Blogs @ NYU

Adding a Links Section

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:06:48 -0500

If you wish to add a links section to your blog's sidebar, you will need to add a few lines of code to your blog's *Main Index* template. Here's how: 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Choose the *Templates* option for your blog. 3. By default, you'll be placed into the *Index Templates* window. Before you do any work on the main index, it is recommended that you make a back-up copy of the existing file. To do this, - Find the template called *Main Index*. - Put a check mark in the box in front of it and from the drop-down menu that, by default says, "More actions...", choose the option for *Refresh Template(s)*. - Click the *Go* button. - On the following page, click the *Return* button to return to the previous page. You should now see a back-up copy of your Main Index listed in the window. 4. Click on the link for the *Main Index* file. 5. You'll now be in the *Edit Template* screen. Find the *Template Body* section and copy and paste the contents into a text editor (e.g. TextEdit, NotePad). 6. Find the **

** section in the template content you just copied. You will see the various sidebar sections, e.g. *Search*, *Recent Posts*, *Categories*, and *Monthly*. 7. To create your *Links* section, add the following code into your chosen section display area within template:

Links

Add your links here

8. Replace the text *Add your links here* with the HTML for the links you wish to add, separated by a break tag
, for example:

Links

Google

9. When finished, copy and paste your updated text document back into the *Template Body* area in the *Edit Template* screen. 10. Click the *Save and Rebuild* button to put your changes into effect.

Changing Your Display Name

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:31:35 -0500

You may notice that at the bottom of each entry you create, your full name appears next to the words **Posted by**. If you wish to change this so it is something other than your full name (for example, just your first name, or your nickname), do the following: 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Click the link for your NetID in the upper right-hand corner. 3. On the User Profile screen, find the option for *Display Name:*. By default this is your full name. 4. If you wish to change this to something else, type in the new display name. 5. Click the *Save Changes* button to put your changes into effect. **Note:** Changing your display name will change your name across *all* blogs you've created.

Posting Photos From Flickr

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Many people manage and share their photos at [Flickr][1]. It's very easy and fast to upload a photo and share with family and friends, or participate in an online photography group. Sometimes you would like to also feature a particular photo on your blog, whether it's yours or a really great capture spotted on somebody else's Flickr page. You have two options for getting photos onto your blog: - There's the option of [uploading the file and creating a new post][4]. Movable Type eases the processes of making thumbnails, generating the HTML, and creating the entry, but this still requires a few steps on your part. Especially if the image is yours, you'll have to upload the file to both Flickr and your blog. - Flickr has some good tools for integrating the two systems. 1. Login to [Flickr][1] 2. Visit Flickr's [Add a Weblog][3] page. NYU Blogs is a **Movable Type blog**. Click *Next*. 3. Fill the fields with the following values:

MT cgi-bin	http://blogs.nyu.edu/movabletype/
Username
Password

**Note:** Your *Web Services Password* is different than the password you use to login to NYU Blogs. It exists so that you may safely share a password with 3rd-party providers without sacrificing the security of your login credentials. To find (and set) your *Web Services Password*, view your NYU Blogs profile by clicking your NetID (next to the *Logout* link) at the top right of the interface. The password will be obscured in the field. Clicking the *Reveal* link will popup up a dialog box with a plain-text version of your password. 4. Choose the weblog that you would like to post photos to. Click *Next*. If you only have one blog, Flickr may skip this step. 5. Confirm your details and click *All Done*. To ensure that everything is configured correctly, go to Flickr's [Your Blog][2] page and click the "Test Post" button. You should see both a confirmation from Flickr and a new post on your blog. 6. In Flickr, find a photo you like and go to its page. Above the photo will be a toolbar containing, amongst other items, a *Blog This* button. Click the button and choose the blog you want to post the photo to. ![Flickr toolbar screenshot][screenshot] 7. Fill in the entry's title and message and click *Post Entry*. Quick! Visit your blog. Flickr provides you with many options for customizing how the entry is posted to your blog. See their [Blogging Documentation][5] for further info. [1]: http://www.flickr.com/ [2]: http://flickr.com/blogs.gne [3]: http://flickr.com/blogs_add.gne [4]: http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/enterprise/1.5/help/file_upload/ [5]: http://flickr.com/help/blogging/#143 [screenshot]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-flickr-blog.png

