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Use the Extended Tab, Please
To Deep Brain Diarist, dickday and others who tend to write long, please use the extended tab so that more recent posts stay on the aggregate blog's front page longer. I wrote one about half an hour ago. It's already been pushed off the front page, in part because of a spam attack and in part because too few use the Extended tab when writing posts.
Thanks, fellas.
Thanks, fellas.
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Sorry, Rip, I forgot and posted a long one...I'll do better next time.
September 14, 2009 2:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
You can always go back to Cut and Paste into the extend tab. :O) I use the feature as a way to introduce the longer piece to come.
September 14, 2009 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, Jason...I'll try it!
September 14, 2009 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hi, Rip. Great suggestion - however, some of us who have tried it once before have had difficulties with it. When I tried it, I somehow copied and pasted the extended part of my post twice.
I'd suggest having one of you write down quick instructions on how to do it properly, so that folks like my mother and Dickday can refer to them next time they post.
Thanks!
September 14, 2009 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
No problem!
1. Never copy and paste from a web page or from MS Word directly to your blog post. In either case, you may pick up extraneous formatting tags. Instead, PC users should write in Notepad or paste the final post into a Notepad document and then copy THAT and paste into the blog post. Mac users, use TextEdit.
2. Paste or write only the first part of your long post in the main tab, making sure to leave 1 extra carriage return after it. Paste only the rest of your post into the extended tab.
3. Add formatting using the tag buttons in the blog.
4. Preview. Make changes if necessary. Preview again. Publish.
September 14, 2009 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks Rip. Now can you please tell me how to do block quotes with shading in comments? (okay, I admit to shameless taking advantage of you here!)
And thanks for this post - Long been a pet peeve of mine too especially when there are three and four in a row!
September 14, 2009 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sure.
1. If other regular text will come below the blockquoted text, make sure some of it appears below the blockquoted section or even that text will pick up the blockquote formatting.
2. Highlight the text you want to appear in a block quote. Highlight ONLY that text, from its first letter to its last period.
3. Click the blockquote button just above your text. This is the button just to the right of the button that looks like an envelope. That's all you need to do.
September 14, 2009 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks so much for both sets of instructions. I know how to blockquote in comments, but never learned to do it properly in a post.
I've noticed some users are still using the html code in their posts for bold and italics too, instead of relying on the formatting buttons provided in Movable Type, and it's my hope that they will now know those buttons (as well as the link button) are available.
Last thing, which I thing you mentioned in your instructions, but in case you didn't -- whenever I post I first save it as a DRAFT and not as the default PUBLISHED, and I preview at least twice before saving it as published versus draft.
This post was a great idea, in that many of us have differing experience with PC's and programs and needed assistance. Me included :-)
September 14, 2009 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your instructions work in the "blog now" part; not the comments part. To shade in comments, you have to start by writing:
blockquote in between these (If I actually did it, you wouldn't be able to see it. When you want to close it, you repeat:
blockquote and end with this
What I do is, copy the first blockquote, and paste it again at the end, adding the "/" where it goes.
September 14, 2009 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
More clear example:
<blockquote> Text you'd like to have quoted </blockquote>
would appear as:
September 14, 2009 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rip, I use firefox so I type right into the dialog box and have spell check, so I don't need to work in notepad...Doing that, all you do is type your beginning paragraphs in the dialog box then shift to extended and continue typing. IE is tough, because there is no spell check, so notepad is better.
See? I know how...just got lazy!
September 14, 2009 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
True, stilli. I forgot to mention: Anyone can type directly into the blog text box using ANY browser. I've seen so much Word pasting that I was focused on eliminating that.
September 14, 2009 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I reply to stilli below, Anyone can type directly into the blog text box using ANY browser. You don't have to cut and paste at all if you don't want to.
September 14, 2009 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
ONE MORE THING: Do you think you rec the post that I WANTED people to read today? Thanks!!!
September 14, 2009 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excuse me?
September 14, 2009 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please rec THE following post, which is what I really wanted people to read. (sorry for typo in my above comment). In essence, it explains why we have two weeks, max, to influence the health care bill at all. After that, none.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/ripper_mccord/2009/09/the-last-battle-for-health-care.php
September 14, 2009 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
My apologies, Ripper, but when you start asking people to recommend every one of your health care related posts, you start to look like the boy who cried wolf.
If people read your post and find it worthy of rec's, that's fine.
Calling attention to your posts in this manner only tends to turn people off, after a while.
Just my 2 cents, given from one friend to another.
September 14, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
No offense intended, I'm sure, Lis. But the fact is, my post on health care wasn't visible to a lot of people today precisely because of the problem addressed in this post and because of a large-scale spam attack. So when I ask people to rec the post, its to avoid the necessity to take the post down and repost it. Come to think of it, that may be a more fair way to do it, so I'll just repost it and see what happens when its more visible.
