Use "My VisualCV" buttons for promoting your own VisualCV!

A great way to get people looking at your new VisualCV is to promote it with a "My VisualCV" button. You can use these buttons as part of your email signature, as a bio link on your blog page, as your discussion forum avatar, or anywhere you want to be noticed.

For example, use your "My VisualCV" button on a web page or personal blog:

My VisualCV - on your blog

Or use your "My VisualCV" button as part of an email signature:

My VisualCV - in your email

How do I make a "My VisualCV" button for myself?

  1. Complete your public VisualCV. To build your My VisualCV button you'll first need a completed public VisualCV and a photo that you'd like to use in your button. Tell me more about completing my public VisualCV
  2. Change your VisualCV's privacy setting to Anyone so that anyone seeing the button can click through and view your public VisualCV.

    3. Set privacy to internet

  3. Create your button. Use the VisualCV Button Generator to create your button. It's easy! Simply select a photo to use in your button and, if necessary, crop the photo to size. The VisualCV Button Generator will generate two things: your button, which you can save and use in your forum avatar, and some HTML source code that you can use to link the button to your VisualCV.

    4. Template + your photo = My VisualCV button

  4. Link the button to your VisualCV's URL. Copy the HTML code that the Button Generator creates and paste it either onto your web page or personal blog or into your email signature. If you are adding your button to your email signature and you need help, click the name of your email client below for steps:
    5. Hotmail

    Use WiseStamp set-up your Hotmail signature. Show Video button Watch these short videos to learn how.

    Follow these steps if you'd rather set-up your signature manually.

    1. Sign in to your Hotmail account.
    2. Click the Mail tab and then click the Options link.
    3. Under Mail Options, click Personal Signature.
    4. If the Rich Text toolbar is showing, clear the Show the rich-text toolbar check box.
    5. Paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created into the Personal Signature box.
    6. Add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number).
    7. Select the Show the rich-text toolbar check box.
    8. When your My VisualCV button displays in the Personal Signature box and you are satisfied with the way it looks, click OK.
    9. Compose your email message. If you do not see your My VisualCV button in your signature, make sure the Show the rich-text toolbar check box is selected.
    Mac Mail

    NOTE: These steps were tested on Leopard.

    1. Open TextEdit and set its preferences as follows:

      On the New Document tab, set the Format to Plain text.
      On the Open and Save tab, in the When Opening a File section, select both check boxes to ignore rich text commands in HTML and RTF files.

    2. Click File > New to create a new document. Paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created into this document and add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number). When you're finished, save the document as an HTML file (that is, be sure the file name ends with ".html") and close the file.
    3. Open the preferences and click Restore All Defaults.
    4. Launch Safari
    5. From the File menu, select Open and open the HTML file you created in step 2. You should be able to view your button.
    6. Select and copy everything inside the window.
    7. Open Mail's preferences and go to the Signatures tab.
    8. Create a new signature by clicking the + button and give the signature a name.
    9. Paste the signature contents you copied in step 5 into the window on the right.
    10. Assign the signature to an account by dragging the signature's name to the account for which you want to use it.
    11. Select the account and then select the new signature from the Choose Signature list.
    Microsoft Outlook 2007
    1. First, create the text portion of your signature. In Outlook, click Tools > Options.
    2. On the Mail Format tab, select HTML from the "Compose in this message format" list and then click the Signatures button.
    3. On the Signatures and Stationary window, click the New button. Give your signature a name, add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number), and save your signature. If you would like your signature to be automatically added to your new messages and/or replies and forwards, select your signature from the appropriate lists in the Choose Default Signature portion of the window. Click OK to close the window.
    4. Make sure you have 'Show hidden files and folders' checked under Folder Options in the Control Panel.
    5. Now, add the button to your signature. Navigate to the following folder:

      On XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures\
      On Vista: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures

    6. Open the <name of signature>.htm file in a text editor such as Notepad.
    7. In the <div class="Section1"> section, paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created and enclose the code within a paragraph (<p class=MsoAutoSig>) tag like this:

      <p class=MsoAutoSig>
      <a href="http://www.visualcv.com/janedoe" title="janedoe's VisualCV">
      <img src="http://buttons.visualcv.com/visualcv_buttons/111-janedoe.jpg" border="0" alt="janedoe's VisualCV">
      </a>
      </p>

    8. Save the file.
    9. Compose your email message. If you did not elect to automatically add your signature to new messages, select the signature before you send your message.
    Microsoft Outlook 2003, Outlook 2002, and Outlook 2000
    1. Paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created into a text editor such as Notepad. Add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number). Save the code as an HTML file (that is, be sure the file name ends with ".htm").
    2. In Outlook, click Tools > Options.
    3. On the Mail Format tab, select HTML from the "Compose in this message format" list and then click the Signatures button.
    4. On the Create Signature window, click the New button. Give your signature a name, select Use this file as a template, and click Browse to locate and select the HTML file you created in Step 1.
    5. Click Next to continue, click Finish to create the signature, and then click OK.
    6. On the Mail Format tab, if you would like your signature to be automatically added to your new messages and/or replies and forwards, select your signature from the appropriate lists in the Signatures portion of the window. Click OK to close the Options window.

    7. Compose your email message. If you did not elect to automatically add your signature to new messages, select the signature before you send your message.

