My Post is not showing on my Blog?

If your post is not showing on your blog after saving it, double check to make sure you hit the Publish Button.

How do I change my password or screenname?

To change your password, click on My Profile (in the top right hand corner of your Dashboard) your will see a Change My Password field or on the left you can change what name is displayed when you comment or write Blog posts. Unfortunately you can’t change your Username. Be sure to click on the Update Profile button when you are finished.

Can I change my Blogname or Tagline?

You can change your Blog name and Tagline (the text that appears under your Blog name in your Blog’s Header) anytime. Go to your Dashboard and select the Options tab (General) and you can update your Blog’s name and Tagline here.

My Blog is taking a long time to load, how can I speed it up?

If you find your blog is taking a long time to load it may be that you need to Resize or Optimize your photos. You can read more about that in Adding and Resizing Photos

What are Widgets and how do I get them on my Blog?

Widgets are tools that are found in your Blog’s sidebar. To add them to your Blog click the Presentation on your Admin Panel then the chose the sub-category Widgets. You will see the Widgets that are available to you at the bottom of the page. You can easily drag-and-drop them to the above area titled Sidebar. After you save your changes you will now see your Widgets on your Blog.

I blog elsewhere, can I import my blog to CPO Blogs?

We have done some testing and have found that Google’s Blogger© accounts import very well. There are some other blogging platforms that will import as well. To Import your blog into CPO Blogs, select the Manage on the Admin Panel then the sub-category Import, this will give you the list of importable Blogs, select your platform and follow the steps from there.

If you have any questions we welcome them at our Board and Blog Help Message Board!

Your Admin Panel is where you control the features of your Blog. Below are screen shots and a brief description of each important tab. The best way to become familiar with this area of your blog is to play around and test things out.

Dashboard

The Dashboard has a list of our most frequently asked questions and quick tips. On the right hand side of this page is Your Blog Activity which contains links to the most recent Comments and Posts plus Blog Stats and Storage Space information.

Write

The Write area of your Admin Panel is what you will use the most. This panel allows you to create new Posts and edit older posts that have been published on your Blog.

Write Post

This is where you will write all new Blog posts and edit any existing entries.

TIP: When you first create your blog you will have a sample post in your Blog. You can choose to edit this and add to it, or delete it and create a new post.

Write Page

Pages are similar to Posts, but live outside your Blog chronologically. You may decide to write an intro for your blog or an “About Me” page. Learn more about where this page is explained in the CPO Blogs FAQ.

TIP: In order for a Post or Page you have written to show up when viewing your Blog, you must use the Publish button. You can always go back and edit or delete your own posts.

Comments

Comments are a feature of Blogs that allow readers to respond to your Blog entries. Typically readers simply provide their own thoughts regarding the post, but users may also generate discussion, or simply compliment the author.

Presentation

This panel allows you to change the look of your Blog. We currently have 4 themes to choose from and will be adding more in the future. Some of these themes are also widget ready!

What is a Widget?

Widgets are drag-and-drop elements that will appear on your blogs’ sidebar. These include Archived Posts, Recent Posts and Comments, Calendars, and Categories.

TIP: The Meta Widget is a great tool to have on your blogs’ sidebar as it will allow you quick access to your Admin Panel.

Options

This part of the admin panel is where you can control the settings of your blog.

General Options: You can change the name of your Blog as well as the Tagline (the descriptive line that appears below your Blog’s name in the header). You can also configure how the date and time will display.

Some of the other options in this section allow you to personalize your Blog further. Settings can always be changed back so feel free to play around and see what works for you. Your CPO Blog is your space on the Web so have fun with it!

For more questions be sure to check out CPO Blogs FAQ or post a question to our Board & Blog Help Message Board

Your first step is to sign up!

You’ll be taken to our sign up page:

• This is where you will choose your Blog Username which will also be in your Blog address. For example, if you choose ‘abc123mom” as your Blog Username your Blog address will be http://blog.canadianparents.com/abc123mom

• Be sure to choose something that will be easy for you to remember as this username can not be changed.

** Also remember to double check your email address and be sure that it is correct, as your activation code will be emailed to it.

Gimme a Blog! is already selected for you here. If you don’t want to have a Blog, but would like to comment on other CPO Blogs make sure you select Just a username, please option.

• Next Click Submit

• The next field is your Blog Name. Your Blog Name will appear at the top of page headers etc. You do have the option to change this if needed at a later date.

• The next selection is whether you want your Blog Public or Private. If you choose a Private Blog, it will be only visible to those you give the address to. It will not be featured in CPO’s Blogger List or to any visitors to CPO.

