Volunteering my services on Blogger Basics

Blogger isn't always clear on some aspects of blogging, and as I am supposedly the experienced blogger around here (*sob*) I'm throwing together a quick and dirty guide to Blogger for the sake of the computer illiterate. Some of this may seem obvious to some people, but others may have lots of problems. I know I did.


If you can't get logged in when you follow the links in the invitation e-mail, or never received an invitation e-mail:

Blogger is prone to glitches; considering how many people are trying to join this blog right now, it's amazing that it works as well as it does. Contact Professor Simmons - as the administrator, he's the only one who can invite anyone else to join. He'll just send you another invitation e-mail, so be sure the e-mail account is correct and can receive e-mails from blogger.com.

When you follow the links, you will need to choose "create a new account" if you do not already have an account on Blogger. You will need to find a new account name that has not already been used. Remember to write down your account name and password.

How do I make entries on the weblog? What can I do to format text (like in Word or WordPerfect)?

You can't actually make entries from the weblog itself. Instead, you need to log in at blogger.com. If you can't remember that, just click on the icon in the upper right-hand corner of the weblog, the one that says "Blogger". That will lead you to the login page. Enter your Username and Password, then click Sign In. This will take you to your “dashboard”, which lists all weblogs that you can use at Blogger. (For most of us, it will just be this one, but you can also create your own, as Jared has.) Choose our class weblog, “Coase Colored Glasses”. Under the “Posting” tab, choose “Create” or “Create a New Post”, and it will take you to a screen where you can make an entry on the weblog.

For most of us, it will probably be easiest to work in "Compose" mode (instead of "Edit HTML") when we make posts. If you want to make something Bold or Italicized, just click on the appropriate button at the top. Click it again to switch back. You can also change the color of your text with the "T" button. Another option is to create a link to another web page, by typing in what you want it to display, highlighting it with your mouse, and clicking the button that looks like a globe with a deformed oval on top of it. It will ask you to enter a URL, the web address at the top of your screen when you are at that web page (like "http://enviropol.blogspot.com"). (It's usually easiest to just copy and paste, by selecting it when you are at the web page, pressing Ctrl + c to copy, before you go in to type it up with the link button.)

If you're worried about how your post will turn out, you have a "Preview" option. Use it frequently. You can easily "Hide Preview" after you're done to make any changes you want.

To display your post on the weblog, just choose "Publish Post" and it will display it online. I recommend saving a copy on your computer; sometimes Blogger freezes up or loses posts.

Be sure to check out the "Edit HTML" function, even if you don't use it, because it will show you what to type to get different effects when making comments. There isn't a "Compose" function there.


If you have other questions, post them in the comments below or e-mail me and I'll try to answer them for you. I don't know much, but I'll help you out where I can.