What is a Blog?
If you’ve been on the internet in the last 3 years you’ve probably heard about blogs. A lot of people, however, are not aware of how powerful blogs are.
What is a Blog?
A blog is a web page that is updated frequently with new information in the form of new articles (or “posts” in blog terminology).
What makes this different from any other web page?
Other web pages you visit periodically to see if anything has changed. A blog, however, notifies you when it’s been updated.
How does a blog notify me?
Blogs use a technology called RSS to let you know when there’s a change to the web page. You use a blog reader to subscribe to a blog. Don’t let the term “subscribe” scare you, it’s free to subscribe to a blog (unlike a magazine.) Once you’ve subscribed to a blog you can read it in your blog reader, but more importantly, the blog reader will constantly check the web page (usually every 30 minutes) to see if there are any recent updates, and it will then tell you when a new post has been written. It constantly checks the web page so that you don’t have to!
What is a blog reader?
There are several types of blog readers:
Many modern web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) have blog readers built right in. You save a blog as a bookmark or favorite, the same way you would a regular web page you want to remember, but the browser will show you when the blog has been updated, usually by placing the number of new blog posts next the the name of the bookmark.
Google has a free online reader which is usually a great place to start subscribing to blogs. You sign up for a free account on google (if you have a gmail eMail address you already have an account), and then you can use Google Reader to check your blogs for you, and read them right there. It is a good idea to set Google Reader as your home page if you use this method.
You can also download a stand-alone program to check your blogs, but this method is becoming more and more obsolete.
Can I subscribe to more than one blog?
Yes. You can subscribe to as many blogs as you want, although if you subscribe to too many you won’t have time to read them all!
What different types of blogs are there?
All Kinds. Anything you’re interested in, there’s a blog about that. Blogs are as varied as the people that write them. Some blogs only update once or twice a month, others are daily, others still have new articles posted more than 50 times a day.
How do I get started?
First, decide how you’re going to subscribe to blogs. If you surf the internet with either Firefox, Safari or the latest version of Internet Explorer you can subscribe to them right in your browser. If you’re not using one of those browsers, or are unsure, it’s probably better to go to http://www.google.com/reader and sign up for a free account.
How do I subscribe to a blog?
Visit the website you wish to subscribe to (http://www.shorelineinsider.com) and look for one of the following symbols and click on it:
This will connect you directly to the RSS feed (don’t worry if doesn’t make much sense!) If you are using Google Reader, copy this address (Control + C) and then log in to google reader. Click on the link that says “Add subscription” on the left of the screen, then paste in the address (Control + V) and click on the “Add” button.
In Firefox click on Bookmarks (in the menu at the top of the screen) and then click on “Subscribe to this page…” then click “Add”
In Internet Explorer 7 click on the “Subscribe to this feed” link, and then the “Subscribe” button. The blog will be in your favorites, which you access by clicking on the star in the top left corner
In Safari just drag the address on to the bookmarks bar. You can later organize these in folders if they fill up the bookmarks bar.
What are the Shoreline blogs?
Deep Thoughts: Pastor Eric’s thoughts and musings. Always a good amount of humor involved, too.
http://www.shorelinechurch.net/wordpress/
Letters From The Inside: Companion blog to the Philippians series at church. Inductive study with interactive elements.
http://www.lettersfromtheinside.org/
The Shoreline Insider: The leadership video blog. Designed to keep you in the loop of what’s happening at Shoreline.
http://www.shorelineinsider.com/
Life Group Central: Maintained by Lori Saczynski, this is what keeps all the life group leaders on the same page.
http://www.lifegroupcentral.com/