NWBlog is a free hosted blogging service. As a member of NWBlog, you can set up and participate in any number of blogs. With over 15 templates to choose from, posting and privacy settings, and an intuitive WYSIWYG interface, you can easily manage and post content to your very own blog, without needing to know any code or HTML!
In addition, our RSS service will automatically syndicate your blog to hundreds of aggregation services, meaning you will get free press and many new readers for your blogs without having to send out a single email.
Finally, you will get your very own short URL -- http://YOURNAME.nwblog.com. Sign up for our free service today!
Why Was NWBlog.com Created?
If you spend any time reviewing mainstream media, you will witness that the upper lefthand corner of the United States - the Pacific Northwest - is frequently forgotten, if not outright ignored.
This is why NWBlog.com was created. It is an online place where people can share their views about issues important to the Pacific Northwest. It is a place without filters, without control or favoritism. It is a place where the playing field is even, and is the one place you are guaranteed to have your views seen and heard by other people who want to have their own story told as well.
Blog Rules
- Each person who uses this blog is entitled to his or her opinion. We ask that our visitors treat each other with respect and dignity, as you would like to be treated yourself.
- No hateful or derogatory blogs will be allowed. No profanity, slurs, trash talk, or comments intended to turn individuals or groups against one another will be posted. Visitors who engage in this behavior will have their accounts terminated and email addresses permanently banned.
- No solicitations of monitary funds or materials is allowed. Private messages between parties may be sent if both parties are in agreement, however, NWBlog.com will not be responsible for any private transactions which may originate from this site. We discourage users from subscribing to any fundraising solicitations made through blogs posted on this site.
- We all live on this same planet. We are all neighbors, regardless of our differences. Let's stand together and start to show each other the respect we deserve. Visit this site as often as you can, to learn, to teach and to share. Please invite as many people as you can, from as many countries as you can. Everyone is welcome!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a blog? [Back to Top]
A blog is short for "web log". It is an online journal created by you that gives you a place to post your thoughts, pictures, ideas, news, commentary, and other information. It is your own personal soap box. It is a fantastic, free way to thumb your nose at multinational news and sports services that don't care about the things that really matter to you. Oops. This paragraph is starting to sound like a blog. You get the idea!
How does a blog differ from a message board? [Back to Top]
Unlike message boards, where all members interact by exchange ideas and posting comments back and forth, a blog is more of a one-way means of communication. As a blog owner, you can post to your blog, and you have the option to permit readers to add comments -- but they cannot add posts of their own, or control the content of, your blog.
What is the difference between a blog, a post, and a comment? [Back to Top]
A blog is like a journal that you alone control.
A post is a single entry in the blog. Think of it as a page in your journal.
A comment is submitted by someone who reads your posts and wants to provide feedback or supplementary information. Think of it as a friend scribbling a little message on a page of your journal.
How do I create a blog? [Back to Top]
To set up a blog on this site, first register a new account. We'll send you an email with a confirmation link. This helps verify that you entered the correct email address when signing up. Click on that link, and your account will be activated!
Next, click on the Blogs link in your account management panel. Follow the on-screen instructions and you'll be set up with a blog in no time!
Can I create more than one blog? [Back to Top]
Yes. There is no limit to how many blogs you can create, but try limiting them to one blog per theme/category. This will prevent your efforts from becoming 'diluted' by having too many blogs to try and keep up on.
How do I "blog"? [Back to Top]
Once you have registered and logged in, its time to begin blogging. Click on the link that says "Blogs", and a window will open where you can begin. If you aren't sure what to write about, try clicking on the "Inspiration Pool" link, where you can get some ideas from today's headlines.
Next, you need to choose a name for your blog, so that it has an address that you and your readers can easily return to each day to add or read more. For example, if you are a fisherman and are blogging on this site, you may chose to title your first blog "fishing.nwblog.com". Other fishermen won't be able to pass that by!
On the Blog main page, you can either return to one of your existing blogs, or scroll down to "Add A Blog" and begin a new one. If your blog topic fits into one of the categories listed on the "Category" pull down menu, choose the category that you think will find readers with similar interests. Under the "Description" heading, be sure to provide a brief but creative and interesting description to your blog that will catch reader's attention and make them want to read more. Remember, unlike a diary, you WANT people to read what you have written here.
Once you have chosen your options on the "Add A Blog" menu board, simply click "Save Changes" and its time to start writing. Congratulations! You are now officially a blogger!!
How do I control the appearance of my blog? [Back to Top]
When creating a blog, you can choose from over a dozen pre-built templates. You can also control the number of posts that should be shown on your blog. After you've created a blog, you can alter its appearance by simply going to your account management panel, clicking the "Blogs" link, and then choosing the "Settings" link from the blog you want to edit.
How often should I post to my blog? [Back to Top]
As often as you can. Many of the most popular add posts to their blogs several times a day!
Can I control how users can/can't reply to my blogs? [Back to Top]
Yes. When adding or editing a blog through the Blogs page of your account manager, you can choose to:
- permit comments from anonymous users (anyone)
- permit registered users (they must create an account on this web site first)
- deactivate comments so no one can post any comments to your blog.
Can I remove posts and comments from my blogs? [Back to Top]
Yes, you have complete control over the content appearing on your blogs, or that has been submitted by readers in response to one of your posts.
