FAQs - How to use the Community.

[Drewde]

1. My Settings

2. Posting Messages

3. Kudos

4. Searching

5. Private Messenger
6. Accepted Solutions
7. Knowledge Base
8. Images

9. Blogs

10. Bookmarks
11. Community Basics

[Drewde]

1. My Settings

My Settings allows you to change various personal information associated with your profile. The section explains how to change your avatar, signature, biography, create a friends list and tailor viewing preferences.

How do I change the image (avatar) next to my name?

The image next to your name is your avatar and it's an easy way for you to personalize your identity a bit. You automatically get an avatar when you join a community, but you can change it to something you like better.

To change your avatar:

1. After you sign in, click My Settings to go to your My Settings page.
2. Click the Avatars tab.   You can choose one of the community avatars, or if you have permission, you can upload an image or use one located on another web page.
3. To choose an avatar from the Community collection, choose a Collection to see a set of avatars and click an avatar to use it.
   You can change avatars as often as you like. Your current avatar always appears at the top of the Avatar page.
4. To user an image from your Image Gallery, click From Image Gallery and click an image to select it.
   You can only use this option when you have uploaded images that have been approved.
5. To use an image from the web, click From the Web and enter the URL for the image. Click Set Avatar.

How do I create a signature for my posts? (Rank dependant)

Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of your posts. This is your chance to be creative (within community guidelines, of course).

To create your personal signature:

1. Click My Settings to go to your My Settings page.
2. On the Personal Profile tab, click Personal Information.
3. Enter your signature text in the Signature box.
   If your community allows it, you can use HTML in your signature. Check with a Community Manager if you have questions.
4. Click Save Changes.

How do I tell other community members about me?

You can tell other community members as much or as little about yourself as you wish, whatever you're comfortable with. You can enter a short biography, your location, your interests, or anything else (within community guidelines, of course).

To tell other community members about yourself:

1. Click the My Settings link to go to your My Setting page.
2. On the Personal Profile tab, click the Personal Information link.
3. Scroll down to Biography and tell us a bit about yourself.
   You can also enter your name and location and any other information you want to share with the community.

By default, anyone in the community can see the information you enter on this page. If you're not comfortable with that, you can limit display to just the people on your Friends List.

Here's how to show your info only to people on your Friends List:

4. Click the Preferences tab and click Privacy.
5. For Show profile to (the first setting), choose Friends Only.

What is my Friends List and how do I add people?

Your Friends List is a way to create your own little community within a community.

Depending on your Privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography and other personal information or whether you're online. If you send Private Messages, you can choose your friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

Note: You can view your friends list in your private message window which can be accessed by clicking on the small envelope icon.

To add people to your Friends List:

1. Sign in to the community.
2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page.
3. In the Contact area, click Add username to Friends.
   That's all there is to it!

How do I set my viewing preferences?

You can make a lot of changes in the way you look at community pages;from the time zone and language, to text size, to the way menus behave, the order that messages appear, your privacy settings, kudos leaderboards, and more.

To set your viewing preferences:

1. Click My Settings to go to your My Settings page. Click the Preferences tab.
   Tip:  This page has lots of tabs for the different settings you can change.  If this is your first visit, take a moment to click through the tabs and see what's available.  If you already know, you can go right to the tab and make your changes.
2. Make your changes and click Save Changes.
   That's all there is to it! 

Back to index.

[Drewde]

2. Posting Messages

Now that you’re registered you may want to participate in the community.  This section outlines how to post messages, reply to others and set up posting macros.

How do I post a message?

Go to the board you want to post on, and click the New Message link near the top of the message list.

On the Post Message page, you will see a Subject area and a Body area.

1. In the first field, the Subject field, type a title for your message.
   This is the only part of the message that shows up on the message listing page, so try to make it something that will be clear and concise. Use keywords about your topic.
2. In the second field, the Body field, type your message. Put details about your topic here. If you are posting on a technical topic, it is helpful to include all pertinent information regarding your inquiry in the body.
3. You can use the controls to change the fonts, colors, and other aspects of your message. You can add smiley faces using the smiley menu. And you can format the text at the character or paragraph level.
4. If you want, you can click the Check Spelling icon to look for misspelled words (please select the correct language first in the drop-down menu of the icon), or you can click Preview Post to see what your post will look like on the boards.
5. When you are happy with your message, click the Submit Post button.
   Your message will be added to board and everyone else on the board will be able to read it.

How do I reply to a message?

