Star Wars: Blogs | About Blogs

Welcome to blogs.starwars.com!

New to blogs.starwars.com? Read these following Frequently Asked Questions for help.

I. GENERAL:

What is a blog?
A blog is a web page usually made up of short, but frequently updated posts arranged in order by date. Blogs are composed of everything from links to cool and interesting sites, to commentary about other web sites. People also like to write about news items, their collections of stuff and random experiences. So in short blogs can be diaries, mini-essays, editorials and simply links to fun stuff found on the Web.
Many blogs are personal "what I'm thinking about" type ponderings. Others are collaborative efforts -- or multi-blogs -- based on an area of mutual interest. Here on starwars.com, they can be about your reviews of the films, tips on tracking down the coolest action figure, or even your haiku odes to Bossk. But most importantly, blogs are a fun way to express yourself. As a blogger you have the unique chance to write what's on your mind and share your musings with people you may never have a chance to meet in person. Not only is keeping a blog fun, it's addicting! If you come across a link to a funny Star Wars fan trailer, post it. When you find old photos of you as a kid dressed as Darth Vader, blog the link! Show off your latest portrait of R2-D2 in ASCII art. Give tips on how to master the latest Star Wars video game. Report directly from comic book conventions and Star Wars events. The possibilities are endless!
What is a VIP blog?
Not only is blogs.starwars.com full of fans' blogs, but there are also a number of people directly related to the Star Wars family as artists, authors, film crew, game developers, editors, comic book illustrators, Lucasfilm staff and more who also keep regular blogs here. Read the latest thoughts from Star Wars book author Karen Traviss, or catch up on the latest projects from Star Wars illustrators and comic book artists -- Thomas Hodges, Randy Martinez, Chris Trevas, Joe Corroney and many others. Meet the people behind the scenes at Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts, Lucasfilm and Star Wars Insider magazine. The VIP blogs give fans a chance get a glimpse into the minds of the people who make the Star Wars saga so much fun.
What is a multi-blog?
A multi-blog is just like a regular blog, but it has two or more authors. Multi-blogs are designed to allow any variety of fan groups to utilize starwars.com to inform the public about themselves and their activities.

