Using the InformIT Blogging Tool
You must be logged into InformIT in order to have access to the blogging tool, which means you must create an Account on InformIT. If you already have an account, Sign In. If you don't have an account, create one.
Before you can start blogging, a site administrator needs to give you blogging privileges. You can get privileges by letting your editor know you want to blog or contacting an InformIT editor. Either way, you'll need to give us your email address. The email address must be the same one that you use to log into InformIT. Your editor will let you know when you are set up in the system and ready to go.
Once you have blogging privileges and are logged into InformIT, visit your Account page. In the right-hand column, under Blogging Tools, click Write a Post, where you will see the following fields:
Subject: Type the title of your blog entry here.
Introduction: This will appear on the main blog page underneath your subject line.
"More" Link Text: Most of the time you'll want to leave the default "Continue Reading..."
Post: Type your full blog entry here. The "Introduction" that you entered, above, will automatically appear as the first paragraph of your blog post. There is no need to retype it here. The toolbar above the text entry area contains formatting tools common to most word processors.
One important note: only use the "Insert Media" button in the toolbar if the file resides on another site. Use "Upload Files" button (described below) to add files that reside on your local computer.
Topic Selection: Select the topic and sub-topic that are most closely related to your blog post. If you would like to select more than one topic, use the "Ctrl" key or Command+Click.
Options: You can choose to be notified via email when a comment is made. By default, you will be notified unless you uncheck this box.
You can prevent any comments from being made (which may be useful to close a crowded or controversial topic). By default, comments are allowed unless you uncheck this box.
You can request that your editor approve this post before it goes live. The editor who established your account will be notified if you check this box.
Publish Date: You can choose today's date, or a future date if you want to schedule blog posts in advance.
Preview: You must preview your post before you publish it! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EDIT YOUR POST AFTER IT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED; PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SITE ADMINISTRATOR FOR ANY EDITS.
Save Draft: Save a draft of your post before you preview your post, upload files, or make any major changes. (Highly recommended)
Publish: Send your post out into the world!
Upload Files: Use this to upload images or code samples. Click Browse to select a file off of a local disk.
If you are uploading a file, after attaching the file using the Browse button, position your cursor in the body of your text where you want the image or filename to be placed. Left click on that spot to set you location and go back down to the Upload Files section. Click the green + symbol to add the image/file to your post. (We recommend a maximum image width of 500 pixels.) If you want to remove a file, click on the red x symbol next to the filename.
Please note that the following types of files cannot be uploaded: .exe, .mdb, .dbf, .fp. If you are uploading a Microsoft Office file (.doc, .xls, .ppt), HTML or other code (i.e. .java), it must be compressed and uploaded as a .zip or .sit file.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact an InformIT editor.