Q: What is a blog?
A: "Blog" is short for "Weblog," which is a type of website, often an online journal or diary. Many people choose to keep blogs instead of maintaining traditional websites because blogs are much easier to update. Blogs are text based and no HTML is required to set them up or to edit them -- just fill out a form!

Q: What can I do with a blog?
A: Blogs are very flexible and easy to update, so you can use them to express up-to-the-minute opinions about almost anything: news, sports, politics, culture, knitting projects ... whatever! Create a blog to keep remote family members updated about your life, or to provide updated information about a specific event, like a wedding, a reunion, or a marathon.

Q: Who can create an Angelfire Blog?
A: Any Angelfire member can create a blog! However, only paying subscribers can create multiple blogs and take advantage of other Angelfire Elements features, such as additional disk space and Domain Names.

Q: How do I create a blog?
A: You must be a Angelfire member to create an Angelfire Blog. Premium Angelfire members can create an unlimited number of blogs. Members of Angelfire Free can create up to 3 blogs.

  • First, log in to Angelfire and head to the Blog Builder page. Click the "Create & Edit Your Blog" button, and you're on your way.
  • Follow the step-by-step instructions on the Blog Builder settings pages and click the "Save and Create" button when you're finished.
  • Once you create your blog, you can start posting entries.
  • You can publish a blog entry immediately or wait until later to publish.(Publishing your blog makes it visible to the world. Leaving it unpublished means only you can see it, and you can edit it before it goes live.)

Q: What is a Blog Profile?
A: All Angelfire Blogs have a Profile page. The Profile page is where you can tell the world about yourself and about your blog. Simply type the text of your profile into the text fields on the "Edit Profile" page and use the save button to save your work. You can also upload a picture, or use one of our stock images to represent yourself. You are not required to fill out your Blog Profile, but it is a nice option for telling your visitors more about yourself and your interests.

Q: Can I create more than one blog?
A: Members of Angelfire Free can create up to three blogs. Paid Angelfire subscribers can create unlimited blogs.

Q: How do I post an entry to my blog?
A: Head to the Blog Builder page. Click Create & Edit to go to the Blog Manager. Using the dropdown menu, select the blog you would like to post to (some users maintain multiple blogs). Then click the Create a New Entry button. Type your entry in the text editor. To use the text formatting buttons (bold, italic, underline, link), first select the text you would like to alter, then click the appropriate button. Use the Post button to post your entry immediately. Preview allows you to see what your entry will look like before making it public. Save As Draft allows you to save the entry to edit and post at a later time.

Q: What is a Topic List?
A: Blogs are often used to provide updates on a number of different subjects. And not all readers are interested in all subjects. To help you organize your posts, we've added a "Topic" field to the Blog Entry Creation page, which lets your visitors sort your entries by topic. To use it, simply select an existing topic or create a new topic (for example: work, family, hobbies, basketball) when you create a new blog entry. Use the "Edit Topic List" feature to add, edit, or delete topics at any time.

Q: Who can comment on my blog entries?
A: Anyone can comment on your blog entries. However, by moderating your blog comments, you can control which comments appear publicly on your blog. There are several moderation options to choose from when you configure your blog. Moderation preferences can also be changed at any time.

Q: How do I moderate my blog comments?
A: When you configure your blog, choose your comment moderation preferences. Selecting the Open option allows users' comments to appear immediately, just as soon they are made. Choosing the Moderated option allows you to view comments before they are posted. You can also choose the Closed option, which disallows comments.

To moderate comments, go to the Blog Control Panel. Moderate Comments allows you to delete or publish unpublished comments once you read them. Delete Comments allows you to select published comments and delete them.

Note: You can also choose to be notified whenever a visitor posts comments to your blog. Simply check the E-Mail Notification preference, and enter your e-mail address in the field.

Q: Can I change the way my blog looks?
A: You can change the appearance of your blog at any time. There are several ways to do this. First, from the Blog Control Panel, select which blog you would like to edit (some users maintain multiple blogs). Then click the Change Settings button. The easiest way to give your blog a fresh look is to select a different template. You can do this by selecting the radio button next to a new template. Once you've clicked the Save and Create button, the new template will be applied to your blog.

You can also choose custom colors, fonts, and font sizes for your blog template. Once you have selected a template, click the Advanced Settings button. The Advanced settings options allow you to choose a number of custom options to personalize your page. Once you click the Save and Create button, your choices will be applied to your blog template.

Q: Can I change the way my signature and timestamp appear?
A: The default signature for your Angelfire blog entries is your Angelfire member name. However, you can customize your blog signature by accessing the Change Settings panel. You can also use the Change Settings page to customize the way your timestamp appears. (Please note that your signature setting will remain for all Angelfire blogs that you post to.)

