Creating a New Blog
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Creating a New Blog |
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Getting to the "Create Blog" Page
New blogs are created in the Create Blog page, located in the Blogs section. To get there, click on the Blogs tab of the Navigation Bar to go to the Blogs section, then click on the Create Blog link in the Blogs tab:
Specifying the Blog's Owner
The first step in creating a new blog is specifying an owner for the blog, which is done in the User Information section of the page, shown below:
Every blog has a single owner, and the owner must have a Blogware account. Depending on the situation, you can specify the owner in one of two ways:
| • | If the person who will own the blog already has a Blogware account |
You need only enter that person's username and password into the Existing username and Password fields in the upper portion of the User Information section. Both pieces of information are required.
| • | If the person who will own the blog does not have a Blogware account |
You will need to provide the following information:
| • | New username (can be an email address) |
| • | Password |
| • | Display Name |
| • | First Name |
| • | Last Name |
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| • | Language Preference |
Specifying the Blog's Options
Once you have specified and owner for the blog, you must specify options for the blog, which is done in the Options section of the page, shown below:
The options you can set are:
| • | Trial mode |
If you select Yes, the blog will be in Trial mode, a 30-day period commencing immediately after it is created during which it can be administered, posted to and read normally. At the end of the 30-day period, its status changes from Active to On Hold - Read Only.
| • | Package type |
Use this to set the disk space / transfer-usage allotment package for the blog to be created. Available package types will consist of the three built-in packages (Introductory, Basic and Plus) as well as any custom packages that you have defined.
For more details about packages, see Packages.
| • | Blog Name |
The name of the blog. The name of the blog is used in several places. In the default template, it appears in large text near the top of each blog page, as well as in the title bar. It is also included in pings for trackbacking and notifying blog-tracking services such as Technorati and Blogrolling.com.
If your customer can't think of a name for his/her blog, just enter an arbitrary name and tell him/her that s/he can change it at any time in the Settings section of his/her blog's Control Panel.
| • | Primary Hostname |
The main hostname of the blog. What can be used for the primary hostname depends on the situation:
| • | If your customer wants his/her own CNAME to point to his/her own blog: |
Enter the CNAME into the Primary Hostname field, and make sure that the CNAME is points to users.blogware.com.
| • | If your customer doesn't have a CNAME and your organization is reselling Blogware under its own domain: |
Use a hostname of the form hostname.yourdomainname.com.
For example, if your company is reselling Blogware under the domain example.com and your customer wants the hostname justanother, enter justanother.example.com into the Primary Hostname field.
(Note: To resell Blogware under your own domain, you need to set the Admin URL. See Setting the Admin URL for more information.)
| • | If your customer doesn't have a CNAME and your organization is reselling Blogware under the blogware.com domain: |
Use a hostname of the form hostname.blogware.com.
For example, if your customer wants the hostname example, enter example.blogware.com into the Primary Hostname field.
| • | Hostname2, Hostname3 |
A blog can have up to two alternate hostnames that can be used to access it. What can be used for the alternate hostnames depends on the situation:
| • | If your customer wants his/her own CNAME to point to his/her own blog: |
Enter the CNAME into the alternate hostname field, and make sure that the CNAME is points to users.blogware.com.
| • | If your customer doesn't have a CNAME and your organization is reselling Blogware under its own domain: |
Use a hostname of the form hostname.yourdomainname.com.
For example, if your company is reselling Blogware under the domain example.com and your customer wants the hostname justanother, enter justanother.example.com into the alternate hostname field.
(Note: To resell Blogware under your own domain, you need to set the Admin URL. See Setting the Admin URL for more information.)
| • | If your customer doesn't have a CNAME and your organization is reselling Blogware under the blogware.com domain: |
Use a hostname of the form hostname.blogware.com.
For example, if your customer wants the hostname example, enter example.blogware.com into the alternate hostname field.
| • | Settings Profile |
Use this menu to select which profile to use when creating the blog.
For more information about profiles, see the Blog Profiles chapter.
| • | Template Theme |
Use this menu to select the template theme to use when creating the blog. A template theme defines the fonts and color scheme of the blog.
To see what the template themes look like, see the Template Themes appendix.
Creating the Blog
Once you've specified an owner and settings, you can create the blog. Do this by clicking the Create Blog button at the bottom of the page.
You will be taken back to the View Blogs page, which will have the following message near its top:
