers, or if they did they were pretty hard to find. I will experiment again, but was just checking so as not to reinvent the wheel. 

Thanks, Dustytoes. It's hard to remember the differences in rules from site to sit. At least I know about images now. 

Hi Barb:

I'll take a shot at answering the questions that haven't yet been addressed here: for the amazon photos, instead of using the default setting, where it says "list", click on the drop-down menu and select "gallery" and then you can select one of three sizes, according to how you want the display to look. Play around with 1-3 products together to see how to organize them. Jerrico told me about this.

About the text-product ratio, you don't need to think at all - when you are ready, click "publish" and you will get a window that tells you how many words you need to add if you don't have enough. I never count words - too lazy and no need.

Regarding your niche - with things going in the direction of "local" searches as opposed to "global" given that people use their iPhones more and more to find things where they are, I think you just might find you are ahead of the game.