How Do I Operate This Blog Thing?!

How do you read I blog? I don’t understand how to get around this thing!

You ain’t the only one. Getting around in a blog is different than getting around in most websites: it’s structured differently. Frankly, blogs are a pain to use, but worth it for all the great content (like How To Catch A Pet Fart). Here’s an overview on how to get around Small & Big and other blogs.

WHAT IS A BLOG?
A blog is like a diary. Only instead of a secret journal stowed under my bed I “post” writings and drawings for all the Earth to see, on my “blog,” the shortened form of web log.

HOW’S A BLOG PAGE ORGANIZED?
Posts are listed by date, with the most recent at the top of the web page. As you read down the page you go back in time. Generally, a limited number of posts appear on a page. To read older ones, scroll to the bottom of any page and click the Older Posts button. Sometimes a Newer Posts button also appears, and clicking it takes you to a page of more recently written stories. You can click back and forward in time using these two links, you time traveler, you. Other ways to get around:

• READ BY SUBJECT
  If you want to see stuff written on a specific topic, look at the left-hand column on any page for a list of category links I call “On Tap.” This is the closest to how you’d navigate around in a website. For instance, if you click Home & Garden, you’ll go to a page with stuff I list as Home & Garden. The page might have one story/drawing or a whole bunch.
• SEARCH
  You can search within Small & Big. In the upper right corner of all pages is a white search box. Type your keyword(s) and click the button that says Search. Search results appear in the middle column there.
• READ BY MONTH
  You can check out all stories written in any month. Small & Big began in August of 2006 so there’s a lot. Look in the left-hand column and, under Archives, open the pull-down menu and select, for instance, “February 2007.” Remember, as you read down the specific month’s page you go back in time. You can get to Archives from any Small & Big page.

WHAT’S A COMMENT?
A comment is something you add to a post; literally, a comment. Feedback. Please make ’em! Over 100,000 people have visited this blog and I've gotten, like, 12 comments. Commenting is a way of talking to, or at, me or others whose comments already show up. (Keep in mind that comments are public.) At the bottom of each post is a link. It reads “0 Awesome Comments” or “3 Awesome Comments” or whatever. Click it. You’ll get a screen containing an empty rectangle. Type your comments into the rectangle and click Post Comment. (If you’d like to double-check what you wrote first, click the Preview button instead.) If you’re prompted to enter a password or something, follow the on-screen directions.

With a little practice you’ll be comfortable navigating your way around this and any other blog. Happy clicking!