Day 2 - Welcome Message/Designing Your Blog
Assignment: Today you will post a short message as a welcome message and then add various features to your blog that will enhance its appearance and provide resources for outside information. You will be responsible for adding a widget, a newsreel, a poll & you will also post a welcome message.
Step 1) Welcome message. Under the "Posting" tab of your blog you will see a box for text entry. Give your future readers a short paragraph describing what they should expect to find when they visit your blog. Under the title put "Welcome" or "Greetings" or something similar.
When you are done, click the "ABC" button at the top of the box to check your spelling.
Once everything looks good, you may "Publish" your post.
Step2) Creating a poll.
2a) After you publish your welcome message, click on the "layout" tab.
2b) You will see the option to "Add a gadget" on the top, bottom and middle-right. Click on "add a gadget" on the middle-right.
2c) A new window will open. Scroll down until you see the option for a "poll". Click the "+" sign.
2d) Create a poll that is related to your topic. For example, in the question area, you might write "Who will win the NBA championship?". Below, you will put down the options people can choose from.
2e) Change the closing date to to 06/30/10
2f) Click save and your poll will then be part of your blog.
Step 3) Widgets. What is a widget? A widget is something you add to a website from another news source that publishes their news on the side of your blog. For example, a widget about the NBA would post current news stories on the side of your blog.
If you are interested in a sports widget, ESPN.com is good source for them. Click here if you are interested in a widget from their page (see "Directions for getting an ESPN widget" at the bottom of this page). NBA.com and NFL.com also have sports widgets.
If you are not doing a sports blog, you can do an internet search for a widget that fits your topic (for example, "music widget").
*Note: In most cases you can add a widget to your blog through the website you are getting it from. If you are having trouble adding a widget, ask Mr. Donohue for help.
Step 4) Newsreel. You will add a feature that will bring up news stories about your topic.
4a) After you publish your welcome message, click on the "layout" tab.
4b) You will see the option to "Add a gadget" on the top, bottom and middle-right. Click on "add a gadget" on the middle-right.
4c) A new window will open. Scroll down until you see the option for a "Newsreel". Click the "+" sign.
4d) Delete the area that says: "Apple, Google, Microsoft" and type in a search term that fits your blog. For example, if your blog is about the New York Yankees, then type "New York Yankees".
4e) Give a title to the newsreel at the top (like "Yankee News").
4f) Click "save".****Directions for getting an ESPN Widget****
1) Make sure you are logged into gmail.
2) Click "add now" on the widget you are interested in getting.
3) Click "add this"
4) Select the Google logo indicated with the letter "G"
5) Click "Add to iGoogle"
6) You will see the widget on a new page. At the top of the box that contains the widget you will an arrow pointing down in the right corner. Press the arrow and select "About this gadget".
7) On a new page you will see 3 links on the right side. Select the one that says "embed this gadget."
8) You may see an error message in the middle of the next page - do not worry! Everything is fine.
9) Scroll down and change the
width to 250 and the
height to 300.
10) Click "get the code" at the bottom of the page. Copy it.
11) Go to your blog's "layout" section and click "add a gadget" on the right side of your layout.
12) Select "HTML/JavaScript" and paste the code into this box. Give your widget a title that will tell readers what type of news they should expect to read in this section. For example "New York Yankee News".
13) Press "Save". Then, on your layout page, press "save" again.
