PopShops Generator Help Page

Your PopShop Façade is the first thing visitors will see when they visit your PopShop. You can customize it with photos, text and links to create a unique "look" for your business. Here you'll be able to:

Advertise your Popula auctions and special PopShops items

Announce sales, contests and other promotions

Let visitors know about you and your business

Show off pictures of your cat

Provide links to your other web venues

You can see the basic layout of a PopShop Façade at the top left corner of the Generator page:

To see a real live example of a working PopShop, please visit Popula's own Souvenir Shoppe, which we created using the PopShops Generator.

Step 1: Preparing Your Pictures

In the top left of the Façade, there is space for your logo. This should measure 300 x 100 pixels. Make your logo as close to these dimensions as you can; if necessary, use white space to achieve the correct proportions. Otherwise, the image will be distorted to fit this space.
Then prepare four (square) pictures for the top right corner of your Façade. Each should be square; ideally, 150x150 pixels in size (this small size is the optimum for speed of page loading). Once again, remember that your images will be compressed to fit these proportions, so if they're not square they will come out looking a bit squished in the finished display.
Since different users have different image editing software, we can't give you detailed instructions on how to size your image files. Cropping and sizing tools are usually the most simple to use, though. Take a look in the instructions for your particular photo editing software to learn about photo sizing.

Step 2: Storing Your Pictures On The Web

You'll need to store your pictures somewhere on the web where they can be accessed, just like a picture for an auction listing. Most ISPs provide space for you to do this as part of your monthly deal. For further info on preparing and uploading picture files, see our FAQ.

One easy option is to use Popula's free Image Manager, where you can browse for photos files on your computer, and click to upload them to your own personal space on our server. All Populists automatically get 5MB of Image Manager space to use for PopShops and Auction photos.

If you intend to use pictures from Image Manager, make sure you put them up first and then return to the PopShop Generator, otherwise you won't be able to select them from the Generator page.

Step 3: Placing Your Picture Files in the Façade

If you've stored your pictures using Image Manager, then you can select them directly using the little boxes marked "Browse", like this one:

Just click on the down-pointing arrow on the right end of the box. A menu will magically appear containing the names of all the files you have in your Image Manager. Click on the name of the file you want.

Consult the Sample PopShops image to see which photo (1,2,3,4) will appear where on the Façade page.

If you've stored your own picture files elsewhere on the web, then select them using the boxes marked "URL", like this:

Simply type the addresses (URLs) of the picture files into the appropriate boxes.

Step 4: Adding Links To Your Pictures

If you want users to be able to click on the pictures and be transported elsewhere (or elsewhere on the web, at least), you can enter a link for each picture in the box on the lower right of the page which looks like this:

For example, if Picture 1 is a picture of you, and you'd like users to see a page with your contact information when they click on the photo, just enter the URL of your contact info page into the box marked "Link (optional) 1". You can link to any web page you want, except that we reserve the right to remove links to material we deem offensive. You don't have to put links on the pictures if you don't want to, but it's a great way to increase exposure for your business.

Step 5: Adding Notes

In the top left of the Façade, beneath the logo, you'll see a space for Notes. You can put whatever you like in here -- a description of your business, or your payment and shipping policies, for example. There is space for as many as 4,000 characters. And you can include HTML, with pictures, if you want to.

Step 6: Fiat PopShop!

When you're satisfied with your page, click the Fiat PopShop! button at the bottom of the page:

and in a trice (or so), you'll be whisked off to view your newly created PopShop Façade.

Don't Be Afraid Of Making A Mistake! Please feel free to mess around all you like with the PopShops Generator. If you're not happy with the results or you made a mistake with a picture or link, or if you want to change anything on the page, you can come back any time and make the required adjustments. You won't have to type it in all over again or anything like that - when you come back to edit, all the forms will be filled in just as you left them.

And, needless to say, the ever cheerful gnomes at staff@popula.com will be happy to help you if you need any other questions answered.