Adding TripIt to Lotus Connections Blogs

When I originally wrote this article, I was using Connections for my Blog.  I have (obviously) moved to Blogger, but wanted to bring this article over as it is still a good tip for anyone using Connections.

I have noticed on various Blogs on blogger.com and other locations the TripIt Blog Badge on the page somewhere.  Being a TripIt user my self, I decided to take a closer look at how it works, and see about adding it to my Lotus Connections blog.
I started by logging into Blogs on my Connections server. I then clicked on the “My Blog” tab. Then I clicked on the link to edit my blog settings.

Once presented with the settings for my blog, I clicked on the Theme link to modify the theme my blog is based on.

I then clicked the Customize button to make a customized version of the theme I was already using.

I was then presented with a new element on the page that allows me to make the necessary changes to my theme. I clicked on the new link Templates to modify the custom copy of my theme.

I then clicked on the document icon next to the Weblog template to modify my blog's layout to include the TripIt Blog Badge.

I decided the best place to put the Blog Badge would be below the cloud tag on my blog. I wanted it somewhere within the left column, below the navigation elements. I looked for the elements I could recognize easily. Since the Lotus Connections CSS uses pretty descriptive names, it was not difficult to find the <DIV> that held the Tag Cloud.

Once I found the comment <!-- Tags --> I found the closing tag for the Div.

This is where I want to add my badge.

I logged into TripIt, and selected the Apps link near my name in the upper right corner of the window and then proceeded to click on the Blog Badge link lower on the page under the Share Your Plans section.

I then clicked on the Publishing your data link.

I made sure the check box was selected to Show trip date and description, and that the Blog Badge was turned on.

Then I proceeded to copy the code that was displayed in the yellow section and pasted it below the closing </DIV> statement back on my edit template document.

I then just had to save and then close my template, and my TripIt Blog Badge was on my Blog in Connections.

I confirmed my theme has been updated, as can you by going back to the start page of my blog.