Teach Someone Technology

For this assignment, I was advised to teach others about at least one aspect of technology we learned in class and how to use it. I chose to teach others how to blog. I find blogging very useful and very fun so I think others could really get into it if they had the opportunity. Below you will find a list of procedures to create and maintain your own blog.

Creating and maintaining a blog:

1. Visit www.blogger.com.
2. Click on "Create a Blog" in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
   
3. You will need to answer each of the questions posted. Don't forget to check the box saying you agree to all terms and conditions of the website!
   
4. After all questions have been completed, click "Continue."
5. You will then be prompted to name your blog. You may choose any name you wish. You will also have to create a blog URL address. This may also be anything you wish as long as it does not match a URL address that already exists. To see if the address you chose is ok, click "check availability" right below the area where you typed the address.
6. Once you have named your blog and created a personal URL address, you are ready to get started!
7. To get started, you need to personalize your blog. To do this , we will first change the background template. Click "Customize" in the top right corner of the screen. Then, click on the tab that says "Pick a New Template."
8. Choose the template you like by selecting one of the circles next to the name.
   
9. If you wish to customize your blog even more, you may choose the tab that says "Fonts and Colors." Here, you may choose from many different fonts and font colors. Simply select the ones you like and click "Save Changes."
10. If you want to rearrange the items on your blog, press the "Page Elements" tab. This will allow you to rearrange your blog, as well as add new gadgets such as text boxes or links.
    
11. That should finish your blog customization. To return to the home screen for your blog, press the orange "B" in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
    
12. Once you have returned to your blogger dashboard, you should create a profile. To do so, click on the link that says "edit profile" on the left of your blog title. Here you may put as much or as little as you'd like. You may even add a picture to your blog. This picture will be shown next to any comments you leave on other blogs as well. Don't forget to hit "Save Profile" when you're finished.
    
13. Now, it's finally time to create a blog post for your blog. To do so, you should return to the Blogger dashboard by clicking on the orange "B."
    
14. Under the title of your blog, you should see a highlighted area that says "New Post." Click on this to create a post. This will take you to a blank blog document.
15. Before you begin typing, be sure the tab at the top of the text area shows "Compose" highlighted. This will make your life much easier.
16. There is an area for a Title to your post above the actual text document. Simply type in a title here.
17. In the text area below, you may type whatever you wish to say in your blog post. The top of the area shows you various commands you may use.
18. At the top of the text document, you may change the font and font size. You may also make the font bold or italicized. The next button gives you the option of changing font color. You are also given options for centering text, right hand margins, left hand margins, or full screen margins. There is a numbering and bullet option as well. There is a spell check button, and the eraser at the end allows you to remove all formatting from the post.
    
19. I skipped a few buttons at the top that needed further explanation. The button that shows a chain link allows you to embed links into your blog. For this, you highlight the words you wish to take you to a link and click on that button. A window will appear asking you for the URL address of the website you wish to embed on your blog. Simply type in the URL and click "ok." The words you selected should now be a link to that website.
    
20. You also have the option of adding pictures to your blog post. To do so, click on the picture of the landscape at the top of the text box. You may browse your computer for saved images, or you may use one from the internet by intering the URL. Choose the layout and the size of the image you prefer and press "Upload Image." You may move the image anywhere on the blog post that fits the layout you chose.
21. The last option given to you is to embed a video to your blog. To do so, click on the film reel at the top of the text document. Browse your computer for a saved video, give the video a title for your blog post, check the box saying you agree to all terms and conditions, and press "Upload Video."
22. Once you have finished a particular blog post, you may either save it as a draft by clicking the blue button below the text window that says "Save Now," or you can publish it to your blog by pressing the orange button that says "Publish Post."
    
23. You always have the option of editing posts by returning to the Blogger dashboard and clicking "edit posts" under the title of the blog.
    

Blogging is very easy, and it just gets easier the more you do it. You will catch on quickly I'm sure!