Blogging - Montrose Adult School, Spring 08

testing Gmail image send

2010-08-12T22:29:00.000-04:00

for newsletter

Memoir writing

2009-04-14T18:08:00.001-04:00

Writing is fun. Here is a Google link.

Mmeoir writing

2009-04-14T17:51:00.001-04:00

If your family wants to to write this is the jpage for you. Here is a link to Google.

Chasing Charles Lindbergh:

2008-04-04T10:37:00.007-04:00

Nov. 1927--When The "Lone Eagle" Landed In Susquehanna County, Penna.

In May of that year Lindbergh became the first person to fly the Atlantic Ocean--one of the epic acts in the history of humanity, one which overnight catapulted him into worldwide fame.

Then on Nov. 4, fresh off a triumphal tour that had taken him to 48 states and 92 cities, he was flying from Long Island to Buffalo, New York, when he had to make a landing in a hayfield due to weather.

As written in Choconut Township, The Way It Was: Stories, Illustrations & Photographs Of Local History by James Mordovancey: "The guest of kings and presidents was about to board with farmers and a quiet parish priest. Upon an unsuspecting Choconut, dropped the most famous man in the world..."

The photo above shows "Lucky Lindy" (2nd from left) in that hayfield. The author grew up in the farmhouse in the background. His grandparents and mother hosted the celebrity there for a few hours. To read about that memorable evening and why for much of his life the author has been on the trail of the famous aviator, go to http://www.mauitime.com/ (Click on "archives," page 2, July 19 issue)

Last class notes

2008-04-03T20:02:00.003-04:00

Thank you all for being wonderful students, and please continue to use this blog for experiments! Make sure to add any blogs you create to the "Class Participant's Blogs" list in the sidebar (use the Layout tab, then click Edit in that section and add the link).

The PowerPoint from the fourth class is here (it's only 4 slides--just a quick overview). The handout about right-click menus is here (also in PDF).

I'm going to add a new page element which will link directly to the class content posts, for easy reference.

Happy blogging!

This is A Test

2008-04-02T16:59:00.002-04:00

This is the Frist Test

This is the Second Test

Tonight is the last night of the Blogging Calss

2008-04-02T09:57:00.002-04:00

Hi Hilary,
I just wanted to Thank You for all the help that you have shown me in the Blogging Class, it was a real Joy to Learn your Experiences I am most grateful and I really appreciate having you as the Instructor, Thanks Again Bill Johnston

Last Night of Blogging Class

2008-04-02T09:38:00.002-04:00

Turkey with cold feet

2008-04-01T16:37:00.001-04:00

Turkey with cold feet
Originally uploaded by GlenFa

MALAISE

2008-04-01T14:53:00.002-04:00

If you've had the flu, this poem's for you . . .

MALAISE

I seem to have a virus in my soul,

A thing of huge proportions, something green,

Transmitting messages like a telephone pole.

I think it was concocted by a troll.

Something not nice, not pristine.

I seem to have a virus in my soul.

A bug like this is anything but droll,

Invading my nervous sustem all unseen,

Transmitting messages like a telephone pole.

I'd like to let it out, be on parole.

I wonder at its shape - perhaps a bean?

I seem to have a virus in my soul.

There is an element here of grand guignol -

Kidneys, liver, heart and apleen

Transmitting messages like a telephone pole

I'm food for bugs. Yes, on the whole,

An element of soup in a tureen.

I seem to have a virus in my soul

Transmitting messages like telephone pole.

Attributing photos?

2008-03-30T13:02:00.002-04:00

Hilary,
I set up a flickr account and used a photo from creative commons --check out my blog http://donnawaldenberger.blogspot.com/entry titled NWTF This photo needs to be attributed but I don't know how to do it. I will try to arrive early on Tuesday. the post entitled Hags House is my own photo and I used HTML to make the word built bold. I look forward to learning more about these things. Thank you for your time.
Donna

New Class this Tuesday Night

2008-03-29T10:49:00.002-04:00

Hi, looking forward to learing sometime new at each class.
Looking forward to learning as much as I can from this class

Now testing from administrator account

2008-03-29T10:26:00.003-04:00

Yes, I have a different email address to post to in this account. The other one hasn't come through yet.

