Blogging tips, workflow and style guide
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Mark Kuznicki
Aug 21, 2008, 12:00:00 AM8/21/08
to Metronauts
I'm starting another new thread in the Google Group, this one focused
on tips for new Metronauts bloggers, and to develop and discuss a
style guide for the Metronauts blog. Here are a few thoughts to start.
1. Images
I would like every post to have one compelling image top-left in the
post, with additional images (if necessary, sometimes less is more)
after the "More..." link. Rannie Turingan has offered to help source
images for our bloggers, so send him an email EARLY as you work on
your post. Email Rannie at photo...@gmail.com and copy me at
in...@metronauts.ca and we'll look for something that will enhance your
message visually.
2. Post Length
I also would like us to have a consistent approach to the look of the
main page. Try to keep the wordlength on the main page to 250 or 300
words. Longer posts should be broken up with the "More..." link to
take readers to the full post.
3. Commenting
I am asking all blog authors to take responsibility for curating the
conversation in the comment threads. We've already had a lot of great
commenting activity, which is a very positive sign. Respond to your
commenters, add value to the conversation and keep the spark alive.
Metronauts.ca is all about engagement, so reward interaction with your
continued attention.
4. Workflow
I ask that all contributors put their posts in "Pending Review" status
for an Editor (currently me) to review and Publish. This isn't to be
über controlling, merely so I can help us get a consistent style down
and help new bloggers to become confident and self-sufficient.
Eventually, I'll just say go ahead.
That's it for now. I'm interested in other questions from blogging
newbies, other tips from our more experienced blog authors.
on tips for new Metronauts bloggers, and to develop and discuss a
style guide for the Metronauts blog. Here are a few thoughts to start.
1. Images
I would like every post to have one compelling image top-left in the
post, with additional images (if necessary, sometimes less is more)
after the "More..." link. Rannie Turingan has offered to help source
images for our bloggers, so send him an email EARLY as you work on
your post. Email Rannie at photo...@gmail.com and copy me at
in...@metronauts.ca and we'll look for something that will enhance your
message visually.
2. Post Length
I also would like us to have a consistent approach to the look of the
main page. Try to keep the wordlength on the main page to 250 or 300
words. Longer posts should be broken up with the "More..." link to
take readers to the full post.
3. Commenting
I am asking all blog authors to take responsibility for curating the
conversation in the comment threads. We've already had a lot of great
commenting activity, which is a very positive sign. Respond to your
commenters, add value to the conversation and keep the spark alive.
Metronauts.ca is all about engagement, so reward interaction with your
continued attention.
4. Workflow
I ask that all contributors put their posts in "Pending Review" status
for an Editor (currently me) to review and Publish. This isn't to be
über controlling, merely so I can help us get a consistent style down
and help new bloggers to become confident and self-sufficient.
Eventually, I'll just say go ahead.
That's it for now. I'm interested in other questions from blogging
newbies, other tips from our more experienced blog authors.
Karen Smith
Aug 21, 2008, 8:36:33 AM8/21/08
to Metronauts
Hi,
I'm happy for Mark to make the final call on style. Here are some
other suggestions for things we might want to keep consistent...
5. Titles - Capitalize the first word use lower case for the rest of
the words (Exception: capitalize if you have a proper noun (i.e. city
name etc.))
6. Blockquotes - ? [For my first long block of quoted text I used a
blockquote and italics, does our blog style have a better format to
handle block quotes]
Karen
On Aug 21, 12:00 am, Mark Kuznicki <mark.kuzni...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm starting another new thread in the Google Group, this one focused
> on tips for new Metronauts bloggers, and to develop and discuss a
> style guide for the Metronauts blog. Here are a few thoughts to start.
>
> 1. Images
>
> I would like every post to have one compelling image top-left in the
> post, with additional images (if necessary, sometimes less is more)
> after the "More..." link. Rannie Turingan has offered to help source
> images for our bloggers, so send him an email EARLY as you work on
> your post. Email Rannie at photojun...@gmail.com and copy me at
> i...@metronauts.ca and we'll look for something that will enhance your
I'm happy for Mark to make the final call on style. Here are some
other suggestions for things we might want to keep consistent...
5. Titles - Capitalize the first word use lower case for the rest of
the words (Exception: capitalize if you have a proper noun (i.e. city
name etc.))
