Zcom_simple

Hello,

Blogs are a familiar feature on the internet - where users post content in an accumulating manner, with comments, and search options, etc. They facilitate expression and exploration, and via attached comments, also debate and synthesis.


Reading and
Navigating Blogs

Our blogs are quite powerful. Each writer can post, as is typically the case. Sustainers who have the option can also post, however. All Blogs appear in the blog system, and sometimes also in content boxes the top page of ZNet - and always via the left menu of the top page - and can be found via searches, etc.

Commenting on blogs follows the blogs, attached at the bottom, and blog comments, like all others, are also visible in many places that show comments including in the forum system. In addition, the entire blog system gathers content for everyone - but one can look at the accumulating content in many ways.

  • For example one can look at one writer's efforts - so one is seeing what is effectively a blog system for that one writer, or Sustainer.
  • One can also look at the content by topic, seeing blogs that are tagged as being about a certain topic - or place, as well. Thus, when doing that, it is a blog system about a topic, or a place, with many contributors.
  • One can look at only writer blogs, or only sustainer blogs, as well.
  • One can look at blogs for particular Groups, too.

All this is easily done using the left menu. Searches allow even more variables and refinements.


Creating Blog Posts

If you are a Sustainer with permission, and are logged in, you will see a link in the left menu for you to post a blog - and you can use that to post one, and then tag it various ways (such as with a topic or place, or a group tag), and once you do, it is in the system with you as the author.

You can also use the console button to the left to post a blog - anytime and from anywhere in the site, as long as you are logged in.

Meanwhile, enjoy the blogs - and, by the way, if you are a Free Member or a Sustainer with a ZSpace page, of course you can put one or more content boxes on it, pulling blog links of any sort you may want to filter for, for example, by you or by your friends or by others - and by topic, about places, for groups, etc.

Blogs

5243

Brian Dominick's Blog

Web Address: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/briandominick
Bio: . Brian has taught a variety of courses at ZMI in the years since. (More)

All Dominick Blogs

The Old Blogs are Dead -- Long Live the New ZNet Blog!

By Brian Dominick at Aug 06, 2004


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I don't even want to begin explaining the nightmare I went to trying to fix the blog system, and then when that failed, trying to configure this new system to handle our special needs. But, alas, here it is -- an all new ZNet Blog powered by the brand new Expression Engine 1.0 software. This is so much better than our old stuff -- MovableType -- it's almost not worth discussing. So I won't. There are a lot of changes afoot. We haven't lost any of the old content, but now we've essentially reformatted the whole system -- out of technical necessity -- and the new ZNet Blog is a leaner project. We've lost the concept of separate, individually titled weblogs, some of them authored by individuals, others collectively published. Now everything is collective, and diverse individuals covering a range of interests will have their content intermingled more seamlessly. Readers can still "drill down" and brows by author, category, date, etc -- but now one can see media analysis, strategic vision, current events commentary and phylosophy all in one, integrated weblog without skipping a beat. Hopefully, in coming days all the old bloggers will migrate to this new system. It's waiting for them to begin participating. I'll also be adding links back to all the old weblogs -- they won't be moving, so you can always see them where they always resided. Another exciting aspect is that we'll be openging comments up to all "members" of this website -- and anyone can become a member, for free. We may eventually return to the sustainers-only model, but that depends on the quality of comments coming from the broader pool of ZNet readers. If the system is not abused (as it was before), we may leave it open. There's going to be lots to explore here soon, so please check back frequently and see all the bloggers you see listed to the right, and hopefully some new ones, too!
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