Using RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds can be enabled by adding the RSS feed widget to your blog. You do this by going into the dashboard, looking under the ‘Appearance’ tab in the left hand column, and clicking on ‘Widgets’.

This then allows you to drag the RSS feed widget over to the relevant space on the right hand side of the dashboard.

To activate it you will need to have RSS feeds captured through the use of Google Reader (see your ‘on-line passport’), or through another RSS reader, like net newswire.

Douglas

How to add categories and tags to a post

Once you have created a post, with which to amaze and inspire the world (and your tutors – especially Claire Dean), it is always a good idea to make it easier to find it again, and to let others find it as well.

There are two useful ways of doing this – all of which help you organise your posts as well.

These are – to add Categories and Tags. Categories and Tags play different roles. Categories are perhaps best thought of as general ‘Themes’ into which your postings fall. Tags are not themes, but perhaps the names of people, or places, or objects or concepts that are mentioned in the posting. For instance, a good category for this post might be the word ‘Practical’ A Tag for this post might be for instance ‘Claire Dean’ as she is mentioned in it.
To create the categories, enter the word of your choice in the relevant box, in the dashboard (there is a ‘+ Add New Category’ option. After that you need only to click the box, to apply your chosen category/ categories to the story. Similarly with Tags – the process is almost identical.

Your job now – go back through every one of your already posted stories, and add categories for them, and tags.

One complication is that the categories appear at the top of your page. More than 8 or 9 (depending on how long the word itself is!) , mean that they ‘double park’ on the page. I suggest you try to avoid this, and only choose a maximum number that might create one line on the top of the page (unlike myself!!)

Douglas