Hilary

I'm testing posting via email

2008-03-29T10:26:00.001-04:00

This is from my hcethatsme account. The question came up in class of whether multiple people can post via email; I believe that we actually each set up our own personal email to blog to. Let's test it!

Hilary as hcethatsme (a co-author, not the owner of the blog)

P.S. I am also testing whether formatting comes through. I bet it will!

Quick review of the third class

2008-03-29T10:22:00.001-04:00

The lecture and handout are here.

We started by a brief mention of the Post Options, which you'll see as a link under the compose window when you are posting. The primary purpose is to be able to change the post date and time, which is the only method I know of to re-arrange the order in which posts display.

We then went over how to add images in Blogger; basically, click on the picture (Add Image) icon, browse to upload a file from your My Pictures or other folder, choose the layout and size, click to accept the Terms of Use the first time you are uploading, and click Upload Image.

We briefly reviewed posting to a blog from a Flickr account (on each image page in Flickr, if you're logged in, you'll see a little "Blog This" right above the picture.) I had previously created two posts about images:

Then we moved to the overview of HTML/XHTML, which you'll see in the PowerPoint. The most important thing to remember is that tags are marked by angle-brackets and one goes on each side of what you're telling the browser to display differently; the first one says "turn this on" (bold, italic, whatever) and the second one turns it off. So to make the word THE bold, I would preface it with and follow it with (the slash means "turn off").

I said that it really helped to memorize a few basic tags because you can use them when leaving a comment, for example, when there is no toolbar. To experiment: create a new post, and flip back and forth between the Compose and Edit HTML tabs to see it in action. But warning: Blogger does try to "read your mind" and will mess up some of your style tags.

Finally, we went over some of the Blogger control panel settings. These are all under the Settings tab, which all of you should see as a link in your Dashboard. (If you don't, let me know).

The most important ones are:

Basic (title and description of the blog)
Formatting (number of days or posts to show on the front page, format of time-stamps, and the Post Template which can save you time if your posts have a consistent layout)
Comments (for who can comment, whether comments are moderated, whether there is a word verification, and who should be notified by email when there's a new comment)
Archiving (how frequently)
Email (allows up to 10 people to get all new posts as they are published, and which also lets you EACH set up an email address to post directly (ie, you compose a message to that email address, and it gets posted or set to draft depending on the session))
Permissions (who can post to the blog and who can administrate it)

We'll talk more about settings and layout next week!

Powerpoint from the third class

2008-03-27T21:15:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the delay on this! Click here for the lecture (it's brief), and here for the handout on tags you can use in the Edit HTML window.

2008-03-25T18:46:00.000-04:00

2008-03-25T18:07:00.002-04:00

goshawks goshawks goshawks goshawks goshawks goshawks goshawks goshawks goshawks

2008-03-25T17:47:00.000-04:00

what is "Basketball"?

2008-03-25T17:40:00.005-04:00

These boys are playing basketball at Montrose. What is going thru their minds? Are they tired, thirsty, hot, sweaty? Which team wants to win the most? Do they ever just "give up" during the game? Are they nervous about the fans? Who gives them the most inspiration- the Coach, their parents, their friends? I wonder about these thoughts!

Puppy Dog

2008-03-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

2008-03-25T17:33:00.001-04:00

2008-03-25T17:24:00.002-04:00

When I win the lottery, this is where I am going!

Wonderful site on birds of prey

2008-03-25T16:48:00.002-04:00

Look at this website. It says that:

The genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, mostly
consisting of birds known as Goshawks and Sparrowhawks.

question

2008-03-25T15:17:00.001-04:00

What's the difference between adult school bloggers and blogger class?
Mary Lee

2008-03-25T15:13:00.002-04:00

Trying to go from here to there. I like the colored print,too, Jim, but 'comments' doesn't seem to give us this nice option. Now for the BIG transfer . . .

