Create a New Blog
To create a new blog, visit the Blog Manager from your control panel, or click the Return to Blog Manager button in the right-hand column on this page.
Once you are in the Blog Manager, you will see a large green button labeled Create a New Blog. Click that button and you're on your way!
The first thing you are asked to do, when creating a new blog is to choose the visual template for your blog. You can use the predefined settings for whatever template you select, or you can customize the colors and fonts.
(If you would like to create your own advanced template, you can check out how to customize your blog.)
Enter Blog Settings
Entering the settings for your blog are the last actions you need to complete before you can get started with sharing your blog with the world!
Just follow these easy steps and you'll be up and blogging in no time.
- Enter a blog title (this appears at the top of your blog) and URL (this is the address of your blog which you can send to friends and family), then select your time zone.
- Hint: If you want your blog to be in your Angelfire home directory (https://www.angelfire.com/ab8/membername) instead of being located in a subdirectory (https://www.angelfire.com/ab8/membername/blog), leave the Blog URL field blank when you create your blog.
- You can move your blog from a subdirectory to another subdirectory or from a subdirectory to your home directory by using the "Hide" and "Show" buttons in the Blog Manager. (Please note: Once a blog is in your home directory, it cannot be moved.)
- Choose your remaining options and preferences as you desire. Click on the Learn More links to get details about a particular feature.
Once you're done, click Save and Create. You'll be returned to the Blog Manager screen.
Create a Blog Entry
Now let's post something to the new blog. From the Blog Manager screen click the Create a New Entry button that appears at the top of the page.
The first four fields are optional (Title, Mood, Topic & Now Playing), but it's a nice idea to include a title for your posts.
Click in the Entry box to begin typing your blog post.
You'll notice that above the text field that you're typing in, there is a set of icons that are very similar to many text-editor interfaces you've seen. Using these tools, you can do what one would expect many of these buttons to do: edit the look of your text, add single images or an entire photo album, video, music, spell check or even add blocks of html.
After you're done creating your entry, you'll notice two more sets of options below the entry field. "Make this post:" gives you the option of making your post public, for the whole internet to see, private, for your eyes only, or you can share it with just your friends that you've added to a particular buddy list.
The final option on this page is dating your post. The default is set to the actual day you start writing your blog entry. However, you can change the date of your post to a later date, and your blog will know to automatically post that entry on the selected date, as opposed to right away.
Preview your Blog Entry
Click the Preview button to see how your entry will look. If you're happy with your results, close the preview window and click the Post button to publish the entry to your blog.
You will be returned to the Blog Manager, where your new blog will be listed. Click on the link with your blog's name and your blog will open in a new window. It's that easy!
Anytime you want to add a new entry, go to the Blog Manager and click Create a New Entry. You can also modify existing entries at any time and republish them to your blog. To show off your blog to friends and family, copy the URL (address) and email it to them.