LAVA - NIWeek2003 Blog

NIWeek 2003 Blog - Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Blog?
Ah yes, the age old question. Initially, blogs were just daily postings of interesting web links. Nowadays the term "blog" is used to describe many different types of online publishing initiatives that display information in chronological order. I will not go into any great detail on this since there are many sites out there that have answered this question already. Here is just a handful of them:

http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/blog_history.html
http://karcy.poeticonflict.com/journal/definition.html
http://www.robotwisdom.com/blogs/
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=6623
http://newhome.blogs.com/historyOfblogs
http://www.microcontentnews.com/interviews/slashblog.htm
http://radio.weblogs.com/0001015/userland/scratchpad/wsj/WSJ_com - Major Business News.htm

You can also just type "what is a blog?" into any search engine for hundreds of listings.

I would love to contribute to the blog. What do I do?
All you need to do is request a login password.

I've never used a blogging system before where can I get some help?
Read the quick guide to authoring. It's all you really need to know.

I don't know HTML, can I still participate?
Of course. You don't need knowledge of HTML to post. If you know how to type and send an email then you have all the skills you need.

I have writers block, I can't think of anything to write about.
Really? What was the last presentation you attended? How did you feel about the technology presented in it? Were you excited, disappointed, annoyed or just plain bored? Why? On the other hand, did it inspire you to try out some new things back at the office? What are they and why? Who was the last person you talked to? What did you talk about? Have you made plans for the evening? Did you attend an NI night-time event? What happened there? What did you think of the keynote presentations? What do you think of the food, your hotel room or the weather? What about you, where are you traveling from? What NI hardware or software do you use? What are your goals at NIWeek? What do you hope to see or accomplish and what problems are you trying to solve... you still have nothing to write about?

How about your colleagues, friends or co-workers back home? What information do you want them to know about the show? When we return home, some of us have to put together reports or presentations summarizing what we saw and did at NIWeek. With this blog you have an easy way to keep your people back home informed and up-to-date on a daily or hourly basis. Entries can be displayed by author so if someone wants see your posts only, they can do that.

Can I write about a neat TIP or trick I learned for LabVIEW from a developer?
Of course you can.

Can I use the Blog to organize impromptu meetings between attendees?
Hey what a great idea!

I had something cool to write about but I forgot what it was.
Take notes. Then refer to them.

I took some great digital pictures at the show, can I add them to my entry?
Of course you can. Just read the quick guide to authoring. It's all explained in there.

I want to post replies and comments to other people's blog entries how can i do that?
Very simple. At the bottom of each entry there is a link called "comments" . Click on this link to add any comments you wish about the blog entry you just read. You do not need to be registered as an author to contribute comments. In fact you don't even need to be an NIWeek attendee. You can comment on anything you read in this blog.

What is a Permalink?
Whenever a new blog entry is published it is placed at the top of the list on the main website. The posts are displayed in chronological order. Eventually these posts are scrolled off of the bottom of the main page as new posts are published, however they are still available. Were did they go? Each post has a permanent home and a permanent web page. This is called the permalink. If you need a link to a post then use the permalink because it never changes. The permalink is located at the bottom of each post.

What is the difference between Entry Body and Extended Entry?
Collectively these two fields make up the body of your entry. You can use the two fields however you like: you could split up your entry over the two fields, or you could completely ignore the Extended Entry text and enter only the Entry Body text. Movable Type allows you to split up your entry for more flexibility in the display of that entry; for example, if you write very long entries, you may not want your entire entry on the main page. If the reader chooses to see your entire entry, they can click on the "more>>" link to expand the entry.

The conference is over, can I still post?
Yes. Maybe you missed something while going through your notes or you just want to reflect on your experience. Your welcome to do so as long as you want.

I'm afraid of offending someone or revealing confidential information.
Well, in that case don't write about it.

I read something that I found offending or inappropriate.
Let me know about it. Send an email to: [niweekblog {at} lavag.org] with a link to the article in question. Don't send a link to the main blog page since this content always changes. I need the "permalink". This is located at the bottom of each entry.