How to Blog

Welcome to the Brown Family Blog!

By now, you should have received an invitation to contribute to the blog, as well as an email explaining how to log on (that's probably what brought you here). Here are some pointers about using Blogger, and how to post on this site.

In order to post, you have to be signed into your Blogger account. Once you are signed in, you should see the title of the blog (Brown Cracker Barrel) on the leftish side. In the immediate area, there will be a link that says, "New Post."

Click on New Post. This will take you to a composition screen that looks a lot like a new email. You can simply type and post.

If you would like to adjust the settings on your post, use the toolbar at the top of the text area. Here, you can adjust the text in the same ways you can in Microsoft Word: font, size, alignment, color.

There are several ways to insert a picture onto a blog. The first way is to use the icon on the toolbar that looks like a picture. This will allow you to download a picture or to use a picture from the internet. This tool will only let you put the picture at the beginning or end of a post.

If you would like to insert a picture into the middle of your post, the best way is to use www.photobucket.com. Photobucket is a free site that allows you to upload pictures from your computer onto an online album. You can also add pictures found online to the album. From photobucket, select and copy the HTML tag for the picture. Paste the tag into your post. It will look like gobledy-gook, but when it posts, the picture will show up.

You can also add a link to another site into your post. On the toolbar, in between the alignment buttons and the text color button, there is a button that looks like a globe with a chain. Highlight a word or phrase, then click on this button. It will ask you to enter the website and will make the selected words a hyperlink, like this: here is Betsy's personal blog.

If you want to respond to an existing post, do not add another post. At the end of each post, there is a link for Comments. This is where posts should be responded too. Each new post should be a new topic.

If you would like another email address to be allowed to post (like another family member whose email address I didn't have) let me know. Also, if anyone has a family picture on their computer, please email it to me.

I really think this is going to be great. I hope everyone participates. Happy blogging!

Betsy