Q: Can I create my own custom blog templates?
A: All Angelfire members now have access to Advanced Customization tools for complete control over blog appearance. The Blog Customization Tutorial has all of the details you'll need to use the Advanced Customization editor. Please note that a working knowledge of HTML and or CSS is required for the use of this tool.

Q: Can I post images, video and audio clips to my blog?
A: Yes, we make it very easy to upload files and post them directly to your blog entries. The Image Aide, Audio Aide and Video Aide are tools that help you post multimedia files in one simple step. Just save the files on your computer and use the appropriate Aide tool to upload the file and add the multimedia clip or image to your post. You don't need to write any code or worry about manually transferring your files to your user directory.

The Aide tools are accessed by clicking the Image Upload, Video Upload or Audio Upload icons in the toolbar while you are writing or editing a blog entry. When you click on the icons, the Aide window will appear. Click on the Browse button to locate your file on your hard drive. Once you've selected the file you'd like to insert, click OK.

For images, you'll need to choose the alignment. This will decide how your text wraps around the image on the page once you post your blog entry. For audio and video links, you will need to fill in the text field or choose a thumbnail. (Your visitors will click on the text link or thumbnail to download your file.) Once you've done all of that, click the Upload and Insert button.

You will then return to the blog entry page, and you should see a line of code which begins <img src=... or <a href=.... This is the HTML code that loads your image or displays your download link onto the page.

A few tips:
Preview the entry to check the alignment of your image. If the alignment doesn't display exactly as you'd like it to, you can change it. One way is to delete the entire line of generated code (everything between the < and > brackets) and use the tool again, this time choosing a different alignment. The image you uploaded previously will be overwritten when you upload the image a second time. Another way to change the alignment type is by manually replacing it in the code. These are the allowed image alignment types in HTML:

  • top
  • middle
  • center
  • bottom (default)

The Image Aide, Video Aide and Audio Aide all upload files to your /blog directory. You can delete the files you've uploaded by using the Angelfire Filemanager. If you have posted audio or video links using one of the Aides, a small icon will appear next to the download link to let your visitors know what type of file you have posted. Note: The images you upload with this tool will be stored in the /blog directory, not the /images directory. (Deleting your files will cause broken links and broken images in your entries unless you go back and remove the references to the files in your individual entries.)

If you are adding digital photos to your blog, make sure that your photos are of a reasonable size before uploading them. Try to size your photos to between 300 and 600 pixels wide, and compress the images to around 20K or 30K.

If you are posting a photograph, an image, or a multimedia file that was created by somebody else, you must get permission from the person or organization that created the image before posting.

Q: What does the Scissors or Cut icon do
A: As you are creating a new entry or editing a previous entry, you may decide that the entry is too lengthy for your visitors to read at a glance. The Scissors (or Cut) icon on the toolbar will append your entry to a separate page where your most dedicated readers can see it, but it will not push other entries too far down the page.

Simply highlight the text that you'd like to append, and click the cut icon. Cut tags will be placed around the selected text. The tag looks like this: <cut text=Read More...> text of your entry </cut> Read More... displays as a text link that visitors can click if they wish to read your entire entry.

You can use multiple cut tags in an entry, but they will all append to the same page which displays the entire entry. (Note: The cut feature is also useful for appending large images to a separate page so that visitors with slower internet connections don't have to download the entire file unless they choose to do so.)

Q: What are metatags for?
A: Search engines use metatags (among other things) to figure out what web pages are about. We've made it easy for you to put metatags on your blog. Just fill in the text fields on the Change Settings page with appropriate information about the content of your blog. The meta information is not visible to your visitors, but search engines can read it.

Q: Can I postdate or predate my blog entries?
A: Postdating or predating a blog entry is easy. When you are finished creating or editing an entry, just scroll down to the bottom of the entry creation page. You'll see a dropdown menu for the date. If you would like your entry to be posted at a future time, select your date and click the Post button. Your entry will not be published to your blog until 12 AM on the date you've selected. (This is a handy feature if you like to update your blog daily but you're going on vacation. Just create your posts ahead of time and set the dates on which you'd like the entries to appear.)

Predating is useful if you're transferring all of your blog posts to Angelfire blogs from another blog site and you want to keep them in order.

Q: What is RSS?
A: RSS, short for Really Simple Syndication, is a great way to read news sites, entertainment sites, and blogs in one place without having to visit different websites. RSS feeds are collected by a reader on your computer so that you can browse the latest content quickly and easily. If you see a headline or a blurb that intrigues you in your reader, you can click on a provided link and the full website will launch in your Web browser.

The next time somebody asks you "How the heck do you find the time to read all this stuff?" you can answer, RSS, my friend!