Use the Reply button in a message to write a response to a particular post. You'll see a screen similar to the Post Message screen. There are a few differences:

• When you reply to a post, the subject line will be filled in for you automatically. You can change it if you want.
• You can use the Quote Message button to paste the message to which you are replying into the body of your reply.

Also, when you post a message as a reply, it will be added to the existing thread. It won't create a new thread.

                        How do I use macros?

Macros let you create boilerplate text that you can paste into any message with the click of a mouse.   You can create up to nine macros.

To set up a macro:

1. Click My Settings and click the Macros tab.
    
2. Type a name for the first macro in the Macro 1 Title box.
   Make the name short, but memorable (you'll choose it by name from a menu).
3. Type the text you want to be able to paste in the Macro 1 box.
   If your community allows HTML, you can use HTML tags in your macro.
4. Enter names and text for your other macros.
5. Click Save Changes.

Note: If you want to have special text at the bottom of post, you can put that text in a signature instead of a macro.

To use a macro when you post:

1. Go to a Post page.
   The Macros menu is on the right side of the Post page toolbar. You can use a macro in any sort of post: a message, a reply, a comment, an idea, you name it.
2. Click in the Subject or Body area where you want to paste the macro text.
   
   Tip: It's a good idea to keep your subjects short, though.
3. Choose a macro in the Macros menu.
   That's all there is to it! The text of your macro appears wherever your cursor was.

Back to index.

[Drewde]

3. Kudos

If you want to give praise to another user’s content you need to know about Kudos.  This section details what Kudos is, how to give Kudos and where to find the Top Kudoed Authors.

What are Kudos?

Kudos is a new content rating system that lets you vote for content you think which is the most useful or important.

When you give Kudos to a message or an image, you are offering a thumbs-up for good content and a pat on the back to its author.  Your Kudos help to boost the value of certain messages and enhance the reputation of their authors.

Giving Kudos is as easy as a single click, but the impact of Kudos ripples across the community.

How do I give Kudos?

You can give Kudos to any posts or image in the community except your own.

To give Kudos to a message or an image and its author:

• Click the Kudos! badge on the message.

If you change your mind about the quality of the message, you can revoke your Kudos.

To revoke Kudos you've given:

• Choose Options > Revoke My Kudos.

The Kudos count is updated and the Kudos badge shows that you can now give the message Kudos again.

How can I see who's given me Kudos?

Want to know who thinks your messages are Kudo-worthy?  Your Profile page is the place to start. You can also see Kudos activity for other community members on their Profile pages.

To see who's given you Kudos:

1. Click your login name to go to your Profile page.
   Your Profile pages shows the names of community members who gave you Kudos, the messages they Kudoed, your top Kudoed messages, and the Kudos you've given.
2. To see all of your recent Kudos activity in an area, click the view all link at the bottom of the list.
   Your Kudos Activity page shows the recent Kudos you've given or received.
3. Click the tabs to see more info about your Kudos activity.

How can I see which authors have received the most Kudos?

There is a Kudos leaderboards on the community's front page called ‘Top Liked Authors’. The author's leaderboard shows who has received the most Kudos.

Links from the front-page leaderboard take you to the full leaderboard pages.

To view the Top Kudoed Authors leaderboard:

• Click the view all link from the front page module.

How can I see who else has given Kudos to a message?

Want to know who thinks a message is good? It's easy to find out which regular community members and community experts have given Kudos to a message. Kudos that come from community experts carry more weight than those that come from brand new members.

To see who's given Kudos to a message:

1. Go to the message page.
2. Click the Kudos counter.
   The Who Kudoed this Message page shows you all the community members who've given Kudos to the message.
3. Click the User Name or Kudos link to sort this page by the name of the user who gave Kudos or by the Kudos count.

What is Kudos weight?

Your Kudos weight is the number of Kudos you give each time you click a Kudos! badge. If you're new to the community, you will probably give Kudos one at a time (your Kudos weight is 1). More experienced community members might have a higher Kudos weight, so they could give two Kudos, ten Kudos, or more each time they click.

Why can't I give Kudos to some messages?

There are a few reasons why you might not be able to give Kudos to a post.

• You've already given Kudos to this message (you can only give them once).
• You wrote the message (you can't Kudo your own messages).
• Your community manager has turned Kudos off for a message or a forum.
• Your community manager has frozen Kudos for this message. You can still see how many Kudos the message has received, but you can't Kudo it any more.

Where did the Kudos number go?

