Before you create a blog on LiveModern, you may want to consider using different tools such as Blogger, Moveable Type, TypePad, WordPress, LiveJournal, or whatever. We do have a blogging tool here at LiveModern, but it will never be as full-featured as a dedicated blogging website (in fact our blogging tool is called SimpleBlog for a reason). If you do create a blog using another service, however, it's possible that your blog could appear here. See the Blog Directory for information on how you can feed your blog to us, thus having the best of both worlds, your own blog and visibility to the large LiveModern audience.

If you want to blog here, a blog on LiveModern consist of two parts, the blog and blog entries:

• Blog—A blog is a collection of blog entries. In the analog world, it's like a journal, a book with pages for each day.
• Blog Entry—A blog entry is like a page in the journal. A collection of blog entries make up a blog.

Actually, there is a third important part to a blog. Since the blog is a public diary, lots of people like to comment on what they read. A blog on LiveModern includes the ability for readers to comment on what you write, and for you (and others) to comment on what they write. This is not your mother's diary: it's your daughter's diary!

A blog on LiveModern is different from a forum. In a blog, only you can start a topic (a blog entry) in your own blog, wheresas in a forum any member can start a conversation. Of course, any member can comment on your entry, but the blog is a community discussion that is clearly initiated from your point of view.

To see what a blog looks like, click here. The most recent blog entries appear first. While anyone that visits LiveModern can view the contents of a blog, only a registered member of LiveModern can create their own blog, or comment on any blog entry.

Creating Your Blog

To set up your blog, login and click on the "my folder" link in your personal bar (the blue bar at the top of every web page on LiveModern). You should see a listing of the contents in your folder. For most LiveModern members, it will contain only your home page, which was automatically generated for you when you first registered. From the "add to folder" drop down menu, choose Blog.

A new blog  will be created. Now you can fill out the form to define how your blog will look:

1. Title—Enter a title for your blog. Make this very short, descriptive, and memorable, like a headline. The title will be used in the URL of your blog. Note: This field is required. 
2. Description—You can write a description for your blog here. Generally, it's like a mission statement for what will be covered in the blog, to keep everyone on topic. This description will be displayed at the beginning of your blog as a teaser. It's best to make this description 75 words or less. You can always edit it later.
3. Maximum Number of Blog Entries to Display—This is the number of entries to display on a blog page. The default is 20, which should be sufficient for most blogs. If you choose to display full blog entries, and if you tend to write long blog entries, you might want to change this to a smaller number.
4. Available Entry Categories—Categories are ways to link blog entries to each other, so that your readers can find related content easily. Several default categories are created for all blogs (all related to the primary content on LiveModern—modern housing), but you can also add other categories here for your blog. We recommend that you work with the default categories first (you'll seem them soon!). You can add your own categories later on.
5. Other—There are a couple of other check boxes that are turned on by default. It's best to just leave them that way.
   

When you have finished defining how your blog will look, click the Save button. Your blog is now ready to accept entries (you will see a blank blog with no entries). You should bookmark this page. To start adding entries, click on the "contents" tab of this page.

You can also configure your blog to display its content in one of three ways:

• Show titles and descriptions—Displays the title and description only. This is the default, and usually, for a busy blog, this is the best option. This is the state you should strive for: a blog with frequent and regular entries, even if they are short.
• Show only titles—Displays the title only. Only for very busy blogs.
• Show complete entry—Displays the title, description and complete blog entry. This is the best option if you anticipate that your blog will not have very many entries.
  

You can always change the Display Mode to another setting by clicking on the "display" in the green bar at the top of your blog page. We recommend leaving at the default.

Finally, note that the state of your blog is "public draft" (it's state is displayed at the top right of the blog content column). After you have published your first blog entry, publish your blog by clicking on the green "public draft" and select "publish". This will enable the contents of your blog to be indexed for searching and visible in the blogs portlet and tab.

Adding an Entry to Your Blog

To add an entry to your blog, you should be in your blog. To add a blog entry:

1. Locate the add item button on the green tool bar and choose Blog Entry. Note that you can also add blog folders (for organizing blog entries) and images in your blog (we'll deal with images later).
2. There are several field that comprise your blog entry:
   • Title—Enter a title for your blog entry, referring to the topic covered. Make sure it is short (3 or 4 words) and evocative, like a headline.
   • Description—Tease your reader into reading the full blog entry by adding a 75-word or less description. Again, this is also to keep everyone on your topic. Note: the Title and Description of your blog entry are what readers will see in most views of your blog. It's in your interest to make them interesting.
   • Body—Write your blog entry here, using the content editor (or HTML if you are using Safari). A blog entry can be as long as you like.
3. Select one or more Categories that describe the main content of your entry. You can select more than one by using the control (Windows) or command (Mac OS) key as you click on categories. Note that there are several default categories for all blogs, and if you added Possible Categories to your blog, they will appear here as well. You can also decide to select no categories if none are appropriate.
4. Finally, click the Save button. You can now view how your blog entry will look.

Your blog entry is saved to the LiveModern server in draft form, allowing you to edit your blog entry before publishing it. No one else can see your blog entry until you publish it. Click on the "edit" tab to continue editing. When you are ready to publish your blog entry, click the "draft" state, and select the "publish" option. The blog entry will appear at the top of your blog's home page, as well as in the blogs portlet and tab for all site visitors to see.

That's it! To keep your journal fresh, get in the habit of regularly posting new blog entries. And be sure to tell your friends and colleagues that your blog is on LiveModern.

Other Blog Stuff

• Adding Images

  Images can be added to blog entries. This is particularly useful if you are describing a building process. To add an image:

1. Prepare your image—Your image should be no larger than 50k in size, and be in JPEG format (.jpg).
2. Upload your image—While in your blog folder, select the "image" option from the "add new item" pull down menu. Fill out the fields, and then choose the image to add. When completed, it will be stored in your folder on our server.
3. Reference your image—As soon as your image is uploaded to the LiveModern server, you can reference it in any of your blog entries. There are lots of ways to do this. See Adding and Displaying Images.

• Comments

  Anyone that can view your blog can see comments, but only you and other registered members of LiveModern can add comments to your blog. Be sure to check your blog entries for new comments. Someone may be asking for clarification.