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After you figure out what you want to blog about on your MySpace page, you can make your first post. Click the Blog link under your profile picture and then click the Post New Blog link to get things going.
It's all subjective
At the top of the Post a New Blog Entry window, you can see fields to choose the date and time you're posting (set by default for you by MySpace), along with a subject line and the Category drop-down menu. The Subject field is the title of the blog post you're writing, and you can select an applicable category for your post if you want.
 | MySpace defaults to Pacific Standard Time, or PST. Take that into account when you're not posting on the west coast and change the time to your correct zone when you make a blog post. |
Your body of work
You actually write your blog entry in the large text field. If you're an experienced writer, you already know what to do — go on and write your entry. If you haven't written much before, don't be afraid. There are plenty of other people taking their first steps into blogging right along with you. Just imagine yourself talking to someone about your blog subject and then type out what you would say.
You can also include links to Web pages, photos, songs, videos, and other items in your blog. To add links to items within you blog, follow these steps:
1. In the Post a New Blog Entry window, the Advanced Editor toolbar should appear by default above the Body section of your blog.
If you don't see the Advanced Editor toolbar, click the Go to Advanced Editor link in the Body section.
2. To insert an item into your blog, select the appropriate button from the Advanced Editor toolbar.
Choose from these buttons:
• Insert Link: The globe and a chain link below it
• Add Image: An image of a picture
• Insert Symbol: A key from a keyboard
• Insert Emoticon: Well, an emoticon
3. Fill out the information in the window that pops up and click OK (if you're inserting a link or image), or make a selection from the options that appear (if you're inserting a symbol or emoticon).
4. The link or image will be inserted automatically into your blog entry.
| Some browsers might not handle the Advanced Editor correctly. In that case, you can use the Simple Editor. You can still enter the link, but you have to enter it manually. |
You can also embed any videos that you or somebody else has put on MySpace. Just go to the Video section under your (or somebody else's) profile, and MySpace provides the code for you to copy and paste into your blog text. The video appears in place of that text when the blog is posted.
Attention to detail
The final section of the Post a New Blog Entry window lets you determine who gets to read your blog and what you want them to know about yourself. You can also let the reader know your overall mood by selecting one from the drop-down menu or writing in your own.
By default, readers can leave comments or kudos (a kind of virtual high-five) on your blog entries. If you don't want to let them do this, click to uncheck the Comments check box if you want to disable that ability.
The Privacy radio buttons below the Comments check box determine who gets to read your blog:
- Public: This is the default setting, and it means your writings are free and open to whomever stumbles on your profile.
- Diary: This setting means that only you can read the entry. Everybody else is blocked from accessing it.
- Friends: Only users on your Friends List can view your blogs.
- Preferred List: Only those on your Preferred List can view the entries. To set up your Preferred List, click the My Preferred List link on the left side of your blog entry page and search out your friends. This way, you can select exactly who reads your blog.
| Each blog entry can have its own privacy setting. For example, you can make one entry a diary and the rest public. This option helps you control exactly what you tell the world. |
When you finish with your blog entry, click the Preview & Post button at the bottom of the page. MySpace shows you what your blog entry currently looks like. You can then choose to post that blog, edit it, or cancel out and dump the blog entry entirely.
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