Blog
Go directly to the Portland Blog
www.PortlandTN.net
The Portland Blog
NMT Web Designs, LLC (which runs PortlandTN.com) has created a blog which you can reach at www.PortlandTN.net. The blog was created July 15, 2005 and is accessible to anybody in Portland and, actually, to anybody in the world.
There are three ways to use the Portland blog.
Method 1: Just Looking
Anybody around the world may go to
www.PortlandTN.net and read any of the entries and comments that interest
them.
Method 2: Leave a Comment
If you see an entry that interests you, and you want to leave a comment, just
click on “Comment.” That brings up a screen where you can enter your name
(required, but not verified), e-mail address (required, but not verified), URL
(this is your web site address and is optional) and your comment.
You will get a message thanking you for your comment. The comment
will appear on the web site immediately.
Method 2: Create an Entry
Anyone in or around Portland (or anyone with an
interest in Portland, Tennessee) may become a blog author, but they
must first request a username and password. An author will have the
capability to create new entries
(as well as comments.)
If you want to be a blog author, all you have to do is e-mail Charlie. All we need is your name and an e-mail address. (If you have a specific way you want your name displayed on the blog, please let us know that too.) We will set you up and e-mail you your username and password.
Here is what an author would do:
1. Type www.PortlandTenn.net to enter
a special site. (This is not a public site. Remember the public should use
www.PortlandTN.net.)
2. You will see a “MovableType Publishing Platform” page and will be prompted
for a user name and password. (Note that username and password are case
sensitive.)
If you are using a secure computer, you may click the “Remember Me?” box, and
you won’t have to enter username and password each time.
3. The first thing you might want to do is to edit your profile. (There’s a link
on the right side of the screen. If not, look at the top of the screen in
the blue bar. It will say "Welcome yourname." Click on "yourname.")
On this screen, you can change your username, password, nickname, and/or e-mail
address. You can also answer a question that you’ll be prompted in case you
forget your password.
4. Back on the previous page, click on “Portland, Tennessee Blog.” (Don’t click
on the link that says http://www.portlandtn.net. That will take you to the
public site.)
5. On the next screen, click on “New Entry.” Now you can enter a title for your
posting and select a category from the list. Enter your thoughts in the “Entry
Body” box. (If you are going to write a long article, please put the first
paragraph in the “Entry Body” box and the rest in the “Extended Entry” box.)
Just ignore everything else for now and click Save at the bottom.
6. The blog will be updated immediately. You can click on "View Site" in the left margin to see the blog as the public would see it.
7. Click "Logoff" if your computer is not in a secure area.
Blog Guidelines
We welcome your participation in blog comment threads. In order to keep the
experience a positive one for all of our users, we ask that you follow the rules
outlined below. By submitting comments to this blog, you are consenting to the
following:
You agree that
you are fully responsible for the content that you post. You may not post
content that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive, that violates a third
party’s right to privacy, that otherwise violates any applicable local, state,
national or international law, or that is otherwise inappropriate.
Furthermore, you may not post content that degrades others on the basis of
gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual preference,
disability or other classification. Language intended to intimidate or to incite
violence and anger will not be tolerated.
The server which
hosts the blog automatically
captures the IP address being used on each blog transaction. For example,
if you post a comment, the IP address you are using is automatically captured
and recorded in a transaction log. A law-enforcement agency can get the
owner of an IP address (e.g., AT&T or Comcast) to provide a physical location of
that IP address (e.g., someone's house).
Please be
aware that new entries and comments are posted immediately to the blog.
Blog Administrators review content several times per day, but we may not spot a
problem the moment it is posted. If you spot an item that needs attention,
please contact a Blog Administrator. [See next major section below.]
You understand
and agree that NMT Web Designs, LLC, or Blog Administrators may modify the
content of your entries and/or comments. We may monitor user-generated content
as we choose, and we reserve the right to remove, edit or otherwise alter
content that we deem inappropriate for any reason.
NMT Web Designs,
LLC makes no warranties of any kind with regard to the contents of this site or
to any comments posted by third parties, NMT does not warrant that any
information is complete or accurate. You understand and acknowledge that your
use and/or reliance on any information obtained through the blog is at your own
risk. NMT Web Designs, LLC, Blog Administrators, or Blog Authors will not be
held responsible for posted information that may infringe on a third party’s
copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights.
By using this
site, you hereby release and waive any and all claims against NMT Web Designs,
LLC, Portland Blog Administrators, or Blog Authors, arising from or in
connection with this site.
These rules are posted on the Portland Community Website www.portlandtn.com
Additional site notes:
Blog software,
of course, allows authors to create new entries. Most blog software, including
the software we use [Movable Type], also allows authors to delete entries they
wrote and all of the comments associated with their entry. There is no way that
we can keep blog authors from doing this, but we ask you not to! Please do
not delete your entries from the blog nor any of the comments people make.
This is a historical record of the thoughts of Portland, and we would like to
preserve it for a certain period of time, The Blog Administrators,
however, will delete entries (and their associated comments as follows.
This is to keep the blog fresh and current and to minimize spam.
1. Dated-information-type entries are deleted seven days after the date has come and gone. This gives the author time to make an update on how the event went, etc. This kind of entry would include announcements about yard sales, camps, church events, etc.
2. The first of January, we'll export the entire blog to a text file. Then we'll delete everything on the blog that's over a year old. (The exported text files could theoretically be used by someone who wanted to research old entries and comments on the blog.)
People who
create a new entry have the ability to turn off comments (i.e., comments are not
allowed). Please do not use this option. The purpose of the blog is to
have discussions, and turning off the comment flag defeats this purpose. Under
very rare circumstances, the blog administrator may turn the comments flag off.
This may occur if the discussion has gotten totally out of hand. We
may also turn off comments on very old threads; after a time, the only comments
being posted to some of these old threads are spam.
Moveable Type
uses extensive filters to filter out spam. (It currently filters out over 100
spam messages per day.) This is done automatically, and we do not review what's
being deleted. If you post a comment with two or more links to external
sites, Moveable Type will assume that is spam.
If you are
starting a new business, we welcome you to post one or two messages to introduce
yourself and your business. However, please do not use the blog to advertise
your business on a regular basis. For example, if you are a new real estate
agent, we'd all like to know about you. However, after that, please do not post
your house listings on the blog. :-)
Blog Problems
If you would like to contact a Blog Administrator, please e-mail
Charlie.
Go directly to the Portland Blog
www.PortlandTN.net
Excerpts for the Column Soapboxin'
By Brian Ruckle, Editor
The Portland Progressive
July 13, 2005
"For those of you who aren't familiar with weblogs, or blogs, they are often described as online diaries or journals. Coming from the newspaper business, I like to think of it as a personal newspaper. In it you can be editor, photographer, columnist, sports writer, movie critic, etc. It is your show.
"This is how most of them work ... You select a 'compose' link and you are introduced to a text box much like those used to write e-mail. You may ... add links to other websites or blogs. When you are finished sounding off, press a 'publish' link and your entry is saved chronologically on a page that is accessible to anyone with a computer and a modem."
Brian would like to see a city blog created and used to discuss issued facing our city.
Comments from Wayne Bandy
Wayne Bandy of Pharmacy Express in Portland says a blog is like a letter-to-the-editor, only easier and faster. It also has the opportunity for others to immediately respond to your "letter."