    Microsoft Outlook Express
    1. Paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created into a text editor such as Notepad. Add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number). When you're finished, save the code as an HTML file (that is, be sure the file name ends with ".htm").
    2. In Outlook Express, click Tools > Options.
    3. On the Send tab, in the Mail Sending Format section, click HTML.
    4. On the Signatures tab, select New.
    5. Select the Add signatures to all outgoing messages check box.
    6. Under Edit Signature, click File, and then click Browse to locate and select the HTML file you created in Step 1.
    7. Click Apply.

    8. Compose your email message.

    Mozilla Thunderbird

    Thunderbird supports plain text signatures, which contain no formatting information, and HTML signatures, which allow you to add formatting information. These steps are for creating an HTML signature:

    1. Paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created into a text editor such as Notepad.
    2. In the <img> tag that the Button Generator created, insert the following property: moz-do-not-send="false". (Your finished tag should look something like this: <img moz-do-not-send="false" src="http://buttons.visualcv.com/visualcv_buttons/123-janedoe.jpg" border="0" alt="janedoe's VisualCV">.)
    3. Add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number).
    4. Save the code as an HTML file (that is, be sure the file name ends with ".html").
    5. Assign your email signature containing your My VisualCV button to your account by clicking Tools > Account Settings. Highlight the email account for which you want a signature. Click the Choose button, navigate to the file you just created, and then click OK.
    Windows Mail
    1. Create a new message in Windows Mail. Add the text you would like your signature to contain, such as your name and phone number. Use Mail's formatting controls to change the font and color.
    2. From the New Message window's menus, select View > Source Edit and then click the Source tab at the bottom of the message to see your signature as HTML. Select all of the HTML source (ctrl-a) and copy it into a new Notepad (or other text editor) window.
    3. Find the close body tag at the end of the source. It looks like this: </BODY> Type an empty div tag just before the close body tag. It should look like this (the blue text emphasizes what you would type):
      4.             <DIV></DIV></BODY>
    4. Copy the HTML code the Button Generator created and paste it into the empty div tag you just typed. The result will look similar to the following (the red text emphasizes what you would paste):
      5.             <DIV><a href="http://www.visualcv.com/sampleuser" title="Sample User's VisualCV">
            <img src="http://buttons.visualcv.com/visualcv_buttons/visualcv_button_without_head.jpg"
            border="0" alt="Sample User's VisualCV"></a></DIV></BODY>
    5. Save the Notepad file as an HTML file (that is, be sure the file name ends with ".htm") and return to Windows Mail.
    6. Close Mail's New Message window
    7. Select Tools > Options... from Mail's menus.
    8. In the dialog that appears, click the Signatures tab and click New. Give your new signature a name.
    9. In the Edit Signature section of the tab, check the File radio button.
    10. Click Browse... In the file type popup at the bottom of the file browser, select HTML (*.htm; *.html). Find the HTML file you saved in step 5 and click Open.
    11. In the Signatures tab, select the "Add signatures to all outgoing messages" checkbox, then click Apply.

    Your button is stored on our servers, so you need to instruct Windows Mail to allow that.

    1. In the same Options dialog, click the Security tab.
    2. Under Virus Protection, check the Internet zone radio button. Under Download Images, clear the checkbox for Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail.
    3. Click OK to save your changes and close the Options dialog.
    Yahoo! Mail

    See the step-by-step guide with screen shots or follow the steps outlined below.

    1. Paste the HTML code that the Button Generator created into a text editor such as Notepad. Save the code as an HTML file (that is, be sure the file name ends with ".html").
    2. Open your web browser.
    3. From the File menu, select Open and open the HTML file you created in step 1. You should be able to view your button.
    4. Select and copy everything inside the window.
    5. Sign in to your Yahoo! mail account.
    6. Click Mail Options > General preferences. Select Compose messages as color and graphics and then click Save Changes.
    7. Click Mail Options > Signature.
    8. Click the Color and Graphics option and select the Add signature to all outgoing messages.
    9. Paste the signature contents that you copied in step 4 into the empty Signature box.
    10. Add the text you would like your signature to contain (such as your name and phone number).
    11. Click Save Changes.
    12. Compose your email message. Select the Use my signature check box before you send your message.
    Gmail, Yahoo! mail, Hotmail, or AOL mail - with WiseStamp

    WiseStamp lets you design your unique signature for free. Add your social services, IM, and rich content and easily switch between business and personal signatures. Download WiseStamp for free and easily create your unique signature including an icon which will direct to your VisualCV.

    Show Video button Watch these short videos to learn how or follow these steps:

    1. Download WiseStamp (Free Firefox or Chrome addon).
    2. Open the signature editor
    3. Click the button to switch to HTML mode.
    4. Copy the Button Code from VisualCV and Paste it into WiseStamp.

    5. Select the VisualCV icon in the WiseStamp Social tab.

    6. Enter the URL of your VisualCV.
    7. Make it your own – Customize, design and add your personal data.

    TIP: Good email etiquette says that email signatures should be separated from the main text of the email by a line containing two hyphens and a space, similar to John Davidson's email signature shown above. If your initial email message prompts a back-and-forth email conversation with your recipient, this convention helps trim down the exchange by telling most email clients to strip your signature from your replies.

    NOTE: Gmail presently does not support rich text formatting, graphics, or HTML in an email signature. However, it's easy to add these using WiseStamp. Show Video button Watch these short videos to learn how