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Title: BLOG OFF!
Subtitle: IF YOU NEED ME READ ME.
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Contents
Introduction ...4
What goes where?...6
Common problems...8
How to solve them...10
Uploading images...12
Uploading videos...14
Labels...16
Post options...18
Navigation...20
Keeping consistent...22
Organisation...24
Friendly Advice...26
Fun puns and phrases...30
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What the Bloggy hell is it?!
Welcome to the world of Graphic Design as a student at Leeds College of Art. You will soon discover that Blogging is an essential part of the course and that you wont survive unless you know a thing or two about how to do it. But not to worry this little Booklet will kick start you and answer any questions that the previous year has asked and will also address any problems you may encounter as a new student.
The student blogs are a crucial aspect of this course. Primarily they are used by you to document your work such as development, research and evaluations of your work as you progress through the course. Some parts of the blogs are even focussed on specific...
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...modules or can even include more personal findings and developments outside of the work you will undertake on the course. Secondly the blogs are used by the tutors and examiners to assess your work throughout the year when it comes to handing in a module.
If you already use blogger or any other blogging websites then your lucky! However, you may still find some of the information within useful.
Right lets get started.
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What To Blog And Where To Blog IT
DP:- you will have to document all you work that you produce and post it to your Design Practice blog, for example design sheets, photographs, drawings, notes from seminars, briefings and lectures, any digital work and developments you make. Also any primary research you do should be posted here as it's your own findings and not anyone else's. It's important to be thorough and blog everything your doing to show the examiners that your development. Don't forget to write about your work to show your thoughts and opinions for what your doing.
DC:- this is where the majority of your research and findings will be posted to. People often get confused with what you should post to DP and DC and end up putting it on the wrong one or on both which is unnecessary. Anything you find on the internet, in magazines, look books, flyers, posters, blogs, newspapers, libraries, articles, publications and so on should be posted to your Design Context blog. Just like your DP blog you should evaluate and write about your findings and what you like or dislike about them, more often than not you will be searching for things that are relevant to the brief(s) you are currently working on.
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CTS:- Critical and Theoretical Studies is a separate module entirely and has it's own blog. You will have to blog all your lecture and seminar notes from the CTS sessions to this blog alongside a set of tasks set by your CTS tutor and an essay. This blog acts like a small portfolio for the CTS department to assess themselves after the module deadline. Typically you wont have as much to post to this blog but it is a good idea to do extra research and post more findings than you need to strengthen your bibliography when it comes to writing evaluations and critically analysing works.
PPD:- to begin with you will have to post all your briefs, rationales and evaluations to your Personal and Professional Development blog along with all your final pieces. This is extremely important when it comes to assessment as it shows evidence that you have received, evaluated and answered each brief. After a while you will be encouraged to post any other things you feel fit such as live briefs that you my undertake outside of college. You can even post little things like a new recipe that you have learnt how to cook. This is meant to show who you are as a person as well as a designer. It becomes more fun the more you do it.
IT'S BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND BLOGGED THAN TO HAVE NEVER BLOGGED AT ALL.
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COMMON PROBLEMS
Blogger isn't always user friendly and has been known to cause many problems, these are some of the more common ones which 1st years have encountered in the past.
Uploading images: - people have a lot of varying issues when it comes to uploading images.
Images not coming up properly on your blog: - when viewing your blog after posting and the images come up as white boxes and/or have blue "?" marks instead of showing the image you have posted.
Server Rejection: - when the server doesn't accept and image when you try to upload them, this will be displayed in the upload box.
Uploading Videos: - again this covers several different issues people have had with posting videos to their blogs.
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Videos not coming up properly on your blog: - Videos being displayed and a random sequence of letterforms and glyphs known as 'html' instead of being a functioning video.
Running out of storage space: - when you are unable to upload any more images and videos because you have maxed out your storage space limit.
Arranging images in the post box: - people have difficulty arranging images inside the post box before posting. Images overlap, go missing or have large gaps between them.
Seems like a lot to stop you blogging but there are solutions. P.T.O
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HOW TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS
Images:- more often than not there is some form of maintenance or updating going on with Bloggers server and it causes uploading to run slowly and in some extreme cases not at all. These will eventually sort themselves out.
Other problems may be caused by not saving your files in the correct format before trying to upload them. Files must be saved as JPEG,GIF or PNG files.