II. STARTING A BLOG

Is blogs.starwars.com free? How do I create a blog?
Anyone can read our blogs, but in order to start your own blog, you'll need to be a member of Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club. Click here to learn more about joining Hyperspace.
If you are already a Hyperspace member, click here to begin
What is my address/URL?
In order to have a personalized URL for your blog, you'll need to first choose a folder name. This is permanent, so choose wisely. Also make sure that your folder name is appropriate under our blog and forum guidelines (i.e., no profanity), and does not include someone's name you are not (i.e., GeorgeLucas).
This is what your blog URL will look like when you are finished: http://blogs.starwars.com/yourfoldername
How do I change the name of my blog or its description?
To begin your blog, you'll need a title for the blog as a whole, as well as a short description about what readers may find when they read your blog. To write or edit this, go to your blog and click on the "Blog Settings" icon in the "Blog Tools" section in the left-hand column.
The title of your blog and its description determine how your blog will be viewed by others. Try to enter something meaningful (not "my blog"). A description can be used to describe your blog, or to give a subtitle. It cannot be longer than 500 characters, and cannot contain HTML or other code. Names of blogs that allude you are someone you're not (i.e. "George Lucas' Blog") or names that are deemed obscene will not be allowed.
Once I create a blog, how do I post an entry?
After you have set up your blog (blog name, description, etc.) you'll want to create a new entry. Start by giving your entry a title, then type in the post itself. Use the tool bar above the entry to italicize, bold, underline, add links and choose an image to go with your entry. You'll also be asked to choose a category you think your entry topic best falls under so readers can search for your entry by category. When you're finished, click the Preview link to make sure it's ready to go. Once you're satisfied with your post, click the "Publish" button. This will publish your new post.
Can I write my blog in a language other than English?
Not at this time.
How do I make text bold, italic or underlined?
While you are writing your blog entry on the Write a Blog page, it's easy to change the appearance of your text. Whether you want it to be bold, italicized, and underlined -- just highlight the text you want to alter and hit the button located above the text entry box where you are writing your entry. Once you are done with your entry, be sure to hit the "Preview This Blog" button to make sure the words you wanted to change are the way you want them to look.
What is an emoticon and how to I use them?
Emoticons, or in this case Emotiyodacons, are a series of symbols used to show emotion or tone in your text whether it be a happy face = :-) or a sad face = :-( . To use them in your blog text, all you have to do is click on the "Add Emoticon" button included the series of buttons above your blog entry text formatting box on the Write a Blog page and a popup of all possible Emotiyodacons to choose from will become visible. Just click on the one you want and its code will appear within your text. Once you hit the "Preview This Blog" or "Publish This Blog" button you will see the final green face staring back at you.
How do I link to another website?
Highlight the text you'd like to turn into a link. If you do not select any text before using the link button, your link will be created but without anything to click on. A pop-up window will appear prompting you for a URL you'd like to link to. Type the URL in the text box. (Don't forget to type http:// before the domain name!)
How do I post pictures?
A growing library of images is available for you to include with your blog entries. Image categories include all six Star Wars films, expanded universe, collecting, gaming, fan activities, and much more. Click on the "Add Picture" button located with the other button series above where you type your text entry in the "Write a Blog" page.
If you don't find the image you want, you may also provide a link to an image hosted on another website, if you so desire. External images cannot be displayed inline directly in your blog entry. Do not link to inappropriate images.
When linking to an image on someone else's web server, please observe blog etiquette of linking to the web page holding the image rather than just the image itself. (e.g. link to http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/release/publicity/news20050502.html rather than http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/release/publicity/img/20050502_bg.jpg).
New images will be added to the pool to choose from on a regular basis, to keep your entries fresh and fun, so if you have a set of images you'd like to see added, please post a request in the "Blog Feedback" section of forums.starwars.com.
What is a blog entry category? What if I don't pick a category?
Selecting a category for your blog entries will not only help your readers identify at a glance what topic you are discussing, but it will also help new readers find your blog when they browse for their specific Star Wars interests. When you select a category for your entry, it will automatically be included in our "Browse by Category" section.
The categories to choose from are Fan Activities, Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, Collecting, Expanded Universe, Gaming, Regional and Miscellaneous. New categories will be added in the future, as needed and requested.
For entries about Star Wars that do not fit in one of the existing categories, you should select "Miscellaneous". If your entry is not Star Wars-related, leave the category blank. Your entry will still show up on the blogs.starwars.com front page, under "Most Recent" entries.
What�s an Entry Introduction? How long should it be?
An Entry Introduction is the short description (a maximum of two lines) of what your entry is about. This introductory text is shown long with your "Blog Entry Title" in various places on the site, including your blog main page and the blogs.starwars.com front page, to alert readers to your new entry.
If you leave the Entry Introduction field blank, then the first two lines of text from your entry will be displayed by default.
How do I edit or delete a journal entry I wrote?
To edit an entry, simply click on the button "Edit this Blog" at the bottom of the Preview page. If the entry is already published, go to your blog page and you will see an "edit" link near the title of each entry under your "Recent Entries" list, and in your "Manage Archive" list. After you edit your content, be sure to hit "Publish Entry" to make sure changes are saved.
To delete an entry, go to the "Manage Blog Archive" section and use the boxes in the "Delete" column to mark an entry for deletion. Once you've checked the appropriate boxes, click on the "Save All Changes" button at the bottom of the page. A copy of each deleted entry will be sent to your email.
How do I delete all my entries without deleting my account?
Your blog account will not be deleted if you decide to delete all your blog entries. It will appear blank except for your avatar, blog roll, your blog title and description.
Who can have a multi-blog? How do I start a multi-blog?
A multi-blog is a blog which may be contributed to by two or more individuals. Multi-blogs are designed to allow any variety of fan groups to utilize starwars.com to inform the public about themselves and their activities.
To request a multi-blog for your Star Wars group, please post a request in the "Blog Feedback" section of forums.starwars.com. Please include as much information as possible about the nature of your group, including any associated weblinks, as applicable. Each request will be looked at and evaluated for inclusion on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of blogs.starwars.com administration.
Can I have a VIP blog?
VIP status on starwars.com blogs and message boards is reserved for individuals associated with Star Wars in some official capacity, including employees of the Lucasfilm companies, official fan clubs, cast, crew, and official Star Wars artists, writers, illustrators, and licensees. If you feel that you fall into one of these categories, post a request in the "Blog Feedback" section of forums.starwars.com.
Can people comment on my blog entries?
Yes. Every member of starwars.com can comment on your blog entries. Only members of Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club can comment on VIP blog entries. You will be notified of new comments by email. There's a maximum of 50 comments per entry.
Comments are enabled by default, but they can be switched off in the "Blog Settings" section. You can also disable comments for just one entry -- before or after you've published it -- by changing the "Blog Comments" setting just above the "Edit Entry Introduction" box. The change will take effect after you click on the "Publish this Entry" button.
Can people contact me directly?
Yes. Registered members of starwars.com can contact you directly by clicking on the "Contact Blogger" icon under the "Blog Tools". The comment will be delivered by email with the member's email address as sender. Your email address remains anonymous and is not revealed to the commenter, unless you choose to reply.
You can enable or disable this feature in the "Blog Settings", toggle the "Contact Blogger" switch and don't forget to click on "Save All Changes".