6. Blockquotes - ? [For my first long block of quoted text I used a
blockquote and italics, does our blog style have a better format to
handle block quotes]
Karen
On Aug 21, 12:00 am, Mark Kuznicki <mark.kuzni...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm starting another new thread in the Google Group, this one focused
> on tips for new Metronauts bloggers, and to develop and discuss a
> style guide for the Metronauts blog. Here are a few thoughts to start.
>
> 1. Images
>
> I would like every post to have one compelling image top-left in the
> post, with additional images (if necessary, sometimes less is more)
> after the "More..." link. Rannie Turingan has offered to help source
> images for our bloggers, so send him an email EARLY as you work on
> i...@metronauts.ca and we'll look for something that will enhance your
Andrae G.
Aug 22, 2008, 8:16:14 AM8/22/08
to Metronauts
Hi All
I made some last minute changes to my friday post, so it should now
conform to the style guidelines. It should be ready to go ahead.
Andrae
I made some last minute changes to my friday post, so it should now
conform to the style guidelines. It should be ready to go ahead.
Andrae
photojunkie
Aug 24, 2008, 5:53:14 PM8/24/08
to Metronauts
Additional info regarding photos.
If you are using a photo that is not yours, please credit your source
at the end of your post on italics.
Photo by X photographer name
"X photographer name" should be hyperlinked back to the source page or
the sources site or flickr account.
If you are using a photo that is not yours, please credit your source
at the end of your post on italics.
Photo by X photographer name
"X photographer name" should be hyperlinked back to the source page or
the sources site or flickr account.
photojunkie
Aug 24, 2008, 6:30:35 PM8/24/08
to Metronauts
Tagging
Please remember to tag your posts.
Add key names, phrases and other prominent subjects in the tag
section.
If you've mentioned a name of a city, Mississuaga, Hamilton, Winnipeg.
include that tag.
Why bother tagging?
a) as the number of posts increase, it will be easier to click on tags
and discover older posts which maybe related.
b) tagging keywords and names is also great for search engines like
google.
This afternoon I have added a bunch of tags on several posts, both
published and scheduled to publish. So if you need ideas on how to
tag your post, check out the posts that are currently published.
Cheers
Rannie
Please remember to tag your posts.
Add key names, phrases and other prominent subjects in the tag
section.
If you've mentioned a name of a city, Mississuaga, Hamilton, Winnipeg.
include that tag.
Why bother tagging?
a) as the number of posts increase, it will be easier to click on tags
and discover older posts which maybe related.
b) tagging keywords and names is also great for search engines like
google.
This afternoon I have added a bunch of tags on several posts, both
published and scheduled to publish. So if you need ideas on how to
tag your post, check out the posts that are currently published.
Cheers
Rannie
Mark Kuznicki
Aug 28, 2008, 4:58:49 PM8/28/08
to Metronauts
Blockquotes
The stylesheet has been fixed and blockquotes now appear correctly.
Images
Rannie and I had a quick conversation on our photo style guide, he'll
published a more detailed step-by-step for us, but this is what we
decided. Normal posts (where the photo is not the primary content)
will be posted as Thumbnail size, which is now set to 240 pixels wide.
Full-size photos for photo posts will be 565 pixels wide. We also are
asking that you provide a credit at the bottom of posts for any photos
which require attribution by their license (i.e. most Creative Commons
licensed material). Public domain images don't require attribution,
but links to sources are useful in the photo embed itself.
Comments
I will be making an announcement on the site outlining a more detailed
commenting policy. Part of the objective of the site is to raise the
public discourse about sustainable transportation, and "I fucking hate
the TTC" really isn't terribly useful in that regard. Comments with
expletives are flagged for moderation and I contact the commenter
suggesting they rewrite their comments. I am also asking blog post
authors and contributors to take an active role in moderating
discussion on their posts. We should discuss what this means in
practice.
The stylesheet has been fixed and blockquotes now appear correctly.
Images
Rannie and I had a quick conversation on our photo style guide, he'll
published a more detailed step-by-step for us, but this is what we
decided. Normal posts (where the photo is not the primary content)
will be posted as Thumbnail size, which is now set to 240 pixels wide.
Full-size photos for photo posts will be 565 pixels wide. We also are
asking that you provide a credit at the bottom of posts for any photos
which require attribution by their license (i.e. most Creative Commons
licensed material). Public domain images don't require attribution,
but links to sources are useful in the photo embed itself.
