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It simple; after finding an interesting video on YouTube, just locate and copy the video ID which I highlighted below (it's the combination of letters and numbers that follow the = sign): Then select "Insert: YouTube" from the Quick Access Menu while posting: Then simply paste the video ID in the box: Click OK and share your video... it's that simple! XRI_zlJo0go

Resize digital pictures quickly While it's great that newer digital cameras can take beautiful 5-, 6-, or 7-megapixel pictures, using such large photo files on the web can become a problem. At our forum, these large files in a post or blog entry can limit the amount of pictures you can upload. Additionally, many users are on dial-up connections which can result in painfully slow image viewing. Resizing pictures before you post them is made simpler using a free Windows XP download called the Image Resizer, which is one of the many handy tools that make up the Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP. You can also use the Image Resizer to resize photos before you upload them to your Gallery. Thought the Gallery will resize your image to a maximum size of 800 x 600, uploading larger files can be problematic and time consuming. For this reason we recommend that you use the medium setting in Image Resizer before uploading images to any area of the forum. Of course, this tool will come on handy outside the forum as well. For instants, e-mailing large photo files can clog up your recipient's Inbox. Resizing pictures before you e-mail them — or even before you burn them to a CD — is just a click away with this free tool. You can also resize photos so they'll fit on a compatible cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or Portable Media Center so you can enjoy your photos while on the go. Using the Image Resizer is easy, and it will preserve your original photos for other uses you may have in the future. Using the Image Resizer You'll want to begin by making sure your pictures are well organized. Because your digital camera probably gives pictures an arbitrary and confusing name, such as dscn0809.jpg, be sure to rename your photos to something easily identifiable at a glance, such as flowers.jpg. Ordinarily, it's recommended that you make a backup of your original digital photo before resizing it. However, Image Resizer creates a duplicate file in the same folder as your original and resizes the duplicate; your original picture file is not altered in any way during the process. 1. Open the folder that contains the pictures you want to resize. In Thumbnail view, right-click any picture you want to resize, and click Resize Pictures. 2. In the Resize Pictures dialog box, click the size you want your photo to be, and click OK. In general, Small is a good selection for most of your needs, such as e-mailing pictures or posting them to a Web site. 3. The original file, flowers.jpg, is still intact; and a new, resized file, named flowers (Small).jpg, has been added to the same folder. Resize multiple photos at once To resize a sequence of photos at once, click the first photo in the sequence, hold down the SHIFT key, and click the last photo in the sequence. All the photos in between those that you clicked will be selected. Follow the steps outlined previously to resize the sequence of selected photos. To resize nonsequential photos in a folder, click the first photo, and hold down the CTRL key while you click the other pictures you want to resize. Once you have your photos selected, follow the steps outlined previously to resize the selected photos. Advanced features Image Resizer includes some additional advanced features. Click the Advanced tab to show the following options: • Custom lets you manually set the size you want for your photos. • Make pictures smaller but not larger constrains resizing to only sizes smaller than the original photo. • Resize the original pictures (don't create copies) permanently applies resizing to your original photo. With this easy way to resize your pictures, you just might start sharing all your photos—rather than just a few—with your friends and family.

Over the past few years I've been using my blog mostly for technical notes, but last fall I deleted all the entries so that I could use it for a tutorial on how to get the most out of our community blogs. Well, I'm no closer to writing that tutorial, but I figured I'd make it available anyway. There are a few key features I think are being overlooked, so as time allows, I will add a post about these features. This post will start us off and it's all about Content Blocks! What are Content Blocks? When you first set your blog up, you'll notice a stack of boxes, or "blocks" to the right of the entries area... the calendar counts as a content block, for example. So does the list of your most recent entries, blog categories, etc. These content blocks are customizable! You can re-order them, you can delete them completely. You can also create new ones! Why Bother with Content Blocks? Content blocks are a cool way to personalize your blog and further connect with your readers. You can use them to prominently highlight stuff that interests you, or is important to you. For example, I added a "What's Been Keeping Me Busy" content block, which links to the books I'm currently reading, movies I'm watching, games I'm playing and sites I'm browsing. You just need to glance over to the right side of the page and you'll know what I'm up to! You could create a content block about your current miniature projects, a brief bio, or create a block you update daily with your mood, what you're listening to, what's for dinner - the possibilities here are endless! If you decide to add pictures to your content blocks, the default width is 250 pixels so it's important that any pictures you add are small enough to fit. How to Setup Content Blocks Click My Blog Click the Content Blocks Button From the menu that drops down, click Add Custom Content Block Type in a Block Name Type in your text! Just like your blog entries, you can format it and include images and links. Preview and/or submit Click My Controls On the far left menu, scroll down to Community Blog Click Content Blocks Settings Scroll down to add new content block or reorganize your existing blocks. Even simpler, you can click on the title bar of any content block and drag it into a new position. So easy! Done! That's all there is to it! You can now edit/delete your custom blocks right from your main blog page, which makes updating easy. I look forward to seeing how you put your Content Blocks to use!

As part of the "Why Blog" tutorial, I'm offering a brief description of each of my categories as examples of potential subjects that members might want to cover in a blog. Well this is point of interest item that might bring people to visit my blog who want to know what I have in the hopper for our community. It's important to remember that though you might be writing for yourself, if you have nothing interesting to share your blog may very well go unnoticed.