Multiple Authors

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:20:00 -0500

There are a number of ways to encourage dialog between your blog and its readers. Beyond comments and trackbacks, you can enable your friends and peers to take a more active role on your blog by letting them create and manage the published content. To give a user extra privileges on your blog, read on. 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Click your blog's name, listed in the *My Weblogs* box. This displays the main screen for your blog. ![Blog Link][mainnavimage] 3. Click the *Users & Groups* link in the toolbar, listed under *Configure*. ![Users Link][usernavimage] 4. Click *Add a user to this weblog*. This displays the *Create an Association* dialog. ![User Add Link][useraddimage] 5. Select from the list of possible users. Click the associated checkbox for each desired user. Click *Continue*. 6. Select from the list of possible roles. Click the associated checkbox for each desired role. Click *Confirm*. The next time the selected user(s) logs into the Blogs at NYU system, they will see your blog listed in the *My Weblogs* box on the *Main Menu* screen, with the list of available actions defined by the role that you assigned them. The following is a list of the various role affiliations a person can have: - **Weblog Administrator:** Can administer the weblog. - **Designer:** Can edit, manage and rebuild weblog templates. - **Editor:** Can edit all entries/categories/tags on a weblog and rebuild. - **Editor (can upload):** Can upload files, edit all entries/categories/tags on a weblog and rebuild. - **Publisher:** Can upload files, edit all entries/categories/tags on a weblog, rebuild and send notifications. - **Writer:** Can create entries and edit their own. - **Writer (can upload):** Can create entries, edit their own and upload files. **Note:** Anyone to whom you wish to assign extra privileges on your blog must complete an initial login to the blog server. They do not need to create their own blog, but they need to log in at least once so that the blog server populates the authorized user list with their NetID. You wont see the person in the list until they have logged in at least once. Please see the instructions below for further detail. [mainnavimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-main-blog.png [usernavimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-adduser1.png [useraddimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-adduser2.png

NYU Blogs Now Available!

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:31:58 -0500

The NYU Blogs service is now available to any degree student or employee with an active NYUHome account! Please see our Quick Start Guide for a step-by-step tutorial on how to create your blog.

Deleting a Blog

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:22:36 -0500

*How do I delete a blog?* If you've created a blog site that you no longer wish to use, do the following to remove the blog and all entry and comment content: 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. From the right-hand *System Shortcuts* menu, select the option for *Weblogs*. 3. Put a checkmark in the box next to the blog that you wish to remove. 4. Click the trash can icon on the right side to delete the blog. You'll be prompted with "Are you sure you want to delete this weblog?". If you're certain that you wish to remove the blog and all entry and comment content, click OK. 5. The blog will be removed. **Note:** The blog chosen for deletion must be populated with content.