Class Tonight

2008-03-25T15:02:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. I am disappointed to realize that I won't be able to make it tonight. I hope I can get the information that is shared. I hope to see you next week.
Donna Waldenbergerhttp://donnawaldenberger.blogspot.com/

test

2008-03-25T10:06:00.007-04:00

bold
large text
italic
green text
link

This is my paragraph

Blockquote

Ordered list:

this is my first element
that
other

Bulleted list:

this
that
other

What will this look like?
What will this look like?
What will this look like?

2008-03-25T09:45:00.001-04:00

Hello, class! Just trying out my blogging skills (!) Are you there?

Blogging a photo from Flickr

2008-03-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

033107rosie013pp
Originally uploaded by BryonRealey

Flickr has photo uploading built right in! You can set a template (this is aligned right, 240px). You need to go back in and edit the post if you want to do anything fancy with it. I wouldn't put a lot of text in, either, because it's not being auto-saved. But it's a good way to get nice layouts without messing with HTML.

Edit: You must have a Flickr account, which you can set up here. When you're signed in, click "Blog This" above any photo (some will not have it). The first time you do so, it will prompt you to put in some information about your blog (you can put in several and then choose which one you want to blog the photo to).

Where to find photos and illustrations for your blog

2008-03-24T20:45:00.008-04:00

Of course, your own photos are the best because they are 100% original, but sometimes you'll want to illustrate your posts with something else. Here are a few suggestions:

Flickr's Creative Commons section brings up literally millions of photos you can use, usually as long as you attribute them. Use the advanced search and click "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed photos." Here are some I found by searching for "blueberries":

Blueberry burst
Originally uploaded by Bibliona

Fresh blueberries
Originally uploaded by Kiki the Cat

Blueberries close up
Originally uploaded by Martin LaBar

Another great source is the Wikimedia Commons. And don't miss the Wikipedia list of Public domain image resources, which can lead you to wonderful sites like Karen's Whimsy.

The Open Clip Art Library is a promising concept, but not very user-friendly yet.

Pixel-Perfect has a Free Stock Photos section; just avoid the ads for ones from Dreamstime at the top of every page, which are not free.

Cruise Ship Blues:

2008-03-23T08:08:00.013-04:00

It sounded like a job too good to be true--working as a naturalist on a cruise ship sailing from port to port in the Hawaiian Islands. In the wintertime, no less.

But while onboard the naturalist embarked on a "study" he hadn't intended--unwittingly gathering data on the behavior of the human animal. The findings rocked him more than a 50' wave!

Weigh anchor and click http://excitingmind.blogspot.com/ for Part I of this contemporary tale of the sea. Read of love and life while touring the islands. [But not yet as the story isn't posted on my blogsite yet.]

sophmore slump

2008-03-22T12:19:00.002-04:00

Second class of blogging went mostly over my head, especially cut/paste, links etc. maybe quick review Tues? more grist for the mill Robert

Hidden Creek Winery

2008-03-21T21:08:00.003-04:00

My friends and I made a trip to Hidden Creek winery today.http://www.hiddencreekwines.com/index.html We certainly enjoyed the wine tasting. If you have not been to this winery you should treat yourself to a trip. Ruth and Russ Leichliter are wonderful hosts and the wine is out of this world. We will return many times. We especially enjoyed their sweet wines but they offer a full range of flavors to please any taste. Give them a try you won't be disappointed.

Tuesday Night Class

2008-03-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Looking forward to the class on March 25 hope the weather is better.
Looking forward to learing new things about blogging.

Life Before The Mast:

2008-03-20T09:22:00.011-04:00

Tired of political primaries and endless gray days? Want to try a tale of the sea? Take a journey back in time, to the era of Tall Ships & Cachalots.

From the author of Choconut Township, The Way It Was: Stories, Illustrations & Photographs of Local History comes an account of America's sea-going heritage. In gritty detail, experience life before the mast on the Pacific whalers. Marvel at some of the epic journeys in the history of humanity and how they affected a burgeoning nation.

Experience it now at http://www.mauitime.com/ (Click on "archives," page 2, Dec. 20 issue) But be forewarned--you could be exposed to rolling decks and bursts of salt spray!

