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This article explains the steps involved in writing and publishing your first blog post.

Follow the steps below and you’ll be a confident contributor to the Finfish.org community in no time!

The Administration Panel is a private part of your web site where you log in and control your interaction with the Finfish site. In this case, we’ll be using this to write and publish a blog post, however this is just one of many things that you can do in your Administration Panel.

1. Using your web browser, browse to http://finfish.org
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Your site’s footer will contain a Login link. If you are already logged in, you will see several links including a Logout link. Click on Login.
3. Enter your username and password, and click the Login button. If you like, you can also check the Remember Me option if you don’t want to have to log in again next time.
4. You will then be taken to the main screen of your Administration Panel. This main screen is known as your Dashboard. You will be able to see many menu options:
    
5. Today we’re going to be writing a new blog post, so click on the Write menu option (shown in blue letters above - just below the large Finfish.org title).
6. The Write section allows you to write two things: a post or a page.
   Here we will be writing a post, and the Write Post option is already selected (in white), so we don’t need to click it. If we wanted to write a page, we would have to click the Write Page option instead.
7. The Write Page screen will look something like this: There are many options and features on this screen. For our first blog post, we’re only going to use a few of them. Later on you’ll get to know all the other powerful features too.
8. Enter Your Post’s Title
   The Title text field is where you enter the title of your blog post.
   Try to keep the title short (4 - 8 words), whilst at the same time making it eye catching enough to make our audience want to read it.
9. Enter Your Post’s Content
   The Post text field is where you enter the content of your blog post. You can enter as much or as little as you want here. A few tips:        
   • Write in Small Paragraphs
     Having your content in small (several sentence) paragraphs makes it much easier for your visitors to digest.
     To use paragraphs, finish your sentence and then press the enter key twice. You can then start typing again.
   • Use Pictures
     A picture is worth 1,000 words, provided it is relevant to what you’re posting about. Pictures also make your posts more interesting. We won’t be using any pictures in your first blog post, however we will later on.
   • Save Your Post Regularly
     The last thing you want is to lose your post if your computer crashes or your internet connection has problems. Your post is automatically saved every few minutes, however we also recommend clicking the Save and Continue Editing button every now and then too.
10. Choose a Category For Your Post
    Categories are a great way to “group” related posts together. They allow your visitors to find related posts on our site.
    For example, you may use one of the existing “Change” category, a “Market” category or even a “Technology” category.
    The existing categories on the Finfish site will already be listed. If you don’t indicate a category, your post will automatically be allocated the “Uncategorized” category. You can either allocate your post to an existing category by ticking the checkbox next to it, or you can add a new category by typing in it’s name and clicking the Add button.
11. Control Visitor Interaction
    By default, each new blog post will have Comments and Pings enabled. Typically you want this to be the case. Generally it’s a good idea to leave comments and pings enabled.
12. Save Your Post
    When you’ve finished, click the Save and Continue Editing button. This will save your post and reload the page.
13. Time to Publish?
    Once your post is saved, it can only be seen by you (and any other users with access to your Administration Area). This gives you a chance to get a coworker to review it and make any changes before it is published for the world to read until you publish it.
14. Preview Your Post
    While your post is in draft mode, click on Preview » (top right just below your post title). Clicking this will open your draft post in a new window, where you’ll be able to see your post exactly how it will appear once you’ve published it.        

    Close the window to return to the new post page, where you can continue making changes to it.

15. Publish Your PostOnce you are happy with your post, click on the Publish button. Your new post will then appear on your web site for all visitors and search engines to see. Once you have published your post, click on View Site » at the top left of your page to return to your web site.

Contratulations!

Well done. You’ve successfully written and published your first blog post on the Finfisg site. There’s no turning back from here!

How Did You Go?

I’d love to hear how you went with publishing your first blog post.

Feel free to let me know by leaving a comment below.