Thursday, September 22, 2011

Blogger Guide

To make sure that these appear in the top menu, go to your dashboard and click Design.  Add a Gadget as shown below.

Blogger is Google's blogging platform.  You can register for a blog at Blogger.com and your blog will be created at blogname.blogspot.com


Blogger >basics
Creating a Blogger Blog
Go to Blogger.com and sign in with your gmail ID and password.  This is the first screen you'll see.

 Click 'Create Your Blog Now'
 Choose any blog title you wish (it can be simple like Jeff's TTP Blog')
The Blog address will be more challenging.  You need to check availability for any address you choose. No spaces allowed.

When you have found one, click 'create blog' and you'll see this page.  Click which template looks nicest to you. This can be changed later.
 Click 'Start Blogging'


Your DashboardYour dashboard is were you can control all aspects of you blog. To get there click the orange B in the upper left corner of your screen. 
Your Dashboard looks like this

Creating Posts / Creating Pages
Most of the time, when you create content on your blog, you will create a 'post by clicking 'New Post' at the upper right corner of your blog page or on your Dashbaord. 
Blogger 'Pages' are used to create things like an About page or a Contact me page.  Pages are usually shown on the top menu, but do not appear on the main page stream of content.  Blogger's Page guide is here.  In the screenshot below. 'About', Resources, Skills, etc .are 'pages'.


To create a page, click 'Edit Posts' (confusing, I know).
...and then 'Edit Pages'

...and 'New Page'.

To add pages to your top menu, click Design

Add the 'Pages' Gadget to the top menu block of your blog



To post photos on your blogger blog.

Create 'New Post' and choose the 'Componse' tab.  Then click the Image icon.

Select 'upload' and choose file. Find the file(s) on your computer.  You can select mulitple images if you like.  Then click 'Add Selected.



Once the photo has been loaded if you mouse over it, you can select the site, orientation (left center right), add a caption, or remove it.





Posting a YouTube video on your blog


Go to YouTube.com. Find a video you'd like to post.  Beneath the video, click 'share' and then 'more'.
Click the blogger icon
Another window will pop up with either some code or a screenshot of the selected video. Either way, click 'Publish Post'. That's it.  





Adding Gadgets to your Blogger Blog


From your Blogger Dashboard, click Design
Make sure your on the 'Page Elements' Tab
Click 'Add a Gadget' on the side bar

Look through the different categories, select gadgets of interest
Adjust settings if deisred. Then Click 'Save'. 
Click and drag the gadget into the order you want. 
Click Save again in the upper right. 





Video Tutorials
Creating a blog and posting
Controlling Blog privacy
Changing the appearance of your blog. 




Additional Information and EFL Blogger.com Blogs
There is lots of  help information at: http://www.google.com/support/blogger/

Specific help can be found at the links below
You can see examples below of English teachers from around the world who have a blogger blog
More examples of  blogs (blogger and others) here. 

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