Second class: lecture presentation

2008-03-19T08:18:00.001-04:00

You can view the PowerPoint of the second lecture here.

Tuesday

2008-03-18T18:28:00.001-04:00

Doug's water bottle

2008-03-18T18:22:00.002-04:00

http://water bottle.com

Doug chooses to have a clear water bottle so he can see what is inside before he actually drinks it.

Where Am I?

2008-03-18T18:18:00.003-04:00

Can you find me?

Go to http://www.mapquest.com/

Tuesday Night Class 3/18/08

2008-03-18T18:17:00.002-04:00

we are learing how send a website

Zen Traveler:

2008-03-18T18:09:00.032-04:00

WHY IS THIS MAN SMILING?

Because it'd been 12,000 miles since he'd finally learned how to travel light. Zenhabits (Mar. 12 & 17 posts) On this trip last fall, through Hong Kong, Macau, Borneo and Lantau Island, off the Chinese coast, site of the world's largest sitting Buddha, he was roughed up but ready, for everything from typhoons to 7' monitor lizards to fruit bat soup.

"I rode around this country as free as a bee," Jack Kerouac used to say. The author of On The Road, Satori In Paris and the Dharma Bums, among others, not only was a student of Zen but a disciple of simplicity of travel as well. "

Achieving minimalism" almost takes on a mystical aspect, according to Kerouac and many other devotees of Zen travel. Only a Higher Consciousness can "outfit" us, both mentally and physically, for what comes down while on the road.

Come to Your Senses

2008-03-18T18:09:00.012-04:00

Where? Salt Springs State Park

Back to Nature . . . Naturally

Two blogs Hilary likes

2008-03-18T18:04:00.002-04:00

My favorite blogs

Cute Overload
Zen Habits

Please checkout my blog!

2008-03-18T18:01:00.000-04:00

Please check out Donna's Blog at this linkhttp://donnawaldenberger.blogspot.com/

GUESS WHAT !!

2008-03-18T17:55:00.006-04:00

This is my first attempt at blogging.

Nothing! Nothing new today. It was an uneventful day at work. It's snowing now - and will be the 1st day of Spring in 2 days.

50 best things about Blogging!

2008-03-18T17:55:00.003-04:00

1. A great way to share your thoughts
2. A great way to learn to keep your thoughts to yourself
....50. A new job awaits me!

Tuesday

2008-03-18T17:55:00.001-04:00

Tonights class

Various questions that have come up

2008-03-15T15:34:00.002-04:00

You all should have received invitations to officially join the class blog (which will mean your comments no longer need to be approved in order to show up, and you will be able to create posts. If you've set up your account, you can check by going to http://www.blogger.com. Once you log in (if you clicked "Remember me" on a previous step on your own computer, you shouldn't even have to log in), you should see the class blog in your Dashboard (the first screen that greets you).

To change your Blogger password: if you know the old one, you can use this link: https://www.google.com/accounts/EditPasswd
If you forgot your password, use this page: http://www.blogger.com/forgot.g and put in your email address.

Display name: The display name is what people see as the author of the comment or post. For example, look at the comments page for the "Homework" post: http://blogging-mas-spring08.blogspot.com/2008/03/homework-for-first-class-entirely.html Above each comment you'll see "[Display Name] said..." If you would like to change your display name, use this link: http://www.blogger.com/edit-profile.g and scroll down to the Identity section. You can type in the new Display Name you want to use, then scroll to the very bottom and click "Save Profile." (There is lots of information you can add to your Profile if you would like!)

Username/email: When Google first starting setting up accounts for people, they let you choose a username that was NOT an email address. They also did not have the eight-character password minimum. Subsequently they changed the rules, but they did not universally change the language. So when you are using Blogger or any other Google products, mentally substitute "email address" when you see "user name." Sometimes you will see "nickname" which is more like a classic non-email username. The really confusing thing is that you can change your email address but you will keep the old one as your "username." Aaargh! I wouldn't be suprised if they changed this all again at some point down the road.

To delete a blog that you've started, go to the "Settings." The first tab is "Basic." If you scroll down to the very bottom of that page, you can click "Delete This Blog."

