The Starke Mark It Report

WHAT IS A BLOG AND HOW DO I GET ONE?

2009-08-26T10:40:00.004-04:00

I like blogs for many reasons—some of them totally irrelevant. (As a former Miz English Teacher Person, I like the idea that the word blog is a portmanteau of the words web and log. Have you ever eaten with a spork? Then you know what a portmanteau is. Have you ever slept in a motel? Have you ever chortled? But . . . I better rein it in.)

Okay, you say, but what IS a blog? How is it different from a website? The word blog has the connotation of personal opinion, of erratic personality, of strong feelings. I like that. But most blogs work within templates. I don't like that. Templates are easy, as long as you don't want total control over the placement of a column or an object. But I want, yep, control over my creations, and I already have a website, so I prefer the website format. (The main reason I have blogs is to show that I can have blogs.) But if you aren't comfortable with the website process, then you'll love blogging!

A blog has a website address, or URL, and is like a website in that it is read by a browser (like Internet Explorer) on the Internet, but several characteristics make a blog a little different from a website.

A blog is most often a type of personal diary, a record of an individual's interests and opinions--which is what I've tried to illustrate above.
Like a website, a blog usually focuses on a particular topic (although one blog I saw recently seemed to be simply a tedious record of the author's every waking thought). A blog is more of an exercise in personal expression than a website; it's a collection of several small, informal editorials, usually related to a stated topic. The title of a blog should thus be an umbrella for all future postings.
In a blog, the entries are typically not organized by topic but by chronology; they are usually displayed in reverse chronological order.
Many blogs allow their readers to post responses or questions. (This gets sticky. Many bloggers choose to moderate the users' responses.)
A blog is easier--and quicker--for most people to post than a website; it can be created without a special program (like FrontPage or Dreamweaver) and can be posted from any computer connected to the Internet. A totally web-based process.

Several different companies are available to host your blog. For free. These websites offer a variety of templates, so you don't have to design a layout. If you want to get an idea about these websites, just Google the keywords free and blog. (Isn't google a wonderful new verb?) On the handouts illustrating the process of creating a blog, I'm using my favorite blog creator, Blogger, which (surprise, surprise) is a Google service.

Handouts:

Creating a Blog Account with Blogger
Blogging with Word 2007 (and Blogger)

2009-08-14T09:51:00.002-04:00

QUESTION:
Our principal has designed a new school logo and I've been trying to add it to our page but am having difficulty. It appears correctly in FrontPage. When I save it and then view it, it appears correctly. However, when I leave FrontPage, upload on Filezilla, and then view our homepage using Internet Explorer, there is a box with an x. I've gone all through my notes and I believe that I am doing everything right.

ANSWER:
The x means that there is a problem with the link (path) to the graphic. You have told the browser to look in a certain folder to find the graphic to display on your webpage, and the browser can't find it because the path is wrong. This happens when the link is wrong in the code on the page, the image file is not uploaded, or the image file is uploaded to the wrong folder.

If you have linked and uploaded correctly, you probably just need to refresh your browser. Think of two kids fighting to sit in the same chair. If your browser already has a webpage in the cache, then the new version will not be displayed on the Web until the old version is replaced by the new version in the cache. You do that by clicking the Refresh icon in IE (sometimes by pressing the F5 key) or just shutting down IE and re-opening it. Sometimes you have to "force" a refresh by holding down the Control key while you're clicking the Refresh button--while mumbling insults to IE for his (!) failure to follow your directions. Hang in there!

POSTING WORD 2007 DOCUMENTS ON YOUR WEBSITE

2009-07-29T15:33:00.002-04:00

QUESTION:
I'm having problems when I try to open the student handbook on my website. It wants to open as a zip file. Why?

