Eight for '08 is a series of posts I'm writing to introduce and familiarize you to the tools available on my.BarackObama.com. Check out Step 1: create a profile, Step 2: join a group, Step 3: reach out and Step 4: participate in an event.
Once you've officially joined the online community and participated in an event, you should get active in another way: blogging.
Continue below the fold for a detailed explanation of how you can become a grassroots blogger for the campaign!
For those who are new to blogs (the word stands for "web log"), think of it as a personal, informal, running log of your thoughts and opinions. Some blogs feature personalized content on anything under the sun; other blogs are more focused on a single specific theme or cause.
On my.BarackObama.com, it makes sense to focus your blog on current politics and your thoughts on the Obama campaign. However, you should feel free to cover other topics occasionally to spice things up and add a personal voice to your blog.
Blogs are an excellent tool for sharing Barack's grassroots message, but even more importantly, they are a great way to share your personal stories of what inspired you to get involved.
Remember, anyone can be a "blogger." Please don't be intimidated by the idea of having a "blog." Just think of it as a simple online diary-- a space to share your thoughts with others.
To create a blog, click "My Blog" on your My.BarackObama.com task bar. Once you've created a title and a short description, you can start blogging.For your first post, simply click "Write a Blog Post" under the "My Blog" section.
The most basic, and perhaps most important thing to know about blogging, is how to include a "link" (text that will take you to another page on the Internet) in a post.
To create a link, first, highlight a piece of text.
Next, click on the icon in the toolbar below that looks like a chain-link. A box will appear that looks like this.
Copy the URL (the web address) of the page you'd like to link to and paste it into the "Link URL" box. Voila-- now go write your post!
Here are a few tips for creating and maintaining an effective blog:
If you don't have time to regularly produce personal post, consider, at the very least, quickly posting an article you liked about Barack or an issue he is working on. If you can, try to excerpt compelling sections rather than simply cutting and pasting entire articles. The best blog posts will have a portion of an article and personal commentary on that article as well.
Once you've done your first post, share it with your friends! Send out an email to fellow supporters telling them that you blogged and make sure to include a link to your post.
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