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Legend What is a blog?A blog (web log) is an online journal in which people can post diary entries about their experiences, hobbies or work. The posts usually appear in chronological order. A blog might be seen as an online magazine column, allowing its readers to leave comments. A successful blog often gathers a group of people who read it loyally and wait for new blog posts to be published. How do I set up my blog?The only thing you need is to sign up , or sign in if you already have an account. Is it free to host my blog on Poker Area?
It is absolutely free and there are no hidden costs. What is the difference between a blog post and a forum post? Even though a forum and a blog are technically similar, a forum is generally used for Q&A and inter personal communication. A blog is more like an online journal that tells something about its author and readers. Why do people write blogs? Different people have different reasons for writing blogs. Some like to have a place where they can share personal or professional experiences and opinions. Others promote their business through the blog, acquiring new customers by showing their expertise. Some corporations write blogs as their main PR tool and as a way to get in touch with their customers. Where is my blog? Your blog is located on http://www.pokerarea.net/username/blog/. An example is the admin's blog located on http://www.pokerarea.net/admin/blog/. You can also access it from your username link on any blog post you write, from your blog link at the top of your profile page and from the My Pages link at the user menu on the top right. What is the "Subscribe" link on the top of each blog page? The subscribe function allows a blog reader to get notifications about new blog posts without visiting periodically. The subscription is done via an RSS reader such as bloglines or the google reader. What is the Top Articles list? The Top Articles list includes the currently most viewed and voted on blog posts. It is updated in real time, so when a new, interesting post is written, it will quickly get included in the list. If you want your posts to get attention, this is an excellent place to get it. What is the Featured Articles list? The Featured Articles list includes the latest voted blog posts, which are at least 750 characters long. Are there any tips for writing blog posts? Here are some tips that can improve the authority of your blog posts and the attention they will draw: Use a descriptive/attractive post title. People scan the titles and click only on titles that attract them. "A picture is better then a thousand words" - add a photo or a video to the post, preferably at the beginning of the post. Try to avoid writing long posts (longer than 50-60 lines). Most people don't want to read a long essay. If you have a lot to say, try to break it down into a series of posts. - Try to use bullets and simple sentences rather than long complex sentences. Many people half scan the text when they read.
Try to make the post visually appealing. For example, align small images so text wraps them, etc. Take the time to spell check and fix grammatical mistakes and typos. Try to publish on a timely basis (for example every Saturday). You will gather a loyal readership this way. - Write mostly on topic posts.
Quote other blog posts you have found interesting (within or outside of this site) and link to the original post. People like to find good resources.
Is it simple to write a blog post? Bellow is a quick starting guide for the editor, and there is also a sample editor you can play with.  Add a link - mark the text that you want to be a link, press the link button, paste the link address (URL) where it says Link URL and click insert.
 Add or edit an image
There are three ways to add an image: Upload an image from your computer by using the Upload function. Scroll down below the post's text editor, and click browse to find the picture in your computer. Press Upload. The picture will be uploaded as a thumbnail. Drag and drop the image where you want it. Search for a license free image. Use the Search License Free Photos right under the editor. Just type in your key words, and several options will be presented. Place the cursor where you want the image to be placed, and click on the image size you like ([S]mall, [M]edium or [L]arge). To add an image from another site, click on the image button and paste the image location into the image URL. Please make sure you do not violate copyrights.
To edit (align left/right, re-size, etc.) an image, click on the image you want to edit, press the image button, go to the properties tab and set the appropriate field.
 To add a video, copy the URL of the video. On YouTube, for example, it is to the left of the video below the embedded code. Next, click on the Video button and paste the URL in the space where it says File/URL.
 Mark a selection as a quote. If you want to use a quote, make sure it starts on a separate line from the rest of your text (press enter before the start of your quote) mark the entire quote with the mouse and then click on the quote button. That will separate your quote and differentiate it from the rest of the text.
 Run spell check. Once you have written your post, click on the spell check button.
If you want to paste text from elsewhere, copy it by marking it with the mouse and then pressing Ctrl C. To paste it on the editor, just put your cursor where you want to paste and press Ctrl V. A separate window will open. Press Ctrl V again and your text will be pasted in the window. Press insert (bottom left hand corner of secondary window) and the text will be inserted to the editor. DO NOT FORGET TO CLICK PUBLISH. If you click SAVE, your post will be saved as a draft so you can continue working on it.
How can I find ideas for subjects to write about? Write about an experience you had during the last week. Many people like to hear about real life experiences. Choose a subject and write a series of posts about it. See what other bloggers are writing about, both on our site and outside of it. A great way to find interesting bloggers is via the Google blog search or Technorati. You will not only find great ideas, but also might find new friends and learn something new. Leave comments on their blogs and tell them you like what they have written, and if you decide to continue their idea link to their original post.
Do I have control over the comments posted on my blog?Yes. Near each comment you would see an edit button, in the form of a paper and a pen. Through this button you can both edit and delete offensive comments. Please also report to one of the moderators such events, so we can ban users who repeatedly violate our rules. How can I edit a post I have previously saved or published? If you want to edit your post, you can click on the pen and pencil icon, just next to the post title. Note that if you want to write an addition to the post, better start a new blog post. All the posts you write will be accumulated under your main blog page. Why are links on new users' blog posts marked as nofollow? Links on new users' blog posts are marked as nofollow until the user is trusted by the blog system, at which point all links are turning into follow links. We had to take this measure since we were subject to spam attacks. Are there any rules when writing on the blog? Yes, please follow our general comminuty rules. Here are some specific explanations to questions previously asked: - Blog posts should be of original content (not copied from anywhere else, neither published elsewhere).
- It is OK to quote other sites or blogs, as long as there is a link to the original writer. You can check out the quick Fair Use FAQ from the copyright office.
- It is OK to add links inside the blog posts as long as:
- The link is informative (meaning the page being linked to is of quality information or is valuable to our users in other ways).
- AND you are not linking to the same site in a highly repetitive manner.
- It is OK to add a two lines signature at the end of the post, with a link to your site and your contact information.
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