New template objects!

Get a load of these new template objects:

• Email object - You can display your email address such that it will not be picked up by spammers;
• Blog list - Now there’s no need for your readers to link or memorize each of your blog and sub blog URLs.  This object will automatically generate the list for you.
• RSS and Atom Feed icons - You can now select among five sets of icons with different color and design schemes.

If you’d like to set up these new objects in your blog, simply update
your template.  You shall then see new options at the Calliope
Design Editor sidebar.  It’s all point-and-click from there!

References:

• How do I update/edit templates?
• What are RSS and Atom Feeds?
• How do I set up multiple blogs?

Hyperlinking = Better blogging

Bloggers love to be linked to, especially if you’re citing
content that’s originally theirs.  And when you’re quoting or
writing about articles from other publications, it’s always wise to
make the proper citation and it’s even better if you can provide a link.

After all, blogs amount to a big, world-wide conversation.  And it’s great if you can keep everyone in the loop.

What’s a hyperlink, you ask?  And how does one go about hyperlinking when making an i.PH blog post?

Click here to read the i.PH knowledge base article about hyperlinks.

Title text with multiple lines

Ever find the need for more control over the appearance of your
blog’s title text?  Aside from various new fancy fonts we have
made available thru the Calliope Design Editor in i.Blog
(which are also applicable with the entry and sidebar headers), you can
now force breaks in between lines.  Take for example this very
blog, http://news.i.ph.  This author divided the title after “i.PH”.

How to do it.  When editing your blog’s title in Design Editor,
simply insert a line break (by pressing the “enter” key) where you
would like to divide your title lines, and then click “Apply Changes.” 
It’s that easy.  Check out the screenshot below:

All about you - customizing “about me”

Blog readers love to learn more about the person on the other
side of the keyboard (i.e. the blog authors).  And what’s a better
way to make your public aware of who exactly you are than publishing
your own profile?

Check out the following knowledge base articles on customizing your profile:

• Managing the “about me” portion in your sidebar
• Managing your profile page (what users see when they click “More” under “About me”

Is your template up-to-date?

Ever wonder what this icon
flashing next to your “Change Design” link in i.Panel is trying to tell you?  It means
there’s new version of the template you’re currently using.

Refer to this knowledge base article to check on your template version or this one for help on how to change your design template.

We recommended that you keep your blog’s design template version
up-to-date. The newest versions usually include new SideBar Features
and are further optimized for faster loading.

Collaborative / team blogging with i.PH

Did you know that your i.PH blog can have multiple authors? 
This is especially useful for team or collaborative blogging. 
Your blog’s member authors can post their own articles and comments
using their own names.  They can even edit and delete their own
posts or comments.

You can let your family members, relatives and friends post their own articles on your blog.

Refer to this knowledge base article for details on how to create and manage accounts under your blog.  Basically, the steps are outlined as follows.

To create members and allow them to post entries in your blog

• Create a member in Blog Manager (accessible thru the i.Panel).
• Add a member to your blog team.  You can actually choose which blogs or sub-blogs members have access to.

Members can now post their own blog entries

• Members can login to your blog manager at http://blogname.i.ph/blog using their own username and password.