Sometimes a message gets so many Kudos that we run out of space to show the number. When that happens you'll see a Hot Kudos symbol or icon instead of the Kudos count on the Kudos badge.

Back to index.

[Drewde]

4. Searching

The new community will provide you with How To‘s, galleries and more.  The search functionality will help you find what you need quickly. This section details how to search, advanced search techniques and filtering results.

How do I search for information?

To search the Community, type keywords for your topic into the Search Community text box and click the search icon. A page of search results will be displayed. Browse the search results in the same manner you would a message board.

To perform a more in-depth search, click the Advanced link found on the left side of most pages. This search allows you to limit your query to a specific board, specific parts of the message (subject vs. body) and other advanced parameters.

You can also search for Community members by clicking the Users tab on any search results page and using the search options on this page.

How does auto-suggest work?

Auto-suggest accelerates your search by displaying results as you type search terms. When you see the post or user you're looking for, you can go to the post or the user's profile right from the auto-suggest results.

To turn auto-suggest off, click Turn off suggestions in the auto-suggest list.

To turn auto-suggest on, click Turn on suggestions below the search entry area.

How do I filter search results?

Interactive search filters on the right side of the page let you refine the search results based on a variety of criteria: location, author, date, and others.

Filtering results is as easy as clicking one (or more) of the search filters.  Want to limit your search results to accepted solutions?  Just click the check box for Solved.  Want only the most recent results? Use one for the date filters to see results for a day or a week ago.

You can also filter your results by both individual authors or all results from members who have the same rank.

For example, you could look for results by a specific community member, or look for all results written by community experts.  Auto-suggest will help you as you type a screen name or rank.

Search filters work together, so you can see just the results in accepted solutions for the last month, for example.  However, the filters for the type of post work a little differently than the others.  If you choose Forums and Blogs, you see results from either forums or blogs (not results that are both forum and blog posts,it would be hard to be both).

You can see which filters are active at the top of the results list.  To turn a filter off, click the X (Remove) button to the right of the filter.

How can I customise search results?

There are a lot of ways you can customise your search results to make them more meaningful.

• You can use the interactive filters on the right side of the page to refine the search results based on a variety of criteria: location, author, date, and others.
• You can see which filters are active at the top of the results list.
• You can turn an active filter off by clicking the X (Remove) button to the right of the filter.

How do I search for posts?

You can search for posts and knowledge base articles at any level of the community.  When you type a search term, the system automatically searches at the current level.  For example, if you're on the community front page, the system searches the entire community.  If you are looking at a forum or blog page, the system searches that forum (and the associated knowledge base, if any) or blog.

Tip: Searches for posts always include relevant knowledge bases. However, you can also search just in knowledge bases.

To search for posts:

1. Choose Posts at the Search results window
   You can search at the current level and above in the community
2. Start typing the search term
   Auto-suggest shows the topics that match the term you're typing
   Tip: You can enter the full search term, or use an asterisk as a wildcard in your search
3. If you don't see the term you're looking for in the auto-suggest list, click Search to see the full search results

When you get your search results, you can use the filters on the right side of the page to limit the results as needed.

How do I search for people?

You can search for community members by name or by rank.  The results show you profile capsules for the users who match your criteria. The name you search for must be at least three characters long.

To search for users:

1. Choose Users on the Search result page
2. Start typing the name of an individual user or the name of a rank
   Auto-suggest shows the names of users who match the name you're typing. When you enter a rank, auto-suggest lists all users who have that rank.
   Tip: You can enter the full user or rank name, or use an asterisk as a wildcard in your search

If you don't see the user you're looking for in the auto-suggest list, click Search to see the full search results.

Back to index.

[Drewde]

5. Private Messenger

If you want to contact someone but not in public, you need to use Private Messenger.  This section provides instruction on reading, sending and replying to private messages as well as Friends and Ignore Users lists.

What is the Private Messenger?

The Private Messenger allows you to send private notes to other members of the community.  Private Messenger has two big advantages over e-mail:

• You don't have to know the other member's e-mail address to send the note (Also, you don't have to reveal yours)
• You can read and send private messages without leaving the community, making it easy to a quick conversation with another community member

To use the Private Messenger, you must be registered and signed in.  You'll see a Private Message icon at the top of your page.  If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.

Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.

How do I send a private message?

To send a private message:

• Sign in to the community
• Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox
• Click Compose New Message
• Enter the recipient's name in the Send to area
• Enter the subject for the message in the Message Subject area
• Type the reply in the Message Body editor
• Click Send Message
  You can look for the messages you've sent in the Sent Messages tab

How do I read a private message?

