What is a blog?

(Shortened name for web-log): A web site, or web site section, that allows real time publication of information including announcements, commentary, news, and photos. The posted information is not just available for viewing on the web page to which it's posted, it's broadcast for syndication to any other web site or individual who likes what you have to say.

A blog also allows you to have a web site with interactive two-way communication...your visitors can post comments to your articles or make their own blog posts while you retain complete control of all postings before they're live.

See also:

Technical info about blogs

Blogger® Quick Tour-What is a blog?

What type of blog solution does RisingLine provide?

We build custom blogs primarily using Blogger®.

Why do we use Blogger® instead of one of the many other blog platforms?

• Blogger® is one of the pioneers of blog publishing and has great brand recognition.
• Blogger® is part of Google® which is a dominate force on the Web.
• A site build on Blogger® is favorable for exposure to a larger audience because of Blogger's® native indexing and Google® search affiliation.
• The popular Google® toolbar for web browsers includes a "Blog this" button which increases opportunities for others to promote your site.
• Blogger® provides an intuitive control panel making posting easy for non technical users.
• Blogger® provides a secure and stable platform for us to build custom blog pages upon.

What makes our Blogger® sites better?

• We fully integrate your Blogger® blog seamlessly into your overall site design and structure. You receive all the exposure and feature benefits of Blogger® without having to use a standard template which would depreciate your corporate image. For example of design integration, click on the Free Resource tab from our homepage: http://risingline.com.
• Your blog is given a URL on your domain. The standard Blogger® page has a URL at blogspot.com (e.g. http://yourcompany.blogspot.com). We provide Blogger® pages on your URL (e.g. http://yourcompany.com/blog).
• The Blogger® data files exist on your web server instead of Blogger's®. This provides you with direct control of backup and security.
• We optimize your Blogger® applications for productivity within your comprehensive marketing plan.

How do I promote my blog?

If you're a client of ours, we cover blog promotional methods unique to your business goals as part of our strategic marketing services.

When we developed your custom Blogger® we've already optimized it technically for promotion by:

• Associating it with weblogs.com.
• Activating "Email this post".
• Creating permanent pages for each of your posts.
• Optimizing and displaying smart XML feeds using FeedBurner.
• Adding your blog to Blogger's® listings.

The real success of your blog however depends on you. Providing regular updates with valuable content applicable to your target audience is the key to success.

After establishing yourself as a quality blog, there are many options to start getting the word out. A good starting place for ideas is Blogger's® Promoting Your Blog.

Blogger® resource and training aids

All links below open in a new window.

• How do I sign in to my blog?
• All about Blogger's editor
• How do I create a title for my post?
• How do I post to my blog?
• How can I make words bold or in italics?
• How do I spell check my posts?
• How do I edit what I've written?
• How do I publish my changed posts?
• How do I post pictures?
• Picture posting FAQ
• How do I make a link to another webpage?
• How do I delete a post?
• How do I make a draft post?
• What's the difference between draft and publish?
• What are comments?
• How do I moderate comments on my blog?
• How do I delete comments?
• What are backlinks?

Was this helpful?  Do you have any suggestions for improvement?  Please take a minute and let us know.

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Labels: Blogging

You've probably heard by now the new buzzwords like blog, XML, syndication, RSS, CMS, and wikis. You may have even clicked on some site's little orange XML or RSS button only to have a screen full of code thrown in your face.

It's ironic that these less than intuitive acronyms and geek birthed tags give many people the impression of added complexity to the Internet. These new terms actually represent a paradigm shift in the Internet in the opposite direction'towards providing ease of use, and most importantly, usefulness to the average Joe or Jolene-not just geeks.

Secret Meanings Revealed

So what do all these terms that help define this new generation of the Internet commonly referred to as "Web 2.0" really mean to you?

They mean that you now have the ability to provide the internet community a web site or web publication that:

• Always has current and relevant content.
• Facilitates two-way interaction with your audience
• Responds intelligently to visitors actions
• Is easy to manage without a technical expert or expensive software
• Becomes a platform for exponentially expanding your client base

Compare these features to the ubiquitous old school web site that is often full of stale information, offers only one way communication, is non-responsive, and requires software and/or technical expertise to update...and ultimately is of limited value to its owner and the web community as a whole.

In case you're still curious about more specifics, here are some brief definitions of terms associated with Web 2.0:

Web 2.0: A general term emphasizing the evolution of the Web to an environment of real time communication, collaboration, and community.

Content Management System, CMS, Web Edit: A web site that allows a non-technical user to easily publish text, photos, and links by logging into to a database and adding the information from the Web in an intuitive word processor like interface. The information is then instantly updated on the web site.

Blog (Shortened name for web-log): A type of CMS system (see above) that is intended for periodical publication of information, such as commentary, or news. The unique identifiers of a blog from general CMS include the automatic archiving of articles/posts, the syndication of the posts through XML (see definition below), and the ability for visitors to post their own thoughts or comments.

