Navigate the Blog
For those of you not familiar with how a blog works, we have developed this page to provide tips on how to use and navigate Virtual MAC.
What is a blog?
What is a post?
How do I find a post?
How do I comment on a post/thread?
How do I subscribe to comments?
What is RSS and how do I use it?
How do I view my RSS feeds?
What are the categories located on the right side of the page?
Is this the official state of Maine website for the arts?
What is a blog? A web log with regular entries made that appear in chronological order. Blogs are often news related or subject specific commentary. Blogs are useful in spreading your message and fostering communication on specific topics, potentially reaching an enormous audience.
What is a post? An article or initial entry in the blog. To view a specific post and all related comments, simply click on the post title and your page will consist of only that specific thread for that post.
How do I find a post? Entries can be found by several navigation methods as outlined below:
- Select from the list of categories on the right side of the page and view the posts within a specific topic.
- Use the Search box by searching for a post by keyword.
- Use the calendar on the left side of the page to view blog entries for a specific date.
- Select a month from the Archives list on the right side of the page to view blog entries for a specific month displayed in chronological order.
How do I comment on a post/thread? Select the post you wish to view and comment on. Then scroll down and fill out the “Leave a Reply” area, placing your comment in the text box. Be sure to fill in all required fields and check the box if you want to track comments via email.
How do I subscribe to comments? There are two ways to subscribe to comments.
- To get comments for all posts, you can opt in to the RSS feeds by selecting the RSS feed symbol on the left column of the page.
- To follow comments on a single post, you would check the box “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” in the Leave a Reply area below the message box when you submit your comment to a post.
What is RSS and how do I use it? RSS (Really Simply Syndication) is syndicated content or web feeds containing updated content published to a website. Generally, websites that offer this service will feature the symbol for RSS feeds 
. You can automatically get updated content by subscribing to a feed (free of charge) and view your content in an RSS feeder program such as Internet Explorer, Google and other aggregator programs. To subscribe to Virtual MAC’s RSS feed, simply click on the RSS feed symbol on the left side of the page. Once you do this, you can either select to learn more about RSS feeds or choose to subscribe to this feed.
View a short video explaining RSS in plain english (Youtube)
Hint: If you are using Firefox browser, you will be promted to select your feed viewer choice. If you are using Internet Explorer, you will be limited to the Internet Explorer Feed Viewer.
How do I view my RSS feeds? Viewing your feeds varies from the type of aggregator program you have set up. Examples below:
- If you choose Internet Explorer as your feed viewer, you will view your feeds by clicking on your Favorites Center button, select Feeds. and then select Virtual MAC from the list of feeds to view.
- If you chose Google as your feed viewer, then login to your iGoogle page or Google.com account and view your feed.
What are the categories located on the right side of the page? Categories were set up to place posts in relation to a specific topic (category). Posts can be found in one category or multiple categories as relation applies. If a post does not apply to a specific category, it will be placed in the “Uncategorized” category.
What are the links in the BlogRoll section on the right side of the page? These links are provided as helpful resources to other state, regional or national arts blogs.
Is this the official state of Maine website for the arts? No, the official website is www.MaineArts.com
