Introduction to Using this Blog
This blog space is an experiment in creating a shared workspace. You received and followed the link I sent, and then opened to this page.
Normally only one person has access to "post" to a blog, and this post is viewed by any interested person, who can then "comment". Blogger or blogspot, however, allows multiple post contributors, any of whom may write a new post, or comment a previous post. Contributors are added by the originator of the blog by invitation.
Under a different set of options, this blog is set to "anyone can view", but is not listed for search purposes, so it cannot be found unless the address is known to the seeker.
I would like to use new posts for new topics, and comments to continue a topic. However, any contributor can start a new topic for any reason, such as merging or splitting topics, or just because the comment train has gotten unweildy.
Viewing blogs and comments turns out to be as easy as following an internet link. Anyone who wishes to comment or post will need a Google identity, and to sign in. Then commenting or posting is as easy as following a few links, writing, and sending. The learning curve is not steep for comments or posts, and only slightly steeper if you want to start your own blog. Depending on your comfort with these things, allow 5 to 15 minutes to create a Google identity, 5 to 10 minutes to familiarize with commenting, a day (to request and have me send an invitation) to become a contributor, and 5 to 10 minutes to become familiar with posting.
If there are any needs or wants respecting the format, I can make adjustments. I can also put graphics on the page.
2 comments:
To write this comment, I selected the link "Post comment". This opened an editing screen, where I wrote the comment, selected an identity to sign my comment, and then chose "publish your comment". To return to the posting I commented, I can then click the title of the posting, or to return to the page with all of the posts, I can click on the title of the blog.
Mechanics of a blog.
BLOGS: come in two broad varieties. Those that are operated by a computer-savvy person on their own server with their own software, and those that use a web site based program. Web based blogs are easiest to use, and come in many flavors. Private blogs provide more control to the user, can be integrated with web sites and data bases, and can handle much more traffic. This blog uses the web based service called "Blogger", which uses the internet address "username.blogspot.com", which is owned and supported by Google. All following details apply only to Google's Blogger.
VIEW; CREATE AN ACCOUNT: Viewing a blog is as easy as following internet links in general. To write or comment, Blogger does require the user to have an account with Google. If you do not already have a Google account, set this up before you go to sign on at the blog. It's just easier that way. This is possible by going to Google.com, where you look for the "sign in" button, at the top right corner of the page. When you have selected this button you will get the sign in screen, with a button that offers to create a new account. Create this account and return to the blog main page.
SIGN IN: Again in the upper right corner of the page, you will see a small button that says "sign in". When you click this you will be presented with a screen that, amidst the clutter, asks whether you want to sign in to the "Old Blogger" or the "New Blogger". Select the new and you will be presented with the sign-in fields. Use your Google account name and password to sign in.
AT THE GATE : Once you sign in you find yourself at a screen called "Dashboard". (Don't ask me about that name, I don't know.) Here you can elect to view the blog, write a new post, or manage your previous posts, which includes editing and deleting. I don't know yet whether non-contributors can delete their own comments.
VIEW BLOG: if you select this, going to where the blog posts are viewed, principle options are to:
expand a selected posting to look at its comments (click the title),
comment (click the word "comment" below the posting),
Sign in (upper right hand corner).
CREATE BLOG: To create this blog I set up a Goodle account "solarfest". Being utterly ignorant, I needed about five hours to learn my way around the software, but it was blissfully bug-free. I was able to modify the appearance of the blog by knowing enough HTML to adjust some of the parameters. As "administrator" I elected to make this blog unlisted but available to anyone with the address, and to allow multiple users.
JOIN AS CONTRIBUTOR: Just to check out the invitation-to-join procedure, I invited myself to join using my regular address. I got the confirmation email and clicked the link to Google, where I had to confirm my namesake. This was not complicated but it did lead me to set up my own blog, which I didn't need to do. So I backed out and returned to the blog, Where I was, to my surprise, signed in. I was then able to post not as administrator but as a distinct contributor.
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