XML (eXtensible Markup Language): A widely used and versatile protocol for encoding information and sharing it between diverse applications.

RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication): An XML based broadcast of a web site's selected content. RSS enable content becomes syndicated, available for subscription and display on other web sites or RSS news readers.

RSS Feed: Refers to the originating source of information published through RSS. Comparable to the broadcasting tower of a TV station.

RSS Readers: Utilities that allow RSS feeds to be converted and displayed on web pages or in news feed aggregators (software that displays RSS feeds). Comparable to TV set displaying the broadcast of a TV station.

For more definitions associated with Web 2.0 see our Web 2.0 FAQs.

Labels: Blogging

Today's post is the last in a series of four. In Part 1 we reviewed the strategy of having two identical synchronized hard drives, in Part 2 we talked about the importance segregating the data on your hard drive, and Part 3 covered external hard drives.

This concluding post emphasizes archiving your vital data. I recommend creating a special folder within your data folder hierarchy that contains your most important data�something akin to the type of important information you would store physically in a safe deposit box. I protect this data two ways:

1. First, I periodically burn it on a DVD and keep it in a safe deposit box.
2. Second I use an encrypted automated FTP backup service that automatically updates my critical files every evening. My company sells this service for less than $30 per year. Search for "online file folder" at RisingLineWeb.com .

These are worst case scenario precautions, if my office burns down my most important data is still secure.

So, in conclusion, you've got to have the mindset that your system will crash. So many people who's life and livelihood are based in the millions of 0's and 1's that they've created on their PC's fail to realize the likelihood of a catastrophic system failure and the impact it will have on their lives. The strategies I mentioned are the only solutions, or even necessarily the best, but if you implement them you will have a multiple redundant system in place to recover your most important data.

Labels: Data-Management

In Part 1 we reviewed the strategy of having two identical synchronized hard drives. In Part 2 we talked about the importance segregating the data on your hard drive.

This weeks strategy is about using an external hard drive for data backup. There are numerous options for dedicated external hard drives designed specifically for small office backup solutions, many that feature automated backup software. There are lots of good products on the market, but some of the better values I've found are from SimpleTech:

• 160GB External USB 2.0 with backup software, 1 yr warranty ($96 at Costco.com at the time of this posting).
• 500GB External USB 2.0 with 1 touch backup software, 3 yr warranty, Kensington lock bracket.($219 from Costco.com at the time of this posting).
• 400GB SimpleShare Wireless NAS. It doesn't seem to be listed on Costco.com but I saw this recently at a Costco store...it featured a 802.11 Network Attached Storage unit that could accept additional external hard drives, was priced at Costco at $389.00. More info can be found at simpletech.com

(Costco is one of my preferred suppliers for computer hardware peripherals because they have the most liberal return policy for computer hardware of any supplier of which I'm aware.)

Buying a dedicated hard drive backup solution allows most users to back up an entire drive, but really the critical files you want backed up are your data files. So, depending on how much data you actually have, a large external drive that backs up your whole drive (operating system, application files, and data files) might be overkill, especially if your already replicating your hard drives internally as mentioned in part 1 of this series.

Another, less expensive option, is to buy an external hard drive enclosure ($20-$40) in which you can mount a extra hard drive. If you�re like most small businesses, you probably have accumulated a small stack of these extra hard drives...just make sure the hard drive you pick was not orphaned because it had potential technical issues. External hard drive enclosures connect to your PC via USB or Firewire cable, and you can buy a software utility to automatically backup or just back up manually on a regular basis. As long as you�re not relying on this as your only backup it�s an inexpensive and effective option.

Ideally, you should physically move your external hard drive backup to a safe, or at least another room, when you�re away; or buy one with a Kensignton lock bracket (you'll have to buy the Kensington cable lock separately). That way you�ll be more likely to retain your data backup if your PC is stolen.

Try searching for "hard drive enclosure" at Tiger Direct or CDW .

Next weeks post: Remote data archiving for disaster recovery.

Labels: Data-Management

In part 1, we reviewd the strategy of having two identical synchronized hard drives.

Today's strategy is segregating the data on your hard drive. By keeping all your important data in a primary folder hierarchy you�ll be able to manage your important files more efficiently and reduce the risk of overlooking important information that needs backed up.

You�ll want to make sure that your data is organized in under a single folder (like My Documents) and organize within that folder. For those who don�t know, there are three basic types of software on your computer: the operating system (e.g. Windows), application software (e.g. Word), and data files (the files that that you�ve created and want to protect).

You�ll need to take a look at your application software settings and insure that your data files created in those programs are stored in the folder you want, examples include your Outlook pst file, other Office applications, and your accounting software.

Next weeks post: Using an external hard drive backup.

Labels: Data-Management