By Lee Sykes
February 2007
In this tutorial we demonstrate how to use the DotNetNuke blog module. (v3.02.00)
The blog module is one of the more complex modules in DotNetNuke. It consists of five separate modules which include:
- Blog search: allows you to search through all of the blog posts
- Blog list: displays a list of all blogs in the DotNetNuke portal
- Blog posts: displays the most recent blog entries or the posts from a specific blog
- Blog archive: displays a calendar of dates when blog posts were made
- New blog: allows you to create a new blog, add a blog post and configure the blog settings
Each of these modules can be moved, deleted, and configured as you wish.
We walk you through step by step, all of the various configuration options so that you get a full understanding of how the blog module works. We demonstrate the initial setup of the module, right through to configuring the module for members of staff to make blog posts. We then explore some of the advanced options where we configure the blog module so that usersA and usersB can only view certain blogs.
FAQ
After reading in the dotnetnuke.com forum, here are some of the answers to questions that are regularly asked. (These apply to blog module v3.02.00.)
1) Is it possible to let everyone in a specific group contribute to the same blog?
At present this is not possible, the only way you can achieve this is to give all of your users in the same group, the same username to login ie. they all use the same account. The blog module can only create one blog per user. (But each blog can consist of child blogs)
2) Is there a way to set up the blog module so that each user has a separate blog?
Yes, this is the default configuration. The user has their own blog with child blogs and no other user is able to post entries to the blog.
3) Can I create a moderated blog?
No
4) Can I allow certain users access to view certain blogs?
Yes, we detail how to do this in the video tutorial
5) Can a user create multiple parent blogs?
No, currently a user can only create one parent blog and multiple child blogs (this maybe supported in a future release)
These 8 video tutorials walk you through step by step how to configure the blog module.
If you are new to blogging, we recommend that you view the articles at the bottom of this page.
The videos cover:
Video 1 - Introduction, installation, setting the correct permissions
- Introduction to the blog module
- The blog module in action
- Pre-configuration: security roles and users added, giving staff access to add blogs
- How to install the blog module to DotNetNuke v4.4
- How to add the blog module to a page
- How to arrange the 5 blog modules on the page
- How to configure the correct view and edit permissions for the 5 blog modules
Time Length: 11min 30secs
Video 2 - Creating a blog, configuring, creating a post
- How to create a blog for each user
- Configuring the user accounts to access the blog module, create a blog and create posts
- How to set the title and description of the blog
- How to configure the blog options: Make this blog public, allowing comments, trackbacks, RSS feeds (syndication)
- How to receive an email notification when a comment is posted
- How to set the display identity
- How to add an email address into the RSS feed
- Date and time options
- Explanation of the layout of the newly created blog
- How to edit the settings of the blog
- How to create a new post in the blog
- How to enter the title, summary and blog content
- Entry Options: Published, allow comments, copyright notice
- How to prevent the blog module from stretching a fixed width skin
Time Length: 13min 11secs
Video 3 - Creating multiple user blogs, child blogs
- How to create a second user blog
- How to create a blog post with a summary automatically created by DotNetNuke
- How to create a third user blog
- How to create a fourth user blog with child blogs
- How to create a parent blog
- How to create a child blog (create categories for the blog)
Time Length: 8min 29secs
Video 4 - Adding and viewing posts, working with comments
- How to create a blog post in a parent blog
- How to create a blog post in a child blog
- Viewing the blog list for child portals
- Viewing the blogs as an anonymous user
- Adding comments as an anonymous user
- Explanation of the different comment settings in the 4 blogs
- Viewing the blogs as a registered user
- Adding comments as a registered user
- How to manage comments received as the blog owner
- Viewing the email notification
- How to view comments awaiting approval
- How to approve, edit and delete comments
Time Length: 11min 27secs
Video 5 - RSS feeds, syndication
- Blog Syndication, RSS feeds
- Explanation of Syndicate this blog and Managing Editor Email
- Viewing the RSS icons
- Viewing the source of the RSS feed and an explanation of the RSS feed content
- Viewing the blog RSS feeds using the News Feeds module
- How to configure RSS syndication for child blogs
- Viewing the RSS feeds for a parent and independent child blog RSS feed
Time Length: 9min 22secs
Video 6 - Blog configuration options
- Configuration options for the blog module - Module Options
- Make entry description mandatory
- Limit blog summary to
- Limit search summary to
- Limit upload image width to
- Limit recent entries to
- Limit recent RSS entries to
- Allow upload options
- How to add a blog post and uploading an image
- How to add an attachment to the blog post
- Linked files - How to delete uploaded files
- Show blog summary
- Show unique title
- Personal blog page
- How to create a separate page for each blog
- Enable DNN search
- Regenerate all permalinks
Time Length: 13min 51secs
Video 7 - Applying the blog module configuration options to a real world example - part a
- How to create a blog page which only staff members can view, post and search
- How to create a separate page to display a single staff member blog
- How to delete the blog list
- Adding 3 further separate blog pages
- How to add security roles for subscribersA and subscribersB
Time Length: 7min 17secs
Video 8 - Applying the blog module configuration options to a real world example - part b
- Adding the users to the security roles subscribersA and subscribersB
- How to configure a blog page to have view permissions of subscribers
- Demonstrating access as a member of staff
- Demonstrating access as subscriberA
- Demonstrating access as subscriberB
- Demonstrating access as a standard registered user
- How to delete a blog
Time Length: 6min 50secs
Total time length: 81min 57secs
References in the video:
Security Roles and User accounts -
Issue 1,
Issue 13,
Issue 14
RSS Feeds -
Issue 3
News Feeds module