DP Blog Getting Started
Be a DP Blogger
This page takes you through the steps you need to take to write your very first post for DP's Blog, Hot off the Press and get it published for everybody to enjoy.
#Submitting a Blog Post is easy: Just send your draft via e-mail or private message (PM) to the DP Blog Coordinator (currently LCantoni).
The Blog Coordinator will edit your post and format it. Although the published blog post will automatically list the Blog Coordinator as the poster, a credit line will be added at the end with whatever name you prefer to use - real name, DP name, or anonymous.
Before you write:
- Please make sure someone else hasn't already covered the topic you want to write about by browsing the blog. You can also send a PM to the Blog Coordinator, send an e-mail to dp-blog at pgdp dot net, or post your proposed topic in the DP Bloggers forum.
- Please also review the Blog Writing Guidelines for writing tips and important rules regarding copyright, privacy, and courtesy.
Creating Your Blog Post
You can create your blog post directly within your e-mail or PM, or, for e-mail, you can attach a plaintext file. (Plaintext is better than HTML, because WordPress uses a special form of HTML, and it'll be easier for the Coordinator to deal with plaintext.) Consult the Blog Writing Guidelines for tips on how to write your blog post.
If you're attaching a file, please name it with your DP name, e.g., lcantoni-blog.txt.
Submitting Your Blog Post
If you're sending your blog post via PM, send it to the DP Blog Coordinator (currently LCantoni).
If you're using e-mail, send it to dp-blog at pgdp dot net (remembering to delete the spaces and replace "at" with @ and "dot" with a period) with a brief summary of what your post is about and, if you like, the actual text of your post within the e-mail body. Or, if you have a separate .txt file, just attach it. You don't have to zip it.
Please indicate what name you'd like to use as author credit.
If you want to include any public-domain image or sound files, please include in your e-mail any links to where they can be found online, and give a brief idea of why you believe they're in the public domain (e.g., they came from a PG e-book). See the Blog Writing Guidelines for more information on public domain multimedia.
The Blog Coordinator will acknowledge receipt and get back to you as to any changes or suggestions. The Coordinator will also give you an estimate as to when your blog post might be published. If your blog post relates to a special day, you can request that it be posted on or near that day.
Once any changes are made, the Blog Coordinator will finalize the post on WordPress with links and any images, add a credit to you at the end, and schedule it for publishing.
Seeing Your Blog Post
Once your post is published, you can see it on the DP Blog. You can subscribe to receive automatic e-mails whenever there's a new blog post — it's a great way to keep up with what your DP colleagues are blogging about. You can also sign up to be notified of any comments on your blog post.
New blog posts are announced in the News from the DP Blog forum and on DP's Twitter feed and Facebook page. Feel free to share your magnum opus on your own social media!
If you want to send your friends a link to your blog post, the title of the post contains a permanent link to that particular post (as opposed to the whole blog).
Congratulations, you're a DP Blogger!