Every time you post a blog entry, Angelfire generates an RSS page, which is a set of instructions that RSS readers (or aggregators, as they are sometimes known) can interpret and display.

RSS feeds are written in XML, a Web language that is the leaner, more powerful cousin of HTML. Your Angelfire blog's RSS page is automatically generated -- there's no service to sign up for or turn on.

To read RSS feeds from sites such as other Angelfire blogs, Wired News, and major sports and news sites, you'll need to get a reader. Many are free, but some are available for a nominal charge. Once you get an aggregator, you can subscribe to RSS feeds from literally thousands of sites. News readers will show you which sites have been updated recently and they will allow you to browse the content that has been collected.

Start taking advantage of RSS. It's a great way to share your thoughts with the world!

Q: What does Post this entry as HTML do?
A: When posting a new blog entry, you can choose to render your post as HTML. When you type a new blog entry, the Angelfire blog builder tool will treat your blog entry as text by default. For this reason, if you choose to include certain HTML-intensive elements in your post, such as tables or formatted lists, the blog builder may cause the post to render incorrectly.

By checking the Post this entry as HTML box before clicking the Post button, you can force the blog builder to read the code you've entered as pure HTML. This will preserve any special formatting you've included in your entry.

Q: What is my Blog Buddy Page
A: In addition to the content that you post to your blog, you can also create a page that displays the entries of your friends' blogs. It's called a Blog Buddy Page, and it updates itself — all you need to do is set it up.

To set up a Blog Buddy Page, select the Include a Buddy Page check-box on the Configure Your Blog section. After your blog is created, you will see two extra buttons in the Blog Control Panel's sidebar.

The first, Manage Buddies, allows you to select other Angelfire Blog users as your buddies. Add all of your friends to your Buddy list.

The second new button in the Blog Control Panel is Manage Buddy Page. This button will take you to the Buddy Page Manager, where you can configure your Buddy Page. The Buddy Page Manager lists all of your buddies and all of their blogs. Some of your buddies may have multiple blogs. Use the check boxes to select which blogs your Buddy Page will display. Select as many blogs as you'd like, then click the Return to Control Panel link. A link to your Blog Buddy Page will be added to your main blog list. The look and design of your Blog Buddy page is dependent on the design template you have chosen for your main blog page.

Your Blog Buddy Page will display the 10 most recent entries from all of the blogs you have chosen to include. The newest entries are displayed at the top of the page. Each entry is titled and time-stamped. Plus, the username of each author and the title of the Blog from which the post was pulled are listed at the end of the entry.

The length of the entries on your Blog Buddy Page may be truncated, but a Read more... link will be added automatically so your readers can travel to the original Blog entry and read it in its entirety. The Blog Buddy Page is generated automatically whenever one of the blogs you selected for inclusion is updated by one of your Buddies. You don't need to do any work once you've set up the page. Keep in mind that only public posts will show up on your Blog Buddy Page.

Q: How do I hide entries from certain people?
A:With your Angelfire blog, you can create a powerful tool that you and all of your friends can use to express your thoughts either in public or in private.

Every time you post an entry to your blog, you can choose one of three privacy options for the entry. Posts can be public, private, or viewable by a select group of buddies. Public posts, the default setting for all blog entries, are viewable by everyone on the Web. Private posts can only be seen by the Blog owner, so private entries are great for online diaries or personal notes.

Making your post viewable to a group of buddies requires some setup. First, you need to choose who your Blog Buddies are, then organize your buddies into groups. You can build your Blog Buddy list with the Blog Control Panel. Click on the Manage Buddies button in the Blog Control Panel to build a list of Blog Buddies.

Blog Buddies
Once inside the Buddy Manager, you can add or delete Blog Buddies to or from your list at any time. You can only select other Angelfire blog users as your Blog Buddies. Your Blog Buddy list is private; only you can control and view who is on your list. And only the people on your Blog Buddy lists will be able to read your posts that are marked Shared with Friends.

When posting a Blog entry, select the All Buddies privacy option to make that post viewable to all of your Buddies. Only people that you have selected as a Blog Buddy will be able to view the entry. Also, even if a user is on your Blog Buddy list, you will only be able to view their posts to their Blog Buddies if they have selected you as a Blog Buddy.

Groups
You can keep your Blog Buddy list organized by assigning your buddies to separate groups. To build a group, click on the Add Group button in the Buddy Manager. You will be asked to name your group, so give it a name and click Proceed. Next, you will find yourself at the Edit Group page. Here, you can select usernames from your Blog Buddy list that you would like to include in your new group. Select as many buddies as you want and click Save Changes.

