Creative Happy Fun Time Super Place

Those of you who have talked to me on a somewhat constant basis know that I've been waiting very patiently for the Inika to come to Calgary. Specifically Nuparu and Hewkii. I went to my local Toys'R'Us a few days ago, and found something to my dismay. Yes, the Inika were finally being sold. But they were gone. All of them.

In a matter of minutes.

It wasn't a large stock. Maybe about 50 on the shelves. By the time I got there after the store had opened, I had found the empty space on the shelf, let alone one Kongu and a price tag. I had also found out [from a rather cute employee] that the night crew had put them there only the night before. She went on to tell me that there were no more in the back room.

So I'm still waiting patiently. The two Nuparus and one Hewkii I yearn for shall go unpurchased until I'm lucky enough to see them on the shelves somewhere. These are the first sets I'm willing to pay full price for since Makuta back in '03.

Lego, you did good by the Inika. You really did.

~Makaru~

All right, so I just finished three of the biggest entries that will appear in this Blog. But I wouldn't have got this far if it wasn't for a select few people.

First person I have to thank is -Kex-. It was his blog [as well as his coaxing] that inspired me to become a premier member.

I also have to thank Black Six. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be without Blog powers, even after becoming Premier. Sorry for buggin' ya constantly, and thanks for making this possible.

I was looking for someone to help me come up with a sig, and it was sheer luck that I saw IXI and Lokrien Falconer [Skops]'s Avatar and Banner shop in Completely Off Topic, The Teahouse. Though it was IXI's design, both get props for being such skilled artists. Seriously, go to their shop and see what they can do.

You see those red and black banners in the BLOG Info Entries? Yeah, those are all credit to Than, Matoran of Anger. Because of him, navigating for help on the Blogging Community has become much easier.

I would also like to announce my Official Blog Artist, Biomech. You can't see any of his work yet, but he'll help to spiff this place up right nice. My 'Blog Pimper Upper', if you will.

I would also like to thank my co-staff, Darnzerf, Kahu Rider 13 and Janus for helping me build this place. We bounced ideas, and this was the result.


So it's done. Feel free to comment on the appearance, or if you have any questions on how to use the new info directories, ask here.

~Makaru~

Welcome to the Blog Q&A. Here is your chance to speak directly to the Blog Assistants (Darnzerf, Kahu Rider 13 and myself) and ask any questions plagueing you about this strange new world. Please check out the Blog FAQ first, as your question may already be answered there.

What is a Blog?
A Blog is a Web Log, or Online Journal. It is a place where you can post whatever you feel like, provided you follow BZP's rules and guidelines.

How Do I get a Blog?
Only Premier Members can have Blogs. There is only one exception [see next item]. There are two ways to start a blog once you are a Premier Member. One is under the Blog Settings section in your Control Panel. There will be a button lables "Start A New Blog". The other location is on the Community Blog List Page. There will be a similar link in the bar with the other links. It will look like this:
Last 10 Entries · Start a New Blog · Syndicate all Blogs (RSS) · Mark all Blogs as read.
Follow the instructions to make your Blog.

I started a Blog on BZP's Birthday, and I'm not a Premier Member. Can I still use my blog?
Short answer: No.
You can still see comments and post in the existing entries, but you will not be able to edit your Blog's appearence, start new entries or approve new comments [if applicable]. However if you eventually do pay for Premier Membership, you will be able to use your Blog again.

Sounds good, but what does a Blog do for me?
Ever wanted to post a topic, but it doesn't belong in any of the forums? Done. Got some ideas you want to bounce off of the community? Done. Want to have a place where you can talk about your personal life? Done. Got a cat? Great. Talk about it in your blog. A blog is BZP's answer to having the maximum personal freedom.

Can I advertise my/a Website on my Blog?
Provided that it follows BZP's Advertising Guidelines.







Who is the Blog Team?
The Blog Team is made up of Staff Members whose sole purpose is to moderate and maintain BZP's Blogging Community. It is made up of four blog assistants [Darnzerf, Kahu Rider 13, Kohaku and myself, ~Makaru~] and one blog leader [Janus]. We read every entry and comment made on BZP, and moderate accordingly. We are also the formost authority in the Blogging Community.

I saw something in a blog that breaks BZP's rules and Guidelines. What do I do?
There are two things you can do. PM it to a Blog Assistant, and they will take it from there. Or you can post in the Blog Reports section of this Blog. All reports are made annonymously.

I saw something that might have broken rules, but I'm not sure. What do I do then?
Still report it. It is not your responsibility to have to prove each report. We will look into it from there.