To read a private message:

1. Sign in to the community
   If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon
2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox
3. To read a message, click the message subject
4. To reply to a message, click Reply. Type the reply and click Send Message
5. To delete a message, click Delete Message and confirm that you want to delete it
6. To add the sender to your Friends List, click Add username to Friends
7. To prevent this user from sending you messages, click Ignore username

How do I reply to a private message?

To reply to a private message:

1. Sign in to the community
2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox
3. To read a message, click the message subject
4. To reply to a message, click Reply
   The recipient and subject are automatically entered for you, but you can edit them
5. Type the reply in the Message Body editor
6. Click Send Message

How do I delete a private message?

You can delete messages one at a time as you read them, or in bulk from your Inbox.

To delete a private message:

1. Sign in to the community
2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox
3. To delete several messages at once, click the check box for each message you want to delete
4. Choose Message Options > Delete Checked and confirm you want to delete the messages
5. To read and delete a message, click the message subject from the Inbox
6. Click Delete Message and confirm that you want to delete it

How do I see private messages I've sent to others?

To see the private messages you've sent:

1. Sign in to the community
2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox
3. Click Sent Messages

What is my Friends List and how do I add people?

Your Friends List is a way to create your own little community within a community.

Depending on your Privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography and other personal information or whether you're online.  If you send Private Messages, you can choose your friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

Note: Your Friends List is only available if your community allows Private Messages.

To add people to your Friends List:

1. Sign in to the community
2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page
3. In the Contact area, click Add user name to Friends
   That's all there is to it!

What is my Ignore Users List and how do I add users to it?

Most users in an online community get along very well. Sometimes, however, you might encounter someone you consider a nuisance.  If you are receiving messages that you'd prefer not to receive, you can add the sender to your Ignored Users list.  The system blocks all messages from users on your Ignored Users list.

To add someone to your Ignored Users list:

1. Sign in to the community
2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox
3. Click a message from the user you want to ignore and click Ignore user name

To remove someone from your Ignored Users list:

1. Sign in to the community
2. Click Ignored Users to see the list
3. Click Remove from Ignored list to begin receiving messages from this user again

You can also search for community members and add them to your Ignored Users list

To search for a user:

1. On any page, enter a user name in the Search box
2. Choose Users and click Search
3. In the Search Results, click the user's user name to visit the user's About page
4. Click the Ignore user name link in the Contact area

Back to index.

[Drewde]

6. Accepted Solutions

Accepted solutions help highlight the best answer to a question. How to mark a message as an Accepted Solution is detailed below.

What is an Accepted Solution?

Accepted Solutions is a way for you to choose the reply that best answers a question that you've posted.  When you accept a solution, both the question and the solution get special icons and links that take you directly from the question to the answer and back again.

An Accepted Solutions icon also appears on boards and in search results so you can see which messages have solutions.

You can mark a solution as accepted only for questions that you've posted (you started the thread). Community Managers can also mark one of the replies to a message as an accepted solution.

How do I mark a message as a solution?

If you've posted a question to a forum, you can choose the reply that best answers your question and mark it as an accepted solution.

To mark a message as a solution:

• Click on Accept as Solution on the reply

If you change your mind about the quality of the answer, or if another reply provides an even better answer, you can revoke the first selection and accept the second reply.

To revoke an accepted solution:

• Choose Options > Not the Solution

You can choose another solution or leave the question unsolved. 

Back to index.

[Drewde]

7. Knowledge Base

Knowledge Base, or How To’s & FAQs is a section of the community dedicated to capturing the most helpful information being shared.  This FAQ covers viewing a knowledge base and nominating content to be included.

What is a knowledge base?

A knowledge base is a collection of articles that captures and organizes helpful information that exists throughout a community.

These are some of the features that make a knowledge base a great community resource:

• You can search for knowledge base articles or use special navigation links that let you browse through the community's knowledge bases
• Once you find an article you want to read, you can add your comments, and maybe even edit the article (if you have the right permission).  If the article's publisher incorporates your comment into a later version of the article, you'll get credit as a contributor
• Articles can contain some of the same rich media as other posts, including images and attachments
• Each article contains lists of contributors and related links
  Contributors could be community members whose posts or comments are used in the article, authors who put the article together, or editors who reviewed or refined it
  Related links take you to posts that were used in the article or other posts that the authors thought you might find helpful or interesting, including forum messages, blog articles, and ideas

How can I view a knowledge base?