Statistics/Counters: As I suspected, there is not a built-in site counter for Blogger. You need to set up a third-party solution. Here is the Blogger help page about this: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=42078 I just set up a Google Analytics account. I can demonstrate how that works in class.

If you have any other questions before the next class, add a comment or email me! See you Tuesday.

"Homework" for the first class (entirely voluntary!)

2008-03-11T16:41:00.002-04:00

If you'd like to have something to do between the first and second classes:

Comment on this or another blog
Find three blogs you enjoy (bring to class--we'll add to the blog)
If you are not 100% comfortable with copy and paste, practice if you can! (comes in very handy, especially for links)

First class - further reading

2008-03-11T16:30:00.000-04:00

Definitions of "blog":

Jill Rettberg, definition of "weblog" for the Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory (2003)

Danah Boyd, "A Blogger's Blog: Exploring the Definition of a Medium" (2006)

The history of blogs:

Rebecca Blood: "Weblogs: A History and Perspective"(2000)

Wikipedia article on blogs (continually updated)

Blog statistics:

State of the Blogosphere, April 2007

Technorati Top 100
The Webbys (scroll down for the Blogs section)

Some blogs that became books (blooks):

The Julie/Julia Project Baghdad Burning

I'm Not the New Me

Useful skills

2008-03-11T12:43:00.002-04:00

If you are not completely comfortable with Copy and Paste, including using your Shift key to select text, try this tutorial.

To save files as you go along and have them accessible to you from any computer, it's very helpful to have a web-based email account (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, whatever you like) and know how to send yourself files as attachments. You can also send files to your ISP-based email account (Epix, NEP, RoadRunner, etc.) but be aware that typically once you download your email, it's only available on that computer. It's typically worth setting up a webmail account just to house files; you don't need to use it on a regular basis.

Each mail program has its own way to attach files. Here are directions for Gmail and Yahoo. For Hotmail (Windows Live Mail), click the blue question mark on the top right corner of the mail screen and search on "How do I attach files to e-mail messages? " (this link should take you to Help but not necessarily to that question).

First class lecture

2008-03-11T10:09:00.002-04:00

View the PowerPoint on Scribd here!

A WordPress blog too

2008-03-11T09:47:00.001-04:00

The other major provider of free, hosted blogs is WordPress.com. Here is a parallel blog for our class on WordPress.

Tonight's class cancelled

2008-03-04T08:51:00.002-05:00

The school is now closed. We'll meet for the first time next week!

First class tonight--if the weather co-operates!

2008-03-04T07:12:00.002-05:00

The first of our four classes on blogging is scheduled for 5pm today at the Montrose Area High School. Currently the school is on a two-hour delay. If freezing rain develops, it will probably close, and we'll meet next Tuesday.

Blogging - Montrose Adult School, Spring 08

testing Gmail image send

Memoir writing

Mmeoir writing

Chasing Charles Lindbergh:

Last class notes

This is A Test

Tonight is the last night of the Blogging Calss

Last Night of Blogging Class

Turkey with cold feet

MALAISE

Attributing photos?

New Class this Tuesday Night

Now testing from administrator account

I'm testing posting via email

Quick review of the third class

Powerpoint from the third class

what is "Basketball"?

Puppy Dog

Wonderful site on birds of prey

question

Class Tonight

test

Blogging a photo from Flickr

Where to find photos and illustrations for your blog

Cruise Ship Blues:

sophmore slump

Hidden Creek Winery

Tuesday Night Class

Life Before The Mast:

Second class: lecture presentation

Tuesday

Doug's water bottle

Where Am I?

Tuesday Night Class 3/18/08

Zen Traveler:

Come to Your Senses

Two blogs Hilary likes

Please checkout my blog!

GUESS WHAT !!

50 best things about Blogging!

Tuesday

Further reading for the second class

Various questions that have come up

"Homework" for the first class (entirely voluntary!)

First class - further reading

Useful skills

First class lecture

A WordPress blog too

Tonight's class cancelled

First class tonight--if the weather co-operates!