At the top of each Shine page, under your log in, is a link inviting you to join the conversation and begin blogging.

1. Select Blog and click Write New Post.
2. Create a catchy title for your comments, and type it into the Title text box.
3. There are a variety of options to format your entry or add video or pictures. The most important is choosing a category. Next to Submit my post to, select a category for your comments from the Choose a Category drop-down menu.

These categories determine where your comments are posted on Shine and where you can find them when you have finished adding content. These categories also help other users find blogs that interest them. When posted, comments are public and searchable.

Remember: Choosing a category is a required step allowing you to save your comments to draft, and to post online to Shine.

In this example, the post will be submitted to the “Parenting” category.

4. Add some key words or “tags” to associate with your comments. Type these words into the Tags text box and separate them with commas. Tagging is optional, but allows your comments to be found more easily by others searching for the key words you use here. For example, if you have written a reply in the Parenting section on twins, you can add tags such as twins, multiple births, siblings, discount stores, play dates, and so on, to highlight what is most relevant to your content.
5. Select Show More Options and another content box appears. This box is for your excerpt. An excerpt is a concise summary of your blog that is shown to readers so they can decide if they want to read more. You can copy the first few lines of your blog entry by clicking the Copy Content link, and you can edit this text or leave it as the excerpt.
6. Select Preview, Save As Draft, or Post This Entry. Remember that you must first choose a category for your posting to enable these selections.

• Preview shows you what your comments look like so you can make edits before posting.
• Save As Draft allows you to save your entry, navigate away from this location, and return later to review and post your entry. To return to your draft, click Manage My Blog.
• Post This Entry posts your comments publicly.

When you have created a blog entry, visit Manage Your Blog to make any changes.

There can be a time delay before your post is viewable online.

When you have written a blog, all your entries can be managed from the Manage Your Blog section, including viewing, editing, and deleting your entry.