I can see where you're coming from, and I know you view health care posts as redundant, but my health care posts have presented new information every time. Sorry you think otherwise.
September 14, 2009 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. That part about "asking people to recommend every one" of my health care posts is over the top. I think I asked for rec's about three out of what? 50? posts. That's hardly every one, and I don't ask for recs just to get on the leader board, Lis. I ask so that more people will have time to see the information and discuss and disseminate it.
September 14, 2009 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
My apologies, I didn't intend to hurt your feelings. It just kinda irks me to see people ask others to recommend their posts.
I never deliberately set out to get to the top of the rec list, myself. Sometimes I'm flat out embarrassed to be there.
Nothing personal. Please don't take it as such. Thanks.
September 14, 2009 6:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Again, Lis, you are presuming too much. I'm not trying to get to the top of the Rec list, just trying to make sure the post draws enough interest to find time to be of use and worthy of my investment in research and analysis.
September 14, 2009 7:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. Accepted. Hope you're being treated to a kinder day than last week.
September 14, 2009 7:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am lost. I cannot figure what an 'extended; post is.
I have written three emails today about spam. It was so bad that I removed my initial blog twenty minutes after I posted. Spam HAD TAKEN THE ENTIRE CAFE RECENT LIST.
So I took a nap since I could not sleep and reposted it around noon.
I still cannot figure out the 'block quote' thing.
I will ask for help in chat I guess. Except for block quotes, I think it looks like I intened. I use the Moveable type italics, bold and half function. Although I perform some of it on word.
AGain, I am dense on this and do not quite understand how it helps others.
I have been pretty good about waiting more than 24 hours to blog. Been on a 36 hour cycle lately.
September 14, 2009 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hi, Dickon. Two things I think I can help you with, here. And tonight, of course, I'll be back in chat and can help you further at that point.
As far as "extended tab" goes, what Ripper is saying is that a lot of longer posts (like many of mine, yours, etc.) take up a lot of room on the readers' page and so he's asking us to take advantage of the "truncate" feature in Movable Type.
Now that I've read the instructions, it appears that we should type our FIRST paragraph in the main Blog Now window, and then click the Extended tab and type the rest of our post in that window. My mistake when trying it earlier this year was that I typed my entire post in the first window and then copied and pasted all but the first paragraph into the extended tab window, only to neglect to delete it from the first tabbed window.
That way, our posts will look more like, say, San Fernando Curt's, where we get the first paragraph only on the readers' page, and that little red "Read More" arrow that leads folks to the rest of the post.
As for not posting as much each day, I don't think that's as much of a concern, but it is a point for many folks to think about. I don't think you fall into that category, however.
September 14, 2009 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hi again, Lis. Just to be clear, I don't think anyone need limit the part of the post that shows on the main All Reader Blogs page to one paragraph per post. I'm just asking that the very long posts pare it down a bit. Maybe in the case of very long posts, a few paragraphs would be reasonable as a kind of "teaser."
September 14, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good point. I was just trying to keep it simple.
September 14, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, I reviewed my session with Seashell and I have the block quote coming exactly as I intended and it looks better.
I almost always go back and empty space.
I am still lost on the extended, but I will speak with you later on this.
actually, I think it looks pretty good.
September 14, 2009 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
dd, ideally for very long posts such as your, when you view main Cafe Reader Blogs page you want to see several paragraphs of your post followed immediately by a red "Read more" link. Clicking that link gets you to the full post.
So to make this happen, you need to write (or paste) the first and second parts of your post into two different text boxes. The first is the main text box, the second you navigate to in the same literal space by clicking the Extended tab where you are writing or pasting.
September 14, 2009 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
sigh...
September 14, 2009 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would never have seen this request had I not clicked on your profile, fella.
Done... and done.
September 14, 2009 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
thanks, DBD
September 14, 2009 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am really confused now. I guess i use MSN explorer through Qwest, but i also have a separate IE button. I never see anything but the titles and authors of the posts. When i click on All Readers Post, nothing happens, it just boots up the Cafe page again.
Do you know how to include photos from your computer, that are not web pages?
While you are teaching us?
September 14, 2009 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
someone else want to field this one?
September 14, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
They don't provide a storage directory for we Cafe posters, so the only way to get photos up is to put them on another site (like Flickr or photobucket) and link them into your post.
September 14, 2009 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you.
September 15, 2009 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ripper, i just clicked on the blog you wanted recommended, and it said page not found, or something close.
September 14, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, fuck it. LisB objected so I took it down and reposted it under the title "Last Chance to Influence Health Care Bill."
email me at ripperm AT att PERIOD net and I'll try to help with your browser issues
September 14, 2009 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I did rec your other post reminder about taking action, thanks - as with all the crapolla this a.m. I would have missed it.
September 14, 2009 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Use more words, never fewer!
Brevity is suboptimal.
Burma Shave.
September 15, 2009 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink