STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING COMMUNITY BLOGS

INTRO

Blogs are not only easy to create but they generate traffic to your existing website. You can create your own blog that acts as a "related website" to point to your, own, and in the long run your blog will attract its own traffic, particularly since it will be promoted by TheStructuralEngineer.info. Blogs can be used to promote your products, generate a loyal readership, build a list, and more. Blogging is also a great way to get loads of targeted free traffic by ranking high in the search engines. In addition, it allows you to update your site easily with new content... so you are never held hostage by a website designer.

STEPS

1. Click on the button "Log in" at the top of the page: http://www.thestructuralengineer.info/blogs/

2. Click on "Register..."

3. Fill in the form. You will need to choose one of the 3 categories for your Blog: Company / Organization / Personal. Also, you will need to choose a title for your Blog.

4. Read and Agree with The Terms of Service.

5. Validate your email address by clicking on the link sent to your e-mail account. Your validation MUST be made from the same browser.

6. Once you are validated, and you visit the blogs page, you will notice that at the top of the page, there is a toolbar. Which you can use to customize your preferences regarding your blog.

7. Use the "Dashboard" item, to change or edit your Blog Settings and user profile at any time.

8. Consider one of the many pre-made templates. Go to Dashboard->Blog settings->Skin and select the skin you prefer for your blog.

9. Create Post Categories for your Blog. Go to Dashboard->Blog settings->Categories and press New category. Insert the name of your category and the URL name (URL name must be unique. Its only use is to distinguish your post category from other blogs which have the same post category).

10. Create your first Blog Post for your Category. Click on the "Posts/Comments" selection from the Dashboard bar. The window will reload with a box for you to type text in.

11. Change the theme fonts, size and heights, add headings, bulleted lists, highlight key pieces of your article and emphasize words using bold type or italics. All these can make a huge improvement in the readability of your posts.

12. Before publishing your post, add links and use block quotes where relevant. Both can add context to each post and don't require much effort on your part.

13. Browse and Upload Files. Go to Upload and select your Blog root. Upload your file. Our allowed file extensions are: gif, png, jpg, jpeg, txt, pdf, doc, xls, ppt, pps, zip, css, mp3, m4a, mp4 & mov. Maximum allowed file size is 2.0 MB.

14. Upload Visual Elements in your Blog Post. An image can add great value to your Blog. While editing your post click on Files.... A new window will open up. Select the image you have already uploaded and click on Make IMG tags. The necessary code for your image will be added on your post. You can now continue editing your post.

15. About widgets: blogs are installed with a default selection of Widgets, i.e applications. For example, a blog could include widgets like a calendar, a search field, a list of categories, a list of XML feeds (RSS / Atom), etc. You can even create your own widget if you have basic knowledge of HTML by inserting a Free HTML widget. You can add, remove and reorder widgets from the Blog Settings tab in the admin interface.

16. Add your logo in our Blogs List! You can upload your image logo in your blog root as mentioned above. Upload your image logo named exactly as the title of your blog you have chosen in your registration. Allowed image extensions are jpeg, jpg, gif and png. Please make sure that your logo has maximum height 100 pixels. Since you'll upload your logo, following the above instructions, it will automatically appear in our Blogs List along with your blog title and description you inserted in you registration.

17. Get out there, SEE and PROMOTE your Blog! TheStructuralEngineer.info will also be promoting your latest postings at no cost.

18. Read the new comments posted on your Blog.

Save our instructions.