Why can't I post comments to someone else's blog? [Back to Top]
The blog owner has configured their blog for posting only by them. Either they don't want to let readers submit comments on the blog, or the purpose of the blog is purely information and not in need of reader-submitted comments. If this annoys you, well, set up a blog of your own and deal with it!
Can I subscribe to someone's blog? [Back to Top]
Yes. By subscribing to a blog, you can receive emails any time the blog author posts to the blog.
In order to subscribe to a blog, you must first be registered with an account on the site, and logged into your account. Then, simply browse through the blogs, and when reading a post, click on the "Subscribe to blog" link that appears near the title of the post.
You can cancel your subscription at any time by going to the Subscriptions page of your account manager.
Can I control who subscribes to my blog? [Back to Top]
No. Blogs can be subscribed to by any registered users, but you cannot block individual users from subscribing to or reading your blog. You can, however, prevent users from adding comments to your blog posts.
Can I upload photos in my blog posts? [Back to Top]
Yes! Every user has 2 megabytes of spaces to work with. When adding a new post to one of your blogs, simply click the little image icon (show icon here), and follow the on-screen instructions. You can place the image anywhere in the body of a blog post.
If you are an active blogger and would like additional space in which to upload photos, please contact us. We may ask to charge a nominal fee each month to cover the cost of hosting the extra images on our server.
What is the "Inspiration Pool"? [Back to Top]
Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to write about. To help prevent "writer's blog block", we've added a nifty feature called the Inspiration Pool. If you have a registered account, you can browse newsfeeds from around the world, add your own feeds, or search live feeds off the Internet, and create a custom feed of your very own. The feeds are updated on an hourly basis with the latest content from the feed source (either the news service, or the Internet search providing the article results).
To access this feature, simply click on the Inspiration Pool link and follow the on-screen instructions to select a feed, add a feed, or create a custom feed by using the keyword search option. After that, you can save the feed to your own collection, and only you will be able to see and use that feed!
What is the "Blog This" feature? [Back to Top]
As a registered user, you can choose to blog about news headlines or blog posts. While logged into your account, simply look for the "Blog This" link (or click on a news headline from one of the feeds), and you can then choose to cite the news article or blog in a new post on one of your own blogs.
What is RSS? [Back to Top]
"RSS" stands for "Really Simple Syndication", and is a recognized standard for providing feeds of blogs, news articles, and other web-based content for easy distribution to other sites and content aggregation services.
How is my blog "syndicated" through RSS? [Back to Top]
Every night, the newest blog posts of our site are automatically distributed to RSS aggregation services. These take the name, first few hundred characters, and direct link for your newest blog posts, and send them directly to the aggregation sites. Your blog then becomes searchable, and links to it may appear on other web sites.
If you do not want your blogs to be syndicated, you can turn off the "Promote" option through the Blogs page of your account manager.
Where does my blog appear on the Internet once syndicated? [Back to Top]
Our syndication service submits your blog to top blog aggregators, including Technorati. We distribute your posts to the aggregators each night, to help cut down on excess traffic that the aggregators receive during the daytime. Within 24 hours of you posting to your blog, it will appear in major blog search engines.
How else does RSS help me distribute my blog content? [Back to Top]
If you have chosen to let your content be automatically syndicated, a special RSS button will also appear on your blog's main page. This button is linked to a direct RSS feed of just your blog, and shows just the posts for your own blog.
The feed shows the ten most recent posts for your blog, and includes each post title, a link to directly view the post on your blog, and the first 250 characters of the post.
Other web site owners can automatically display the contents of this RSS feed on their web site using special RSS "parsing" scripts freely available on the Internet. The postings that appear on their sites will all link directly to your blog, thereby enabling other people to learn about your blog, as well as alert search engines and other indexing tools to follow the link and begin indexing your blog. This is just one more way to automatically help increase interest and traffic for your blog!
How do I buy merchandise? [Back to Top]
Simply look for the "Store" or "Buy Stuff" link located in the navigation bar of the site. We have partnered with CafePress.com to provide you with high quality, yet affordable products to choose from. If you place an order, your credit card statement will show a purchase from "Cafe Press". The package shipped to you will also be labeled as coming from "Cafe Press".
Do I need to advertise my blog? [Back to Top]
It always helps to advertise, as it brings more readers, more comments and feedback, and more blogs for you to read as well. Advertising can be as simple and inexpensive as emailing the link (address) to your blog to your friend, and invite them to share their comments on your thoughts. (Remember, only email friends who would invite your emails. We don't encourage spamming!) You can also purchase t-shirts or other merchandise from your favorite blog site, and encourage your friends to do so as well... a great way to advertise!
Why do ads appear on my blog? [Back to Top]
In order to offset costs of web hosting and site upkeep, as well as provide your readers with additional, helpful content, the site owners have partnered with Google to display highly-targeted Google Ads throughout this web site. If you happen to operate a high-traffic blog on our site, and are actively working to promote the blog, please contact us, as we do offer partnership opportunities that would enable you to share in the revenue of ads found on your own blogs.
What if I have a question that you haven't answered here? [Back to Top]
If we haven't answered your question, click on the "Contact Us"link on the site's menu bar, and send us an email with your questions. We will be happy to help you, and will get an answerback to you as quickly as we can. We want your blogging experienceto be fun and rewarding, so don't hesitate to let us know if you are having any trouble or have any questions.