Uploading Files and Images

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:12:22 -0500

To add a link to a document or add a photo to your post, do the following: ## Uploading a (non-image) File You may upload various file types to the blog server, e.g. Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs. 1. Under the left-hand menu section called *Posting*, select the *Upload File* option. 2. Click the *Browse...* button to find the file on your local machine. 3. Click the *Upload* button. 4. Once the file has been uploaded to the blog server, you have the option to either create a new entry containing a link to the uploaded file or to simply obtain the HTML to display the link in an existing post. 5. You'll have the option to upload another file or to return to the post. ## Uploading an Image File 1. Under the left-hand menu section called *Posting*, select the *Upload File* option. 2. Click the *Browse...* button to find the image file on your local machine. 3. Click the *Upload* button. 4. Once the image file has been uploaded to the blog server, you will have the option to either create a new entry containing a the uploaded image or to simply obtain the HTML to display the image in an existing post. 5. You have the additional option of creating a thumbnail of the image. Adjust the *Width* and *Height* boxes to scale the image to the size or percentage that you want. You can scale either by pixel size (*Pixels* in the pull-down menu), or by percentage (*Percent* in the pull-down menu). In addition, you can scale width and height either in proportion to their original sizes, or out of proportion (to distort the image). By default, the *Constrain proportions* box is checked; this will ensure that if you make a change to either the width or height, the other dimension will be scaled appropriately. If you uncheck the *Constrain proportions* checkbox, you will be able to scale the width and height to different proportions. When creating a thumbnail, the *Popup Image* button will generate HTML to display your thumbnail image as a link to a popup window containing the full-size image that you uploaded. The *Embedded Image* button will generate HTML to display your thumbnail image as a link to the full-size image in the same window.

Limiting Your Community: Restricting Readership

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:11:57 -0500

Depending on your blog, you may want to limit your readership to a select set of people. 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Click your blog's name, listed in the *My Weblogs* box. This displays the main screen for your blog. ![Main Link][mainnavimage] 3. Click *Secure My Blog*. ![Secure Link][secureimage] 4. Under the *Configuration* section, put a checkmark in the box next to *Restrict access to your blog?*. 5. Configure your protection scheme (as per the information below). 6. Click *Save Configuration*. There are 3 types of protection schemes: - **Anyone with a valid NetID and password:** Only people with a valid NYU NetID and password will be able to read your blog. This is useful when you only want readers from the NYU community to have access to your blog. - **Specific NetIDs:** Gates entry to a select list of NYU community members. Useful when limited visibility is desired, say for a small research group or friends and peers - **Custom username and password:** Requires a single shared username and password for access. This is useful when readers may not possess an NYU NetID. **Note:** If you have more than one blog, the restriction you put into place will only apply to the *selected* blog, not to all your blogs. [mainnavimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-main-blog.png [secureimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-secure.png

Helpful Links and Tutorials

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:11:44 -0500

## Movable Type Documentation - [Movable Type User Manual](http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/): documentation from the main MT site ## Movable Type Tutorials - [Learning Movable Type](http://www.learningmovabletype.com/): a fabulous site curated by Elise Bauer - [Getting Started with Movable Type](http://www.lifewiki.net/sixapart/MovableTypeGettingStarted): written by one of MT's creator's, Anil Dash ## Layouts and Style Templates - [Movable Type Style Generator](http://styles.movalog.com/generator/): generate your own blog template ## General Advice on Blogging - [Blogging for Beginners](http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/): from ProBlogger

Limiting Search Engine Visibility

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:11:31 -0500

By default, all blog sites will be accessible by commercial search engines for indexing. Note: the main NYU Search (based on Google technology) will NOT index sites on blogs.nyu.edu. Therefore, should you wish to make your blog site inaccessible to commercial search engines and spambots, follow the instructions below to enable the **Restrict Reader Access** setting: 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Click your blog's name, listed in the *My Weblogs* box. This displays the main screen for your blog. ![Main Link][mainnavimage] 3. Click *Secure My Blog*. ![Secure Link][secureimage] 4. Under the *Configuration* section, **remove** the checkmark in the box next to *Search Engine Access:*. 5. Click *Save Configuration*. [mainnavimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-main-blog.png [secureimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-secure.png

Why NYU Blogs?

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:11:29 -0500

**Why should I use the NYU Blog service? Why not another blog service like Blogger, LiveJournal or MySpace?** You may choose any blogging service you wish, but you may want to consider what the NYU Blog service provides: - No fees. - No advertisements. - Self-service blog creation. - ITS Client Services support. - Integration with NYU's central authentication service which provides access using NetID/password. - Uses the enterprise version of Movable Type blogging software, the industry's premiere blogging software. - Future integration with NYUHome.

