How To Use MyCookingBlog:

Basics

Using your blog

Additional Help

To start, go to http://www.mycookingblog.com/register.php.
All fields in the form must be filled out to successfully set up your blog.

• USERNAME:Your username must be between 4-12 characters long, and not contain non alpha-numeric characters or spaces (only numbers and letters are allowed). Your username will also be part of your webaddress. So if you chose the username "bigjim" your web address will be http://bigjim.mycookingblog.com. Usernames cannot be changed later.
• FULL NAME: You must enter in a Full Name as well. You can chose to hide this from the public once you log in.
• EMAIL: Enter in a valid email address. Your password and log in information will be emailed to you. MyCookingBlog follows CDKitchen's privacy policy and will NEVER, EVER disclose your personal information (including email address) to any third parties.
• BLOG TITLE: Choose a blog title that will reflect your interests or the theme of your blog. You can change this at any time if you change your mind. This is the title that will be displayed at the top of your blog.

NOTE: If you do not receive your password via email, check your spam filters and make sure they allow email from mycookingblog.com. You can then re-request your password be sent to you (see Forgot your password? below).

You can log in from any page on MyCookingBlog. Just look for the Log In link at the top, or for the log in boxes on the lower right hand side.

Username :

Password :

Remember me?

You can retrieve your password using the link on the log in page on MyCookingBlog. Just look for the Forgot Password? link. Enter in the email address you registered your account with, and a new password will be sent to that email address. Make sure your spam filters are set to allow mail from mycookingblog.com.

To edit your personal information, once you log in click on Edit My Profile from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username. You can also click the X next to your username for a pop-up menu.

You can modify your full name, change your password (enter the new password in both Password blanks), change your email address, and add in optional extra info.

Optional Info:
• Homepage: Do you have another website or company website you'd like to list? Enter in the address.
• Nick Name: If you would prefer to have your nick name show instead of your username or full name, enter it here
• Location: Where do you live?
• Yahoo IM, MSN IM, ICQ: If you use any of these instant messaging services, you can enter in your account names if you would like others to be able to contact you that way.
• Birthdate: Get birthday greetings on MyCookingBlog if you enter in your info.
• Profile pic: You can upload a picture of yourself if you'd like! This will display in your online profile. If you don't want to use a real picture, chose a fun image if you'd prefer, or something that reflects your interests.
• Display profile pic?: If you would like to upload your picture, but not yet display it online, uncheck this box.
• Display email publicly?: Uncheck this box if you do not want your email address to appear online.
• Public Profile?: Uncheck this box if you do not wish to let others see your profile information.
• Profile: Enter in a description of who you are, your interests, or any other info you'd like others to know about you.

To enter in a new post, once you log in click on Write A New Post from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username.

• Post Title: This is what will appear as the title. It should be descriptive or catchy. This is a required field.
• Category: If you've set up categories in your blog to put your posts in then they will appear here for you to select. See Creating Categories. Your post will appear on your main page when it is new, but it will also be on a category page if you chose. You must select a category, or leave the default, in order for your post to appear.
• Keywords: These help identify your post in various ways. This is an optional field.
• HTML/Plain Text: If you select HTML, you can use the @HTML (WYSIWYG) editor (see below) to insert fonts, colored text, and more. Plain Text is the default.
• Images: You can insert images into your post. JPEG/JPG images may be inserted so they are part of the post (where the image is displayed in the body of your message). GIF or JPEG/JPG may be inserted as attached files and will be visible to your readers when the click on the linked image.
  • To upload an image, click on Upload/Insert Images
  • A window will pop open that lets you browse your hard-drive for the image(s) you wish to upload.
  • Once you select an image click the UPLOAD button. If the upload is successful, a message will appear.
  • Images that are available to insert into your message will be listed (scroll down if you are unable to see them).
  • To insert one, click the name of the image you wish to use. If it is a JPEG/JPG file, it will also give you the option to insert the image into the summary or the full post.
  • To attach an image (not insert it as a visible image), click on the name of the image and then click the Attach Files button.
  • To clear the list of images, click the X next to Upload/Insert Images
• Post Summary: This is a required field. It can however only contain up to 500 characters of text. You can use this field as an introduction to your full message, put in part of your full message, or use it as your full message as long as it is less than 500 characters. Examples: 1) use the summary as a description of the recipe you are posting. 2) Put in 500 characters of your recipe as a "preview" of what the full message will be about.

