Go to the Diary
Each Google account has many services tied to it. Blogger
is one. Mom’s account also has Gmail (which identifies her account as well as
providing mail service), Contacts, Doc, Photos, Calendar, Drive, and Maps.
1. Search for meinhard samsel diary or use its URL: meinhardsamseldiary.blogspot.com
Either Act as Mom…Nope. This won't work unless…
2. Click the tiny ‘Log In’ button in the upper right in
the blue banner as in this picture.
3. You now have a choice of how you log in—either as Mom
or as yourself. If log in as Mom using meinhardsamsel@gmail.com
and the password, Google will attempt to verify that it's Mom by sending the two-step verification code to Doug (his phone is the adminstrator's number). So this method won't work for the MainhardSamselDiary unless you get the code from Doug before it expires. Instead, use the following method to log in as yourself and use your own identity to make posts.
Or As Yourself by Author Permission
4. To be an author, first get permission from the blog administrator to become
an author: send an e-mail to Mom at
meinhardsamsel@gmail.com.
For the siblings we went ahead and invited everyone but some of you may want
others to post things. They will need authorization. These people on the right have accepted the invitation to be authors.
5. Next you get an email with a link inviting you to
become an author. Click on the link and accept. Apparently it takes some time
for Blogspot at Google to respond.
Then Make a New Post
6. Once accepted as an author, you can go to Mom’s blog anytime
by either by searching or entering her URL:
https://meinhardsamseldiary.blogspot.com/
You should see the home page.
7. Click on ‘Log In.’ and use either Mom’s account or your
own.
8. Then you may see the main page. If so click on ‘New
Post.’
9. Or you may see the ‘blog posts’ page for authors. Click
on ‘New Post.’
Write the Post
10. Enter the title of your post in the title box above
the red line.
11. In the main box, type your first subheading and in the
drop-down tool bar which shows ‘Normal’ change it to ‘Subheading’.
12. Push return to enter the body of your text. You can also
compose off-line using Word, for instance, and then paste that text into the
blog draft. Blogger will use the formatted text as you have copied from Microsoft
Word or a text editor.
13. Use short paragraphs of 2 or 3 sentences. Use
headings. A picture is worth a 1000 words so insert a photo from your computer.
(You may have lot’s to figure out locating and uploading photos; let me know.)
Insert a Photo
14. To insert a picture, click on ‘Insert Image’ in the
tool bar (hover over tools to see their names).
- Click on ‘Upload From Computer.’
- Then click on “Choose Files.’ Your finder will open.
- Choose a file, and then click on ‘Select.’
- Blogger will upload and then insert.
- Notice the floating toolbar under the picture.
- Place the picture to the right of the text by clicking on the right paragraph in the picture tool bar.
- Move the picture up or down to position it next to the
desired paragraph.
- Use the handles to expand or contract it.
Look at a Preview
15. Finish your post. Then click on ‘Preview,’ which opens
a new tab, to see what will appear on the blog.
16. Close Preview and your tab of the drafting page will
re-appear. Make changes, and repeat #15.
Add a Tag
17. Next, in the right hand column is a link marked ‘Labels.’
This tool is important.
18. Click on ‘Labels,’ and then click to get this drop down
menu of all labels. Click on one or more labels you think people might use to
find your post.
19. If you have a uniquely new topic, create a new label. E.g.,
the Doris and Dorothea labelled their posts of the family
trailer history as ‘Orange Trailer.’ Every post needs a label so we can look at the list, click on a topic, and find posts on that specific topic.
20. When you are satisfied with everything, click on the
orange ‘Publish’ button.
21. At the bottom of the left hand column you may or may
not have a ‘View Blog’ button so all you have is the ‘Preview’ button. There seems to be nothing to click on to see the Blog. When this
glitch happens and there is no button for "View Blog', it is irritating but you can use Mom's Diary URL just as you did when you originally found the Diary. It will re-load the Diary with your latest
post.
Notifications
22. We set each sibling to receive notifications of new
posts or comments so the rest of the family can immediately read your latest
post. If these notifications turn you off, we can turn you off in the settings.
Send an e-mail to Mom at meinhardsamsel@gmail.com
or use a text message, Zoom, oral face-to-face confrontation, mental telepathy
(if you downloaded the app), or written letter in duplicate to Doug and me with your acc’t # and pin.
Comments
23. Your name will appear (as at the screen shot on the right) at the bottom of your post. Also
at the bottom shown in the picture on the right, people can click on the ‘No Comments’ to add the first comment. In this example, Doug used a pseudonym, "Number 5 of 6" to post Dorothea's article for her.
24. Clicking on the button opens a “Leave your comment” window
for composing a message. Its text can even be formatted a bit. Then select your
identity. Use your Google account.
25. You can then ‘Preview’ and then ‘Publish Your Comment’ just
as you did in drafting a blog post.
Conclusion
Post to the Family Diary to publish and preserve notices and historic
events from our extended family, or have one of your siblings do it for your
family. Think preservation of history. What are we missing from your family?
Doris is of course a mammoth powerhouse publishing
family news and genealogy going back centuries, which I mention only to shame
you into at least posting births, deaths, and weddings. But if you have written
info on graduations, career advancements, stories, whatever, post them or send
them to Doug or me.
Comment on these directions (by clicking on the comment link below this post) to share any specific problems of clarity or omission in these
directions you find. We want to make them easily comprehensible to new poster—siblings, the next generation, in-laws,
cousins, and illegitimate children.
Moving to Portland
