I haven't spent much, hardly any, time here lately, but there seems to be a bit of panic going on, again, on OS. This time its what happens if Salon.com sells out, folds, etc. It could happen, but does not look very imminent.
I wondered about what would happen to my stuff when a similar panic hit shortly after I came on OS. (To my recollection this is the third such panic since I came here in October, 2008). So, in addition to keeping back up files on my computer of everything I post, I decided to set up a "mirror blog" on Google's Blogspot. (Used to be known as Blogger.)
I was more concerned with keeping the formating, the pics, vids, links, etc. than just the content since it is time consuming to set up a post anywhere.
I chose Google's Blogspot over the many other available free spots to start a blog simply because I am lazy and Blogspot does almost all the work for you. They have templates you can choose from to set up the blog in any style you want, and step by step instructions about adding content.
In any case, once you have set up your account, chosen a format, and set up your blog name, etc. here is all you have to do to move content to Blogspot.
Open your Blogspot blog in one tab. In the Blogger "Dashboard" click on "New Post." That will open a window to allow you to add content.
Now, Open your Open Salon Blog in another tab and go to a given post on OS that you want to copy to Blogspot.
Right click and hold down the mouse key to highlight the post, including title, comments, etc. that you want. (You can edit out any ads, and miscellaneous stuff you don't want.) Left click the mouse and select "copy."
Then dump the copied material, pics, videos, etc. and all into the Blogspot window. (Left click the mouse and select "Paste."
Move the Title up to the title box in Blogspot. Move the "tags" into the "labels" box on Blogspot. And clean up any miscellaneous stuff that you don't want moved into Blogspot.
Click "Preview" and take a look at what you have. Edit that if necessary.
When you are satisfied it looks OK, Click on "Publish Post." You are done.
(You can edit the post further at any time, or delete it entirely.)
That's it. Several of our OS friends have started doing this and many of them have Blogger accounts. You can follow their blogs there just the way you can here, and you can send notices of your posts, etc.
Take a look at my Blogger "Mirror Site" to get an idea what it could look like, although there are MANY options how to set up your own blog using the templates.
http://montecanfield.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions let me know in the comments and I will try to walk you through any issues with doing this.
Blessings,
Monte
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Lucy Mercer
Erica K
Shawn O'Shea
Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Sissy414
Raymond Roske
Salon.com
Comments
It is very good, however, to see you again. I hope, perhaps in the new year, perhaps sooner, that you'll start writing on here again. Of course, it was the motorcycling posts that originally got me hooked (and you've yet to tell us about bass fishing in New York City), but there's been so much other material that has been fascinating -- and informative.
Kurt
What people don't understand is:
nothing is ever lost, no word,
no thought,
no touch.
Yet it is human to wish to preserve ourselves...
as evidence that indeed, we were once HERE...
but
we are always here...
the cosmos is not
gonna sell out to the highest bidder anytime soon...
and anyway they say it'll bounce back & give us another big bang
chance, maybe..
what we fear is that vast horrifying picture the scientists
have given us in their sincere study: a cosmos
drifting to infinity, to heat-death...
every piece of matter spread out forever!
matter doesnt matter though.
You do, Monty...keep the heat and anti-entropy coming
blessings back
We miss you and hope that you will be back here more!
Thank you so much.
rated with love
Good advice though for those who started theirs here.
You CAN import the OS comments along with the post.
As for Importing the blog as a whole, I tried but had no real luck doing it, but likely was doing something wrong. But what I got was so garbled, dropped so many of the pics, links, etc. that I just decided to do it piece by piece.
If you know, PL, how to do it so that you get the actual posts, in order, as separate posts, formatted, with links, pics, vids etc., and not all the other garbage and confusion which would take me weeks to sort out, it would be very helpful for you to explain how to do it right. It could save a lot of work. I just could not get the formatting to be preserved or to get it where the individual posts were useful.
But then again, I could never get the RSS feeds here to import anything that was acceptable as an actual blog post either. But it is likely I just don't know how to tweak the systems.
Thanks everybody.
Monte
I myself have a new space elsewhere as well.
Rated
i guess...but wouldnt it be nice to be in a spaceplace
where no corporate (vs.incorporate)
entity would dare to ruin our fun?
Matter is evil, though. You know that from your
Gnostic days. Ha. Huh.
Weak humor, if the world will soon end.
(appropritate though: impending end of creation\
and hope to preserve it..yikes)
Scupper: you are right. What I did when I was setting up was to do them in order, oldest first, etc. and indicate at the top of the post: "Originally posted on Open Salon, (_____date________)" That at least got them in the order I wrote them. Then, once I had the base of posts installed on my mirror blog, every time I post here I put that post into Blogspot/Blogger, maintaining the order they were first posted here.
Monte
http://bobskye.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-i-met-tom-waits.html
Monte
thanks Monte!
What it means is that I originally write on Blogger, then come over to OS, go to "my accounts," then "manage feeds," and then just be sure that the new post is checked off for it to be posted here as well.
It sounds more complicated than it is, but like you, I like the idea that my blog is backed up somewhere. Thanks for sharing your ideas. They work just as well.