NOTE: The following information relates to the old blog and gallery system. For the new instructions visit http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10959 Just as you were promised, the Empty Closets Galleries and Blogs are now live and working. The blogs and galleries are all a part of your "Homepage". **Note: You must have at least 10 posts to access the Homepage and it's features** The features current made available are: Personal Blogs: An online journal where you can write casually about subjects you wouldn't normally discuss on the boards. Galleries: Allows you to upload images of yourself, artwork etc About me section: A place where you can give an introduction and brief outline about yourself, such as interests, hobbies, why you came to EC etc. Custom themes: Customise your page with a number of different designs. Contents ...Getting Started ...Editing Homepage Settings ...Edit Homepage theme ...Edit Homepage Options ...Making your first Blog ......Step 1: Creating a folder ......Step 2: Making the blog ...Uploading Images ...Editing Images ...Viewing Others' Homepages ...Further Questions Getting Started To create your homepage, enter "My Settings" (located on the navigation bar towards the top of the page). Here you should see a big box with the words "Get Your Homepage Today!". By clicking the activation button, you are taken to the "Edit Features" screen. To enable everything, tick the first six boxes then click "Save Changes." Because of a bug in the system, you must make sure "Blog Page" is ticked, even if you aren't going to use the blog. You will then get the full control panel which should look similar to this: Editing Homepage Settings In this page, you are given a list of all the features made available to you through the homepage. Here is a brief outline of each feature: Blog page - Enables an online journal for you to express yourself in. Friends Page - Enables a page showing who your EC friends are. Make Private - Makes your profile only viewable by those who enter in the password that you enter into the field "Pass:" Profile page - Enables the "main page" where others can view items such as your introduction, site statistics (such as joining date) etc Gallery Page - Allows you to upload and display your images Please note any copyright material or material not suitable for those under the age of 18 is strictly not allowed. Enable Subscriptions - Allows you to enable others to subscribe to your page. If other members choose to do so, they will be alerted when you update your homepage. Edit Homepage theme Here you are able to change your homepage colour scheme. You can choose between a predetermined scheme, or create one of your own by clicking the Customize Your Theme! text. You are also given the option to upload a custom logo for your Homepage. I would recommend something to the size of 760x70 pixels. To upload your image, browse your computer for the file and click upload. If you decide you don't like your image, you can scroll further down and delete it. Edit Homepage Options In this section you'll find a number of additional options that allow you to further edit your homepage. Edit about you - Here you can write up to 1000 words about yourself, including your interests, hobbies, goals, life, coming out process/status etc. Edit Blog features - This section allows you to further refine what is and what isn't displayed in your blog. Edit Profile Panel - Features changed here will be reflected on the Main Page of your profile. For instance, selecting "My Friends" will allow your friends to be displayed on this page. Making your first Blog Step 1: Creating a folder To make your first blog, ensure that the "Blog Page" option has been enabled in the "Edit Homepage Settings" Page. In order to create a blog you must select Edit Blog Categories from the Control pane. Here you can create a new folder for your blogs. In the below image I am creating a Folder titled My Expressions. Once you have created your folder you can make your first blog. Step 2: Making the blog Go into the "Create Blog Entry" page. Creating a blog is much like creating a new thread or post on the forums. One difference is that you must decide which "Category" or folder you want to save your blog in. This is so you can have different themes/topics sorted into different sections. From the Category list, choose the folder title you just made. For me, it was "My Expressions". From here, you can create your blog exactly how you would create a post or thread! Clicking "submit message" will save your blog to your homepage. NOTE: Saving your blog into the Category: Drafts will make it invisible to everyone other than you. This is so you can save a blog half way through Uploading Images To upload an image, go to the Upload Photos page. Here you can browse your computer for the image you wish to upload, give it a title and appropriate description. [I'm really more of a dog person] Click "Add Photos" at the bottom of the page will upload the photos and store them in your gallery for others to see. You can load up to 5 images at a time. Editing Images If you click the "Edit Photos" button in the Control Panel, you will be taken to a list of all the photos in your galleries. Here you can delete photos you don't want, or create/edit the images' title and description. Viewing Others' Homepages/Blogs/Galleries In order to view someone else's Homepage, you can click on their name in a post they've made, and select "View Public Profile". Further Questions if you have any further Questions or Discussion on the Homepage/blogs/gallery system you can create a new post in these forums. Please keep this thread's discussion about errors to do with this guide
