Category list

what you ll do

what you'll do

how this book works

the web site

useful tools

You can download Firefox from http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

getting help

an additional resource

Chapter 1. starting your blog

Blogger makes starting your blog a three-step proposition. First, you create an account with Blogger and set some basic preferences for your blog (like its name ). Next, you choose a template for your blog's initial design. Thirdly, you get to the good part: posting your first blog entry.

start at blogger.com

It doesn't matter if you use a Mac, PC, or Unix/Linux computer. Shown here is the Blogger site on a Mac. On the opposite page you can see Blogger on a PC running Windows.

set up an account

name your blog

choose a template

publish your first post

the dashboard

sign out and in

extra bits

set up an account p. 3

Everyone who uses Blogger must have a unique user name . If you choose one that's already in use, you'll get an error and will be directed to try a different one.
The email address you give will also identify any emails sent from your blog.

name your blog p. 4

While you can have a blog with the same name as someone else's (though I'm not sure why you'd want to), the Blog address you choose must be unique. If you happen to type one that's already in use, you'll get an error and a chance to try another.

choose a template p. 5

If you don't like any of the given templates, don't fret. You'll learn how to choose a different template (from a wider selection) or modify the template according to your own style in Chapter 4.

publish your first post p. 6

You don't have to create your first post right away. You can sign out as described on page 9 and then after a rest, start from Chapter 2, where you can add a new entry on page 12.

the dashboard p. 8

You can have as many blogs as you like. They will all be listed in the Dashboard and be treated independently by Blogger. They are all identified with the Blogger user name that you created on page 3.
You can delete a blog by clicking the gear next to the blog's name in the Dashboard, and then clicking Delete This Blog from the Settings Basic page that appears.

sign out and in p. 9

If you blog on a public computer, be sure to sign out each time you are done writing your blog. Otherwise, the next person who uses the computer will be able to write entries to your blog or change its settings.
Click the Remember me box in the Sign In area if you want your browser to save a cookie with your user name and password. When you type in the first few letters of your user name, the browser will fill in the rest of the name, and the password as well. Needless to say, this is only a good idea on a private computer.

Chapter 2. writing your blog

Once you've got your blog up and running, you can get down to the real task at hand: writing. In this chapter, you'll learn how to create new entries, edit them, save them as a draft, and/or post them directly, and finally, to delete them.

You'll also learn how to add photographs, links, and formatting to your blog entries.