12/18/2011

So the new blogs are up and running and boy, am I excited about them!  This is a huge step forward from the previous blogging software.  I want to write this up in order to share a bit about how to post your blogs.  Most of it will be self-explanatory to many, but if it’s not, just try to follow these steps.

Just a note for everyone – the “Export to bLogs” function in the Training Log App will no longer be supported.  This is because we plan to re-do the entire application and would rather not waste time and effort upgrading a piece of software that needs to be totally overhauled.

How to make a post:
Either use the main menu (Training bLogs >> Write) or if you are already in the blogs, click the button that says “write” (in the thin black banner about half a screen below the main menu).  Enter a blog title and then write up your blog.  Once you’re finished, click the green button that says “publish now”.

How to insert a video:
As you are writing your blog, place your cursor where you want the video to go.  Just above the text editing buttons, just above the “bold, italics, underline” buttons, you’ll see three white buttons.  The one on the right looks like a film strip.  Click it.  A pop-up window will appear.  Once it appears, enter the URL for your video in the box and click OK.  Complete the rest of your post normally.

How to subscribe to a user:
This blog style has many subscription options that we can explore more as time goes on.  The easiest way to subscribe to someone’s blog is to click on their name (near the top of the post).  It will take you to that user’s blog.  Then you should see a link just under their name and bio that says “Subscribe to blogger updates”.  Click this and verify your email address.  You will then get an email every time this user makes a post.  You can unsubscribe from them by going to your “View Subscribed Blogs” page.

If you’d rather not get the emails in your inbox, I know Gmail allows you to set up filters so you could have all of the Training Log emails drop into one mail folder automatically.  That way you can see blog entries only when you want to see them by clicking on the folder.

You can also subscribe to a user’s RSS feed if you prefer to read that way.  I haven’t played with this a lot yet, but I can write more about it later.  Each user should have their own RSS feed and you can get individual updates that way as well.

If anybody else discovers stuff that you think is neat, please feel free to post it up.  The blog software allows for lots of cool stuff like customizing the appearance of each user’s blog, Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn integration, etc.  I’ll be going through settings in the next day or two, so you should start seeing more of that stuff.

Feedback (both bug reports and reviews) are welcomed!