The most common reason for images not showing properly on your blog is because they have been dragged and dropped from a webpage or document. In order to change this you must save the images first and upload them like any other image.
Sever rejections: - It is unknown as to why sever rejections happen but they do and there is a very simple way to get around them which is to simple open up a different browser like FireFox and try again.
Videos: - In order to get a video on to your blog you must make your it has been exported correctly after finishing it. The video should be exported for web view and it helps to compress it in order to upload quickly and save space.
If you post a video from a video website such and Youtube or Vimeo you must make sure you embed the video properly. See 'Uploading Videos' for how to embed.
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What to do if you run out of space: - DON'T PANIC. If this happens blogger will ask you if you would like to buy more space, It is advised that you do so as it is cheap and you wont have to problem again. It will cost roughy £4 for a year and you will be allowed 20GB which is plenty of space. There are other ways to avoid this such as compressing all your images to save space, creating a new blog and link it to the first one or using alternative blogging site to hold your images such as Tumblr or Photobucket. This can become a chore however and it may look untidy.
How to make laying out posts easier: - the best way to get the layout you desire is to avoid editing the order of your images in the posting box. Instead, upload your images in the order that you want them to appear and then use the image adjustments tool bar that appears below an image when you highlight it to change the size and alignment.
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UPLOADING IMAGES
Uploading images is one of the most frequently used functions on blogger and there are a few things you need to know before you start so it becomes a simple and stressless task.
Format
Formatting images and files properly is a must as you will not be able to upload any of them if they are not JPG, GIF or PNG.
File Size and Compression
it is advised to compress your files and images before uploading so they upload quickly and save you space. You will be uploading a lot of them so space saving is a good habit to get into.
Ordering your images.
If you try to move the images around manually in the posting box you will discover it is no easy task. It is best to order the images your uploading in the folder your uploading from first so when you add them to your post you don't have to change them around. You can also move them by using the HTML editing function on the top right of the posting box but this can get confusing.
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Alignment
you can align your text as well as images by highlighting them and selecting the alignment you want from the tool bar at the top of the posting box. You can also align images separately by selecting one and using the pop up tool bar that will appear below or above it.
Captions
From that same tool bar you have the option to add or remove captions to your images. you may want to use these when talking specifically about that image or to give and image a title.
Editing and Rotating.
You can't edit your images on blog however you can drag and drop them into Photoshop first and edit them there. It's an easy way to turn photos the correct way round and to keep them looking visually consistent.
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UPLOADING VIDEOS
Uploading your own videos to blogger is tricky and ill advised, a better way to post both your own videos and videos you've found is to either link or embed them.
Before you learn how to do this you will need to have a Youtube or Vimeo account so you can upload your videos to the internet before transferring them to your blog. It sounds like more effort but it's a much easier process than uploading straight to blogger.
Linking.
Linking is very easy to do, you simply highlight the URL code in the search box at the top of your browse and press cmd+c to copy the code then you go to your posting box and click where you would like to paste the text and press cmd+v to paste it. Once this is done highlight the text you have just pasted and then click the 'Link' button to link it to the webpage you found the video on.
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Embedding.
Embedding is what you should use if you want the videos you make or find to play on your blog so people don't have to navigate away from your blog to view it. You simple click on the 'Share' button below the video you want to embed then click the 'Embed' button and the HTML code with come up and you copy and paste that to you posting box instead of the URL code.
Interpreting HTML.
once you have copied and pasted the HTML code of the video you want to embed you then have to click on 'Post options' and select 'Interpret typed HTML' otherwise the HTML will be posted to your blog as it is and wont be much use.
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LABELS
What's a Label and why are they important?
Labels are little tags that you have to put on each of your posts in order to differentiate which posts apply each module. The way it works is that each module has its own specific code which will be something like 'OUGD101'. Labels are used so that the examiners can easily access and entire module of work when assessing so they don't have to scroll through the rest of the work that may be ongoing. So it's important to get your labels organised and make sure that your label posts correctly.
How to label your posts
Creating a label is easy, you simply have to type in the module code that the post is relevant to in the 'Labels' box at the bottom right of the posting box and then once its published you can select that label for any other posts for that module.
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Batch labelling
If you for get to label a lot and you need to go back and label your posts there is an easy way of doing this and its quick too. all you need to do is click 'Edit Posts' on the blog you need to label and you should see a list of post that are on that blog, then you need to select the blogs that need to be labelled by ticking the boxes next to them and type in the label at the top left of the list. If you have already created the label you want to use before it should come up and you can select it. This will label all the selected posts in one go. Simple.
