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The Other Chip

by ChipMahaney_FOX4 from DFW Area

Last Post 611 days, 5 hours Ago


How to link, and other cool tools
Dec 9, 2006 | 4:10 AM
Category: News
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Here are some cool tools to make your blogs better:

1) How to add a hyperlink to your blog:

The best bloggers will use hyperlinks to point their readers to other great stuff on the web. It's easy to add a link to your blog.

Here's an example. Check out this link. -->

Check out the world's greatest news website.

How did I do it? You just have to know the code. Here's an example, but read the paragraph immediately below.

[A HREF="http://www.myfoxdfw.com"]Check out this link.[/a]

This is the code, but I had to change a couple of key characters in order to display it for you. When you see a square-bracket [ or ] in the example above, replace it with an angle bracket < or >. So, you'll replace the 2 left [ with a left <. You'll replace the 2 right ] with a right >.

You can post links in any blog post, but you cannot post links in the comments you leave on other people's blogs.

Here's another link --> to a good resource that will help you learn more about links.

2) Did you know you can subscribe to another blogger's blog, so you can keep up with what that blogger is writing about? Look for the links at the bottom-right of each blogger's home page. Click on the e-mail link to get an e-mail every time that blogger writes a new post. Or, if you use RSS (and you should be using RSS), there's a way to monitor blogs that way too.

These are a couple of cool tools to make your blogging more fun for yourself and useful for your readers.

Keep on blogging, and please be nice to each other on this board.

16 Comments |  Add a Comment

Member Comments Total Comments: 16
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babysister138 read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 7:06 AM

thanks for Your help!!!
vid76 read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 7:22 AM

thanks...i was going to make a couple practice blogs to see what html code worked & didn't now i don't need too
KellerKowboy read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 8:29 AM

Just a word of caution. Know and trust the person who posted a hyperlink before you go clicking on it. Now I know that people like Grace aren't going to post a link to a nasty web site; but not everyone is like Grace.

Half the computer problems I deal with regularly are from people who say "Well, I just clicked on this link...." and the next thing they know they're dead in the water with a back-door trojan horse or worse.

The vast majority of people who blog here wouldn't do such a thing, but there are a few I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them left handed.

And please remember that users from all over the country/world have access here.

Think Before You Link!
TxShelbyTx read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 8:30 AM

Thanks for the tips!
ChipMahaney_FOX4 read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 8:49 AM

You're absolutely right Keller. It is buyer-beware with regard to links.

That said, if anyone sees a link that leads to a site that would violate our Terms of Service (if that linked content were physically on our site), please report the blog post containing the link. One of our webmasters will review the post and the link. Depending on the content contained in the link, we may choose to delete the post with the link.
Noneya read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 1:08 PM

Chip, I'm using IE7 and the RSS feed doesn't seem to be working. I've checked my settings...they seem to be right...any suggestions.

Keller, any thoughts.
Marks read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 2:26 PM

Hi Chip!

I'd like to know if MYFOXDFW will ever allow other forms of HTML like STRIKE, BOLD and ITALICS. They are useful tools if employed sparingly.
KellerKowboy read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 7:11 PM

Noneya, sorry to be so long in getting back to you. NO EMAIL FROM FOX 4.

RSS was born of Netscape and has hopped, skiped and jumped all over the place, to the point where there are now seven different software programs ALL called RSS.

Perhaps you've had luck with it; I haven't. Perhaps one of the other bloggers can come up with a suggestion for you. Sorry.
ChipMahaney_FOX4 read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 7:49 PM

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it allows you to view headlines to multiple (ie hundreds or thousands) of websites. Since the RSS program downloads only the headings from the various web pages it polls, it's a low-bandwidth application and therefore easy to use.

It takes a little bit of know-how. There is a new RSS reader built into Internet Explorer 7, though I couldn't get IE7 to recognize the RSS code built into this page. There's also an RSS reader built into Mozilla Firefox browser.

I use RSS on my Treo phone, and I scan headlines from about 100 different sites. On the Treo application I use, I entered the URL for the RSS site for my blog (http://community.myfoxdfw.com/blogs/ChipMahaney_FOX4?R
SS), and it worked perfectly.

If you're new to RSS and you'd like to learn more, here's what I suggest:

Go to http://www.feeddemon.com, and download a trial version of their really-good RSS software. On their site is a good explanation of how RSS works. If you download their FeedDemon reader and then install the trial software onto your computer, you'll quickly see what the power of RSS is, and how you can make it work for you.
KellerKowboy read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 8:34 PM

The initials "RSS" are variously used to refer to the following standards:

Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)
Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0)
RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)

I've used IE 7 for about a year (beta tested it) and haven't had any problem with the browser. The same goes for Mozilla Firefox. I run both browsers daily, but the reader software doesn't seem to keep up with the browser(s) and that creates compatability issues.

I'll take a look at feeddemon and see if that works any better.
GRAYWOLF read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 11:35 PM

I was beta testing IE7 for a long time and the only problems I had with it were some sites not recognizing it and it would crash on this site almost every day! That was when I installed Firefox and then found the add-ons...Cool toys!
KellerKowboy read my blog view my photos
Dec 9, 2006 | 11:43 PM

Same here, GW. It's all smoothed out now, but it was nassy there for a while.

I went and got that software Chip was bragging on. Works like dog poop.
ChipMahaney_FOX4 read my blog view my photos
Dec 10, 2006 | 8:13 AM

I've used FeedDemon for a couple of years. I liked it so much, I kept the trial software and paid the registration fee.
KellerKowboy read my blog view my photos
Dec 10, 2006 | 8:38 AM

Like every other piece of software, each program either works well or doesn't work well with the other programs being utilized on a given machine. Something as simple as a pop-up ad can stop a program dead in its tracks if one chooses to prevent all of those ads from appearing. Spyware and Adware programs will do the same thing. Some firewall programs can be set to allow or disallow access at various ports and the user has to decide what to allow, if any.

I have two machines networked and protected like Fort Knox, with four different programs integrated to "guard the door". One of those programs is not liking what it sees in FeedDemon and stopped it cold.

I haven't had the time to investigate and learn exactly what the problem is, but I will.

As with all programs, if you like it and it's working, life is good.
Noneya read my blog view my photos
Dec 10, 2006 | 12:09 PM

Thanks Keller and Chip...I will check out Feeddemon.
Infectious_Sense read my blog view my photos
Dec 11, 2006 | 7:19 AM

This is off topic, Chip, but when a post is reported for TOS violation, is it Standard Operating Procedure to inform the poster of WHO reported their post?

I would like to discuss this with you - please email me at your convenience at:

InfectiousSense@gmail.com

I didn't see an email address for you, so I do not know of another way of contacting you.
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ChipMahaney_FOX4

Howdy! First off, I'm not the FOX 4 traffic guy. That's Waggoner. I'm the "other Chip" and I’m the managing editor of this world’s-finest newsroom. One of my responsibilities is to manage this website, so I’d love to hear your comments. Outside of work, I’m on the board of directors of Radio Television News Directors Association, the leading organization of TV/radio/online journalists in the world. One of the Top 5 highlights of my life will come when the Texas Rangers win a World Series. My wife is also in TV News, and we've got two great kids. This photo is me in front of a mountain glacier at the Columbia Icefields in Alberta, Canada. How to tell Chip Waggoner and me apart? We're both good-looking, but he's a Frog and I'm a Mustang, and that's all you need to know about that!

Member Since: 5/25/2006


 

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