I have two videos today that will help you contribute content to the GWC site: how to add a blog post and how to upload a video to the site. 

You can find these videos in the network level video gallery and the GWC Support Tips in Two video gallery as well as our network forums.

Topics include:

• NEW How to add a blog post
• NEW How to upload a video
• How to post in a forum
• How to change your status
• How to post an employment opportunity to the GWC Job Board
• How to add people to your Network Colleagues list or block users
• How to upload a presentation
• How to change your GWC account password
• How to change the email address associated with your GWC account
• How to change your display name to include your first and last name
• How to set or change your profile picture
• How to sign up for a GWC account
• How to set your time zone
• How to search for and join a WebSphere User Group
• Searching the GWC site for people, content, and more
• Basic site navigation
• How to invite a colleague to join the site

Click on one of the links above to be taken directly to the video playback; once the page is loaded, scroll down through the video options until you see the large video playback window; click the play button to begin viewing. 

I'll post each time we release videos on the site, so keep an eye out on the blogs and the video gallery.  If you have any suggestions for video topics, please email me by clicking the Send Message link under the profile picture on the upper right-hand side of the screen or by posting a comment in the forum.

We have two more videos in the Tips in Two series.  These videos are provided to help you get around the Global WebSphere Community and are only to minutes long (more or less).

You can find these videos in the network level video gallery and the GWC Support Tips in Two video gallery as well as our network forums.

Topics include:

• NEW How to post in a forum
• NEW How to change your status
• NEW How to post an employment opportunity to the GWC Job Board
• How to add people to your Network Colleagues list or block users
• How to upload a presentation
• How to change your GWC account password
• How to change the email address associated with your GWC account
• How to change your display name to include your first and last name
• How to set or change your profile picture
• How to sign up for a GWC account
• How to set your time zone
• How to search for and join a WebSphere User Group
• Searching the GWC site for people, content, and more
• Basic site navigation
• How to invite a colleague to join the site

Click on one of the links above to be taken directly to the video playback; once the page is loaded, scroll down through the video options until you see the large video playback window; click the play button to begin viewing. 

I'll post each time we release videos on the site, so keep an eye out on the blogs and the video gallery.  If you have any suggestions for video topics, please email me by clicking the Send Message link under the profile picture on the upper right-hand side of the screen or by posting a comment in the forum.

We have two more videos in the Tips in Two series.  These videos are provided to help you get around the Global WebSphere Community and are only to minutes long (more or less).

You can find these videos in the network level video gallery and the GWC Support Tips in Two video gallery as well as our network forums.

Topics include:

NEW How to add people to your Network Colleagues list or block users

NEW How to upload a presentation

 How to change your GWC account password

 How to change the email address associated with your GWC account

 How to change your display name to include your first and last name

 How to set or change your profile picture

How to sign up for a GWC account

How to set your time zone

How to search for and join a WebSphere User Group

Searching the GWC site for people, content, and more

Basic site navigation

How to invite a colleague to join the site

Click on one of the links above to be taken directly to the video playback; once the page is loaded, scroll down through the video options until you see the large video playback window; click the play button to begin viewing. 

I'll post each time we release videos on the site, so keep an eye out on the blogs and the video gallery.  If you have any suggestions for video topics, please email me by clicking the Send Message link under the profile picture on the upper right-hand side of the screen or by posting a comment in the forum.

Hi all -- I just uploaded 4 new videos in the Tips in Two video series. Announced earlier this week, the Tips in Two videos are videos that will help you get started on the Global WebSphere Community.

You can find these videos in the network level video gallery and the GWC Support Tips in Two video gallery as well as our network forums.

Topics include:

NEW How to change your GWC account password

NEW How to change the email address associated with your GWC account

NEW How to change your display name to include your first and last name

NEW How to set or change your profile picture

How to sign up for a GWC account

How to set your time zone

How to search for and join a WebSphere User Group

Searching the GWC site for people, content, and more

Basic site navigation

How to invite a colleague to join the site

Click on one of the links above to be taken directly to the video playback; once the page is loaded, scroll down through the video options until you see the large video playback window; click the play button to begin viewing. 

I'll post each time we release videos on the site, so keep an eye out on the blogs and the video gallery.  If you have any suggestions for video topics, please email me by clicking the Send Message link under the profile picture on the upper right-hand side of the screen or by posting a comment in the forum.

