Help: Blogs
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- What is a blog's URL?
- What is a blog's XML, RSS, or Atom feed?
- Where can I host my blog?
- What should I use for the title of my blog?
- What should be included in the description of the blog?
- How do I enter a location for my blog?
- What is the type of the blog for?
- When will my blog show up in Letterboxing News?
- What is a subscription?
- How do I hide a blog post from AQ?
- Is there a way to see who is subscribed to our blogs?
What is a blog's URL?
The blog's URL is the main page of the human-readable version of your blog. Most blogs also have a computer-readable format in XML, often called an RSS or Atom feed, but the blog's main URL is the one you would normally send to friends and family who want to read your words of wisdom.
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What is a blog's XML, RSS, or Atom feed?
The URL for the blog you mail to friends and family is usually the human-readable version of your blog. Most blogs also have a second URL that computers can use to pass information to each other, a computer-friendly version of your blog, using a syntax known as XML.
Two major dialects of XML include RSS and Atom, technical specifications you don't really need to concern yourself with except to know that they exist and it's this information that Atlas Quest uses to download updates of a member's blog. Most of the time, Atlas Quest can detect the XML feed itself and will fill in this option automatically when someone lists a blog.
Blogger, one popular blogging service, includes both an RSS and Atom feed with their blogs and Atlas Quest will ask which you prefer to use. It does not matter, they both worth equally well.
If Atlas Quest is unable to automatically detect the XML feed, you will have to manually include it yourself. There's no standard for where the feed is located, but in most cases, the URL will end with xml, such as http://www.mywebsite.com/atom.xml or http://www.mywebsite.com/rss.xml. Read the documentation for your blogging software to find out where the XML feed is located and enable it, if necessary.
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Where can I host my blog?
Most people on Atlas Quest host their blog on Blogger, but almost any blogging website will work just fine. WordPress is popular among those who host blogs on their own website and open source fans. There are hundreds of place to choose from, however, so don't feel constrained to use what everyone else does. More help will likely be available (both from Atlas Quest members as well as other online communities) for popular blogging software options, but any blogging software that generates an XML feed will work fine.
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What should I use for the title of my blog?
A title that is short, simple, and easy to remember is best. Especially if it can tell others what the content of the blog will likely include. If it's a letterboxing blog, include the word letterboxing in the title, or at least some variation of it. If it's about your job, you might call it Working at Company Name.
All capital letters can be hard for some people to read and can appear as if you are shouting, so avoid all caps.
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What should be included in the description of the blog?
Mostly, just elaborate on the information the name of the blog tells us. Include information about where or who the blog covers, or why you started it. This is your place to sell your blog to convince others to subscribe to it. All capital letters, like in the blog name, is discouraged since it is hard for some people to read and tends to look like shouting for experienced web surfers.
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How do I enter a location for my blog?
The name of the city is rather obvious, but some people have trouble with the state or country, especially for international destinations. Check our complete list of state and country abbreviations if you need help.
In many cases, Atlas Quest will automatically figure out the state or country provided only one match is found. For instance, trying to list Los Angeles without a state or city will not work since there are several cities with that name in the world, including three in the United States. If you include CA as the state abbreviation, however, Atlas Quest is smart enough to recognize that there is only one Los Angeles, CA, and will automatically fill in the country code for you. In the case of Seattle, there is only one town in the world with that name so neither the country code or state abbreviation is necessary for Atlas Quest to match it.
If your blog covers a wide area, you may choose not to include a city at all. Just include the state and country abbreviations, just the country, or nothing at all to indicate your blog is relevant for people from around the world. More people will see your blog show up in searches, however, if you include a city. Even if your blog covers a wide area, it is recommended—though not required—you list your hometown.
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What is the type of the blog for?
When listing a blog on Atlas Quest, it can be 'typed' as letterboxing, personal, business, or other. There is some overlap, but you should pick the option that best fits the primary purpose of your blog. If it is primarily about your letterboxing adventures, mark it as a letterboxing blog. Likewise for personal (home) or business (work) related blogs. If none of those options seems quite right, you can use the catch-all, other.
An accurate listing helps people pick out which blogs might be most relevant to their own personality and interests.
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When will my blog show up in Letterboxing News?
As soon as your blog is listed, it can immediately show up in Letterboxing News on My Page. You do, however, have to be subscribed to the blog, even if it's your own blog. By default, when you list a blog, you are automatically subscribed to it. If your latest thoughts have not shown up on Letterboxing News, however, check that you did not accidentally unsubscribe to your blog.
Entries on Letterboxing News are sorted so that the most recent entries show up first. If you have not posted for a few days, your post has probably scrolled out of the top ten spots.
If you just posted your latest blog entry, it may take Atlas Quest some time before it polls the feed on your blog for the latest updates. Usually, Atlas Quest will check for new entries at least once per hour, but at times it may take longer. You can, however, tell Atlas Quest to check your blog immediately by clicking the Update button on your blog.
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What is a subscription?
Not everyone will be interested in reading every blog, so Atlas Quest has provided a mechanism to allow members to subscribe to blogs they want to follow. The Letterboxing News on My Page will show the latest entries from a member's subscribed blogs, for instance, or they can view a complete listing of posts to their subscribed blogs.
New members on Atlas Quest are automatically subscribed to a variety of the oldest and most popular blogs, but all members can subscribe and unsubscribe to any blogs of their choice that are listed on Atlas Quest.
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How do I hide a blog post from AQ?
Atlas Quest will only include entries that have a title, so if you make a post on your blog with no title, it will not show up anywhere on Atlas Quest.
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Is there a way to see who is subscribed to our blogs?
No. To prevent hurt feelings if you learn a friend has not subscribed to your blog, Atlas Quest will not divulge who is or is not subscribed to your blog.
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