Creating+a+Blog

Creating a blog First, go to the tutorial video on the About Blogs page. Some things from the tutorial will be updated now, but it still gives you a good idea of how the process works. After you’ve viewed that, go to [|blogger.com]. If you have a google account, you will login with that. If you do not, you will click on the orange “Create a Blog” button. Follow the directions on that page and hit “Continue.” It should then take you to a page that says “Name Your Blog.” Fill out the boxes on this page and hit continue. You will then be taken to a page to choose your template. Choose whichever one you like best and hit continue. These templates can be changed later. You will be taken to a page that says “Your blog has been created” and you can start blogging! Writing a blog When you login, you will be taken to a screen known as your Dashboard. On your dashboard, you will see a list of your blogs. When you see your blog listed there, you will also see a blue button that says new post. You will click on that to write a new blog entry. In the title area, you can add a title for that post, or you can leave it blank. In the large white box, you will type your blog post. When you are done typing your entry, you can add labels in the bottom box that have to do with whatever you just wrote about. You can click the blue “Preview” link to see what it will look like once it’s published. Hit the orange button to publish your post. Notice the toolbar across the top of the posting area. You can change your text’s font, color, or placement. You can link text, add bullets, and spell check. All of these things can be done using the toolbar. Uploading videos and photos To add pictures to your post, click on the blue button in the toolbar that looks like a photo. A box will pop up to let you add your pictures. You can browse your computer to add them, or you can add them from the web. You can also choose how large you want the picture to be as well as the placement. After you push “Upload Image,” it will appear in your posting area. You can then type your entry or if you’ve already typed it, you can move the picture around to where you want it and publish it. To add a video, click on the icon that looks like a filmstrip. It will then prompt you to search for your video file on your computer and it will upload to your posting area. You can also add videos from YouTube or other sources by getting the code of the video from the website. Feedburner Go to [|this website]for a tutorial on how to add a feedburner widget to your sidebar, allowing parents to subscribe to updates via email. Sidebar If you would like to create sidebar widgets for parents to navigate to your school’s website, click on an icon for educational games, or insert the Feedburner html, here’s how. Go back to your Dashboard and click on the blue link that says “Layout.” This will bring you to a page to add and arrange your page elements. The only thing we want to touch here is the gadget area. Click “Add a Gadget” and a box will pop up with gadget choices. Scroll down and see what your options are. The ones you will probably use most are Link List, Picture, HTML/JavaScript, and Text. Link list will create a widget where you can list all of the links you want such as Irving ISD, etc. With the picture widget, you can add a picture of a website’s logo- such as PBS Kids- and then link to the PBS Kids website. You would use the HTML/JavaScript widget to add your Feedburner subscription box. With the text widget, you can write something about yourself or your class. There are also other widgets for you to play around with. That’s the key here. Play around with it and get comfortable. Figure out what works for you can go for it. Comment Moderation You can moderate the comments your blog receives. I highly recommend this. It is important to see what a comment says before it is posted to your site. Go back to your Dashboard. Click “Settings.” Then click on the tab called “Comments.” Scroll down until you see the words “Comment Moderation” in bold. Click “Always.” Then, type your email address in the box. You will be emailed anytime a comment is made and you will then have the choice to accept or reject the comment. Questions? Contact me or google “Blogger Tutorials.”