ANSWER:
For some reason, Word 2007 files are not particularly user-friendly on a website. When I try to open a Word 2007 file on a website, I get an illogical question in a dialog box on both my computers (one without Word 2007 and one with). No, Mr. Computer, I don't want to open a zip file; I want to open a Word file! Hello! If I try to open the "zip" file, I see a folder displaying three folders and an xlm file--none of which happens to be of the slightest interest (or use) to me. Until this problem is resolved, you will need to post your files as html, Word 2003, or pdf.

CREATING A SHORTCUT

2009-05-27T15:23:00.003-04:00

QUESTION:

I just deleted my FileZilla shortcut from my desktop. Will I have to download FileZilla again?

ANSWER:

If all you need is the shortcut, then you don’t have to download anything. The program is still on your computer. A shortcut is just a temporary pointer to the target program. Deleting it, or renaming it, has absolutely no effect on the program. (If you tear up my business card, it doesn't hurt me; you just don't have the contact informtion to get in touch with me easily. You might have to look inside a folder....)

To access FileZilla, click the Start Menu and then All Programs. If you want to create another shortcut, then just rightclick on the icon (it's a shortcut) in the All Programs list and select Send To … Desktop (Shortcut). Or another way: After you have opened FileZilla, a shortcut will appear below the line on the Start Menu. Rightclick it and select Send To ... Desktop (Shortcut).

NEW COMPUTER

2009-05-18T12:56:00.007-04:00

QUESTION:
Our school will be getting new teacher laptops next year so I have to clean my laptop off. I want to make sure I have everything I need on my flash drive in order to work with and update our website from the new laptop next year. I saved the website files. Is there something else that I should look for to save as far as the website goes? Will I just have to download a new FileZilla next year?

ANSWER:
There are several steps you should take to minimize the problems as you shift to a new computer. It sounds like you have already taken care of the first one!

Save all your website files in a container. Remember, the name of this folder is for your convenience and has nothing to do with the way your website is posted. Saving it on a flash drive is fine; you could also save it on your school's fileserver. When you get your new computer, just copy the container to My Web Sites in My Documents. Suggestion: Create two main folders in this container, one (named your school) containing everything you have posted and the other (named Not Posted) containing everything you are not ready to post, like the images you MIGHT use some day and the files that are now outdated but could serve as a template for the same event next year). Do not ever use the web server to store files that should not be seen by anybody and everybody who can use a search engine; if it's on the web server, it's out there for the world to see--outdated, experimental, whatever.
You will need to install FrontPage on your new computer. Now's the time to locate your CD and the CD key.
You will need to install FileZilla on your new computer. You can always find the download link on http://mulligan.mcsdga.net/website/website_info.htm, along with the handouts on configuring your account on the MCSD server.

POSTING A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON A WEBSITE

2009-05-07T20:22:00.005-04:00

QUESTION:
I need to embed a PowerPoint show on our school website. I want it to be viewable without PP being installed on the home computers. Is this possible?

ANSWER:
This answer is too long for a blog, so try this link to my website. http://starketech.com/classnotes/webconst/pp/powerpoint_html.doc

REMOVING A FLASH DRIVE

2009-04-23T13:45:00.003-04:00

QUESTION:
Do you know what's wrong if the flashdrive, when inserted, says that it needs formatting? And none of the files will open.

ANSWER:
If you format a drive (any drive), you will erase all your data. Sounds like your flash drive is ruined. This is what can happen if you remove a drive from a USB port too soon. Do some troubleshooting by inserting the flash drive into another computer. If you get the same message, chances are that you will have to say goodbye to whatever is saved on it!

Before you remove your next flash drive from your computer, click the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon at the bottom right of your monitor. Then click on the name of the drive--it will appear above the icon. If the computer says the drive is still in use, wait a while and go through the process again. This will usually (not always) free up the drive to be removed safely.

DOWNLOADING FILES

2009-04-20T16:26:00.001-04:00

QUESTION:
I seem to be missing a couple of my pages from my website. How can I get those pages from the server?

ANSWER:
Open up FileZilla and make sure that the website files on your computer are visible in the left panel. In the right panel, which shows what is on the server, click the file you want to download and drag it to the left panel. Make sure that you do not drop it into a folder!