Gadgets
Gadgets are really useful tools to set up and keep your blog organised. There is a labels gadget which allows you to display links to your labels so the tutors and other students can access separate modules within your blog.
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POST OPTIONS
The post options is a drop down menu at the bottom of the posting box, it has several helpful functions that you will have to use at some point on the course.
Interpreting html: - This can be toggled between showing the html sequence literally or interpreting it. Once interpreted it will show the information as the image or more often video as it should be. If left you will just have line after line of code on your blog.
Also you can manually edit and arrange HTML by clicking on the 'Edit HTML' button next to the 'compose' button on the top right of the posting box. This is helpful when trying to rearrange images and videos but can get tricky if you lose some of the code by mistake.
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Drafts: - below the post options drop down button you will see the 'Save Now' button, this will save automatically anyway but if you don't want to publish something straight away or if you have to stop halfway and finish it later just click the button and it will save it as a draft which you can then finish later.
Editing Posts: - If ever you need to edit a post you can access all your previous posts on the blog using by clicking the 'Edit Posts' links at the top of the posting box page underneath 'Comments'.
Setting the Time and Date: - This is very useful if you have forgotten to blog something or have blogged in a random order and need to organise you posts chronologically. Its important that your blog is easy to view for the tutors and examiners and keeping you posts in order shows a consistency of work and development.
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NAVIGATION
Why is navigation important?
Its a really helpful thing to do, both for yourself and for the tutors assessing your work. Applying gadgets to link your blogs and labels allows you to access different categories of work and research within your blogs.
Setting up gadgets.
To set up your gadgets you have to select the 'Design' option underneath each blog on your Dashboard. This will then take you to a stripped down layout of your blog where there are links that you can select to add various gadgets to your blog.
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Linking your blogs
You will be asked to link your blogs early on in the course by the tutors as they wont be able to navigate through your blogs to find the work they need to assess. So how to do it. You can link your blogs through the use of gadgets. Go into the design interface on one of your blogs and click 'Add Gadget' to where you would like to have your list of links. A box with a list of gadgets will appear, scroll down and select the 'Link List' gadget. Fill in the details of the blog you want to link to, note that it is important to type in the URL code correctly or the link will not work properly. After this you can click 'Add Link' to add another blog to the list before saving. To be thorough, it is a good idea to do this for each blog so they are all interlinked and you wont have to travel back several pages in order to go forward to a different blog.
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KEEPING CONSISTENT
Consistency is key to having a a good blog and making your work look more presentable. You may find yourself sending your blog to agencies and clients in the future and you don't want them to get a bad impression of your organisational skills from having an untidy and inconsistent blog.
Things to consider
Colour - Colour can be effective but the most fail safe option is to leave it white.
Background - there is a selection of backdrops to choose from in the design section for each blog however they may seem tacky or unnecessary. If in doubt, leave it blank white.
Blog Headers - You may not feel the need for designing headers for you blogs but that do give a nice personal touch to it and people can see what sort of designs you come up with which is what to blog will do essentially anyway.
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mage size and orientation - try not to use too many different scales of image in one post, it gets untidy and doesn't add to your blog.
Font type and point size - choose a type face you like (there aren't many to choose from) and stick with it, this makes you text look more meaning full and distinguished
Labels and tags - as well as labelling everything correctly you can also tag your post specifically to the brief its in conjunction with. This is help when determining which body of work a post belongs to.
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ORGANISATION
Stay organised! Organisation skills and time management can be really hard to keep up with but its a good practice for the future and it helps greatly with staying on top of your blogging.
The more organised you are the less blogging you have to do in one go and it feels like you have less work to do.
Get into The Habit.
You will progressively get used to the amount of blogging you are required to do but getting into the habit of doing it straight away and consistently is the hard part. Make it interesting and fun to do. Remind yourself how good it feels to have done it and got it out of the way, it's an extra weight off your shoulders no matter how much or little you've blogged.
Prioritise your work.
What needs to be done first? What can wait till later? Consider your deadlines and time it' will take to do something. Think about the opportunities you have to blog. First thing in the morning after signing in, straight away after a workshop or seminar, during lunch etc. The last blog you should do before a critique or module hand in should be the morning of the deadline. There is always something more to blog.