Your groups will be listed alphabetically in your Buddy Manager along with the names of your buddies. To change the name of a group or the membership of a group at any time, select the check box next to the group name and click on the Edit button. To delete a group, select the group's check box and click the Delete button.

Once you have created your groups, you can post blog entries that are only viewable by members of those groups. When you are posting a new entry, select name of the group from the drop-down menu that appears in the privacy options. When you post the entry, only members of the selected group will be able to view the entry.

Lists
When you are posting an entry to a select group of Blog Buddies, you can choose to post to a group that you have already created, or you can post to a temporary list. Within the privacy options you can select while posting a new Blog entry, the drop-down list allows you to select all of your buddies, a group of buddies, or a Custom List. If you choose Custom List, you will be able to create a temporary list of buddies on the fly, and you will have the option to save that list as a permanent group.

A window will pop up with a list of all of your buddies and groups. Select the Blog Buddies and groups to include in your custom list, then click the Create List button. You will be asked to give the list a name, and the list will be saved as a new group. You can edit or delete the group at any time.

Identifying Buddy Group posts and private posts
When you post a blog entry to a list or group of buddies, the entry will be marked with a small graphic next to the title. A graphic of a lock will indicates a private post, and a small group of people indicates a post viewable by one of your groups.

Angelfire users must be logged in to take advantage of the privacy features, and to read group posts or private posts.

Q: What is a Community Blog?
A: Community Blogs are shared blogs that multiple authors can post to. Everyone on the web can read a Community Blog, unless individual members use the Shared with Community privacy option when posting. The privacy list for a Community Blog includes all of the Community's members. Members must be logged in to read shared posts.

To set up a Community Blog, check the Make this a Community Blog box on the Configure Your Blog screen. You will need to decide between an invite-only community or an open community. Only people you invite can join an invite-only community, but any Angelfire member can join an open community. If you create a Community Blog, you are the owner and administrator. If you are a paid member of Angelfire you may create and own as many Community Blogs as you'd like. Members of Angelfire Free can create up to three blogs.

User Permissions
As the administrator, you can assign different permission levels to the members of your Community Blog. You can also assign a moderator to help manage your community blog. (Just make sure you trust that person, because he/she will be able to suspend other users, etc.) The different permission levels are as follows:

  • Administrator: Right to create a post, right to save a post as a draft, right to edit one's own posts, right to delete one's own posts as well as the posts of others, right to edit drafted entries, right to moderate comments, right to change blog settings, right to manage links. The administrator also has the ability to add or delete users to or from the blog, and the ability to change all other users' permission settings.
  • Moderator: Right to create a post, right to save a post as a draft, right to edit one's own posts, right to delete one's own posts as well as the posts of others, right to edit drafted entries, right to moderate comments, right to manage links. The moderator also has the ability to invite users to or remove users from the blog, and the ability to change other non moderators' permission settings.
  • Advanced: Right to create a post, right to save a post as a draft, right to edit drafts, right to edit and delete one's own posts as well as the posts of others, right to moderate comments, right to delete comments, right to manage links.
  • Basic: Right to create a post, right to save a post as a draft, right to edit one's own posts but not the posts of others, right to edit drafts, right to delete one's own posts.
  • Draft: Right to save a post as a draft, right to edit one's own drafts.
  • Not Assigned: Temporarily suspends a member from having any rights. To reassign permissions to the member, simply select another option.

To get posting rights to a Community Blog, the administrator must invite you. Once you accept the invitation, the administrator will assign your Community Blog permissions. You can have different permission levels for different Community Blogs. Once you are a member, the Community Blog will appear in the drop-down menu in your Blog Control Panel.

When you are managing your Community Blog as an advanced, basic, or draft user, you will see your permission status indicated in the Blog Manager along with an email link to contact the administrator of the Blog. When you are managing a Community Blog as an advanced, basic, or draft user, you will only see the options that you have access to. The administrator has access to all of the blog management options.

Inviting, Adding, and Removing Users
An administrator can invite other users to join a Community Blog at any time. From the administrator's Blog Manager screen, click on the Invite/Add Users button. You will be asked to enter the username or usernames of the persons you want to invite to join the Community Blog, and assign them individual permissions. Click Send Invites, and the users you invite will appear on a list along with their RSVP status. Once the users receive the invitation and either accepts or declines it, their RSVP status will change.

Any Angelfire member can post to an Open Community simply by clicking the Post to this Blog link that is displayed in the links column on the blog. However, the member must be logged in to do so.

Members can leave a Community Blog at any time by clicking the Leave Community icon on the Control Panel. The administrator can also remove users from the Community Blog or change current users' permissions at any time by clicking on the User Management button on the Blog Manager screen. This will take you to the Member Management Control Panel where you can set permissions for users and delete members. Click on the Save Changes button after you have made your changes.


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