Tag: featured

Blogs are now available to anyone with a University of Lethbridge ID. To signup, simply email a request for a blogging account to webmaster@uleth.ca – and a member of our talented web team will set the wheels in motion. In the future, accounts will be automatically setup on request – but we are keeping a closer eye on things in the early stages.

Once you’ve received an email confirming your account setup, feel free to point a web browser to http://sites.ulethbridge.ca/YOURBLOGNAME/wp-admin to login with your provided username and password. Once verified, you’ll be sent to your new blog’s “dashboard”.

The dashboard is referred to as the “back end,” and only you (and any users you’ve assigned) can see it. Think of the dashboard as a behind-the-scenes control panel for your blog, where all your blog’s information and settings are stored. Virtually any time you want to update or modify your blog, you’ll need to access your dashboard.

The “front end” is what the outside world sees. So to make any changes to the front end (write a post, change your design template, etc.), you must access the back end (your dashboard). To see the front-end of your blog, click on the blog’s title in the upper left-hand side of the dashboard.

Now that you’ve got this page set up, feel free to return to your main dashboard and get acquainted with the menus. You can’t break anything, and if you do, we can help. Also, don’t feel like you need to understand everything you’re looking at. With patience and practice, you’ll eventually learn what everything means.

For further information on the how’s and why’s of WordPress, please consult this handy guide over at wordpress.com – still stuck? Send a quick email to webmaster@uleth.ca and we’ll do our best to parachute in and help out.

You’ve got a blogging account on http://sites.ulethbridge.ca, you’re comfortable with how you can create posts with photos and text – but what about video content? Video blogs are simple, here’s a few tips on turning that basic blog into one that would make Bollywood blush:

1. Get a YouTube Account
   While there are many online services that allow you to upload and embed video in your blog posts, YouTube is probably your best bet. It’s free, gives you the ability to stream your stuff in HD, and if numbers are your thing – has great analytics to show you who’s watching what.
2. Be Professional (Maybe)
   It’s your blog, express yourself – record a tutorial, share some tips, an event, or simply chat to your audience – but remember – try to use a microphone and find a clean background that doesn’t distract from your message. If your webcam is mounted on your computer, great – if not, place it on a stable tripod or table. If you are in your room, try to clean up the stray socks and plate of last night’s pizza before recording.
3. Get Comfortable
   Use a script, or cue cards if public speaking isn’t your forté, try to find a spot with a lot of light – it’ll make the images cleaner and make your web camera look like a million bucks. Try to remember to look at the camera, you’ll engage your viewer better when you’ve got eye contact.
4. Remember YouTube’s 10 Minute Limit
   The best vlog posts are quick to the point without a lot of dead air. It might be useful to run through what you’ve got to say once or twice before actually recording – if you find yourself rambling, there’s always editing software to hack it down, but remember – after 10 minutes YouTube shuts off.
5. Embed your video into your blog post
   Got everything ready to go on YouTube? Now bring it on over to http://sites.ulethbridge.ca and embed it right into your blog post for the whole world to see. You can do that by switching the tab in your visual editor from “visual” to “html” , cut-n-paste-ing the resulting code YouTube gives you to embed – blammo! the YouTube player is embedded right into your blog p0st.

Need more info or a hand with vlogging on sitestage.ulethbridge.ca? Contact your friendly neighbourhood University of Lethbridge web team via email – we’ll take care of the rest!