FAQ Page 2

Introduction to the Write Page, Part 1

GotSpace offers the option to utilize the visual editor, also known as the WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) editor and a standard HTML editor. Persons who have a strong aptitude with HTML may prefer to go with the second option, but ideally the rich editor is recommended as you’ll get a better idea what the end result of your content will look like before it’s published.

Expect to see this section VERY often…

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1. Title - Here’s where you will insert your headline for the article. Although there’s no set word limit, headlines typically are short and descriptive to the content. Try to adhere to the Associated Press format, meaning: a. avoid writing headlines like they’re sentences b. use standard English (unless headline is referring to pop culture references) c. Capitalize the first letter where appropriate.

2. Visual Editor - If you frequently spend time on a discussion board, this area should be very familiar. If not, this tool will help you to customize the style and fuctionality of what will be written in the text area. We’ll discuss the toolbar in more detail shortly (see Section 2.1).

2b. Tags - Very common in blogs these days. Basically they are keywords assigned to a specific piece of information in a similar fashion which you would locate a topic on an Internet search engine like Google. For the moment, this feature will not be explored at this time. Though we can tell you that it does not affect your posts should you choose to assign some relevant keywords to your post. Interested parties an find more information at Wikipedia.org

The section without a number - This would be well, the textarea where the content goes. This area doesn’t need an explanation. You just type away what you are planning to post. Oh, and be sure to use paragraphs, which is can be formatted easily by selecting the Format dropdown button and selecting “Paragraph”. More details on the toolbar can be found at Section 2.1

3. Categories - This section is critical to the post composition process as this will publish the article in the appropriate sections available. To help you better understand how this section works, please see Section 2.2.

4. Preview - If you’re curious/paranoid/concerned how your content is going to turn out before you actually publish it, simply click on this button and you’ll get a quick snapshot. To return to your work, simply click “Back” on your browser.

5. Publish Status - Use this dropdown menu to toggle if you want to alter the status of the article once it’s complete. The options are as follows:

Unpublished - This is the default option that will populate for any new post/page composed.
Pending review - Select this option if you’re planning to return to the content later, or if you’re an editor-in-training/intern/contributor whose content must be approved by an Editor first.
Published - Once you publish your work (marked by the number 6), the dropdown menu will convert to this. This option will also be selected after returning to a post/page that has already been published. You will also see a timestamp in which the article has been published. If you wish to adjust the timestamp date, click on the “Edit” link. It’s unlikely you will ever need to use this option, but it’s good to be familiar with its location when necessary.
Private - Since this isn’t LiveJournal, this checkbox should never be checked unless there’s a valid reason your content is being “hidden”.

6. The Almost Done / Yeah I am Done Section - Also known as “Save” and “Publish”. Click on the Save button when you wish to save your current work and continue working. If you’re totally satisfied with your work, ran it through the spellchecker and made the necessary copy-edits (yes, that’s important), hit the Publish button so it can be revealed to the public.

7. Related - This area will only be use by administrators who oversee all published work on the site. Don’t touch unless you actually know why you’re visiting these section.

Toward the upper right hand corner of the Visual Editor, you’ll notice a very small interactive area marked for adding media. So if you’ve been wondering how to embed screenshots, video, a sound (i.e. .wav, MP3, MP4) or video clip file (i.e. Quicktime, Windows Media File). (Please check out see Section 2.3 for more information.)

NOTE: Aside from the Category tab, editors should not be concerned with the rest of the columns minimized under Advanced Options. Should that change in the future, the FAQ will be updated with new details.

Introduction to the Write Page, Part 2

Now that we’ve been formally introduced, let’s break into the more exciting stuff.

2.1 Visual Editor - While it’s unlikely that you’ll use most of the functions offered in this toolbar, it’s a good idea to have an understanding of how they work and when they’re appropriate to use. This editor can be found in most message board applications (i.e. vBulleting) and word processing programs. Let’s assume everyone is on the same page and is using this for the first time. Here’s a breakdown of each function, beginning from the top row (l. to r., respectively) followed by the bottom row.

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Icons You’ve Dated Before

Bold - Puts text into boldface format.

Italics - Puts text into italic format.

Strikethrough - Creates a line directly through selected text. Usually used as a means to show that you intended one thing but meant actually was going to say something else. (Like we just did a second ago.)

Unordered list - Commonly used to create a bulleted layout. Makes content stand out if you’re going for a desired list effect.

Ordered list - Same as above, except the list will be distinguished with numbers. Yes RLY.

Blockquote - Often found in magazines. Nice feature to use if you want to have quoted text get prominent attention.

Text Alignment

Align Left, Middle, Right - Selecting either of these buttons will adjust your text based on the corresponding toolbar button clicked. Align Right will probably never be used on here (nor should it be used unless you’re going for an unusual effect)

Inserts

Insert/edit link & Unlink - This option will highlight when you mouseover over the desired text that you intend to provide an HTML link. If you wish to get the opposite effect, this can be done click the “Unlink” button.

Insert/edit image - This option should be used after a. uploading an image from the “Add Media” column above the toolbar or b. hotlinking an image (which is frowned upon by many sites btw). When the window opens up, you’ll be given a few formatting options which is helpful when you want to embed the text and set up the right alignment. This is covered in a bit more detail under Section 2.3 - UNDER CONSTRUCTION).

More - As in “See more content…” Should be used when you write an extensive post. This is a great practice to incorporate as a means to give teh reader a brief excerpt of the content and click a link to read the rest of the post.

Wax On, Wax… Nevermind

Toggle spellchecker - Self-explanatory. This should always be used. Yes it should. No, really !!! after you check from grammar, use this as the final review for potential errors.

Toggle fullscreen mode - So you’re not satisfied with the ability to resize the text area box (that’s in the lower right hand corner if you’re wondering), select this option to have the text area fill the whole screen.

Everything but the kitchen sink - This should be opened up if you need to move into other areas which include things like Heading, Underline, Align Full, Insert embedded media, Indent/Outdent, Undo and Redo. Oh and there’s a help button too. If you really need help with these, just drop us a line.