I can't read some of the comments. They're half blocked by content blocks. How do I fix this?
Read this topic.







How do I blog?

The main tool for editing your blog page is the bar in the top right area of your screen. You'll use it for a lot of things.

Adding Entries

Of course, the heart of your blog is the entries. Go to the "Entries" menu, click on the little down arrow. From here, clicking Add Entry will take you to a screen that looks like your normal new topic screen. Say whatever you've got to say. If you want to see what your entry looks like, Previewing your post might be a good idea, especially if you have images or related items. If you wish, you can save it as a Draft entry first, by using the pulldown menu below your text box, and you can see a preview of how your wonderiffic entry will look on your blog, without anyone else seeing it. If you decide you like it, press the Publish button, and it'll be all set up for everyone. Also under your Entries menu, you can hide/show all your draft entries, if you want to keep it looking clean for yourself as well.
And if you decide you don't like your published entry anymore, you can make it a draft with the Make Draft button.

Entry Posting Screen
Draft Entry
Published Entry

Comments

Of course, you want people to talk to, right? Click on either the "Comments: *number*" on the lower right side of your entry, or the title of the entry itself to see what people have to say. Of course, use the Fast Reply or Add Reply buttons, and you can quote and reply to other peoples comments. In your own blog, you can delete and edit posts, a handy tool for cleaning up unwanted spam, or replying to a comment in minimum space. You can also lock entries, if more comments are unwanted, or if it is an entry that only needs to be read, and you do not wish for comments to be made.

Comments

Content Blocks

You may see these around other members' blogs, pretty cool, right? How do I do it? What can I do? Go to your Content Blocks pull down menu, and select from the available blocks, or to make your own, use the "Add Custom Content Block" button. This will take you to a screen similar to the new entry screen, but the difference is where these go - along the sides of your blog. Images, links, all that stuff, use standard BBCode (bold, italics, links, etc.) to make something unique. Maybe a picture of yourself, maybe a bio, maybe a disclaimer, maybe an intro. Anything. Once you're done, select "Add Content Block", and you're back to your blog page. Position the block as you want by placing your mouse over the title of it (in our case, Custom Content Block) until you get the move icon. Move it up, down, to the other side. A tip, don't use big images or long strands of text in your content blocks, as they will either stretch the screen or run over into your entries. The enter key is your friend.

Content Block
Content Block Pull-Down List

Ratings

The last section on the menu bar is the Rating. Depending on the various conditions, you may see some stars. For all blogs, they have a rating from 1-5. You may only rate a blog once, so judge wisely, don't sabotage blog ratings, etc. After a blog recieves six votes, a rating appears, so if you voted and nothing comes up, don't worry. The rating is of course based on an average of all the votes recieved. It's a good way to know what people think of your blog.

If you list blogs by ratings, the blogs with the highest percentage rating is listed, not the one with the most votes. For example, a blog listed 5/5 from six votes will be placed higher than a blog with 4.9/5 from 93 votes.

• No flaming or cursing. We want to keep these blogs safe for our younger members to read, and this does not make for a friendly atmosphere. Moreover, do not bypass the word filter, as this shows that you are aware of the rule and thus deliberately breaking it.
• No political or religious entries, as many people have extreme views on these subjects, and 99% of these discussions result in flaming. This extends to quotes such as "Jesus loves you" or "Proud to be a Christian".
• No pictures, links or even references to adult material such as porn or hentai. This is a serious offence that can lead to instant banning from BZPower.
• Much of the content that would be considered spam in the forums is allowed in the blogs, as here it reflects on the author rather than on BZP. However, there is to be no double-posting, is this is an unnecessary waste of bandwidth.
• Do not advertise sites with forums or that link to forums. This rule is in place to prevent members from leaving BZP in favour of these sites; BZPower is not a source of members for your own forum. Moreover, the BZP staff have no control over these sites and any inappropriate content that may be posted on them.

Should you find a violation, please report it to the Blog Moderation Team by PMing one of the Blog Assistants and writing a brief description of the violation. You may also use the Blog Reports section of this Blog.

Welcome to the Blog Report section. I've gotten many comments from people asking me how to report Blog Entries. Now you have a place to do it. Simply post in this topic if you find an entry, comment or content block you think breaks BZP's rules, using this form:

Blog Name: [Link would be appreciated]
Member Name: [NOT the name of the blog Author of the Blog, but the comment. A link to exact comment will be helpful]
Rule broken: [Simply post what it does]

Using this form, PM any one of the Blog assistants or Blog Leader. These would be:

~Makaru~
Kahu Rider 13
Darnzerf
Janus
(links will send you to the PM window for that member)