Blog Entry

How To

• 1

  Create a Blog Entry

  New Content Types are created using the Content menu in your toolbar. To create a new Blog Entry, navigate to: Content > Add Content > Blog Entry.

  

  Begin filling out the form. Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.

  • Title (*) - Enter the title of the Blog Entry. This appears on the Blog Entry, in its URL, and in the Blog View.
  • Subtitle - The subtitle is optional. It appears on the Blog Entry. 

  
• 2

  Main Image

  Best Practices

  While not required, it is best practice to add a Main Image. The Main Image appears in both the Blog Entry and in the Grid View located at (/blog) on your website. Websites using the Grid View for blogs should add a Main Image to avoid empty space in the blog view, as shown in the example below. 

  

  Dimensions and Resolution

  The ideal dimensions for a Blog Entry Main Image are 1400px wide x 934px high. The recommended minimum resolution is double the desktop view size for clearer, better-looking images on high resolution screens. Download an image to use as a template.

  Alternative Text

  All meaningful images must have descriptive alternative text (alt text) to be accessible for visitors with low or no vision. If the image does not convey meaningful information and is purely decorative, check the box for Decorative Image and leave the Alternative Text field empty. This allows screen reading software to skip over the image. Learn more about Alternative Text. 

  Add Media

  

  • Main Image - Select the Add Media button to add a Main Image. 
  • The Media Library opens. Select the desired image, or upload a new image and select it. 
  • Select Insert Selected. 
  • A thumbnail of the image you selected now appears. 

  

• 3

  Main Video

  Best Practices

  The Main Video is an optional enhancement that appears only on the Blog Entry in place of the Main Image. It does not appear in the Grid View located at (/blog) on your website. Websites using the Grid View for blogs should also add a Main Image to avoid empty space in the blog view, as shown in the example in Step 2: Main Image. 

  

  • Optional Main Video - Select Optional Main Video to expand the menu. 
  • Main Video URL - Enter the URL for a video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo.
  • Main Video Title - Enter a title for the video. It is required for accessibility but does not appear on your Blog Entry. Learn more about Accessible Audio and Video. 

  
• 4

  Blog Information

  

  

  • Release Date (*) - The Release Date places Blog Entries in the View chronologically and is required. The current date populates by default. To change the date, enter a new date in the field or use the Date Picker to select the new date from the calendar. 
    
    Note: Setting the Release Date for a future date does not schedule the Blog to publish at a later time; it only controls the order in which it appears in the Blog View. See Step 9: Publishing or Unpublishing Content on a Scheduled Date if you need to automatically publish a Blog Entry at a later time. For consistency, ensure that the Publish On date matches the Release Date.
     
  • Author - Enter the author's first and last name. 
     
  • Summary  - Briefly describe the blog. The Summary appears on both the Blog Entry and the Blog List View beneath the Title, and also appears in search engine results with the link. Provide a Summary to enhance Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 
• 5

  Page Content

  Best Practices

  Write for your audience's needs in plain and direct language. Not sure where to begin? Use a tool to help simplify your writing, such as the Hemingway Editor, and register for our training. 

  • Page Content - This is the body of your Blog Entry that people will read. Type or paste your blog content into the text editor. Format text and insert links or images as desired. 

  

  Text Format

  • Paste Filtered HTML - Text Format is set to Paste Filtered HTML by default. When you paste text into the text editor with this setting, hidden HTML tags are filtered out to maintain a consistent look across your website. 
  • Full HTML - To retain markup, change the Text Format to "Full HTML" using the drop-down menu before pasting content.  

   

• 6

  Related Videos

  In addition to the Main Video, you can add more videos that appear at the bottom of the Blog Entry in the Related Videos section by inserting Video Cards.

  • Select Additional Videos to expand the menu.
  • Select the Add Video Card button. 

  

  • Title (*) - Enter a title for the Video Card. The title displays beneath the embedded video on your Blog Entry. This field is required.
  • Title Heading Level - Select the appropriate heading level for the card title. Learn about Headings and Digital Accessibility.
  • Video URL (*) - Enter the URL of a video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo. This field is required.
  • Date - Enter the date of the video. 

  

  

  • Repeat this process to add as many Video Cards as you need. 
  • Collapse - Use the Collapse button to collapse the details of a particular Video Card. This is useful when you have multiple Video Cards.
  • Ellipsis (...) - Use the ellipsis beside the Collapse button if you need to Remove or Duplicate a Video Card.  
  • Rearrange multiple Video Cards by dragging and dropping them into the desired order, or by adjusting their Row Weights. To bring an item closer to the top, assign it a lower number.  
• 7

  Related Information

  Content Types that appear in Views can be tagged with taxonomy terms to help visitors filter for the content that interests them. Web Managers can add new terms to the vocabulary, while other user roles may apply those terms to their content. Options are specific to your Division or Office and differ from the examples provided. If you are unsure which taxonomy terms to apply, ask your Web Manager.

  

  The taxonomic terms you apply appear in two places:

  • In the drop-down menu on the Blog Entry List View located at (/blog-list-view) of your website. 
  • At the bottom of the Blog Entry in the Related Topics section as a bulleted list of links.

  Adding Terms to your Blog Entry

  • Select Related Information to expand this section.
  • Select one or more appropriate terms to classify your Blog Entry.  Terms darken when selected. To deselect a term, select it again. 
    • Blog Category - Select one or more terms from the available options. Example: The example below does not have any Blog Categories configured. 
    • Blog Terms - Select one or more terms from the available options. Example: Best Practices.
    • Division/Office - Select one or more terms from the available options. Example: Cultural Resources (DCR).

  

  Website Visitor Experience

  This example from Queen Anne's Revenge Project website blog shows a side-by-side comparison of what a visitor sees before and after filtering Blog Entries with a Blog Term. 

  The image on the left shows all Blog Entries. The image on the right shows the result of using the drop-down menu to show only Blog Entries tagged with the "Artifact of the Month" Blog Term. 

  

  If your website does not use the List View, the visitor would receive the same filtered list of blogs by selecting the "Artifact of the Month" link that displays at the bottom of the Blog Entry under the Related Topics section, as shown in the example below. 

  

• 8

  Save

  Save often as you work on your content to avoid losing work due to timing out or navigating away from the page.

  • Editors may only save as "Draft" or "Needs Review."
  • Publishers and Web Manager may also save as "Published."

  Current State: Displays the current status of the Content Type and whether or not it is available to the public.

  Change to: The state you want the content to be in the next time you select the Save button.

  • Draft - All new content types are in Draft State by default. This state allows you to continually edit and save your work before it is made available to the public.
  • Needs Review - Editors may save as Needs Review when they are finished working and want a Publisher or Web Manager to publish the content.
  • Published - This content is available to the public. Only a Publisher or Web Manager can choose this state.
  • Unpublished - This content was available to the public at one time, but is not now. Only a Publisher or Web Manager can choose this state.

  Delete: Deleted Content Types cannot be recovered. If you may need this content again in the future, it is best to change the state to Unpublished. 

  

• 9

  Publish or Unpublish Content on a Scheduled Date

  Some content types allow you to Publish or Unpublish them on a scheduled date. After creating the content type as outlined above:

  • Change the Save As: status to Unpublished.
  • Navigate to the Content Information Panel > Scheduling Options.
  • Expand Scheduling Options.

  

  • In the Publish On field, use the Date and Time pickers to choose when the content will be published. Note: For consistency, ensure that the Publish On date matches the Release Date you selected in Step 4. 
  • Set the Publish State field to Published.
  • If desired, repeat these steps for the Unpublish On field and Unpublish State.
  • Select the Save button at the bottom of the page.