Blogs
The ExplorOz
Blog facility has been developed for Members and Advertisers only. Your
Blog will be labelled MyBlog. You can use MyBlog for journaling just about anything, including off topic or non-ExplorOz related comments. The system will auto-format the placement of your photos and file attachments and you can ‘Tag’ your
Blog from a set of categories to help others browse Blogs of interest. The
Blog index enables easy
navigation to all Blogs by category and the latest entries will be listed in the
Forum daily. If you are a Member, your
forum signature will also provide one-click access to all your
Blog entries. If you are an Advertiser, your Advertiser Profile will contain your Blogs together with your photo gallery.
Creating Blogs
This is the fun part - creating your own blogs. Creating Blogs on ExplorOz is easy and in order to do so, you must first logon to the website with your member or customer number and password.
My Blog
You then go into your home page by clicking ‘My Home’ and then clicking the ‘My Blogs’ link. You should now see your personal
blog space. If this is your first time, you will see a Welcome screen with some
blog information including how to create a
blog:
New Blog Entry
Go to the control panel and click 'New
Blog Entry'. The ‘Entry Date’ will automatically default to today, however if you want to publish a travel journal or something from the past, you can enter the actual date that the
Blog entry refers to. The next thing is to give your
Blog entry a ‘Title’ - this should be short but specific as it will be the main way people will know whether they want to read your
Blog or not. Now you're ready to start typing in your ‘Entry’ and this will be formatted for you, so simply type in your words.
Tags
You'll also notice a long list of Tags. There are two categories of tags - ExplorOz, and General. Obviously, choose ExplorOz tags when your
Blog entry is related to
4WDriving,
Caravanning,
Camping and
Boating but for all the other interesting things in your life - use the General tags. The main
Blog Index gives the ability for people to browse by Tag so it's a good idea to get this right. MyBlog also comes with useful tools such as a Spell Checker, Preview, and image and file loaders.
Add a Link, Photo or File
If you wish to post a link to a webpage, place a photo, or upload a file (a plot file or document from your computer) simply use the appropriate button at the bottom of the page. These features will be automatically formatted for you based on the inbuilt template.
Editing an Entry
Edit Entry
If you make a mistake, change your mind, or run out of time to finish an entry, simply select the Entry you wish to change, and click Edit Entry.
Comments
MyBlog gives you control over deciding which of your
Blog entries is open for comment from other Members.
Add Blog Comment
You can delete any comment you receive into your
Blog and you can reply. The default is set to disallow comments, but if you want to receive comments, simply select this option. Note - only Members can enter a comment into another Member's
Blog.
Terms of Use
Although the blogs system has been included so people can journal and discuss just about anything, we do encourage appropriate and responsible use of the facility. The site
Terms of Use governs your use of Blogs. This means following the same rules and courtesies that you may already be familiar with when using the
forum, e.g. avoid breaches of copyright, abstain from slander, derogatory speech, and self promotion. In particular, people with an ExplorOz Advertising Profile must not create blogs that promote their products and/or services. Advertisers are welcome to create and publish blogs to announce events, shows, staff profiles/changes and R&D activities. Advertiser blogs are there to enhance mainstream advertising but is not a replacement for advertising. Any
blog may be removed at the discretion of ExplorOz management and their decision is final.
