Weblog

Contents

Elgg comes with a built in blogging engine. Here are some basic instructions to get you started.

[edit] Menu options

Out of the box, the Elgg blog has several different menu options:

  • Post a new entry
  • View blog
  • RSS feed
  • Archive (this is a link to all your weblog posts)
  • Friends' blog (this is a link which shows all the weblog posts your friends have made - more on friends later.)
  • Interesting posts
  • View all posts - this link will display every blog post in the system

[edit] Posting a new entry

To post your first blog entry select 'Post a new entry' from the menu options.

You'll be taken to the 'Add a new post' page. First you give your blog post a title then fill in some content.

The blog entry page has the following components:

  • Post title: this is the name of your new blog post
  • Post body: this is where you write the contents of your blog post
  • Keywords: these are commonly referred to as 'tags' and make it possible for others to search for and find your blog post. You decide what these keywords should be. Try to choose ones that represent the blog post. They do not need to be individual words ? short phrases are okay as well.

Note: remember to separate each keyword or (or keyphrase) with a comma!

  • Access restrictions: this is where you decide who will see your newly created blog post. The default settings are the same for all parts of the system (public, logged in users and private). When you create groups (more on that later) they will also appear here and this will allow you to make a weblog post and have it available only to those people you invite into your group.
  • Embed a file (Optional): If you would like to embed a file into your blog post use the 'Embed a file..' option. Images less than 400 pixels by 400 pixels will display within the blog post. All other files will be linked to.

Once you have completed the above tasks you are ready to submit your post. Just click 'post' and you're done.

[edit] Editing and deleting posts

Once you have submitted a blog post you have two further options: edit and delete.

When logged in you will see these two options at the bottom of every blog post. Delete will permanently remove that post and edit allows you to edit any part of the blog post.

If you select edit and once you have made the required changes, remember to press 'save post' in order to preserve your new changes!

[edit] The blog archive

The blog archive link takes you to a page which holds all the blog posts you have ever made. Blog posts are categorised by month and year. To view your old blog posts, just select the month and all posts you made in that month will appear.

[edit] The friends blog

This option allows you to view all the blog posts made by people you have chosen to be friends. The blog posts will appear ordered by date, with the most recent post appearing first. This is a great way to get a quick snapshot of who has updated their blog.

[edit] RSS

An RSS feed is created for your blog. This allows other people to keep up-to-date on your blog using an RSS aggregator or with the Your Resources page.