How to Establish a Blog

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How to Establish a Blog
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What is a Blog

• A blog is a collection of informational
  articles/ideas intended to update a viewer on new
  information associated with the topics of that
  specific website. It is focused and maintained by
  a single user or small group that chooses the
  topics. The author of a blog has the option of
  allowing viewers to comment on their work/issue.
  Finally, the content of a blog is easy to manage
  due to the single authority of the author and
  their ability to edit out comments or not accept
  them at all.

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What to Use to Set up Your Blog

• There are a few options when choosing a blog
• How you do it
• Building your own from scratch gives you more
  control over the content of the blog page, but
  takes more time and effort
• Using a pre-existing blog website such as
  www.blogger.com there may be downsides
  concerning possible advertisements, but it is
  much easier to manage and less hassle
• Where you do it
• Free Sources they have a tendency to disappear
• Paid for Sources they cost money but are more
  stable in the long run

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What Will This Tutorial Focus On?

• This tutorial will focus on the basics of setting
  up a blog using the free blog host
  www.blogger.com using your own personal website.
• It will also go over some of the main editing
  options that will help to customize your blog.

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What Will You Need?

• An email account, doesnt matter where.
• A working knowledge of web programming skills is
  recommended, especially when editing the blog
  page once established
• You will need your own web site already
  established with a web host
• You will need to make sure that your web host
  service supports FTP
• Web hosting service where you acquired your web
  space.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) it essentially
  allows you to send files from your computer to
  the server that hosts your website (This is how
  you update your website). To send the files you
  can get an FTP program, we recommend AceFTP,
  which is free and easy to use, and can be found
  here http//software.visicommedia.com/en/products
  /aceftpfreeware/
• or here
• http//www.allapp.com/AceFTP-3-Freeware_softinfo_
  30289.html

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Step One Signing Up for Blogger

• Go to the website www.blogger.com
• At the lower right-hand side, click the giant
  orange arrow that says, Create Your Blog Now

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Step 2a If you do not have an account with
www.google.com

• Follow the directions on the page (Filling in
  your own personal email address) and click the
  orange arrow that says, Continue, when you are
  done.
• If you already have a Google Account, then go to
  step 2b

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Step 2b If you already have an account with
www.google.com

• Fill in your personal email address associated
  with www.google.com and then the name that you
  want people to associate with the blog.
• Hit the big orange arrow at the bottom right.

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Step 3 Beginning to attach the blog to Your
Website

• In order to attach the blog to your website you
  will need to click on the hyperlinked text that
  says, Advanced Blog Setup.

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Step 4a Fill in the Blog Title and then Your FTP
Server

• Fill in the Title you want and to make things
  easier, make sure the bubble for Listed is
  filled in.
• If you do not know the internet address for your
  FTP server, contact your web host.
• The FTP Server is a web address for the host of
  your website that you connect to in order to
  update your webpage (ex. ftp.example.com).
• Select the FTP bubble for Protocol

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Step 4b Fill Out the FTP Path

• The FTP path tells where to place the files on
  the server hosting your website.
• Make sure to use a folder that is linked to the
  internet, essentially the folder where the files
  for your website is located. We recommend making
  a new folder to separate your blog from the rest
  of your site (the path should look something like
  this webfolder/blog/) .
• If you are unsure as to what the path should be,
  contact your web host.

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Step 4c Fill in the File Name You Want and URL

• The file name is what you want the file to be
  called in your blog folder.
• The URL will be the address of the the blog
  folder, such as www.msu.edu/burkeja6/wa/Tutorial
  /blog/

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Step 4d Filling Out Your FTP Information

• Now you want to fill in the username and password
  that you use to log in to your FTP server (this
  is what you use to log in in order to edit your
  website information)
• Finally, type in the word that they have at the
  bottom and hit the orange button to continue.

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Step 5 Choose a Template for Your Blog

• Choose a template from their list, although it
  can be updated later.
• When finished click the big orange arrow.

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Step 6 Signs of a Successful Blog

• Click the big orange arrow to continue.

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Step 7a How to Test if it Works

• Post a test (It can easily be deleted later)

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Step 7b What a Successful Post Looks Like
However
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Step 7c Check To See If It Did Post

• To Check and see if it did post, type the URL
  where you wanted it to be (along with the file
  name at the end including the .html) located at
  into your browser.
• If it shows up, then you can skip the rest of
  step 7.
• If it doesnt then have fun and good luck.

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Step 7d A Failed Post Can Look Something Like
This
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Step 7e What To Do If It Fails?

• The first thing to do is go to the setting tab in
  the top left corner.

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Step7f Common Problems

• A common problem is that the website you used as
  the FTP server is incorrect. If you are unsure,
  contact your web host.

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Step 7g Another Common Problem

• There could be an error in the username or
  password associated with that FTP server. Double
  check that both are correct.

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Step 7h If It Still Isnt Showing Up

• If it still isnt showing up, and you are sure
  that your web host supports FTP, then it is very
  likely that the blog is being transferred to your
  site, but to a location you didnt specify. From
  here there are two options

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Step 7h Continued

• The first problem could be due to an error in the
  Blog URL. Make sure that URL is where you want
  the blog to show up.

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Step 7h Continued Again

• The problem that is more likely is that there is
  an error in what directory the blog is being
  sent. In this case you want to make sure that the
  base web directory is first, followed by a
  backslash and whatever subdirectory, or
  subdirectories follow until you reach the folder
  you want.

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Step 7i Follow Up With the Changes

• Whatever changes that you make to FTP URL and/or
  the FTP path, remember to also change the lines
  under Archiving and Sight Feed

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Step 7j Repost Your Blog Entry To See If It Is
Now Shown

• If it still does not work after this point,
  contact your web host and/or Blogger Help.

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Step 8 Customize Your Template

• If you wish to personally edit your blog
  template, you will need to understand web code,
  both HTML and CSS. But to do this, merely click
  on the Template tab next to settings.

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Step 9 Editing Your Template

• To edit your template, merely edit the code
  within the center box, and when finished click
  the large orange button in the bottom left corner

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Step 10a Editing Basic Content

• Go back to the Settings tab.

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Step 10b Editing Content continued

• To edit the content of your blog, click on the
  subcategories Basic or Comments under the
  settings tab.

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Step 11 Editing the Format

• To edit the format of the site click on either
  the Formatting or the Site Feed subcategories
  under settings

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Step 12 Adding Authors

• If you wish to allow specific other people to
  post on your blog, then click on the
  Permissions subcategory and the the Add
  Authors Button below your username and email
  address.

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Step 13 Linking

• Now that the blog is where you want it to be, all
  you have to do is link to it from whichever part
  of your webpage you want it to come from (and if
  you want it really fancy, edit the code as is
  suggested in step 9, making a link back to your
  original site).

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Step 14 Posting

• The final stage of your blog development is
  actually adding material for your audience. Be
  creative, informational, or however the wind
  takes you.