Posting 101

Alrighty. Time for another out-of-the norm long post. Looks like I'll do these from time to time to get everyone on the same page. Those of you who are relatively blog-savy should just ignore this, as it is designed for those people who don't really know how to post and is otherwise mind-numbingly boring.

It dawned on me today that probably not everyone knows how to post a message on the main page of the blog . This is probably particularly true for those of you who don't have you're own blog (which is the vast majority). In sum, there's a big difference between posting a comment and posting a main blog entry.

A comment is super easy. You just click on the word "Comment" that appears at the end of a particular post, add text where appropriate, and join the fray. This is clearly where you discuss the finer aspects of a particular blog entry.

The unique thing about this blog is that you all will be able to post main blog entries - not just comments. However, posting entries involves a little more effort. Here's how:

1. On the main page of the blog, click on the "Enter" button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. This takes you to the main page at blogger.com. (Alternatively, you can just go directly to www.blogger.com or if your homepage happens to be Google, just access the "More" drop down menu at the top of their homepage and click on "Blogger.")
2. Once on the main page, log in with your Google username and password (username is typically your e-mail address, password is whatever you set it as.) Once you hit enter, you'll be directed to your "Dashboard" page.
3. Your Dashboard page allows you to administer personal options (everyone, by the way, ought to enter pictures for themselves, whether its actually of you or of something funny..just play along). In addition, in the center of the page, it lists all the blogs you are a member of. One (and maybe your only one) will be our blog. Simply click on the "New Post" link under our blog's listing.
4. Now you'll be redirected to the page where you can fiddle with our blog. For ease of use, the main screen is the one where you can type a main blog entry. This is also where you can add hyperlinks, photos, bold text, etc, with the click of a button. If you'll explore the page a bit, you'll even find ways to go back and edit your previous posts.

Now that we've got that out of the way, one other thing: for ease of use and to increase "readability" I'd prefer that we not title every individual post. You'll always have this option (as you're the ones adding entries), but I'd prefer we not use titles. I used one in this post and the initial post just in order to grab attention.

Alright, back to it. Give it a try!