There are a number of ways you can view a knowledge base article

To go to the knowledge base for a board or forum:

• Click the book icon next to the forum name on the community page
  From there, you can browse the list of articles and choose one to read

To search for a knowledge base article:

• Enter a search keyword and choose Knowledge Base in the list to the right of the Search results
  From there, you can use search results filters to zero in on the article you're looking for

To go to an article related to a post:

• Click the Knowledge Base links at the top of the article
  You might find links to articles based on the post, links to articles related to the post, or both

How do I nominate content for a knowledge base?

If you come across a great material in the community, helpful questions and answers, or just plain useful information, you can nominate the topic as a knowledge base article.

Someone who is responsible for your community's knowledge base will evaluate the topics you nominate.  Once a topic is accepted, a knowledge base author can use it as the basis for a knowledge base article.

To nominate content:

1. Go to the topic you want to nominate
2. Choose Topic Options > Nominate to Knowledge Base

That's all there is to it.

How can I contribute to a knowledge base?

You can contribute to knowledge bases in a number of ways:

• By writing good answers to questions posted in the community
• By accepting good solutions to your questions (this automatically nominates the post to the knowledge base)
• By nominating good posts you find in the community
• By reviewing or editing articles (if you have the right permission)
• By commenting on published articles

Every time you contribute to an article, by adding more information, providing clarification, or just helping to keep published articles up to date, you can receive credit for your contributions.

Back to index.

[Drewde]

8. Images

As well as comments images can also be added to the community.  This section covers viewing, uploading and commenting on images.

What is an image gallery and how do I view it?

An image gallery is a collection of images that you or another community member has uploaded.  Each community member who has permission to upload images has an image gallery

You can view your own image gallery as well as the image galleries of other community members. When you look at another user's gallery, you see the images that the user has chosen to share.

To view your image gallery:

1. Click your user name at the top of any community page to go to your Profile page.
   Your uploaded images appear below your recent posts on your Profile page

To view another user's image gallery:

1. Click the community member's user name to go to that user's Profile page
   A preview of that user's shared images appears below his recent posts on his Profile page.

How do I upload an image to the image gallery?

It's easy!  Starting from the image gallery, you choose the image, give it a name, and you're done. There are size limitations, of course, which should be kept in mind.

To upload an image to the image gallery:

1. Go to the Image Gallery in the Photo & Video category
2. Click on New Entry and after that on Upload Image to select an image file to be uploaded
   If the image is small enough (the size limit is set to 10 MB), the image is uploaded.  A preview of the image appears so that you can make sure you uploaded the right image
3. Type a title for the image
   The image title appears above the image when you view images one at a time
4. Choose a label to categorize your image and enter some tags, so your image can be found easily by other community members
5. Click Post

How do I use an uploaded image as my personal avatar?

You can use any image you've uploaded as your personal avatar.  The first step is to upload the image. All you have to do is select it.

To use an uploaded image as your personal avatar:

1. Go to your My Settings page and click the Avatars tab
2. Click From Uploaded Images to see the images that you've already uploaded
3. Click an image to use it as your personal avatar

How do I insert an image in a post?

You insert an image the same way as you did before, but now you have more choices about where the image comes from and how it looks. You can insert an image from your computer (this uploads the image to your gallery), from your image gallery (if the image has been approved), or from another location on the Web.

To insert an image in a post:

1. Start a new post
   You can insert images anywhere: in messages, replies, blog articles or comments
2. Click the Insert Image button in the editor's tool bar (it looks like a tree)
3. Choose one of the sources listed below

To insert an image located on your computer:

1. Click the From My Computer tab
2. Click Browse to select a file
3. Type a title for the image if you want something other than the file name
4. Click Hide in Gallery (Private) to keep the image private until your post appears
5. Choose an image size

• Full Size inserts the image at the full size of the original file.
• Small, Medium, and Large insert the image at the sizes defined for your community.
  We don't stretch images, so very small images won't get any bigger regardless of the image size you choose.

1. Choose how you want the image aligned.

• Left aligns the image on the left side of the post.  Any text that comes after the image appears to the right.
• Inline inserts the image right where the cursor is in the editor. If you add a return after the image, any text you add appears below the image.
• Right inserts the image on the right side of the post. Text appears to the left of the image. If you add a lot of text, it eventually wraps under the image.