Comments and Trackbacks: Engaging Your Community

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:11:06 -0500

A crucial element of many blogs is the interaction they provide with the community. Blogs at NYU provides functionality for two types of feedback: - **Comments:** Comments are replies by your blog's readers to the entries that you create. Each entry can be individually configured to accept comments through a comment form typically found on each entry's individual archive page. The comments are also typically displayed on this page. - **TrackBack:** TrackBack is a protocol used primarily to provide "remote commenting and notification" functionality for weblogs. For example, TrackBack allows a blogger to comment on an entry on their own blog and have an excerpt of the reply and link back to it sent to the original blog via a "TrackBack ping". Once received, it can be displayed alongside the comments and other TrackBack pings on the original entry to create a distributed conversation. Each entry can be individually configured to accept TrackBack pings and Movable Type can be configured to automatically send pings to blog entries that you reference in your own. Whether it's one of your blog readers commenting on an entry which you posted or another blogger doing so on their own site via TrackBack, community feedback is one of the most compelling and interesting facets of blogging because its breaks down the wall between publisher and reader. Because there's been a history of comment and trackback spam affecting blogs, the Blogs at NYU service disables them by default for all new blogs. ## Enabling Comments 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Click the *Settings* link for your blog, listed in the *My Weblogs* box. This displays the settings screen for your blog. ![Settings Link][settingsnavimage] 3. Scroll down the page and find the *Comments* section. Change the value of _Accept comments from_ to **Anyone**. ![Comments Section][commentsimage] 4. We suggest leaving **Trusted commenters only** as the value for *Immediately publish comments from*. [Read more accepting comments][AC]. 5. Click *Save Changes*. ## Enabling Trackbacks 1. Click the *Main Menu* link. 2. Click the *Settings* link for your blog, listed in the *My Weblogs* box. This displays the settings screen for your blog. ![Settings Link][settingsnavimage] 3. Scroll down the page and find the *Trackbacks* section. Select the checkbox alongside *Accept Trackbacks. ![Trackbacks Section][trackbacksimage] 4. We suggest leaving the *Moderation* checkbox selected. 5. Click *Save Changes*. There are also some more advanced options for managing how comments and trackbacks are handled. 1. From the settings screen for your blog, click *Switch to Detailed Settings*. 2. Click the *Feedback* tab. 3. More options will be available to you. Click the contextual help buttons (*[?]*) alongside each setting for more detailed information. ## Enabling/Disabling Comments and Trackback for a Specific Entry Sometimes you may wish to allow or prevent community feedback on a per entry basis, independent of your blog's default settings. 1. From an *Entry Edit* screen, [customize your display settings][CUST] to reveal the *Accept Comments* and *Accept TrackBacks* fields. 2. Toggle the checkboxes for accepting comments and trackbacks. ![Feedback Toggles][feedbackimage] ## Managing Comments and Trackbacks ### Managing Globally for All Entries You can review all comments and trackbacks left on your blog entries at once by selecting the *Comments* option or the *Trackbacks* option under the *Community* section in the left-hand menu. **Regular Comments and Trackbacks** 1. To view the comment or trackback, click on its link. 2. Use the checkbox at the top to select all comments or trackbacks. 3. Choose an action (Publish, Delete, Junk) by clicking the appropriate button. 4. For comments, you may select other actions by viewing the drop-down menu that, by default, says *More actions...*. 5. Once you've chosen an action, click the *Go* button. **Junk Comments and Trackbacks** To view all Junk Comments and Trackbacks (those classified by the blog server as having attributes characteristic of spam), select the *Junk Comments* or *Junk Trackbacks* tab. 1. To view the comment or trackback, click on its link. 2. Use the checkbox at the top to select all comments or trackbacks. 3. Choose an action (Delete, Not Junk) by clicking the appropriate button. 4. For comments, you may select other actions by viewing the drop-down menu that, by default, says *More actions...*. 5. Once you've chosen an action, click the *Go* button. ### Managing Per Entry If you wish to review comments or trackbacks for a single entry, do the following: 1. Under the left-hand menu section called *Posting*, select the *Entries* option. 2. Select the entry for which you wish to review comments or trackbacks. 3. If you've enabled comments and/or trackbacks for the particular entry, you will see the associated tabs. 4. Select the appropriate tab (Comments or Trackback). 5. To view the comment or trackback, click on its link. 6. From within this screen, you can change the status of the comment or trackback, or return to the main entry comment/trackback screen and use the checkbox at the top to select all comments or trackbacks. 7. Choose an action (Publish, Delete, Not Junk) by clicking the appropriate button. 8. For comments, you may select other actions by viewing the drop-down menu that, by default, says *More actions...*. 9. Once you've chosen an action, click the *Go* button. [AC]: http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/enterprise/1.5/help/blog_settings_feedback/immediately_publish_comments_from.html [CUST]: http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/enterprise/1.5/help/entries/customizing_edit_entry_screen.html [settingsnavimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-main-settings.png [commentsimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-feedback-comments.png [trackbacksimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-feedback-trackbacks.png [feedbackimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-feedback-entry.png

