What is a blog?
How do I create a blog?
How do I add a blog post to my blog?
Can I put pictures in my blog?
How do I edit my blog?
How do I find my blog and published blog posts?
What does RSS mean?
I still have questions?
A blog is an online space for you to post your thoughts, ideas or activity on your choice of subject. If you’d like to see an example, why not take a look at our Community News Blog? This is the blog that’s run by the Community team.
Each blog usually contains:
- A title
- A brief description that reflects what your blog is about
- Posts – you’ll need to add a new post each time you update your blog
- Tags – these are keywords that sum up your blog so others can easily find
Your blog can be on a topic of your choosing. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
- A diary of your experience with cancer, with each blog post being a diary entry
- What you had wish you’d known when you started your experience
When choosing to create a blog, think about whether you want to start a discussion or whether you just want to write down your thoughts. If you would like to start a discussion with other members, remember you can also start a discussion thread in a group instead.
If you’d like to create your own blog, you can get started by heading over to our ‘Blogs’ page. You can find our ‘Blogs’ page on the navigation bar across the top of the Community.
Once you’re on the ‘Blogs’ page, you will be able to see all the recent blogs that members have created.
To create a blog, you firstly just need to click the “Create a blog” button at the top of the page.
You will then be taken to a screen where you can take the first steps to create your blog.
Your blog title is the name you want your whole blog to have, not the name of an individual post in the blog.
Click into the white text box below “Blog title” to write a name for your blog.
Your blog description is to let other members know what your blog is about.
Click into the text box underneath “Blog description” to write a description for your blog.
You then need to click “Create my blog” at the bottom to make your blog.
When you have created your blog, you will be taken automatically to your new blog page.
How do I add a post to my blog
Once you have created your blog, you may want to write your first post. To do this you will need to open the blog you just created. To find your blog, first go to your profile.
Once you are on your profile, go to your ‘Activity’ tab.
On a mobile phone, you can access your blog posts and activity by clicking "More" underneath your username.
You should see the blog you created in your list of recent activity.
When you are on your blog page, click “Create a post” underneath the title.
You will then have the option to write a blog post.
Click the text box underneath “Title” to create a title for your blog post. This does not change the title of your whole blog. This title is just for your individual post.
Underneath “Body” is where you can write your blog post. You can click into the text box underneath “Body” to write what you would like your post to be.
When you scroll down, you will then have the option to add tags. These can be helpful for other members to find your content. For example, if you blog is about your experience with breast cancer, you can tag your blog as “breast cancer.”
To add a tag, click into the text box underneath “Tags” and write a short tag to add to your blog.
You then just need to click “Post” at the bottom for your blog to be added to the Online Community.
Can I add pictures to my blog post?
Yes you can, as long as they are your own pictures, are not copied from elsewhere on the internet, and they comply with our Terms and Conditions.
To add an image to your blog post, select the 'Insert' tab along the top of the editor.
Then if you click on ‘Images/videofile’ the below window should pop up.
You can then click on the ‘upload’ button to select an image from your computer or device.
Once you've selected the picture you'd like to upload, hit 'OK' and your picture should be successfully uploaded into your post.
You can edit your blog at any time, first go to the ‘Blog tools’ menu and click the option to ‘Edit’.
Once you’ve selected ‘Edit’ the blog editor will reappear, and you can go straight in and edit your blog. Once you have finished editing, just click 'post' and your blog will be updated.
How do I find my blog and published blog posts?
To find your blog and read your blog posts you will need to first go to your profile.
Once there, you can view all your published blog posts under the ‘Blog posts’ tab.
A list of all of your previous published posts will appear.
You can then click on any post you would like to read.
RSS means Really Simple Syndication and allows you to subscribe to any web page which is regularly updated (like a blog or forum discussion) to receive notifications whenever a new update is posted. Read more about RSS on Wikipedia.
If you still have questions about how to use the site, head to our ‘Help Group’. You will then be able to post your question and the Community team will respond with some information and support.
You can also read though our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the new site in the ‘Help group’.