"FORBIDDEN"

2009-04-20T13:46:00.003-04:00

QUESTION:
Do you know why I get a forbidden message when I try to access our website?

ANSWER:
If you do not have a homepage in your public_html folder, you will see an error message. Remember that the default URL for your homepage is index.htm. (When we had the server failure a while back, all the files were deleted from all the school websites hosted on our server. Until a school's files were uploaded again, the public saw the "forbidden" message.)

SECURE FTP

2009-04-17T11:25:00.003-04:00

QUESTION:
I am trying to correct some broken links and cannot connect to the server. I’m assuming what I started with is no longer the correct way to login??

ANSWER:
It looks like you have correctly selected most of the login options; however, I don't think you have specified your server type. Make sure that you select the SECURE FTP option. All servers do not require this, but ours does. Look for something like SFTP-SSH in connection with your server type.

PHOTOGALLERY SYSTEM FOLDER

2009-04-16T14:40:00.002-04:00

QUESTION:
I just uploaded a page with a photogallery, along with all the images that appear in the photogallery, but the images don't show up on the Internet. Just those little x's.

ANSWER:
When you create a photogallery in FrontPage, the program automatically creates a photogallery folder in your root directory. (In your root directory, aka "public_html" folder, you can see your organizational folders and your index.htm file, along with all the other files you haven't organized into folders.) When you create a photogallery, you have to upload three things: (1) the html page containing the gallery, (2) the images--best organized in a folder, and (3) the photogallery folder.

PUBLIC_HTML FOLDER

2009-04-16T14:26:00.003-04:00

QUESTION:
I just finished uploading some updates to my website, but I don't see the changes on the Internet.

ANSWER:
I just looked at your folder on the server and can see that you did indeed upload some files. Unfortunately, you uploaded the files into the "home" directory instead of the "public_html" folder that is inside the "home" directory. (This problem is why we recommend that you change the default opening folder for your website so you don't have to remember to open the "public_html" folder every time you upload.) The browser won't read your files unless they are in the correct folder.

You will need to delete your recent uploads outside "public_html" so there will not be duplicate files hogging the storage space--some inside, some outside; however, be careful not delete or change anything else outside "public_html"; those strange-looking folders and files belong to the system. (Also, do not delete or change or download the stats folder that is inside "public_html"; the stats folder also belongs to the system.)

FRONTPAGE STATUS

2009-04-16T10:11:00.004-04:00

QUESTION:
I have just been told that I am responsible for my school's website and I don't know where to start. The previous webmaster had a copy of FrontPage, but somebody said that FrontPage didn't work any more. What should I do?

ANSWER:
I drive a Ford Freestar. Ford discontinued making Freestars, but my van keeps on rolling down the road! In the same way, even though Microsoft no longer updates FrontPage, this program will continue to be a very useful html editor (website creation tool). Microsoft wants folks to buy its new model, Web Expressions, but our school district is not going to teach classes in this for a variety of reasons: (1) Most folks already have FrontPage, which works okay, (2) Principals don't want to buy unnecessary software, (3) Sometime next year we plan to shift to a content management system through SharePoint (a comprehensive package covering CMS, a portal, and many other features). SharePoint will allow webmasters to update school websites through Internet Explorer in a fill-in-the-box procedure that does not require any technical expertise--just a brief training class. However, because we can't just sit around and wait for SharePoint to happen, I will continue to teach the basics of web design through FrontPage.

SCARY SECURITY MESSAGE

2009-04-16T09:56:00.001-04:00

QUESTION:
I just got a new computer and installed FileZilla on it. When I tried to update my website, there was a scary message about a potential security breach and I didn't know what to do.

ANSWER:
The server wants to identify your computer before it allows you on the server. This message will appear each time you configure your uploads on a different computer. If you do not tell the server to accept uploads from your computer every time, you will see the message again. Tell the server to accept your information from this specific computer every time you try to log in.