Posterous – sniff, sniff, we’ll miss you – UPDATE

January 23, 2013February 20, 2013 Patrick Cauley1 Comment

UPDATE – Posterous has officially announced that they are closing up shop on April 30, 2013. Be sure to back it up NOW!

It looks like the sun is setting on Posterous, the popular blogging site. In 2012 it was purchased by Twitter and since then people have been speculating about the future of the platform. It now seems that the the end is nigh. Not long ago Posterous offered a back up tool that would let you download your entire blog into a handy zip file that will let you migrate it to another platform (WordPress and Blogger).

Techcrunch has reported that Posterous is not allowing new accounts to be created (I tried and got the same result).

Posterous has said that they will give their users plenty of notice if they are going to shutter their services.

Regardless, if you are one of those teachers that uses the ultra easy service it is probably time to back up your blog. To back up your blog, Posterous has made it simple (like the rest of their services). Simply log in and at the top you will see a button that says Backup.

When you click that hard to miss button it will give you a list of all your blogs. Click the Request Backup buttons of the blogs you would like to back up.

A confirmation page will appear that asks you if you’re sure with some captchas to enter. Then it will tell you that it is initializing and that this process may take some time.

Once that is done start a new class blog on WordPress and Blogger. Each will accept your previous entries and depending on how intricate they are will depend on how they will show up. Either way, if you have to start fresh you can find guides on how to do so below.

WordPress start your blog
Blogger start your blog

Classroom blogging – The saga continues

March 7, 2012March 9, 2012 Patrick Cauley1 Comment

I’ve written more than a few times about class blogs and I think they are a pretty awesome, versatile tool for teachers to use. I’ve got guides for there three major platforms (WordPress, Blogger, Posterous) and while they have changed a little bit since I posted, I still feel my guides still hold up pretty well so check them out.

To get all the good people out there caught up, I used WordPress last year and it worked well, but the hassle of getting all the students signed up was a real pain in my ascot. I also required all my students to post to the blog on every subject which had its own problems (read about those here). So I switched platforms and changed how I wanted the blog to work for my class.

Basically I picked 3-5 students to write on a given topic and then follow up that topic by having those students lead a class presentation. I’ve made sure to pick some very relevant topics that I feel they can relate to (middle school students that is). Well, the search for the perfect fit for the classroom blog continues. Click past the link to figure out what worked and what has fallen short.

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Posterous Update!

September 18, 2011September 18, 2011 Patrick Cauley1 Comment

Posterous is a great blogging platform. It’s powerful, versatile, and most of all easy to use. While Omar and I use WordPress.com for IT Babble, I definitely feel that Posterous is the way to go for a class blog. Last week they made some changes which makes my guide a bit obsolete. So, I’ve made a new one! I’ve embedded it from Scribd.com so you can easily download the PDF version if you like. Read on to get a quick how to set up a blog for your class and enjoy.

View this document on Scribd

The POWER of WordPress

August 19, 2011August 19, 2011 Patrick Cauley3 Comments

See the possibilities

I saw this article about WordPress today in TechCrunch that boasts some more than impressive numbers. According to WordPress they are powering almost 15% of the top million websites and that 22 out of 100 new websites in the US are powered by WordPress. Wow. WordPress is a blogging platform but it clearly can be used for so much more. We at IT Babble use WordPress.com, but will eventually move it to a private server. When we do that we will have to download the WordPress software at WordPress.org.

So why tell you about this? Well, it just goes to show you the WordPress and other blogging platforms (Blogger and Posterous) can be used for more than just blogging. Check out some ideas below:

Digital Portfolios
Electronic bulletin board
An open forum for debate
A space for students to share information and collaborate
A place for students to voice their opinion about the course of the class

I’m sure that you the reader can come up with more dynamic ways that you could use a blog and if you need some help setting one up check out our guides.

The school year is still young-set up a blog for your own needs and have some fun. 🙂

Happy blogging everyone.

Time to change course

June 13, 2011June 16, 2011 Patrick Cauley1 Comment

New blog strategy ahead

Blogs are pretty damn useful. Some teachers run their class through it, posting homework and setting up a drop box of sorts so students can turn their homework in. Others use it to organize special events, and some use it as a bulletin board to communicate what is happening in the class. The bottom line is blogs are flexible and can be used to help accomplish many, many goals. This year, I’ve started using a blog and it’s been good. There have been some ups and downs and now I have realized that there must also be some changes in order for the blog to continue to be effective in my class. Read on past the break to see how I am use my blog and what I’m going to change about it.

Oh and if you’re thinking of making a blog and want a crash course you can read my how-to’s for WordPress.com, Blogger, and Posterous.

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Want some free Blogging support?

May 9, 2011May 22, 2011 Patrick CauleyLeave a comment

IT Babble is growing faster than ever, and most of that is due to you the readers. Please keep tuning in, sharing what we write, and leaving those comments, we love it. One way we thought of saying thanks was to give a little something-something back to you our faithful readers.

Our gift is an open invitation to our online “class” about blogs. I put the word class in quotes, because it is more of a meeting place. With this invitation you can check out some cool class blogs, great guides we have made and a place to post a question or start a discussion. What is awesome about this, is all who join will be able to aid, share, and support everyone else in the group. Think of it as an extension to your current PLN (Personal Learner’s Network) or maybe the start of one. Read on past the break to see how to join (by the way did I mention it’s free!)

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