To insert an image from your image gallery:

1. Click the From My Gallery tab
2. Click the image
3. Choose an image size
4. Choose how you want the image aligned
5. Click Insert Image

To insert an image from another Website:

1. Click the From Another Site tab
2. Type the URL for the image and click Load Image
3. Choose an image size
4. Choose how you want the image aligned

How do I comment on an image?

You can post comments and give kudos just like you would on messages or other posts.  You might see a cool image and want to give the author kudos.  Or you might want to comment on an image and start a conversation.

To comment on an image:

1. Click on the image you want to comment and open it’s detail page
2. Click the image and click the familiar kudos button to give kudos to the image
3. To add a tag, click Add Tag, enter the tag, and click Add
4. To add a comment, click in the comment editor, type your comment, and click Post Your Comment
   Don't forget to check your spelling and add some formatting if you wish before you post

How do I edit an image?

After an image is uploaded, you can change the name, add a description, and apply tags to the image also later.

To edit an image:

1. Go to the Image detail page
2. Choose Edit from the options menu and change the image title, add a description, and enter tags
3. Click Save

Back to index.

[Drewde]

9. Blogs

As well as commenting on community discussions you can also comment on blogs.  This section details how to post a comment to blogs as well as sharing articles and subscribing to your favourite blogs.

What's a blog?

A blog is an online journal written by one or more authors.  Blog articles usually appear in reverse-chronological order, so you see the most recent article first, followed by earlier articles.  Some blogs have comments from readers, which you can read by clicking the Comments link at the bottom of the article.  You may also be able to post comments to those blogs.

How do I post a comment on a blog?

It's easy. Posting a comment on a blog is a lot like replying to a message on a board. If the blog is open for comments, you'll see a Post a Comment link or a Comment count link at the bottom of the article.

To post your comment:

1. Click the Post a Comment or Comment count link
   You can post a comment to an article or to someone else's comment
2. Type your comment in the Post a Comment area
   You can use simple HTML and quote the article you're commenting on. You won't be able to edit or delete a comment once it's posted, so be sure to preview your comment and check your spelling first
3. When you're happy with your comment, click Post Your Comment

Some blogs display new comments almost immediately. Other blogs don't display new comments until the blog author or a moderator approves them

Where is my blog comment? I posted a comment, but don't see it.

Some blogs display new comments almost immediately. Other blogs don't display new comments until the blog author or a moderator approves them.

If your comment doesn't appear immediately, check back in a few minutes. If it still doesn't appear, your comment is most likely in the approval queue.

Can I edit or delete my blog comments?

No, you can't.  Be sure to check your spelling and preview your comment before you post it; you can't edit a comment once it's posted.

How do I share a blog article with friends?

If you want to tell your friends about blog articles, you can use any of dozens of shared bookmarking, social network, or other tracking services, such as Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, Facebook, MySpace, Google, StumbleUpon, Technorati, or Twitter.  All you need is an account with the service and friends to share with.

To share a blog article:

1. When you get to an article you want to share, click the Bookmark button
2. Click the service you want to use
   The next steps depend on the service.  You may need to log in.  If you don't already have an account, you'll probably be asked to register and create one.  The way you share the article also depends on the service.

Just choose a service and go.  That's all there is to it.

Can I subscribe to a blog?

Yes.  You can subscribe directly to a blog or an article, or you can subscribe to their RSS feeds.  If you subscribe to an RSS feed, you can use an RSS reader to view new content that's added to the blog.  If you subscribe directly to a blog or article, you receive an email alert when new articles or comments are posted.

To	Do this
Subscribe to a blog	Go to the blog page and choose Blog Options > Subscribe.
Subscribe to an article	Go to the article and choose Article Options > Subscribe.
Subscribe to an RSS feed	Go to the blog or article and choose Blog Options > Subscribe to RSS Feed. Then, save the live bookmark or whatever you usually do to add an RSS feed.A permalink, short for permanent link, is the URL for a specific blog article.  In an active blog with lots of entries, a particular article will only stay on the blog's front page for a short period of time.  It becomes hard to bookmark a specific blog article or to email a link when the article you want is replaced with something new.

What's a Permalink?

This is where permalinks, which always stay the same, come in handy.  They take you directly to an article, rather than to the blog's front page, which typically shows only the last few articles.

To use a permalink:

1. Click Permalink at the bottom of a blog article
2. Copy the URL that appears in your browser's navigation toolbar
3. Paste the link wherever you need it

That's all there is to it.

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