Starting a Blog with RSS Import

[thewoodwhisperer]

This forum allows you to start a new blog, or simply import the posts from your existing blog via RSS. Here's how you do it.

Start by clicking on your name at the top right and choosing My Settings.

Then Click on Blogs under Your Options.

Read the Terms & Rules, click that you agree, then click Next.

Give your blog a name and a description, then click Finish.

Your blog is now created. If you want to import posts from an external blog via RSS, click on Options.

Select Manage RSS Import.

Copy and paste your external blog's RSS feed into the first field, and select Save Changes. That's it. Whenever you publish a post on your external blog, it will also show up here on the forum.

Have fun and happy blogging.

[Dyami Plotke]

Thanks for the tutorial, Marc. Unfortunately, I'm a complete RSS newbie with no web coding experience. I can't seem to get the instructions to work. I was hoping that you or another kind forum member might me able to help me out. Here are the details of my blog:

It's hosted by blogger (google) at http://penultimatewoodshop.blogspot.com/

When I use that address in the RSS Feed URL box under step 7 of Marc's instructions, I get an RSS_CLASS_ERROR message. When I use the address provided by blogspot when I chose atom under my "Subscribe To" widget I get another error.

I'll admit to a basic lack of understanding with the way RSS works and what I should be entering into the RSS Feed URL box.

Can anyone offer advice on where to find my blogspot RSS Feed URL, or how to get this sill thing up and running?

Thank you.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Well not all RSS feeds are created equal, and some systems may not like certain feeds. Have you tried inputting this one? http://penultimatewoodshop.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

[Dyami Plotke]

Thank you, Marc! That address did the trick. I'm up and running.

[PaulMarcel]

So when you import your blog, it copies all the postings (or does it just do the last n?) Will that wreak havoc on people's "new content" view under blogs or does it just remember the last entry and implicitly mark the rest as viewed? Just wondering if you import something with a lot of entries if people are gonna hate you for it

[woodcanuck]

So when you import your blog, it copies all the postings (or does it just do the last n?) Will that wreak havoc on people's "new content" view under blogs or does it just remember the last entry and implicitly mark the rest as viewed? Just wondering if you import something with a lot of entries if people are gonna hate you for it

Paul-Marcel...I just tried this out and it looks like it picks up any new content posted to your blog, not all the old stuff.

Marc...this is great, I like this idea a lot and it was easy as pie to get it working.

[PaulMarcel]

Excellent, Ian... I only have 58 or so entries (some queued ) in my blog, but didn't want that suddenly showing up as new material plugging up the list of blogs with real content

I created mine as a redirect before and can't find the import option. I think I need to delete the blog then recreate it to get the option by picking a different type other than redirect.

Thanks for the info!

Dang, now I have to write something useful over there... -grumble-

[PaulMarcel]

Worked well; too cool. Since I had already created my blog as a redirect, none of the options for an import or even changing it from a redirect were available. I had to delete the redirect blog and create it anew. No big deal, but thought I'd point it out.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Worked well; too cool. Since I had already created my blog as a redirect, none of the options for an import or even changing it from a redirect were available. I had to delete the redirect blog and create it anew. No big deal, but thought I'd point it out.

The forum actually gives you two types of blogs that you can set up. An external and internal. I found this was very confusing to people since most people with an outside blog will select external. Well all this did was create a glorified link to your blog. What you really needed to do was make an internal blog and link up the RSS feed. Well, how the heck would anybody know that?!?! So I just removed the option for what they refer to as an "external blog" and now there is only one option. Either start a blog and begin writing, or start a blog and import your RSS. There's just no reason to have the other type. So that's why you had to delete the old one and start over Paul.

[bywc]

Hey I just tried it and it worked, but the issue i am having is it only seems to show about half the images from the original blog post and the rest instead of an image it just shows the link? is there some kind of limit on amount of images that can be added per post over here?

[thewoodwhisperer]

I experience that with mine as well. Honestly, I have NO idea what the reason behind that is. I just grin and bear it.

[bywc]

cool, as long as it wasn't something I screwed up I can live with it to lol

[Roger T]

Marc,

I really like this feature you have for the blogs. But, I am having some diffuculty with this. I am now using Feedburner to distribute my blogs and the URL is this

http://feeds.feedburner.com/woodlandturnings/oSaf

When I post a message, It is not getting pulled into your site, but if I go into Manage my Blog, and re-enter my feed link, it will pull the messages all the way back to the last time I updated the feed link on your site. Odd behavior to say the least, perhaps you can give me some assistance on getting this sorted out.

Thanks,

Roger

[thewoodwhisperer]

unfortunately, nope, I cant. This is a bit of a buggy feature and it doesn't always work properly. I don't really have any control over its behavior. Even my feed doesn't import properly. I think the system is just a bit buggy.