|
If you're trying to decide which hosted blog service to use, try setting up an account with each and then using them for a couple of weeks. Most of the pay solutions offer a free trial period you can use to do this. This strategy really pays off in the long run, because you can make the most informed decision possible. Each of the hosted solutions works a little differently, and some are targeted at slightly different levels of technical experience, so it takes some experimentation to know which is best for you.
Opening a Blogger account
Setting up a Blogger account is a great way to get started. Its sign-up process is simple, and you don't need to have anything but a name for your blog in mind. Follow these steps:
1. Open a browser, and go to www.blogger.com.
2. Click the Create Your Blog Now arrow on the home page.
3. Fill out the information it requests, read the terms of service, and click Continue.
You may need to experiment to find an available username. Be creative!
4. Name your blog, choose a blog address, and click Continue.
Again, you may have try a few different names to find one that is available.
5. Choose a template design, and click Continue.
If you don't like those that are available, remember that with some HTML skills you can alter the code to make a design that suits you better.
6. Click the Start Posting button to begin using your new blog.
Posting to your blog
Blogger provides an interface from which to post your entries. If you need to, go to the Blogger Web site and sign in.
 | You can choose to click the Remember Me box so that you don't have to sign in every time you go to blogger.com. |
You can have multiple blogs under the same user account with Blogger, so when you sign in you have to select which blog you want to post to, even if you only have one blog. Follow these steps to create a new post:
1. Select your blog.
2. Click the Create a New Post button.
3. Type a title.
4. Type the text of your entry.
If you want to bold some text, click and drag to highlight it. Click the B button and the HTML code that creates bolded text is inserted. You can also italicize text and indent it.
5. Decide what you want to do with your post:
• To save this post and come back to it later, click the Save as Draft button.
• To post the entry to your blog, click the Publish Post button.
Adding links
Blogger has a built-in tool that allows you to create links in your posts. Follow these steps to add a link:
1. Select the text you want to be clickable.
2. Click the Insert Link icon (it looks like a small globe with a chain link on top of it).
An Enter URL dialog box opens.
3. Enter the URL of the site you want to link to.
Be sure to include the http:// before the address.
4. Click OK.
The HTML that creates a link is added to your entry.
Adding images
Blogger does not allow you to post images on its server, so you need to place your images online in another location. For example, you can put your image on your own Web site or use a photo service such as Flickr or BloggerBot to post your images online. Some of these services, like Flickr, resize your images for you.
 | Take note of the URL where you post your images so you can provide a link to them on your blog. |
Windows users can download the BloggerBot Hello software to their computers and use their Blogger usernames to upload images for free.
Turning on comments
Blogger permits you to allow comments on your blog, but you may want to change some of the settings. Follow these steps after logging into your account to update your comments settings:
1. Select the blog you want to work on.
2. Click the Settings tab and then click the Comments link.
The settings page for comments appears.
3. Choose to show or hide comments.
If you choose to hide comments on your site, they don't display, but they aren't deleted. To show all comments, choose Show.
4. Choose from the following three options in the Who Can Comment? drop-down list:
• Anyone: Any visitor to the blog can comment.
• Only Registered Users: Only members of the Blogger service can comment. (Readers can register for free.)
• Only Members of This Blog: If you add members to your blog, only they will be permitted to post comments.
5. Select what behavior future posts have from the Default for Post drop-down list.
The New Posts Have Comments option turns comments on in the future.
6. If you want to know when someone posts a comment on your blog, enter your e-mail address in the Comment Notification Address box.
7. Click the Save Settings button.
Blogger reloads the page with the Republish button visible.
8. Click the Republish button to make these settings changes active.
Your next post has comments turned on.
Adding another author
Blogger allows you to have more than one contributor to a blog. You can use this feature to create collaborative blogs or to allow a guest blogger to run your blog for a week. Follow these steps to add another contributor (Blogger calls them team members) to your Blogger blog:
1. Log in, and select the blog you want to add a new contributor to.
2. Click the Settings tab and then click the Members link.
3. Click Add Team Member(s).
You can add up to three new members at a time. To add them, enter one new member per box next to New User.
4. If you want to include a message with that e-mail, type your message in the Message box.
5. Click the Save Settings button.
Blogger sends invitations to the new team members with a link that allows them to set up a Blogger account or connect an existing Blogger account to your blog.
| 
