Blog Help and Support

All registered members can now create and maintain their own blogs on the site. The blogger includes all the options and features available on most commercial blogging systems.

What is a blog ?
A blog is a regularly updated personal record of thoughts, ideas and opinions - similar to a diary or journal. It can contain the author's take on recent events, on things of interest, or can read as an editorial or article on a given subject. There is no set topic for a blog, and every one is unique to the author. It is up to you what you write about, your blog is effectively your own personal web page on Unexplained Mysteries.

How do I view existing blogs ?
To view the full blog list, click the "Blogs" option in the menu at the top of the page. You can search for specific blogs, change the order and filter the entries to find those you wish to view.

How do I create a blog ?
To make your own blog, you first need to activate it. This can be down by going into 'My Controls' and clicking the 'My Blog Settings' option on the top left hand side - then click "Activate Your Blog". Once your blog has been activated, you will see a 'My Blog' option on the forum at the top which will take you straight to it.

How do I add a new entry ?
Click 'My Blog', then on the right hand side you will see a number of options. Click "Add entry" to write a new blog entry. Remember that if you add the entry as a "draft", you will need to "publish" it before it will publically appear on your blog.

Can other member's comment on my blog entries ?
Yes, however if you do not wish to allow member's to comment, you can disable the option from "My controls".

Does my blog have to be about the unexplained ?
No, it's your blog and you can use it to write about anything you like. The usual forum rules apply however, so offensive, racist, hatred related blogs or blogs relating to anything illegal are not allowed. Blogs containing offensive language or written in ALL CAPS are discouraged also.

Can I add an image to my blog's content blocks?
Yes, however please make sure that it's width doesn't exceed 220 pixels. Overly large images in the blog blocks will distort the page, which makes your blog harder to read and looks generally messy - putting people off reading it.

What is backtracking ?
Trackback is a standard feature which you will find on many Blogging systems. It allows you to inform another Blogger that you wrote an article which references to their Blog entry. On their Blog entry there will be a link to your Blog.

Can moderators moderate your blog?
Yes, in case someone abuses the blogger system we can still moderate blog entries in the same way as we can moderate forum posts. A blog may be removed or closed down if it contains racism, hatred, illegal or overly offensive or obscene content.

I've posted a blog entry but it's not appearing, why ?
Remember to 'publish' your new blog entries, by default new entires will be draft, and will not be publically visible until you click publish.