Instructions for posting to the blog - Posted by Steve Mount

Here is how to post a new blog entry. First, you have to have a Blogger account to post, so if you have not yet created one, do so! Second, you have to be a contributor to the blog, so if you have not responded to your invitation, do so! If you need another invite, let me know by emailing me.

Note that if all you want to do is look at the blog, go instead to mount-blog.blogspot.com.

Next, you have to go to your Blogger account. Do this by going to www.blogger.com. If you have not logged in to your account, you will see a Username box and a Password box on the top right of the Blogger screen. Log in. I suggest clicking the Remember Me box, too. Click Sign in. Once you have done this, or if you were already logged in, you will see your Dashboard screen.

The Blogs list should be at the top of the Dashboard. The Mount Blog will be the only item in that list or, if you contribute to more than one blog, it will be one of the items in that list. Click on the green plus next to the Mount Blog. It is in the column labeled "New Post". Stay away from the blue gear under "Change Settings" unless you really know what you're doing.

On the next screen, you will see a big blank box and above that, a smaller box labeled "Title". This is where you type in your entry. Click in the Title box first and create a title for your post. Then click in the big box and simply start typing. If the word "Compose" is underlined, it might be easier to click on it. In Compose mode, you can use the icons in the tool bar to change your font, text color, to add bold and italics easily, add images and links, and so on. Note that to check spelling, if you use Internet Explorer, you may have to approve pop-ups. I suggest approving them for all pages on the Blogger site, and that you do this right away, or else you risk losing all of your changes.

That should do it. When you're dong, click Publish Post. Blogger has to rebuild all of the affected pages when you post a new item, so it can take a few moments, especially when Blogger is busy. Your post is saved, and will appear even if publishing fails - you just need to publish again, if that happens. To publish again, click Posting, then Status, then "Republish Entire Blog".