Comments
I will be making an announcement on the site outlining a more detailed
commenting policy. Part of the objective of the site is to raise the
public discourse about sustainable transportation, and "I fucking hate
the TTC" really isn't terribly useful in that regard. Comments with
expletives are flagged for moderation and I contact the commenter
suggesting they rewrite their comments. I am also asking blog post
authors and contributors to take an active role in moderating
discussion on their posts. We should discuss what this means in
practice.
photojunkie
Aug 29, 2008, 12:14:42 PM8/29/08
to Metronauts
Image Styling
Story Photos
- Every post should have an image in the top left corner as previously
mentioned.
- These images should be 240 px wide. (small on flickr, thumbnail
through wordpress upload)
- These images should click to a larger version of the image
Additional Story Photos
- If additional images appear in the article, they should be included
after the jump (more tag).
- Photos below the jump can be 240 px wide
- They can also be posted full column, which is 565 px (medium through
wordpress upload.
Photo Posts
- Photo posts are full column, which is 565 px
Finding photos
- Use your own.
- Use flickr
- Use our flickr group http://flickr.com/groups/metronauts/
- When using flickr please take note if the images are copyrighted or
licensed under creative commons.
- Having difficulty? contact me photo...@gmail.com
Crediting Photos
- If you are providing photos for your own article, no photo credit is
given.
- If you are grabbing something from flickr or any source, The image
itself you link back to the flickr/source page.
- The photographer should also be credited at the end of your post.
- ie Photo Source: Rannie Turingan (this credit should be in italics)
Uploading your Images
- If granted Author status in wordpress, this allows you to upload
pictures directly to the site.
- When you add images, wordpress will automatically create a thumbnail
(240px) and medium (595 px)
- These sizes conform to the above guidelines.
Flickr
- Alternatively you can upload you pictures to flickr
- The small size is 240px wide
- If I need a 565 px wide image from flickr, I use the medium size and
manually upsize it in the code from 500 to 565 and remove height
value.
- The upsize is minimal that it shouldn't effect picture quality
Prior to writing this, I have already adjusted all the images on the
site to generally follow this convention.
Story Photos
- Every post should have an image in the top left corner as previously
mentioned.
- These images should be 240 px wide. (small on flickr, thumbnail
through wordpress upload)
- These images should click to a larger version of the image
Additional Story Photos
- If additional images appear in the article, they should be included
after the jump (more tag).
- Photos below the jump can be 240 px wide
- They can also be posted full column, which is 565 px (medium through
wordpress upload.
Photo Posts
- Photo posts are full column, which is 565 px
Finding photos
- Use your own.
- Use flickr
- Use our flickr group http://flickr.com/groups/metronauts/
- When using flickr please take note if the images are copyrighted or
licensed under creative commons.
- Having difficulty? contact me photo...@gmail.com
Crediting Photos
- If you are providing photos for your own article, no photo credit is
given.
- If you are grabbing something from flickr or any source, The image
itself you link back to the flickr/source page.
- The photographer should also be credited at the end of your post.
- ie Photo Source: Rannie Turingan (this credit should be in italics)
Uploading your Images
- If granted Author status in wordpress, this allows you to upload
pictures directly to the site.
- When you add images, wordpress will automatically create a thumbnail
(240px) and medium (595 px)
- These sizes conform to the above guidelines.
Flickr
- Alternatively you can upload you pictures to flickr
- The small size is 240px wide
- If I need a 565 px wide image from flickr, I use the medium size and
manually upsize it in the code from 500 to 565 and remove height
value.
- The upsize is minimal that it shouldn't effect picture quality
Prior to writing this, I have already adjusted all the images on the
site to generally follow this convention.
Jason Paris
Sep 8, 2008, 9:38:57 AM9/8/08
to metro...@googlegroups.com
A quick question...
How does one tell if a photo from FLICKR has been put in the public domain?
Does it say somewhere or do you need to ask the photographer?
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----Original Message Follows----
From: Mark Kuznicki <mark.k...@gmail.com>
Reply-To: metro...@googlegroups.com
To: Metronauts <metro...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Metronauts] Re: Blogging tips, workflow and style guide
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:58:49 -0700 (PDT)
Rannie Turingan
Sep 8, 2008, 9:48:34 AM9/8/08
to metro...@googlegroups.com, metro...@googlegroups.com
Jason
The copyright should appear on the right sidebar. If the photo is
creative commons then you should be able to use it. If it has the
copyright c then you will need to ask for permission.
I'll be adding moderating rights to all the contributors in the Flickr
group later today. Then you will be able to request to add the photo
to the metronauts group.
Cheers
Rannie
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