III. MANAGING YOUR BLOG

What can I find in the Blog Settings section?
This is where you can change the title of your entire blog, edit the blog introduction description, and delete blogs from your Blog Roll. You can also see the statue of your "Blog Space Limit", click through to the "Manage Blog Archive" section, and even change your blog avatar.
I already have a website. How can I publish this starwars.com blog to it?
An increasing number of blog sites, personal portals and other web pages and browsers are allowing their users to include RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, sometimes called XML feeds or XML syndication. This feed is a automatically updated list of your most recent blog entries.
Your starwars.com blog automatically generates an RSS feed for you or your readers to utilize on any website or feed reader or service. The address of your RSS feed is http://blogs.starwars.com/youblogfoldername/rss or click on the "XML" button on your blog page.
What's a permalink?
If you link to the front page of a blog, a specific entry of interest will move off the front page in time as new entries are added.
A "permalink" is a permanent, unique web address for each particular entry with which you can repost the link to another site, or share it with a friend.
What's a blog quota and why should I care?
Each blog is allocated a portion of server space. The current limits should allow each blogger to post around 500 entries, depending on length. Multi-blogs and VIP blogs are granted additional space.
If you reach your quota, you will be able to delete entries to make space for new ones. These deleted entries can be easily saved to your harddrive or sent to your email so you will never lose one of your entries. You can always gauge how much space you have left by looking at the "Blog Quota Bar" on your blog main page and settings page.
What's a Blog Roll? How do I add to it?
A Blog Roll is a list of blogs on starwars.com that you enjoy reading. To add to a blog to your list, simply click on the plus symbol on the Blog Tools sidebar box of the blog you wish to add. To delete blogs on your list, go to your Blog Settings and check the boxes of the blogs you wish to delete from your list.
What are Favorite Blog Entries? How can I list or unlist mine?
Favorite Blog Entries are a list of 5 (10 for multi-blogs) entries that the blog author thinks are his or her best writing from their blog. These can be both recent and older entries.
Blog authors can add or delete from the Favorite Blog Entries list, by going to their blog's "Manage Archive" area and either checking or unchecking the boxes that say "Mark as Favorite" next to each entry.