• Once you have clicked “Submit” a confirmation email will be sent to you with an activation link.

You will have 2 days to to activate your Blog. If it is not activated within this time frame the registration will be reset.

• Click on the activation link in your email and you’ll be brought to this page

• Now you can click Login and you’ll be prompted to Login:

Congratulations, you’ve just created your very own CPO Blog! Remember to check out the Quick Tour- Admin Panel for more tips! If you have any questions you can also post them at our Board & Blog Help Message Board.

You can customize your blog with a choice of CPO themes and update by adding posts as often as you wish. Invite friends and family to visit your blog and leave comments. Journal your stories, ideas, or important discoveries you’ve made! Post a picture of your pregnant belly, your baby’s first smile, your new sofa, your worn out sneakers, or the frog your son or daughter brings home. Tell us all about it. There is no right or wrong - this is your platform, a place to express yourself - blog yourself silly!

Here’s a few pointers on how to get photos easily onto your CPO Blogs:

Option One- Upload from your own Computer

You have the ability to upload photos directly from your computer to your Blog. However, your space will be limited to 30MB. If you plan on adding numerous photos to your blog entries Option 2 may be a wiser choice or you may wish to reach near your 30MB max and then switch to Option 2.

Option Two- Host your photos Online (recommended)

It’s recommended that you use a free an online photo hosting site like Photobucket, Imageshack, Flickr etc. They are free to signup and you’ll have virtually unlimited uploads so storage space will not be an issue.

Now that you have your photos uploaded one last important step is to resize your images before putting them on your blog.

How do I resize my photos?

Many online photo hosting sites allow you to resize you photos there, but with some of them you will be limited to their default sizes. Photobucket is one site that now has custom resizing capabilities. If you use a different hosting site but would still like to resize to a specific size I’d recommend using a Windows XP add-on called Image Resizer.
Once installed it allows you to right click on any photo and choose “Resize Pictures”. You can then customize to the size you want. (Windows Vista users will have to use the Image resizers that are available at the Online Photo Hosting Sites.)

How do I add a photo to my Blog entries?

Now that you have your photos resized appropriately you’ll need to upload them to a photo hosting site. There are many of them online but Flickr, Imageshack and Photobucket are the most common and easy to use. Sign up for a free account and upload your resized photos from your computer to the site. Doing this will assign a URL (a www address) to your photos. I know many of you are familiar with adding photos to your signatures and posts on our Message Boards, adding a photo to your Blog entry is just as easy, but differs a little. Instead of using the [IMG] code you’ll just need the direct link code. A quick way to get this is to right click on the photo and select “Properties” and highlight and copy the URL for the Image Location.

Once you have your photo and your URL, to get the photo into your Blog entry Take a look at the tool bar just above your post box:

Click on the “Insert Image”. It’s the small icon that looks like a tree. Once it has been selected you can paste in the URL of your photo then select the “Insert” button at the bottom. Your image should now be visible in your post. If not check to make sure the URL is correct.Remember to use the Direct Link.

What is the best size for photos?

Due to the size of our Blog template the recommended size of your photos should be a maximum of 400 pixels wide. This will also help to speed up the loading of your pages as well. Optimizing your photos as well can help to speed up your Blog.

What is Optimizing your Photos?

This photo’s size is 141k

This photo is 33k ( less than one third of the size of the first)

Do you see any real difference in these photos?

Optimizing your photos will do 3 things:

1. It makes images quicker to upload
2. It makes your page load faster for people looking at it
3. You can fit more images into a limited space

If you are using Windows XP you can easily resize and optimize your photos using a Windows XP add-on called Image Resizer Once installed, it allows you to right click on any photo and choose “Resize Pictures” you can then customize to the size you want.

Adding a Smilebox to your Blog Post is a fun way to brighten up your Blog.

Here are the steps:

• Once you have created your Smilebox, you have the option to save it in your Smilebox My Creations Folder.

• Highlight the Smilebox you’d like to add to your Blog and select the “Edit” button.

• Select “Send, Blog or Print“

• Next, hit the Blog button

• You now have the option to rename your Smilebox if you wish. Next, select Blog It! (this may take a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the length of your Smilebox)

• CPO Blogs use Wordpress, so select the Wordpress icon on the left hand sidebar

• Then highlight the text underneath your Smilebox, right click, and select Copy

• Next, return to your CPO blog and “Paste” the code into your post, making sure you select the Code Tab just above your Post Box. Click back on the Visual Blog Tab and your Smile Box will Appear like magic!

Make a scrapbook - it’s easy!