February 11, 2008
IMPORTANT: Travel Blogs Update
The BootsnAll travelblog system has been around for awhile and we think you'll agree it's sorely in need of some upgrades. We're about to take some first steps in that direction. We're upgrading our version of WordPress (the blogging platform our blogs are based on) to the latest and slightly different software. This new platform will make it easier for us to add new features and give more control of your blog to you.The initial step is moving your current blog over. We've done enough testing that this should be a seamless process and you should barely notice a blip. Of course, now that we've said that it could all come crashing down :) We'll be making the switch later this evening (Tuesday, Feb 12th). You'll know when we've made the change when you're asked for a username to log in to your blog. This username will be your email address (the one you used to register this blog).
We will be briefly locking you out of your blog to ensure you don't add any more posts while we make the change. Rest assured all of your posts and images are safely backed up in multiple locations so there is no chance we'll lose anything.
If you have any questions, just give us a shout and we'll answer them best we can.
Cheers,
Chris & the BootsnAll team
Posted by Chris at 6:18 PM | TrackBack (0)
September 29, 2006
Upload Video to your Travel Blog
We are happy to provide all of our travel bloggers with video upload and embedding capabilities for their travel blog now.
Give it a try with some videos that you take from your travels and share them super easily! I have tested it and will be posting some videos myself this weekend.
Posted by Sean at 10:16 AM
April 13, 2006
What do those buttons below 'Title' on 'Write Post' do?
Lots of things! Note - if you have turned off the visual rich editor, you have a different list of icons that do essentially the same things.
b - highlighting words and then clicking this button will put them in bold
i - highlighting words and then clicking this button will put them in italics
ABC with strike through- highlighting words and then clicking this button will draw a line through them
unordered list - highlighting words and then clicking this button will put them into a non-numbered list and indent them
ordered list - highlighting words and then clicking this button will put them into a numbered list and indent them
indent with arrow - highlighting words and then clicking this button will off-set them with lines above and below, indicating a quote
align left - this button aligns your writing to the left (normal)
align center - this button aligns your writing in the center
align right - this aligns your writing to the right
chain - this links up a URL to highlighted text
broken chain - this takes away the URL from linked up text
img picture of tree - enter in the URL of an uploaded image
arrow pointing left - undo last action
arrow pointing right - re-do last action (usually used after a series of undos)
html - if you know html coding, play around with this. You can also uncheck 'use visual editor' under your profile.
? - quick link to default help section
Posted by at 3:17 PM
How do I keep my entry from displaying the whole thing on the main page?
Some blog entries are long. Like, really really long. As a result, it takes a really really long time for your homepage to load - plus, people who haven't read your blog in a few days might miss your other recent posts waaaay down below on your screen.
Fix this by adding the 'more' option to your entries. The 'read more' option takes visitors into the individual entry page of Go to your long entry by clicking on 'manage' and then 'edit'.
Find the place where you want the page to 'break' - usually after a few paragraphs.
One of the buttons on top of your entry screen reads 'more' OR has an image of a piece of paper being split in two. Press it and some coding will show up on your entry.
Save and look at your entry. You will now see 'Read the rest of this entry ยป' guiding readings to the rest of your update.
Posted by at 3:03 PM
April 7, 2006
Why does my blog have a big space at the top before the entries?
This problem occurs when you are using Internet Explorer and have not resized the images.
As a result, images that are wider than 500 (aka, wider than the content) 'push' the screen size to the side, and down.
In order to fix this, you must resize your images before uploading them. We suggest the use of Picture Tray, a free, downloadable program that internet cafe owners should not object to you using.
If you know html code, you can also specify the size you want your image to display, but remember, it must be less than 500 wide and needs to be proportioned correctly.
This problem does not occur when you use the Mozilla Firefox browser.
Posted by at 11:59 AM
Image Sizes and Upload Limits
You may have noticed an upload limit on your travel blog for the amount of photos you can upload. To avoind blowing through your limit with a handful of full resolution photos from your swanky new digital camera, consider re-sizing (or optimizing) your images so they are of a web-safe size. Not only will this make your travel blog download faster for your raders at home, but will allow you to upload more images and stay below your upload limit.
How to Optimize
We suggest the using Picture Tray, a free, downloadable program that runs from the desktop. Because it is so small and does not install any files on the computer, internet cafe owners should not object to you using it. Once you delete the program from the desktop, it's gone.
Alternatively, if you have your own computer and want something a bit more sophisticated, you can experiment with programs like IrfanView.
Over the Limit?
If you think you will be taking a ton of photos and don't want to fuss with optimizing them for your travel blog, you might consider upgrading to a paid version of our travel blogs where you will receive more storage space. You can also sign up for photo sharing sites like Flickr.com.
Posted by Chris at 9:29 AM
April 6, 2006
I can't create a blog with my BootsnAll username. Why?
If you have a BootsnAll username and you are unable to create a blog, chances are it is because the software does not recognize a funky character that you have in your name, such as commas, accents, apostrophes, quotation marks or other non-alpha characters.