Hello WebSpherians!

We're just starting to release some videos in our Tips in Two series.  These videos are (more or less) two-minute bits of instruction on how to best use the functionality on the Global WebSphere Community site.

You can find these videos in the network level video gallery and the GWC Support Tips in Two video gallery as well as our network forums.

Topics include:

How to sign up for a GWC account

How to set your time zone

How to search for and join a WebSphere User Group

Searching the GWC site for people, content, and more

Basic site navigation

How to invite a colleague to join the site

Click on one of the links above to be taken directly to the video playback; once the page is loaded, scroll down through the video options until you see the large video playback window; click the play button to begin viewing. 

I'll post each time we release videos on the site, so keep an eye out on the blogs and the video gallery.  If you have any suggestions for video topics, please email me by clicking the Send Message link under the profile picture on the upper right-hand side of the screen or by posting a comment in the forum. 

FAQs: Where are the privacy settings for blogs?

The Entry Status field of your blog post determines who can see it.  You can see the Entry Status here:

You have four options:

1.  Public: Anyone who visits the site, GWC member or not, can view your blog post.

2. Friends: Only those who you have accepted as your Network Colleagues on the GWC site can see the blog entry.  (For Group Owners: If you are blogging on your group page and use an Entry Status of friends, the post will be visible to all of your group members.)

3. Private: No one but you can see this blog post.  This is a finished blog post, where a draft is an unfinished blog post.

4. Draft: No one but you can see this blog post; save a draft of an unfinished blog post and come back to it later (we'll cover this in an upcoming blog post).

Note that the default Entry Status is public, which means your blog can be seen by anyone on the site.  To view all of the network-level blogs, click on Home in the light blue bar across the top of the page, and then click on Blogs in the Explore the Community box on the left.

In upcoming blog posts this week, I'll talk about how to edit or delete an existing blog entry as well as how to get back to a blog post you saved as a draft.

FAQ: How do I use an anchor tag in my blog post?

Now that you know how to hyperlink text in your blog post, let's take the next step and incorporate anchor tags.  An anchor tag, when used in conjunction with a hyperlink, allows you to insert a bookmark within a blog post, so that when a reader clicks on the hyperlink with an anchor, they are taken directly to that bookmark.

An anchor tag allows you to direct someone to a specific section of a blog post so that they don't have to scroll through an entry.

Setting an anchor tag

To set an anchor tag in a blog post, place your cursor where you would like to insert the bookmark, and click the anchor button.

Give the anchor a name; do not use any spaces in the anchor name. Click the Insert button.

Note that a little anchor icon appears next to the text you've bookmarked.

Calling an anchor tag

You'll call an anchor tag from a hyperlink; for details on hyperlinks, please click here.  Highlight the text you wish to hyperlink and click the chain icon.

Copy and paste the URL of the blog post you want to call, followed by "#", then the anchor name.  For example, if my URL is website.com and my anchor is named Resources, I would enter this: http:// www.website.com/blog/post1#Resources. Click the Insert button.

NOTE: If you are working on a blog post, and you are trying to call to an anchor tag within that post, you must submit the post before you will get the URL for that post.  The URL for the post while you are editing it is not final.  Submit the post, go to the Explore Member box on the left and click Blog > View Blog.  Click on the title of the blog, and copy the URL for the individual post. 

Your text will be hyperlinked.

Changing an anchor name

Before you change an anchor name, make sure the name you are changing isn't in use; once changed, it will invalidate any anchor tag with the old name.  To change an anchor name, click on the anchor icon in the blog post, and then click on the anchor button in the WYSIWYG editor. 

The Insert/edit anchor window will pop up.  Type in the new anchor name and click the Update button.

We'll continue our exploration of blog functionality next week, so be sure to check back!  If you have any questions, click the Send Message link under my profile picture on the right to send me an email.

FAQs: How do I hyperlink text in my blog?

To hyperlink text means to embed a Web address so then when a reader clicks on the text, their Web browser navigates to that Web address.  You can also hyperlink text with an email address so that when a user clicks on it, the reader's email program generates an email with the hyperlinked email address in the To field.

Using hyperlinks eliminates any typing errors that users might make when retyping a URL or email address and provides a generally faster and easier user experience.

