Blogs let individuals publish and share their thoughts, opinions, information, and experiences on various topics, allowing the author to engage with readers through written content. Blogs optionally let readers engage in discussions too, letting them comment on Blog posts for direct feedback and conversation.
If you're unsure whether to use news articles or Blog posts to communicate information to your users, Blogs are usually less formal than news articles. They are typically associated with individual authors rather than departments or groups, perfect for your officers to keep your members in touch with what they're working on. You can set an overall Blog image, but if you prefer, authors can also upload a profile image to be displayed alongside their articles instead.
You can add users as Blog Editors or Blog Admins via Blog Admin, enabling multiple contributors to update the Blog. They can add and edit posts without you having to grant them access to other areas of your MSL website.
You can give each Blog its own display page, meaning the Blog and Blog posts can have a design that complements the content. Alternatively, you can leave them to use the default Blog display page, maintaining the same look and feel for all Blogs displayed on your MSL website.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You can access this feature from your MSL website. Only Content Editors with access to Blog Admin can access the Blog Admin windows. Users added as Blog Editors can access the Edit Posts, Add Post and Edit Post windows for the relevant Blog, and users added as Blog Admins can access the Edit Blog, Edit Posts, Add Post and Edit Post windows for the relevant Blog.
For further information, see Student Voice Overview.
Blog Admin Fields
This table lists and explains the Blog Admin fields.
| Field Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Name | This is the Blog webname, e.g. welfare or su-updates. This should be a web-address-friendly name. This means that you should use only numbers, lowercase letters, dashes and underscores with no spaces. There is a character limit of 30 characters. The Name must be unique. Contact support@ukmsl.com to update the Name field. This field is mandatory. |
| Title | This is the name of the Blog. This field is pre-filled with the previously entered Blog Name but can be edited. |
| Description | This text should be a brief introduction to the Blog. You can insert as much text as you want, as well as:
The Blog Editor Toolbar can be edited to add or remove the available buttons. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog window. |
| Image | Upload an image or logo for the Blog. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog window. The author's profile image can be displayed in place of the Blog image if selected on the Add/Edit Post window. |
| Number Of Posts Shown On Home Page | This is the maximum number of Posts to be listed on the Blog's display page. Select a number, from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 20, from the dropdown menu. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog window. |
| Allow Comments | Select to allow commenting on the Blog's posts. If selected or deselected on the Edit Blog window, the Allow Comments checkbox on the Add/ Edit Post window will honour this setting and either be pre-selected or deselected, however, this can be updated on a per-post basis. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog, Add Post and Edit Post windows. |
| Summary Level | This field allows you to set how much of the Blog post is shown on the Blog's display page. The post's subject and publication date and time are always displayed. The options are:
The selected option can be overridden on the Recent Blog Posts widget. For further information, see Blog Widgets. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog window. |
| Show Name Of Poster | If selected, this will display a byline giving the name of the author alongside the publication date. This can be useful when a Blog has multiple contributors. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog window. |
| Root Page | This is the URL the Blog's display page will use. If left blank the default https://[domainname]/blogs/blog/[blogname]/ URL will be used. For example, if you have created Blogs for your officers and there's a page on your website introducing them to your members, you might want their Blogs' Root Page to be /officers/. Once you have added the Blog widget to the selected Root Page e.g. /officers/, the Blog's display page would be https://[domainname]/officers/[blogname]/ rather than the default. For further information, see How to Set Up a Blog Display Page with a Blog Widget. If your Blog's display page /[rootpage]/[blogname]/ has the same URL as another page on your MSL website, you will need to rename the website page or Blog or select a different Root Page. This field is displayed only in the Edit Blog window. |
| Subject | This is the title of the Blog post. This field is mandatory. |
| Body | This is the main text of the Blog post. You can insert as much text as you want, as well as:
The Blog Editor Toolbar can be edited to add or remove the available buttons. This field is displayed only in the Add Post and Edit Post windows. |
| Use Author Profile Image | If selected, the author's profile image will be displayed in place of the Blog image. |
Edit Posts ( ) | Click to view the Edit Posts window. This field is displayed only in the Blog Display and Edit Blog windows. For further information, see How to Edit a Blog Post. |
View Blog ( ) | Click to view the Blog. For further information, see How to View a Blog. |
RSS ( ) | Click to view the RSS feed for a Blog. For further information, see How to View a Blog's RSS Feed. |
| Posts | This is the number of posts published for the respective Blog. This field is displayed only in the Blog Admin window. |
| Posted | This field is displayed only in the Edit Posts window. |
| Last Post | This is the date and time the latest Blog post was published for the respective Blog. If no posts have been made, this field is blank. This field is displayed only in the Blog Admin window. |
| Comments | This is the number of comments received for the respective Blog. This field is displayed only in the Edit Posts window. |
| Last Comment | This is the date and time the latest comment was received against a post for the respective Blog. If no comments have been made, this field is blank. |
| Deleted On | This is the date and time the Blog was deleted, if applicable. For further information, see How to View and Filter Blogs in Blog Admin. This field is displayed only in the Blog Admin window. |
| Edit (Blog Settings) () | Click to view the Edit Blog window. For further information, see How to Configure Blog Settings. This field is displayed only in the Blog Admin and Blog Display windows. |
Delete ( ) | Click to Delete the Blog. For further information, see How to Delete a Blog. This field is displayed only in the Blog Admin window. |
Restore ( ) | Click to Restore the Blog. This field is displayed when the Show Deleted Blogs checkbox is selected. For further information, see How to Restore a Blog. This field is displayed only in the Blog Admin window. |