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Week 2 - Blogging & Wiki

Thing 4: Create your own blog and start blogging

Now that you’ve done some exploring around this Web site and understand how this program will work, it’s time to set up your very own personal blog to begin recording your thoughts, discoveries and exercises.

Please note that all screenshots are from the older "Classic" view. Blogger has since changed its layout.

For this program, we recommend that you use Blogger*, a popular, free online blog hosting service that is extremely easy to use.

Creating a blog using Blogger takes just three steps:

1. Create an account. (View a screenshot.)
2. Name your blog. (View a screenshot.)
3. Select your template. In other words, choose how you would like your blog to look. (View a screenshot.)

Blogger will walk you through each step when you visit www.Blogger.com and click on the orange arrow that reads, "Create your blog now."

To add posts to your blog:
Here's how to add a post to your blog:

• Visit www.Blogger.com and login using the user ID and password you created in Step 1 above.
• Once you login, you will be taken to a page that lists all of the blogs you have created.
• Click on "New Post."
• You'll be taken to a page that looks like this. Add a title for your post, type some copy in the big text box, then play around with the buttons to change font styles, add links, etc.

To view your blog online:
Your blog address is http://YourBlogName.blogspot.com. In this case, YourBlogName is the unique name you gave your blog in Step 2 above. Be sure to write down or bookmark your blog address.

Problems? Questions?
If you run into problems or would like more information about blogs and using Blogger, here are some discovery resources you can use:

• Blogger’s quick tutorial.
• Freevlog’s Quicktime tutorial: Set up a free Blogger blog. Note: Ignore the opening comments about downloading Firefox if your PC doesn’t have it. This will work in Internet Explorer just fine.

OK, now, it’s your turn
The exercises for Thing 4 are as follows:

1. Create a blog for yourself through Blogger.
2. Add a test post or two. Write about anything that interests you. Play around with changing font styles, adding links, maybe even uploading a photo or two, if you feel like getting crazy.
3. Have fun!

* Use of Blogger is only a recommendation. If you are more comfortable with a different blog hosting site, please feel free to use it.

Thing 5: Decide how (or if) to publicize your blog

Most people who start their own blogs do so in the hope that lots of people will read their blogs, post comments and spread the word.

You, however, may feel differently. Since this is an assignment for work, you may decide that you'd rather not allow the entire world to read your blog.

Either approach is fine. If you want to publicize your blog and make it freely available, great! If you'd rather keep your blog private, that's great, too! We'll show you how to do both.

The secret's in the 'settings'
Here's how set up your blog's publicity options:

1. Visit www.Blogger.com and login.
2. You'll be taken to a page that shows the name of your blog. Below your blog's name will be the word "Manage," followed by three links -- Posts, Settings and Layout. (View a screenshot.)
3. Click on Settings.
4. Under Settings, you will see a number of tabbed options. They are Basic, Publishing, Formatting, Comments, Archiving, Site Feed, E-mail and Permissions. (View a screenshot.)
5. Click on the Basic tab.
6. You'll find an option that reads, "Add your blog to our listings?" If you would like Blogger to add your blog to its public listings, choose Yes in the dropdown menu. If you would NOT like to have your blog listed, choose No.
7. Click on the Publishing tab.
8. You'll find an option that reads, "Send pings." Pings are signals that are sent to Internet search engines whenever you add content to your blog. If you want to publicize your blog's content via search engines, choose Yes from the dropdown menu. If you do NOT want to publicize your blog's content, choose No.
9. Click on the Permissions tab.
10. You'll find an option that reads, "Who can view this blog?" Choose either "Anybody" or "Only people I choose." Please DO NOT choose "Only blog authors." (That would mean only you can read your own blog.) If you choose "Only people I choose," please invite (at the very least) webmaster@co.morris.nj.us to read your blog.

Explore the other settings
At your leisure, feel free to explore the other options available under "Settings" and set up your blog in any way you wish.

Thing 6: Learn how to use a wiki

What's a wiki? In the simplest terms, it's a Web site that anyone can edit. A YouTube tutorial entitled "Wikis in Plain English" offers a detailed look at how wikis work. Let's start this assignment by viewing that tutorial.

Now that we know what wikis are, let's get down to business.

The world of Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the world's most popular wiki. It's an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit and add to. Now you'll be able to join in!

1. Visit Wikipedia at wikipedia.org.
2. Click on the "Log in / create account" link at the top-right of the page and create your free Wikipedia account.
3. Once you have created your account, you should be redirected a "Login successful" page.

Now that you're a member of the wiki, read the wiki and follow the instructions on the "Introduction" page. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask this site's webmaster.

There are lots of wikis on many different subjects. One site has cataloged them so you can easily find wikis about any subject that interests you. Visit wikia.com for a category list.

As always: Have fun!

Thing 7: Blog about your experiences

Now that you've completed this week's assignments, tell us what you think. Visit your new blog and create a new post so you can tell us about your experiences.

• What do you like about blogs? About wikis?
• What DON'T you like about them?
• Can you think of any creative ways in which your organization might be able to use blogs and wikis in the future?