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Time Management.
Set aside at least 1 hour each day to blog your work and other findings. Divide your time up so your blogging a bit for each brief your working on at the moment.
Focus on one thing at a time so you don't get rushed or overwhelmed by the amount you feel you have to blog, this makes blogging a lot more relaxed and less stressful.
Procrastination is your enemy!
By all means take a break to refresh yourself but don't get carried away or your blogging will pile up and it will have a knock on effect with your time management.
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FRIENDLY ADVICE
Chris Van Neikerk:
Do it all the time. You think it's easy but it piles up and its essential as most of your work is assessed through the blogs.
Eddie Cooper:
Get in the habit.
Yaffet Bisrat:
Don't worry about running out of space and don't forget the Design Context blog.
Luke O'Brien;
Get into the habit of blogging.
Ben Harwood:
Do it every day. Blog something straight after you've done it.
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Kirsty Fruin
Do it frequently. Blog everything.
Will Cotterill
Start reading and understanding html. Watch videos on how to do it.
Lewis Francis
Try and make it enjoyable.
Joe Warburton
Know how to change the date and time.
Oli Cassel
Stay on top of it.
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Frankie Roberts
Just do it!
Dom Rugman
Try and do it quick and do it while it's their in your mind and still fresh.
Live Chapman
Make sure you tag your posts.
Kirsty Alderson
Never ever leave it to the last minute, blog as you go along.
Beth Yates
Do it as your working.
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Baljeet Samra
Keep on top of it, don't leave it till the last minute.
Sarah Pritchard
Don't leave it for another day. Do it the day you get it. Blog everything.
Lisa Whitaker
Blog straight after workshops while it's still fresh in your mind. Worth checking out other peoples blogs.
Simon Cherry
Do it! Don't leave it till last minute. Its a relief once it's done.
Charlie Crosby
Don't panic and don't suffer in silence if something goes wrong, talk to one of the tutors or your classmates. Every problem as a solution.
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FUN PUNS AND PHRASES
BLOGGIN' HECK. OH BLOGGY HELL.
WHEN IN DOUBT BLOG IT OUT. BLOG, BLOG, THEN BLOG SOME MORE.
BLOG LIKE NOBODIES WATCHING. WASTE NOT BLOGSPOT. JUST DO IT.
BLOG OFF. BIG BAD BLOG. GO BLOG IT OUT. BLOG LIKE ITS 1999.
BLOG LIKE YOU'VE NEVER BLOGGED BEFORE. BLOG ON. BLOG POT.
NOTORIOUS B.L.O.G. DON'T PANIC. BLOG IT. BLOG IT. BLOG UP.
CATCH IT. BIN IT. BLOG IT. A BLOG IS FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR YOU DEGREE.
LOOKING BLOG, SMELLING BLOG, BEING BLOG. BLOG.
TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG? THAT IS THE QUESTION. CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOG.
GET BLOGGY. GET BLOGGING. BLOG UP YOU IDEAS. JUST BLOG IT.
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LIVE IT, LOVE IT, BLOG. LIVE IT, BLOG IT, LEEDS (COLLEGE OF ART).
BLOG YOUR SOCKS OFF. BLOG ROLL. EVERY BLOG HAS A SILVER LINING.
ITS BETTER TO HAVE BLOGGED THEN TO HAVE NEVER BLOGGED AT ALL.
BLOG YOUR HEART OUT. IF YOU LIKE IT BLOG IT. IF YOU LEARNT IT BLOG IT.
IF YOU DID IT BLOG IT. IF OYU CAN DO IT BLOG IT. NEVERMIND THE BOLLOCKS HERE'S BLOGGER MAY THE BLGO BE WITH YOU.
YOU HAVE TO POST A FEW BLOGS BEFORE ON TURNS INTO A GRAPHIC DESIGNER.
JENNY FROM THE BLOG. OH MY BLOG. PUT A BLOG ON IT. BLOG TO THE FUTURE.
ONCE A BLOG ALWAYS A BLOG.
DRAW, BLOG. PHOTOGRAPH, BLOG. ILLUSTRATE, BLOG. ANYTHING, BLOG. EVERYTHING, BLOG. BLOG IT, LOVE IT, ORGANISE IT, GRAPHIC DESIGN IT.
KEEP CALM AND BLOG ON.
Back Cover
KEEP
CALM
AND
BLOG
ON
