Blog Server
Updated January 2007
We've changed several parts of our blogging system since this FAQ was sent out, including the initial setup process, so please read this updated version carefully!
How do I start a blog?
As of 2005, if you have a WOU username and password, a blog has already been created for you.
How do I start using it?
First, you need to log in to the blog administration system at http://www.wou.edu/blogadmin. Use your main WOU username and password (the same ones you use for email and the campus network.)
My password didn't work! What do I do?
Before December 2006, you had to contact UCS to get a blog password set up. Now it is synchronized with our Account Lookup system; if your password doesn't work, go to http://www.wou.edu/accountlookup and change it. That will synchronize your blog password to your email and network password; if you were attached to your old password, you can use account lookup again to change it back, and then it will work for the blog server as well. If this is confusing, please feel free to call the Service Request Desk.
OK, I'm logged in. What next?
The next screen is the main blog administration page; you will see a list of all the blogs you can post to. At first, this will just be one. Later on, you may be able to post to multiple blogs; for instance, one of your classes might have a blog for you and all your classmates to use. For each blog, you will see its title, which is "Your Name's Blog" for your personal one; the title is a link to administer it. You will also see some basic statistics about posts and comments, and below them the URL to view your blog. However, your blog is not viewable until you rebuild it.
How do I rebuild my blog?
This is the first thing you should do. Click the name of your blog; this will take you to the administration page for that blog. On the left side of the screen you will see a vertical toolbar with four sections: Posting, Community, Configure, and Utilities. We'll cover these in more detail later; right now, just find the "Rebuild Site" button near the bottom and click it. You will see a small window pop up, asking you what type of rebuild to do; "Rebuild All Files" should already be selected. Click the Rebuild button, and after a few moments, you should see a message saying that all your files have been rebuilt. Click the Close button to return to the administration page.
How do I actually post to my blog?
At the top of the left-side toolbar, you should see a "New Entry" link. Click it, and it will take you to the "Create New Entry" page. (Note: you can also get to this form directly from the blog list page; each blog has a "Create a new entry" link beside it.) This page has a lot of options on it, but luckily there is a fairly good help page available; just click the question mark button next to some of the field names. I'll still cover the basics here, though.
So what are the basics?
You'll need to fill in the Title and the Entry Body fields; the rest are optional. Notice that you can choose categories for your posts; there's no need to worry about that now, though. If your entry is long, consider putting the bulk of it in the "Extended Entry" box; that will hide that part Down at the bottom are some more options, but the only one you need to worry about right now is the Post Status menu. When you are done with your entry, you should make sure that menu is set to "Publish" rather than "Draft" or "Future".
Go ahead and hit the Preview button at the bottom. Naturally enough, this will show you a preview of what your entry will actually look like to readers. You can choose to re-edit the entry if you want to make changes, or save it now if you are done.
What can I say in my blog?
Pretty much anything you want. Because the blog server (like every everything else here) is owned by the state, blogs are subject to the standard limitations spelled out in the Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy, available at http://www.wou.edu/policy/36. This really isn't any different from the rules on email or anything else; you just can't use your blog for any sort of commercial business or criminal activity, and you agree to take sole responsibility for what you say.
Where do I go to view my blog? Or anyone else's?
Your blog is stored in the public_html folder on your H: drive in the folder called "blogs". You should not try to edit anything in this folder by hand, unless you really know what you are doing. Since it is in the public_html folder, it can be accessed at http://www.wou.edu/~username/blogs (substitute your actual network username for the "username" part; and don't forget the tilde "~" before it!)
This address will be listed below the blog name in the main menu page of the blog server. Anyone else's blog, if they have one, will have a similar address. If you have a home page, I recommend putting a link to your blog somewhere on it as well. You can find my blog at http://www.wou.edu/~swartzer/blogs. Feel free to post comments there!
How do I post a comment?
If the blog owner has chosen to allow comments, you will see a "Comments" link at the bottom of any blog entry (that number beside it is the number of comments already left, by the way) and you will be taken to a comment form. Just fill it out, preview it if you like, and save it!
Where do I go for more information?
Movable Type has a good user manual; you can find it at http://www.wou.edu/mtmanual (Warning: largish PDF document.) Don't forget to read part 2 of this FAQ!