OUR FAMILY WEBSITE IS GROWING!

We are now officially "ourfamilygathering.net" on the internet!

In addition to this blog, we have a website that is under construction. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping to design and maintain it, or if you have any ideas for content.

There is also a personalized start page for each member of the family, which includes email (if you want it), chat ability with each other, and an interactive calendar that everyone can update.

Please email me if you would like a username set up for these new features.
My email is Sandi (at) ourfamilygathering.net!

Family Gathering Web Album

Google has added another cool feature that we can use on our family website -- an automatically updated web album. (If you are signed in to post a comment here, you'll see our album when you click on the link!) Since the service is still new, only photos that were posted from December forward are currently included in the album. Eventually all of the photos we've ever posted on The Family Gathering will be there.

I'm also putting a link to the album on the sidebar, to make it easy to find the album. Let me know what you all think...

We've been updated!

Blogger has been working on updating their program, adding a lot of neat features. Most of these features have to do with the blog administration and how to change the way the blog looks. The new blog also publishes faster (no more re-indexing after you add a post!) and adds the ability to "label" each post. I've been waiting for our chance to get the newer program ever since Blogger announced their Beta program, and we have finally been included in the update.

The next time you sign in to post something new, or comment on a post, you'll be asked to create a new Google account. (If you already have a Google account, you can enter that.) It's very easy to do... just follow the steps they'll give you to create a new sign-in and password.

When you do post, you'll notice that publishing is instant. No more waiting for it to re-index! (I always hated that part; I could never decide if it was better to republish the entire blog or just the index.)

Also, you're going to be seeing labels on the posts. There will also be a section along the side that shows the labels. We'll be able to use a label to find posts with pictures. If anyone has other label ideas, just let me know. (Or better yet, add it to describe a post you write!)

As I figure out the other new features, I'll let you know.

(And my apologies to everyone with December birthdays -- I meant to update the Celebrations page earlier. Happy Belated birthday to both Cheyenne and Micki, and Happy Anniversary to Herb and Gail!)

How To Post *

I've had a couple of people tell me that they haven't been able to post anything because they've forgotten how to do it. Unless you're on the blog a lot, it can be confusing. So here are some step-by-step directions.

1. To get onto the family blog, just click "sign in" in the upper right corner. This brings you to the sign-in screen. If you prefer, you can click the big "B" (in front of "blogger") that's in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Clicking the "power blogger" button on the bottom of the page works, too.
   
2. On the right of the new screen, you're given two choices: to sign into Blogger or to sign into New Blogger (formerly Blogger Beta). You want the first one (new Blogger), so click on that choice.
3. Then you'll be given a chance to enter your user name (the name you created when you first joined the blog) and your password (which you also created when you first joined). If you have forgotten your user name or password, email me for help. Also, if you don't have a user name yet, email me and I'll send you an invitation to join.
4. If this is the first time you've used the new blogger, you'll have to create a Blogger ID. The screens will walk you through, so just type in the information you're asked for. (Again, if you need specific help with this, just call or email me and I'll walk you through it.)
   
5. After you've entered your username and password, Blogger will bring you to the dashboard. Just click on the big plus sign under "new post" to do a new post.
6. Type your post, and remember to include a Title in the Title box.
7. Add a label to your post in the box along the bottom of the screen. The labels we're using include your name (i.e. Herb and Gail, April, Kelly, Colorado Herb, etc.) as well as "photos." (Don't worry if you don't have a label -- I'll come back and edit it for you.)
   
8. Click on "Publish."

If you just want to comment on a post that someone else has written, you don't have to go through as many steps.

1. All you do is click on the word "people chatting" under the post that is already there.
2. Type your comment.
3. Then add your user name and password in the boxes given.
4. Click on the "log-in and publish" button and you're finished.

I hope this helps. If you still have problems with it, you can always email me. My email is slkilbride(at)gmail.com [change the (at) to @].

*This was updated on 1/26/2007.