Purpose

This how-to is for anyone who wants to post to the blog on this site.

Step by step

1. Get yourself authorized as a blogger.  Contact Rob Stephenson for this.
2. Go to the blog (click on the orange Blog tab).
3. On the right of the green edit bar, click on Add Item and choose Weblog Entry.
4. Choose a Title and brief Excerpt (which will be a bolded lead-in to your blog text).
5. Enter the text of the blog entry.
   
6. Now your text is complete (you can always go back and edit it if you want).  Choose a keyword (theme) or create a new one for your post.  This will be listed on your post itself ("filed under:") and will also appear in the "tag cloud" to the right of the blog itself.  You may choose an existing keyword or you may add a new one (on the right).  Despite the name, "keywords" are really phrases.  Pick only one keyword per post, and if you create a new one please follow the convention to capitalize the first letter of the word or words in your theme, like this: Tech Virtual.  If you choose an existing keyword that has an associated image (see below) that image will appear at the top of your blog entry.
   
7. To save your post click Save.  If you chose an existing keyword its image will be added to your post automatically and you are almost done.  Now skip to the last step in this list to publish your entry.
   
8. If you added a new keyword, choose an image to accompany it.  This makes your post more attractive.  Images are associated with keywords, so if you created a new keyword, choose an appropriate image that is about 300 pixels wide by 200 high.  Like all images for the Web, only certain image types are visible in browsers: .jpg, .gif and .png.  Bmp images (the format in which images are captured from Second Life) will not work and you need to convert them to .jpg first, before uploading.  Give your image exactly the same filename as your keyword, e.g. name it Tech Virtual (not Tech_Virtual.jpg).  This goes against all common usage so it bears repeating: do not give your image an extension like .jpg, .gif or .png (but you may include spaces in the name). 
   
9. Upload your keyword image.  Go back to the Blog page (click on the orange the Exhibit Log tab) and then click the green Contents tab.  Click Topic Images under the Title column.  Now click the green Add Item button and choose image.  Click Choose and select the image (named e.g. Tech Virtual) from the previous step.  As a Title give it the same name as its filename and keyword, and click Save at the bottom of the page (disregarding the other fields).
10. Congratulations, you are nearly done. Your new image should appear in the upper right corner of your post.
11. Your blog is still a draft, and not visible to the world.  Click on the green button that says State:Draft and select Publish.  Now you are done!