AN INTRODUCTION TO BLOGGER

By: Sophia Guevara

Learning Objectives

• Learn about Blogger.• How to create an account.• How to edit your blogger profile.• How to create, label and publish posts.• Add collaborators.

BloggerBlogger is a free online blogging tool provided by Google that allows users to create free blogs. If you have a Google Account, you can use that to sign in.

Starting Without A Google AccountIf you don’t already have a Google account, you will be prompted to create one. The form is short and simple and will provide you with the opportunity to access other Google services.

Starting With A Google AccountAfter signing in with your Google account, you will be given the option to create a blog within the dashboard. Click on Create a Blog link at the upper right hand side of the page.

Naming Your BlogThe second step is to name your blog. Create a blog title and choose your blog address. Blogger will let you know if the name you select for the URL is already taken. Then, type in the word verification and click continue.

Picking A TemplateNow, you need to pick a template for your new blog. Blogger provides users with several options.

LayoutUnder the layout tab, you can choose to change the page elements of your blog, choose fonts and colors, pick a new template and edit the HTML.

Timestamp And LanguageUnder the settings tab, click on formatting. On this page, you can edit how many posts will be set on the main blog page, the date and time format and the time zone you will be publishing in. You can also select the language.

CommentsYou can choose to show/hide comments and determine who will be allowed to leave them. You can also choose to moderate comments to ensure that they stay on topic and are appropriate.

EDITING YOUR BLOGGER PROFILE

Editing Your User ProfileYou can edit your user profile to control privacy, add a photograph, share location and work information, etc.

Adding A PictureWhile in the edit profile page, scroll down to the photograph section. Upload an image from your computer or retrieve an image from the web. While not necessary, adding a picture to your blog can help you personalize it.

CREATING A NEW BLOG POST

Creating A New PostWithin the dashboard, click on the new post button under the manage blogs section.

Creating A New Post-Create a title for your post.-Create your post within the white text box. (You can edit the HTML of the post and preview it before publishing).-At the top of the text box, you can select: font, text size, color, bold and italicize. You can also choose to add a link, picture or movie. -As for formatting, you can align the text to the left, right, center and justify full.-You can add quotes, bullets and numbers to your post. -If you would like to publish your post, select the orange button. If you would like to save the post to work on it later, select the blue button. If you do publish a post and want to edit later, choose the edit posts option.

LabelsUse tags to label your posts. Your readers might find this especially helpful if you blog about a wide variety of topics. If you reader is especially interested in blog posts on a certain topic, they can click on the labels to find the posts they really want to read.

A Post With Labels (tags)This is what a post looks like with labels added. If readers wanted to learn more about posts that have been labeled with social technology, they can click on the label term and be taken to those posts.

ADDING MEDIA TO YOUR POST

Adding A MovieBy clicking on the film icon, you can add a video to your blog post. Choose the file you would like to upload (AVI, QuickTime, Real and Windows Media – 100 MB size limit). Add a title to the video and agree to the terms and conditions. Select upload video.

Adding A LinkIf you would like to link out to another webpage or a YouTube video, you can select the globe/chain icon to enter a hyperlink. Steps: select the text you would like to add the link to, select the icon, enter the URL into the box and select OK. The text will become highlighted and readers can click on it to visit the outside content.

Inserting A PictureBy selecting the picture icon (next to the film icon), you will see a box come up that will allow you to select an image from your computer or the web. Once this is done, choose a layout for the image to be added to the post and what size the image should be. Accept the Terms of Service and click on the orange Upload Image button.

CONTRIBUTORS AND PRIVACY

Adding ContributorsUnder settings, click on permissions. In the blog authors area, you can invite more people to write on your blog. You can have up to 100 authors and choose whom you will provide administrator privileges to. You can also choose to delete contributors at any time.

PrivacyWithin the permissions section, you can also select whom you would like to read the blog. You can make the blog available to only blog authors, those you choose, or open it to everybody.

CONCLUSION