If this is the case, e-mail Chris at BootsnAll dot com with your current name, email address you used when you registered and what you would like your blog to be called and he will fix it for you.
Posted by at 4:57 PM
How do I add links to my friend's blogs on my blog?
Go to the 'links' tab. Select 'add link' and under the 'basics' section, fill out the URL, the name you want to display, the description and the category.
To add a link category, pick 'link categories' under the 'link' tab and fill out the name. Click 'add category' at the bottom of the list and it will be added to your options.
Posted by at 4:51 PM
I got an email about moderating comments, how do I do that?
When the system suspects that a comment is spam, it sends you an email. You can either click on the link in the e-mail, or the next time you log in go to 'manage' and select 'awaiting moderation'.
Under 'awaiting moderation' you will see all the comments that need your approval. Decide the action you want to take by selecting the bubble next to the option (publish/delete/remain in queue/etc).
Posted by at 4:43 PM
What does the "Write" page do?
Click on the 'write' tab and you are able to add a new post to your blog. Create a title, your entry and upload any pictures that you wish. Don't forget to add travel tags!
There are three things you can do with your post after it is written: 'save and continue editing' allows you to save part-way through and will return you to the same screen (recommended if you are on a country with a dodgy dial-up connection!), 'save' allows you save the entry, and not have it appear on the site, and 'publish' both saves your entry and makes it public. Remember to hit 'publish' if you want readers to see your latest entry!
Along the right-hand side, there are a number of sub-categories. To expand the information below any of the sub-categories, click the right corner plus sign.
Under 'discussion', you can choose whether to allow people to add comments onto your entry or having it be 'read only'. Default setting is to allow for comments. Ignore the 'pings' option as it is not relevant to your blog.
Under 'password-protect post', you can establish a password that allows only people with the password to read what you have written. Remember, passwords limit your readers!
Under 'categories', you can assign your post to an easy-to-search place. Popular categories include by country/city, by mode of transport, by cultural info, etc. To add a category from the page, type it into the box and select add. You can assign a post to more than one category. Use of categories is strongly encouraged to allow your visitors quicker access to the information they are seeking.
Under 'post status', you can see the current status of the post and click to change it.
Under 'post timestamp, you are able to switch the default time and order in which your current post is displayed. Remember to select 'edit timestamp' or else it won't change it!
Under 'post author', you can select who is writing the post. This is only relevant if you have more than one author for your blog and wish to distinguish them!
Posted by at 4:25 PM
What is under the 'manage' tab?
The manage tab lets you keep track of everything that is going on in your blog after it is published.
The default subcategory 'posts' lists the most recent posts on the website. You can click into any of these entries, or change the posts that are displayed by doing a search, or changing the archive month. You can also select to see the posts in a certain category, the comments under a particular post, or view/edit/delete an entry.
The subcategory 'categories' allows more in-depth information on your categories. Here, you can see the number of posts in a category, edit the category name and/or its description that appears when people put their mouse over the link, or delete it.
Under 'comments', all of your blog comments are listed. Here you can e-mail addresses, URLs and IP addresses of your fans. Under view mode, you can see each comment and delete/edit if necessary, individually. You can power edit by selecting 'mass edit mode' and checking off the boxes next to each comment you wish to perform an action on.
'Awaiting moderation' is the last category. This section lists comments that have been flagged automatically by the system as potential spam, usually due to links. Here you can decide what is 'human' and what is not and edit, delete or approve the messages.
Posted by at 4:24 PM
What does the 'links' tab do?
Links enables you to add, edit and delete links that appear on the side of your blog.
Under 'manage links' you are able to see all the links you have added and their categories. You can edit the links or make them invisible by checking the boxes next to the link entry and, at the bottom, selecting 'toggle visibility'.
Select 'add link' to put another one of your favorites on the list. Ignore the link relationship and advanced options.
The 'link categories' option will allow you to add a new link category. If you are familiar with html coding you can change the width between categories, however, we suggest you leave it in the default order.
'Import links' is also an extra feature for those who are familiar with acronyms like OPML and wish to add in more links from another site.
Posted by at 4:24 PM
What is under the 'themes' tab?
The 'themes' tab allows you to customize the appearance of your website! We have a number of templates to choose from. Under 'themes' you can view and select the image you like the best!
There is an extended 'choose themes' option at the bottom of the page from WordPress, which provides an additional 5 or so options.
Posted by at 4:24 PM
Can you explain the 'profiles' tab?
The profiles tab lists all your basic info. You can change your password under this tab, as well as decide how you want to use code when writing your blog entry (if you like the what-you-see-is-what-you-get format, leave the visual rich editor checked).
Posted by at 4:23 PM
What's the 'moblogging' tab?
Mo-blogging stands for mobile blogging, and it allows you to send messages from areas besides your log-in screen. Read info under the moblogging tab for more.
Posted by at 4:23 PM