blogability

These are the questions I’ve been asked so far. Let me know if you have more. (Thanks to Mark for the picture!)

Can I host my blog at BSU?

Yes, there is now a test site for blogging at http://osx-media.bathspa.ac.uk/weblog/

It supports MP3 and other media files.

You will need an OS password to set up a blog here. Contact Jeremy Bowman.

Can I have a blog run by a team?

Yes. Set up your blog and make sure that all your team signs up for an account with your chosen blog provider. You can then assign user rights to your team.
In Wordpress this is under users on the dashbpoard menu. (Before assigning roles to your team, you might want to read the summary of roles in Wordpress Help).
In Blogger select Settings in your dashboard and add authors.

Can I delete my blog?

Yes and no! In Blogger it’s easy. Just go to Options and Delete Blog. In Wordpress you may only delete a blog if you have more than one. If you don’t like the one you have, create a new one then delete the old one. If you don’t want one at all, don’t worry. The world is awash with neglected blogs!

Can I keep my blog private?

If yours is a Blogger site, it’s possible to have your blog viewed only by users.

“Your blog is open to all readers by default. You can restrict your blog to readers that you choose.
However, these readers will need to log in before reading your blog, adding an extra step.”

I don’t think this facility is available on Wordpress, although you can opt not to have your site listed by search engines. (under Options, Privacy).

NEW!

You can now set up a blog on BSU’s own blog server at http://osx-media.bathspa.ac.uk/weblog/. This gives you the option to restrict your blog to named BSU users. To use the server you need an Open Directory account.

Can I keep my Wiki private?

Wikis are designed to be open. You can control user permissions, but even visitors (i.e. non-users) would normally be allowed to view and comment on pages.

If you choose to download wiki software and manage your own site, privacy may be an option, but this isn’t covered in the workshop.

Can I upload documents to my blog or wiki?

Most blogs allow you to upload text files, documents and images in jpeg format. Edublogs also supports podcasts and video files. and you can link to them direct from a blog post or page.
Wetpaint wikis allow you to store files but only as attachments to your site and the storage space is limited.

Can I upload media files to my blog or wiki?

Again, this depends on your blog or wiki provider. Edublogs supports most file types (this is an edublogs bog, look at the test page for examples) . BSU blogs also support podcasts and other media files. Some blog sites also have addtional software (plugins) you can add to your site to give it greater functionality.

Sites like Myspace can also be used for media rich content. A Myspace site comes with its own blog as well as the home page.

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