Thanks to the WYSIWYG editor, they're easy to insert into your posts.  Let's get started!

For the basics on making a blog post, click here.  To hyperlink a phrase in your blog post, select it with your mouse cursor and click on the chain link button in the WYSIWYG editor.

In the Insert/edit link window that pops up, fill in the URL or email address you wish to direct people to in the Link URL field.  For URLs, include "http://" before the address (i.e., http:// website.com).  For email addresses, include "mailto:" before the email address (i.e., mailto:jane.smith@company.com).

You have two options from the Target drop-down menu. If, when a reader clicks on the hyperlink, you want the current window (i.e., the window they are reading your blog in) to navigate to the Web address you've specified, select Open link in the same window. If, when a reader clicks on the hyperlink, you want either a new window or a new tab (as specified by their browser preferences) to navigate to the specified Web address, select Open link in a new window. If you don't select one of these two options, the hyperlink by default will open in the same window as the one the reader is viewing your blog post in.  This feature does not apply to an email address hyperlink.

Click the Insert button.

Your text will now be hyperlinked.

To undo a hyperlink, insert your cursor somewhere in the hyperlinked text and click the broken chain button.

Tomorrow, we'll build on this post and incorporate anchor tags into a hyperlink.  Stay tuned!

FAQs: What do all of the buttons in the blog editor mean?

So you can create a blog post and insert photos and videos, but do you know how to format your text?  What are all the options available to you?

Let's take a quick walk through the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor available for posting blogs. 

Here's the first row of the editor for blog posts; let's talk about each option you have:

1. Bold: Click this button to make text bold.
2. Italicize: Click this button to make text italicized.
3. Underline: Click this button to underline text.
4. Cross off: Click this button to cross text off.
5. Left justify: Click this button to justify text to the left.
6. Center: Click this button to justify text in the center of the window.
7. Right Justify: Click this button to justify text to the right.
8. Align full: Click this button to justify text on the left and right.
9. Text format: Select one of the options in this drop-down menu to assign a style to   your text.
10. Bulleted list: Click this button to insert a bulleted list.
11. Numbered list: Click this button to insert a numbered list.
12. Reduce indent: Click this button to reduce an indent back one tab stop.
13. Increase indent: Click this button in increase an indent one tab stop.

Here is the second row of the WYSIWYG editor:

1. Insert hyperlink: Select text in your post and click this button to hyperlink the text to a URL or email address. (For more info on hyperlinks, click here.)
2. Break hyperlink: Click this button to remove the hyperlink to a URL or email address.
3. Insert anchor tag: Click this button to insert an anchor tag. (I'll cover anchor tags in an upcoming blog post.)
4. Undo edit: Click this button to undo the last edit to your post.
5. Redo edit: Click this button to redo the last undone edit to your post.
6. Clean up code: Click this button to clean up the HTML code in your post.
7. See HTML code: To see the plain text HTML code in your blog post, click this button. Be careful editing here, because you can dig yourself into a hole quickly if you don't know HTML.
8. Subscript: Click this button to make text subscripted.
9. Superscript: Click this button to make text superscripted.
10. Insert symbol: Click this button to insert a symbol (i.e., Registration mark or copyright symbol).
11. Insert video: Click this button to insert a video from the Internet into your blog post.
12. Spell check: Click this button to check the spelling of your blog post.
13. Insert emoticon: Click this button to select and insert an emoticon (smiley face).
14. Insert photo: Click this icon to insert a photo from the Internet into your blog post.
15. Change text color: Click this button to change the text color from the color pallatte.

FAQs: How do I insert a video into my blog post?

We've already covered how to upload a video to your GWC account, and you may be wondering how to insert a video into a blog post.  For the basics on making a blog post, click here.

Place your curor where you want to insert your video and click the Insert Video button. 

From this screen, you can insert an existing video or upload a new video to your gallery.

NOTE: If you upload a new video, it will take the site a few minutes to process it. You cannot insert a video until the site is done processing it.  When a video is processing it looks like this:

Navigate to the video you wish to insert and select it.  A selected video will have a yellow background; an unselected video will have a gray background. Click the Select Video button.

Your video will be inserted into the blog post. Until your post is submitted, the video will display like this:

As always, if you have any questions, please click the Send Message link under my profile picture to the right.