Weblogs
What are Weblogs?
Weblogs, or blogs, are a way of publishing to the web one idea at a time. By simplifying the process of publishing, letting authors create posts easily, and making it simple to link to related ideas on the web, blogs make it easy to update a website while still making sure your words retain a clear, personal voice.
The simplicity and immediacy of weblogs has made them extremely popular in a very short period of time, and they’re being used today by everyone from media outlets wanting to spread their message to ordinary citizens wanting to keep in touch with friends and family around the world.
As the weblog medium has evolved, it’s become evident that the collective posts which make up the millions of existing weblogs, along with the links that they provide to each other and to other relevant content on the web, represent an important new outlet for expression and communication. Best of all, it’s easy for anyone with basic internet skills to create a blog or to add one to an existing site.
Creating a New Weblog
On your Weblogs tab you will see the Create a new Weblog area. Here, fill in the setup information for your new weblog:
1 Enter the Weblog Name
This is what you wish to call your weblog. This name will appear on your weblog (in your banner) and in recently updated directories if you choose to make your weblog public.
A weblog is often a reflection of its writer. Because of this, you’ll want to give your weblog the type of name that captures who you are and what you’re writing about.
Weblog writers often find their audience serendipitously; therefore, your weblog name should be memorable and unique. Avoid names like “weblog”, “ramblings”, or “writings”, for they will not stand out in directories or listings (if you so desire the traffic).
Be succinct and let your personality shine. Nicknames often work well, as well as catch words from books, sayings, or quotes.
Your weblog name can be changed at any time after creating the weblog by Changing Your Weblog Name or Catchphrase.
2 Enter the Weblog Folder Name
This is what you want to name the file folder that will store everything for your weblog.
While your primary weblog can always be accessed at the root of your domain, any additional weblogs will be accessed via this folder. For example, if my primary weblog's folder name is "my_weblog" and my domain is example.typepad.com, then my primary weblog can be accessed at any of the following URLs:
http://example.typepad.com/ http://example.typepad.com/my_weblog/
If you have additional weblogs, each of them must be accessed by its folder name. For example:
http://example.typepad.com/deep_thoughts/ http://example.typepad.com/random_thoughts/ http://example.typepad.com/no_thought_at_all/
When you type in the weblog name in step 1, the weblog folder name is automatically suggested. You can use this suggestion or type a different folder name.
Every weblog is stored in a separate folder, and this weblog folder name is added to the end of your main URL. A short weblog folder name will keep your weblog URL short:
http://example.typepad.com/name/
Also see Setting Your Home Weblog for information on setting your main weblog when using multiple weblogs.
It is possible to change the weblog folder name after the weblog has been created by Changing Your Weblog Folder Name, but this will break any incoming links to the old folder so picking a good folder name when creating the weblog works best.
3 Make this weblog public?
This sets whether the weblog is a public weblog or not. Public weblogs are indexed by search engines and are displayed in the TypePad Recently Updated Weblogs list at typepad.com. Non-public weblogs will not be listed as on the Recently Updated list or indexed in search engines; however your site will remain accessible to anyone who knows the URL. To make your weblog truly private, Set Up Password Protection.
This setting can be changed at any time after creating the weblog by Setting Your Weblog Publicity.
4 Press “Create New Weblog”
Press the button to create your weblog. You will be sent to the Weblog Overview page for your new weblog after it is created.
Note: you can only create a new weblog if you do not already have the maximum allowed for your membership level. Basic members have one weblog, Plus members have three, and Pro members have unlimited weblogs.
Next, see Posting to Your Weblog to create your first post.
Setting Up TypePad QuickPost
The QuickPost bookmarklet allows you to post to TypePad without going through the TypePad main interface. After installing the bookmarklet, you can post from anywhere on the web.
On your Weblogs tab, click the Set up QuickPost bookmarklet link in the blue box in the top right corner of the content area to enter the QuickPost setup:
1 Select the fields to display on your QuickPost
Choose the items you would like to display on your QuickPost entry form by checking the boxes for the appropriate fields.
The fields you can choose from are: TrackBack items, Category, Allow Comments, and Allow Pings. See the Weblogs - Post section for more information about these items. You can later recreate your bookmarklet if you would like to change the post fields.
By default, a QuickPost window will always have: a pull-down menu for the weblog to post to, a pull-down menu to select the Post Status (Draft or Publish) of the new post, a text entry box for the Title of the post, and a text entry box for the post body.
Plus and Pro members can also add the fields for Text Formatting, Post Continuation (extended post), Excerpt and Keywords. See the Advanced Post Fields section for more information about these items.
2 Press “Create”
Press the button and the page will refresh with the link to create your TypePad QuickPost bookmarklet.
3 Drag the QuickPost link to your browser
To install the bookmarklet, drag the link to your browser’s menu or Favorites toolbar. The bookmarklet is now ready to use for posting to TypePad.
Windows Right-Click Menu
Alternatively, if you are running Internet Explorer on Windows, you can install a TypePad QuickPost option into the Windows right-click menu:
- Click on the “Add TypePad QuickPost to Windows right-click menu” link. When prompted, save the file quickpost.reg to your desktop.
- Once the file has been saved to your desktop, right-click on the file and select “Merge” from the menu. Then quit and restart your web browser to add the link to the right-click menu. Now you can access TypePad QuickPost with your IE right-click menu.
To get started posting with QuickPost, see Using the QuickPost Bookmarklet.
Setting Your Home Weblog
Using a single weblog, that weblog is automatically your home weblog, or the one that shows at your main URL, such as:
http://example.typepad.com
With multiple weblogs, you can choose which weblog will be your home weblog. The first weblog that you create will automatically show at your main URL, and you can change this using the “home” icon next to the URL for each weblog on your Weblogs tab.
A green home icon means that this weblog is your home weblog. Your home weblog can be found at its full address:
http://example.typepad.com/name/
and will also display at the main URL of your site:
http://example.typepad.com/
A grey home icon means that this weblog is not selected as your home weblog and can be found at its full address:
http://example.typepad.com/name/
To make a weblog your home weblog, click the grey icon next to the one that you wish to set. A pop-up windows opens that prompts you to confirm the change. After confirmation, the page will refresh with the green icon showing next to your home weblog.
Now when you view your main URL, you will see the weblog you just set as your home weblog.
Deleting a Weblog
On your Weblogs tab, you can remove a weblog from your account using the 
Delete Weblog link in the shortcuts area for the weblog.
After clicking the Delete link, a popup confirmation will open where you need to confirm the removal of the weblog.
This change can not be undone, and the weblog will be permanently removed from your account, so make sure to delete carefully. This will remove the weblog folder and everything in it.
Copyright © 2003-2005 Six Apart