How to Submit a Post to IFB Links à la Mode

January 24, 2011 · 93 comments

You all know how I adore Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB)…it is the resource for all things related to fashion blogging, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a contributor. Long before that I was simply a member, and I found it to be the most useful new discovery in all my years of blogging. Really, I still think it is all that and a side of fries.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with IFB and have seen IFB Links à la Mode Weekly Roundup posts here on G&G and other blogs. Many of you have received a suggestion from me to submit your posts to the Roundup. That said, one thing I’ve been asked repeatedly is how to submit a post to Links à la Mode (LALM). The latest person to ask via comment on my last LALM post is Arash; until now, I had answered this question via email. I think it’s time to share it for those who might still wonder how it all works.

How Links à la Mode Works

It’s simple:

You submit your post as a comment by midnight Eastern time on Tuesday.
An IFB editor reviews the submissions and makes selections.
The IFB Links à la Mode Weekly Roundup is published on IFB on Thursday.
Bloggers included in the Roundup have until Monday of the next week to post the IFB Links à la Mode Weekly Roundup on their site.
Bloggers included in LALM will not be contacted or notified of inclusion. If you submitted a post, you just have to wait for the post on Thursday. But the best way to find out is to follow @_IFB on Twitter. As soon as the Roundup is published, a tweet is sent out.

You may wonder, why do I have to publish the list on my site? That’s simple too: proliferation of content. Including the list on your site means the entire list has more eyes—and clicks—on it. It makes the list viral, so-to-speak, so you and other bloggers have the chance to be exposed to audiences beyond your immediate blog circle. It’s a brilliant idea, and a win-win for all involved.

How to Submit a Post to Links à la Mode

After you log into IFB, go to the LALM page: http://heartifb.com/members/pg/groups/34/links-la-mode/.
If you haven’t already joined the group, you will need to in order to submit a post.
Under Latest Discussion, click the first link for next week’s submissions. In the screen above, that would be Links à la Mode: January 27th: Official.
Review the rules at the top of the page—this is the most important part:
“Post the link of your best POST of the week by Midnight New York time TUESDAY. Please include a SHORT one sentence description / soundbite.”
Scroll down and add your link and details in the Post a comment box. Proofread your entry, then click Post.

You made Links à la Mode. Now what?

Congratulations! If you’re chosen…

After you log into IFB, go to the LALM page: http://heartifb.com/members/pg/groups/34/links-la-mode/.
Scroll down until you see the Group Pages module on the right. Click Links à la Mode: Code.
On the Links à la Mode: Code page, follow the instructions to grab the code.
Go back to your blog and create a new post. Switch to the source code or HTML editor view and paste the code into the body of your post. This is what it looks like for me in WordPress:
Schedule or publish the post with “Links à la Mode” in the title of the post before Monday of the following week.
Then go check out the posts of other bloggers included with you and leave a comment!

WordPress tip: Is the LALM image too wide for your blog? It’s easy to adjust it. In your post editor, click on the image, click the Edit Image button, and reduce the size of the image using the preset percentages available. Reducing by percent ensures the image does not appear skewed, and the quality remains high.