DiaWebLog Weblog Help
Use the weblog account page to configure your weblog, change the theme, post and edit items, and upload files. The weblog account page is accessible from your user account page under the Weblogs tab. Or, go directly to http://<weblog-name>.diaweblog.com/account. Only the weblog's owner can view and use a weblog's account page.
Quick start
Did you just create a DiaWebLog Weblog? Follow these steps to configure your weblog.
Go to your weblog's account page. Log into your DiaWebLog account. Click the Weblogs tab. Click on your weblog's name.
Change the settings under the Info tab. You can change the full name and description. Set the timezone to your timezone. When you're done, press Save.
Check out the other tabs. Post items and comments under the Post tab. Edit past items and comments under the Edit tab. Upload pictures and other files under the Files tab.
Don't worry about the theme (yet). Your weblog's theme controls what your weblog looks like. The default theme is good enough when you're getting started. Later, you can change the theme, customize the theme's settings, or create your own theme. See the DiaWebLog Theme Help page for more information.
Info tab
Name is the name used in the weblog's URL. This cannot be changed.
Full name is the weblog's full name and Description is a brief description of the weblog. These can be changed. Some themes display this information.
Timezone is used when displaying times in the weblog. The default is GMT. Note that some timezones have multiple names. For example, EST is the same as America/Detroit. It doesn't matter which one you choose.
Weblogs are always published as HTML. A text edition can also be published by checking Publish text edition. The text edition is useful for people with slow connections or small screens. The URL of the text edition will be http://weblog-name.diaweblog.com/diaweblog.txt.
RSS is a file format for publishing short articles. Programs like amphetaDesk and Peerkat let you view these files. Check Publish RSS feed to publish a RSS feed. The URL of the RSS feed will be http://weblog-name.diaweblog.com/diaweblog.rss. DiaWebLog uses RSS version 1.0. The RSS feed includes item titles and links but not comments.
weblogs.com and blo.gs maintain lists of recently updated weblogs. Check Notify weblogs.com and blog.gs to automatically notify these sites when your weblog is updated.
Click Save to save any changes. Your weblog will be updated in a few seconds.
Theme tab
The theme tab allows you to change the theme, set comment poster icons, and customize the theme.
Theme name is the name of the theme used to generate the weblog. The default is diaweblog_html_default.
The Icons box assigns icons to comment poster nicknames. Comment posters can have custom icons displayed next to their name, if the theme supports it. To assign an icon to an author's nickname, add a line to Icons that includes the nickname, a space, and the icon's URL. For example: "fred http://www.example.com/fred.png". Each nickname-icon pair should be on its own line. Put an asterix (*) after the nickname to use that icon for all names that start with that nickname. For example, the icon for "fred*" will be used for "fred", "freddy", and "fredo". This is useful is someone goes by multiple, but similar, nicknames. Warning: Icons are an experimental feature and may change in the future.
Customize the theme to create a distinct-looking weblog without the complexity of creating a new theme. You will need to know some HTML and CSS to do this and have a basic understanding of how themes work. See DiaWebLog Theme Help for more information.
To start customizing the theme, check Customize theme and then click Copy templates from theme to copy the default templates. Three templates can be customized: Head, Body Start, and Body End. Head is the template the appears in the HTML head section. Use this template to include a CSS style sheet. Body Start appears at the beginning of the page and Body End at the end. Use this templates to add a header, footer, or sidebar.
Click Preview to preview the weblog with the given theme, icons, and customizations. Click Save to save any changes. Your weblog will be updated in a few seconds.
Post tab
Post new items under the Post tab. You can include a Title, a URL, and a Comment. The item will be posted to the weblog immediately. Items posted here aren't announced in the chatroom.
Edit tab
Edit items under the Edit tab. Click an item's title to go to its Edit Item page. In this page, you can change the item's title or URL, show or hide the item, and add and edit comments. Click Update after changing the title or URL. When you are done, click Back to Weblog Account. Changes do not appear in the weblog immediately. To update the front page, go to the Weblog Account page and press "Save".
Files tab
Upload files under the Files tab. You can upload at most 1 MB (1000 kB) of files, which should be sufficient space for logo graphics and several icons.
Need more help?
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, email support@diaweblog.com.