  The counter under the Summary box will tell you how much space you have left for the summary.

• Smilies: You can click on a smiley face to insert it into the summary field. It will appear as "code" in the summary box, but when you post your message, it will appear on the website as the selected cartoon smiley face.
• Post Body: This is optional, but if your message is more than will fit into the Summary box, you can put your FULL message here. You can also use HTML code to "jazz up" your post. To use HTML, make sure you have chosen HTML from the HTML/Plain Text selection above. If you know HTML code, you can enter it along with your message OR click on the link that says @HTML (WYSIWYG) editor and use the pop-up window that appears to create your message. Example: Place a summary or description of a recipe in the SUMMARY box, then place the complete recipe in the Post Body box.
• Normal or Hidden post? If you want others to be able to see your message, leave it set to Normal. If you wish to make a post private, mark it as Hidden.
• Draft? If you wish to finish your post at a later date, you can mark it as a Draft. You can also use the Draft setting to chose a date to release it in the future (note: the system will automatically display the message on the future date).
• Trackback Urls: If you do not know what these are, then do not worry about them.
• Enable commenting? This setting will allow others to post comments on your blog. If you do not wish to receive comments, you can uncheck this box.
• Enable comment notification? This will send an email to you when someone posts a comment on your blog.
• Enable Voting/Rating? This allows visitors to "rate" your post. This is good for things like recipes when a visitor tries it they can give it a "star" value based on their outcome.
• Accept Pings? (trackbacks) Leave this checked.

To edit a post you've already submitted, once you log in click on Edit A Post from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username. You can change any of the information in the post including the release date and category.

To create categories in your blog, once you log in click on Modify My blog from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username. From the menu, chose Manage/Create Categories. The categories page should be displayed. On the left-hand side will be existing categories. By default, you have the General category setup. It is best to leave this category as is. On the right hand side, you can add new categories. Enter in a category name, description and CHECK THE BOX that says New Category.

To manage categories in your blog, once you log in click on Modify My blog from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username. From the menu, chose Manage/Create Categories. The categories page should be displayed. On the left-hand side will be existing categories. To edit a category (we recommend not editing or deleting the General category), select the category title with your mouse. On the right hand side, the category information will appear in the form. Modify the information (you can change names, descriptions) and click the Add/Edit button. To delete a category, select the category title with your mouse from the left-hand list. Below that list is a Delete Button. This will permanently delete that category and the posts in it. You may want to edit any posts that are in that category first and move them to a new category (see Editing A Post).

To change the theme (design) of your blog, once you log in click on Modify My blog from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username. From the menu, select Modify. The Modify page should be displayed. On the left-hand side will be the theme preview window. To view available themes, use the pull-down menu below the window to select a theme to view. Or, click the START button and wait while the slideshow of themes plays. When you find a theme you like, note the name and select it from the pull-down menu on the right-hand side. Click Update Weblog and your theme will be applied.

To change the name or description of your blog, once you log in click on Modify My blog from your account interface. If you are already logged in and not in your account interface, click on My Account from the lower right hand side of any page. It should be displayed right below your username. From the menu, Modify. The Modify page should be displayed. Use the form to change any of the info for your blog. You can rename it if desired, change the description (which will be displayed on our blog listing pages), allow or disallow visitor comments, or turn on/off syndication (leaving this checked helps bring visitors to your blog). Click Update Weblog and your changes will be applied.