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Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Setup
- 3. View Posts
- 4. Themes
- 5. Posting Images
- 6. Other Types of Posts
- 7. RSS Feeds
- 8. BLOG Security
1. Introduction
- 1.1. What is a BLOG?
Blogs allow you to keep an online journal. Anyone can view your journal as a web page. You can post text and images to the blog and others can add comments. You can post from the web or by sending an email to a special address. Blogs can also be used for sharing other types of information.
- 1.2. Tell me more about this BLOG
Besides the fact that you can store pictures or files and make them available to family or friends, and when necessary set the BLOG for private use only, the software provides the capability for automatic feeds (RSS) so that your users will not have to constantly check for new postions.
- 1.3. Do I need speical software to create a BLOG?
No, everything can be done through your browser by accessing the SpanMail home page as you would do for your email account?
- 1.4. Will it cost me anything?
No, the BLOG package is part of the webmail system provided by SpeedSpan. You are limited to a maxium of 3 BLOGS.
- 1.5. Is there documentation for using the BLOG software?
There is Help document in the form of a PDF document. This FAQ serves as asummary of information and will be updated from time to time. You may also call Larry or Martin at SpeedSpan.
2. Setup
- 2.1. How do I start?
Go to the SpeedSpan Home page where you would normally login to your SpanMail email account. On the left-hand side of the screen where email folders are displayed, click on the SpanBlogs folder and the BLOG Admin page will apear.
- 2.2. How do I create a new BLOG?
When you create a new BLOG you have to select a unique short name which will be used as part of the URL (web address) to the BLOG, for example you might choose Juggling. You also provide a title for the BLOG such as The Juggling BLOG. This title will appear at the top of the BLOG page as a banner for the BLOG.
- 2.3. How to I place a description of my BLOG on the BLOG page?
Two files provide information about the BLOG. The file, _intro.txt, can be edited by clicking on the Edit Intro button. This file provides a brief description of the BLOG. Similarly, the file your_profile.txt, may be edited by clicking the Edit Profile button. Your profile may be used to display a brief description of yourself or if the BLOG were being used for a discussion, the profile could be used to provide guidelines for discussions.
- 2.4 Is there a Summary of BLOG Options?
The following table illustrates the various options in terms of public and limited access viewing and posting.
BLOG options
3. View Posts
- 3.1. I have just set up my BLOG and want my friends to be able to view it--How do I do this?
After the BLOG is created, click the View button to view your first posting. For other users and friends, you can provide them with a link to your new BLOG. The link is displayed on the owner's page and has the form of blogname.blog.speedspan.com where blogname is the name of your blog.
- 3.2. How will my friends know when I make new posts?
The "old-fashined way" is to simply go to the BLOG and see if something new has been posted. This is obviouly tedious so there is the "modern way" using the concept of an RSS reader.
- 3.3. RSS reader? What's that and it sounds like I need more software?
An RSS reader provides you with the ability to automatically check the BLOG and any other site that provides a feed, usually at pre-determined times.
If you use the Firefox or Safarie browsers, you don't need additional software. Go to the (firefox website) and read about Live Bookmarks also known as RSS feeds. If you use Internet Explorer, you will nee a plugin for the browser. One such plugin is Feed Reader. You can also use standalone software such as Feed Reader for Windows, KAgregator for LINUX. There are many other packages so you can do a search for RSS readers if you don't like these options
4. Themes
- 4.1. I don't like the way the blog looks--what can I do?
On Admin page, there is a section where a theme may be selected. By selecting the link below one of the template thumbnails, you can view, in full screen mode, how your BLOG will appear. To make the final selection, choose the template from the drop-down menu and then click the Change to button. Most templates will also allow for an introduction paragraph that describes the purpose of the BLOG.
5. Posting Images
- 5.1. I like pictures on my BLOG page--how do I do that?
Several options are available as to how the picture will be displayed in the BLOG entry. The best approach is to check the thumbnails box on the basic owner's screen and the Link to Item box on the Advanced Admin page. With these conditions set, an uploaded picture will be displayed as a thumbnail which when clicked will display the full post with the pictures displayed full screen.
- 5.2. I would like a picture at the top of the home page--how do I do that?
| You may put a picture of yourself or anything else at the top of the page. The photo must be named your_photo.jpg. To upload a graphic, go to the bottom of the Admin screen, as shown below and enter the file name in the form, or use the Browse button to select the file from your local machine. Then click the Upload File button to send the picture to the server. |  |
- 5.3. How can I add multiple pictures to a single post? The form method only allows one file to be attached.
If you use the email approach to posting an image, then you can include multiple picture files as attachments to the email.
6. Othe types of Posts
- 6.1. Can I post Text Documents?
You can post anytype of text document that you want. Keep in mind that your readers need to have software to read the file that you post. A good format to use is PDF since most word processors can produce a PDF file.
- 6.2. What about music files?
Music files may be posted the same way as text or picture files. Take a look at the demo BLOG as an example
7. RSS Feeds
- 7.1. How do I access an RSS Feed?
To use this capability you will need either a separate RSS reader or an RSS enabled browser. The Firefox and Safari browsers already have the capability for RSS feeds. For Internet Explorer, you will need a plugin such as Feed Reader. For a standalone RSS reader, you can search the web for appropriate software.
- 7.2. I use the Firefox Browser. I clicked on the "RSS feed for myblogname" and I get this strange code??
To acces an RSS feed with Firefox, do not click on the link but click on the small icon that appears on the lower right-hand corner. You will be prompted to add a live-bookbmark which is Firefox's way of setting up an RSS Feed. The feed link will then be added to the Bookmarks menu.
- 7.3. I acces a passwword protected BLOG with Firefox. The RSS feeds work but the next time I start Firefox, I get the message--"Live Bookmarks failed to load"
This is a problem with Firefox as of V1.0.7. The only work around is to use a separate RSS reader that is capable of accessing a password protected BLOG.
- 7.4 So what's this separate RSS reader?
For each operating system there are standalone programs that are designed as BLOG Readers and will often automatically update at a certain time period. Many of these readers can also be used with password protected BLOGS.
- For LINUX, if you access the BLOG with the konqueror browser (even a password protected one), the system will maintain the passwords and the standalone browser Akregator will automatically access the BLOG.
- For the MacIntosh, the safarie browser can accomplish access of both password protected and un-protected BLOGS as well as doing this automatically.
8. Security
- 8.1. Are there any security options for SpanBLOG
There are two options to make your BLOG secure. (1) You can password protect the BLOG. Then, give the password to trusted friends or associates. This added security will cause problems with some RSS feed readers that are not capable of RSS feeds to password protected BLOGS.
- 8 2 How do I set up password access to my BLOG
To set up a password for the BLOG, go to the settings page and enter a password in the form. There is only one password although the dialog box that appears for the user will request a user name and password. The software only checks for the password.
- 8.3 I don't want my BLOG to be available to search engines.
If you don't want your BLOG name to be available to various search engine like Google and Yahoo, check the box for Unlisted. Of course, if you give someone the URL for the BLOG nothing prevents them from passing it on to other individuals.
FAQ Revised: Thursday 13 October 2005 13:21
Copyright (c) 2005 SpeedSpan
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