Setting up your own blog

Q: What's a blog?
A: A Web Log, or an internet based journal where you can share your experiences, and others can leave comments.

A few people have set up their own blog to document their experience in building a new home.

In case you haven't seen it, there's a list of blogs here:
http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=1522

How do you go about setting up your own blog? Here are the steps:

I've referenced one particular blog site, because it's the one I use, and it's very easy to work with/.

Step1: Point your browser at http://www.blogger.com/start

You should see a home page similar to the one below:



Step2: If you'd like more information about blogs, click on the button you will see called "Take a Quick Tour" (no - the one below is a picture - do it on the blog web site!)


Step 3: Click on the arrow titled "Create Your Blog Now" (again - the one below is a picture - do it on the blog web site!)



Step 4: Create a new Google Blogger Account by filling in the fields., then click continue.


Step 5: Now, you can name your blog. Enter the name of your blog in the first field. In the second field, enter a name you'd like to have in the blog web address. Then click "Check Availability". If there is already a blog with that web address, some others will be suggested.



When you find an address which isn't being used, you will see the message "This blog address is available".

If you are following these steps, then you should ignore the "Advanced Setup". The advanced setup allows you to host your blog elsewhere.

Click "Continue".

Step 6: Now comes the fun bit! Choose a template for your blog. The template will determine the colours and design for your blog. Scroll through, choose one you like, and click "Continue". To see the template in full screen, you can click on the "preview template" link under each template.



Step 7: Your blog has been created! Click the "Start Posting" button to create your first entry. (D'oh! Not the one below - it's a picture!)



Step 8: Create your blog entry. You can include pictures, change the font, and generally make it look cool! Click on "Help" for some tips on how to edit. When you are happy with your first posting, click on "Publish". If you want to save it without publishing you can "Save as Draft".

After you've posted your first entry, you will see links for editing the entry and creating new entires. There are also links for "Template", to allow you to change your template, and "Settings".

Take a look at the settings - in particular, you can decide whether you want people to add comments to your blog, and how they can do so.

Have fun, and remember to add your blog to the blog thread:
http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=1522

To get back to your block control panel, go to http://www.blogger.com/start and log on using your email address and password.

Cheers
Perry