Quick-Start Guide: Getting Started with NYU Blogs

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0500

The NYU Blog service is built upon the framework of [Movable Type][MT] (Enterprise), one of the most widely used blogging platforms. It is easy to get started—just follow the basic instructions below. ## Create Your Blog 1. Go to the main blogs page at . 2. Click the *Login* link at the top right-hand corner. Use your NetID/password to authenticate. 3. Click the *Create a new weblog* link to continue. 4. Type in the name you wish to use for your blog and hit the return key. Your blog's name will show up in the Blog Address URL. Note, spaces and non-alpha characters in your blog's name will **not** appear in your blog's URL. Instead, to separate words, use a dot (.) or a dash (-). Your blog address will contain your NetID and the name you choose. For example, if your NetID is aqe123 and you chose the blog name "Science is Cool", your blog URL would be: **http://blogs.nyu.edu/aqe123/scienceiscool/** 5. Review the Terms of Use and put a check mark into the agreement box. 6. Click the *Create my Blog* button. Congratulations! Your blog has been created! Click the *Visit Your Blog* link to view your new blog. By default, there is no content. So, to add a new entry to your blog (usually called a "post"), click your browser's back button and select the link for *Start Blogging*. ## Add an Entry to Your Blog 1. If you've just clicked the *Start Blogging* link, you'll be placed in the main screen for your new blog. Or, if you're at the main menu for your blog account, click on the link for your blog's name, listed in the *My Weblogs* box. This will display the main screen for your blog. ![Main Link][mainnavimage] 2. From the left-hand navigation menu, select the *New Entry* option. This will open up the **Create New Entry** screen. 3. Type your entry title into the **Title** option. 4. Type your entry content into the **Entry Body**. Use the helper icons to format your text, add links and email addresses. 5. When you're satisfied with your new entry, scroll down and click the *Save* button. By default, your entry is still not visible to the world (unpublished). 6. To publish your entry, scroll to the **Status** section and change the drop-down menu from the default option of **Unpublished** to **Published**. This will make your content available to the world. 7. To view your new entry, from the left-hand navigation menu, click the option to *View Site*, or click the *View Site* link in the top right-hand corner. We recommend opening the site in a new tab or window. Otherwise, the site will open in the same window. You may need to refresh/reload the page to see the new entry. ## Helpful Links and Tutorials - Movable Type User Manual - Learning Movable Type - Blogging for Beginners [MT]: http://sixapart.com/movabletype [mainnavimage]: http://blogs.nyu.edu/archives/uploads/screenshot-main-blog.png

Hello World

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:02:11 -0500

Welcome to the inaugural post of Blogs@NYU.