Click Blog on the navbar.

1. Click Blog on the navbar.
2. Click New Entry on the My Blog page.
3. Enter a Title, which appears in the blog entry list after you publish it. The title should be something descriptive and easy to identify.
4. Add Content.
5. Select Make entry public if you want to allow other users to view your blog entry.
6. Select Allow Comments if you want to allow other users to comment on your blog entry.
7. Change the Entry Date if you want the blog entry to show a different date from the current date and time. Click Now to revert to the default values. The Blog tool displays the most recent entries first, according to the entry date you set.
8. Click Save.
9. Click Cancel to return to the My Blog page.

1. On the My Blog page, use the All Entries, Public Entries, and Private Entries tabs to view your blog entries.
2. Click Preview Blog to view how your blog appears to others.

Note The Permalink field at the top of the Preview page lists a URL for your blog that can be accessed from any browser.

1. On the My Blog page, click Edit from the context menu beside the title of the entry you want to edit.
2. Update the entry as desired.
3. Click Save.

On the My Blog page, click the Comments link inside an entry.

1. Click the Add Comment link in the entry you want to comment on.
2. Enter your comment in the Comment field. Select Make this comment anonymous to submit an anonymous comment.
3. Click Save Comment.

1. On the My Blog page, click Edit from the context menu of the entry containing the comment you want to delete or click the Comments link inside the entry.
2. Click the Delete icon beside the comment to delete it.

Note You can only remove comments on your own blog; you cannot delete comments made on another user’s blog.

On the My Blog, Blog Watch, or Blog List page, select a value from the per page drop-down list to change how many blog entries or blog users are displayed on a page.

If all of the information does not display on one page, use the Previous Page and Next Page icons, and the per page drop-down list to navigate between pages.

1. On the My Blog page or the Blog Watch page, select the box beside the entry or entries you want to print.
2. Click Print at the top or bottom of the page to print from My Blog, or click Printable View at the top or bottom of the page to print from Blog Watch.
3. Print using your browser’s print functionality.

1. On the My Blog page or the Blog Watch page, click Settings.
2. Update your settings as desired.
3. Click Save.

1. On the Blog Watch or Blog List page, enter your search criteria in the Search For field, and click Search. You must be following at least one blog in order to search from Blog Watch.
2. Click the Show Search Options link for more search options:
   • Search For Enter the word or portion of text to search for.
   • Search In Select where to search for specified text.
   • Search Users Select which users to search.
   • Latest Entry Created Between the Dates Of Select a date range to restrict the search by.

Note On the Blog List page, you can also search for Total Entries and Total Comments to find blogs with greater than or less than a specified number of entries or comments.

To clear the search, click the Clear Search link or empty the Search For field and click Search.

Add peers, friends, and acquaintances to your Blog Watch to keep current on topics and events that interest them.

The Blog Watch list is empty by default. You must first add blogs to watch from the Blog List to populate your Blog Watch.

Add users to your Blog Watch

1. On the My Blog page, click Blog List.
2. You can then either:
   • Enter any portion of the first or last name of the user you want to add in the Search For field. Click the Show Search Options link for more options.
   • Navigate the entire list of users. You can sort the table by clicking on any of the column names. If you go to a new page, you lose the users you selected on the previous page.
3. Select the check box beside any user you want to watch.
4. Click Add at the top or bottom of the list.

View blogs you follow

Click Blog Watch from the tool navigation to see recent posts from the blogs you follow.

Delete users from your Blog Watch

1. On the My Blog page, click Blog List.
2. Select the users you want to delete.
3. Click Remove at the top or bottom of the list.

The blog tool provides a means to publish your blog as an RSS feed, which any external news reader (RSS aggregator) can read.

Note You might not have permission to use the RSS feed functionality.

Understanding RSS feeds

The RSS file format provides summaries of content on a website and links to the full version of the content. This information is in an XML file known as an RSS feed. A program known as an RSS aggregator, or news reader, reads the RSS feed and displays any new (updated) content that it finds on the website.

This is useful for frequent readers to track updates on the site. For the Blog tool, it enables readers to track new entries and comments on a blog without logging in to Learning Environment.

Generate an RSS feed

1. Click  Settings, then select Publish your blog as an RSS feed.
2. Give your feed a title, and if you want, a description.
3. Click Save.
4. Send the External URL to users you want to share your blog with.

Share your blog with friends, family, and acquaintances that are not a part of your Learning Environment by providing them with the permanent URL for your blog.

Share your blog with other users

1. On the My Blog page, click Preview Blog.
2. Copy the URL from the Permalink field set under your blog's name.
3. Share the URL with the people you want to read your blog.

Note You can also find your blog's permanent URL by clicking  Settings on the My Blog and Blog Watch pages.