A blog is a frequently updated online personal journal or diary. It is a place to express you to the world. A place to share about your website services or about your products. Really, it’s anything you want it to be. For our purposes we’ll say that a blog is your own website that you are going to update on an ongoing basis.1 Blog is a short form for the word weblog and the two words are used interchangeably.
Terminology
As so often happens in the English language, many derivates of the word blog have been created. One who participates in the activities of maintaining a blog is known as a blogger and the activity of keeping a blog is known as blogging. So we could say that the blogger blogs in his blog, but that might cause your English teacher to weep. We are going to use these terms with alarming frequency, so make sure you understand what they mean before you go on.
Blog (noun) – a journal or diary that is on the Internet.1
Blogger (noun) – a person who keeps a blog – Bloggers are revolutionizing the way news is shared.
Blog (verb) – to write a blog – I am going to blog before breakfast this morning.
Blogging (verb) – the action of writing a blog – Blogging is my way of sharing my passions with the world.
Originally blogs were known primarily as places for people to write about their day-to-day activities. Their mundane, everyday tasks became fodder for journal entries. Somehow these writers gained a following and the hobby of blogging was born. Today people write about far more interesting topics, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Users of a Blog
There are generally two types of users of a blog: the Blog Owner and the Blog readers.
The Blog Owner has control over his/her blog. In the administration section for his/her blog, he/she can view and update numerous features and settings, including the users of his/her blog. The Blog Owner can also add other blog owners.
The blog owner can allow for anonymous login. In this scenario, any member of the forum community (depending on if the blog is a stand-alone or global blog) will see his/her blog, and a link to the blog will be displayed when they join the forum. However, a blog owner can choose not to allow for anonymous login. In this scenario, if it is a stand-alone blog, he/she would need to send the URL of his/her blog to the members within the community to whom he/she would like to join.
Blogger’s Profile
The Profile link within a blog will display the profile of the user – the member who has logged in to the blog. If readers of a blog wishes to view the Blog Owner’s profile, and the Blog Owner has enabled profile visibility, they may do so by clicking on the blog owner’s name that can be found in the blog posts.
Updating Profile
Assuming that the blog member is also a member of a forum community, the profile information is taken from the profile information within the forum of which he is a member. Users can update their profile within the forum and within a blog. To learn more about the fields, refer to “Updating User Profile” in the Forum section.
If the blog member only has access to the blog itself, and is not a member of a forum community, then the member can only update his/her profile within the blog.
Creating a Blog Category
Only the Blog Owner can create a category within a blog. The creation of categories allows for the blog owner to organize his/her content. To accomplish this task, the blog owner must go through his/her administration section, by clicking on the “Admin” link in the My Links menu.
In the Admin, the blog owner navigates to the Categories sub-section. To create a blog category, click on the “add category” button that is located at the top of the screen. The “Add Category” window will appear. Enter the category name, a description of the category, and select the appropriate category status from the drop-down menu. The options are: No Comments (i.e. read only), Hidden (i.e. the category is hidden for only the blog owners to see), Locked (i.e. category is locked to only those who have access to view the category), Locked (No Comments), and Allow Comments (i.e. members can post a comment to a blog post). When the information has been provided, click on the “Add Category” button.
Creating a Blog Post
To create a blog post, click on the “New Post” link that is located in the My Links menu. A “Write New Blog Post” window will appear. Enter the message title (required field), select the category under which the message will fall, enter the body of the blog post in the Message Text box, and click on the “Post” button.
Posting a Comment
Users can post comments to blog posts if the Blog owner has allowed comments in a category. To post a comment, click on the “Post a Comment” link that appears directly below the blog entry. A “Reply to Blog Post” window will appear. Enter the text of the comment in the Message text box, and click the “Post a Comment” button.
Terminology
As so often happens in the English language, many derivates of the word blog have been created. One who participates in the activities of maintaining a blog is known as a blogger and the activity of keeping a blog is known as blogging. So we could say that the blogger blogs in his blog, but that might cause your English teacher to weep. We are going to use these terms with alarming frequency, so make sure you understand what they mean before you go on.
Blog (noun) – a journal or diary that is on the Internet.1
Blogger (noun) – a person who keeps a blog – Bloggers are revolutionizing the way news is shared.
Blog (verb) – to write a blog – I am going to blog before breakfast this morning.
Blogging (verb) – the action of writing a blog – Blogging is my way of sharing my passions with the world.
Originally blogs were known primarily as places for people to write about their day-to-day activities. Their mundane, everyday tasks became fodder for journal entries. Somehow these writers gained a following and the hobby of blogging was born. Today people write about far more interesting topics, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Users of a Blog
There are generally two types of users of a blog: the Blog Owner and the Blog readers.
The Blog Owner has control over his/her blog. In the administration section for his/her blog, he/she can view and update numerous features and settings, including the users of his/her blog. The Blog Owner can also add other blog owners.
The blog owner can allow for anonymous login. In this scenario, any member of the forum community (depending on if the blog is a stand-alone or global blog) will see his/her blog, and a link to the blog will be displayed when they join the forum. However, a blog owner can choose not to allow for anonymous login. In this scenario, if it is a stand-alone blog, he/she would need to send the URL of his/her blog to the members within the community to whom he/she would like to join.
Blogger’s Profile
The Profile link within a blog will display the profile of the user – the member who has logged in to the blog. If readers of a blog wishes to view the Blog Owner’s profile, and the Blog Owner has enabled profile visibility, they may do so by clicking on the blog owner’s name that can be found in the blog posts.
Updating Profile
Assuming that the blog member is also a member of a forum community, the profile information is taken from the profile information within the forum of which he is a member. Users can update their profile within the forum and within a blog. To learn more about the fields, refer to “Updating User Profile” in the Forum section.
If the blog member only has access to the blog itself, and is not a member of a forum community, then the member can only update his/her profile within the blog.
Creating a Blog Category
Only the Blog Owner can create a category within a blog. The creation of categories allows for the blog owner to organize his/her content. To accomplish this task, the blog owner must go through his/her administration section, by clicking on the “Admin” link in the My Links menu.
In the Admin, the blog owner navigates to the Categories sub-section. To create a blog category, click on the “add category” button that is located at the top of the screen. The “Add Category” window will appear. Enter the category name, a description of the category, and select the appropriate category status from the drop-down menu. The options are: No Comments (i.e. read only), Hidden (i.e. the category is hidden for only the blog owners to see), Locked (i.e. category is locked to only those who have access to view the category), Locked (No Comments), and Allow Comments (i.e. members can post a comment to a blog post). When the information has been provided, click on the “Add Category” button.
Creating a Blog Post
To create a blog post, click on the “New Post” link that is located in the My Links menu. A “Write New Blog Post” window will appear. Enter the message title (required field), select the category under which the message will fall, enter the body of the blog post in the Message Text box, and click on the “Post” button.
Posting a Comment
Users can post comments to blog posts if the Blog owner has allowed comments in a category. To post a comment, click on the “Post a Comment” link that appears directly below the blog entry. A “Reply to Blog Post” window will appear. Enter the text of the comment in the Message text box, and click the “Post a Comment” button.