What is a reader account, and what does it do?
Reader accounts serve several purposes: to subscribe to a blog, to read secured content on a blog, to make comments on a blog, and to post on or administer a blog.
Subscribe to a Blog: When you are subscribed to a blog, you will receive an email message every time the blog is updated. You can sign up to recieve a message any time an article or comment is posted, or to only receive a message when posts are made to certain categories.
Restricted Categories: Some blogs have restricted categories that can only be read if you have a reader account. If the administrator of the blog has set up a restricted category and added you to the reader list, you will be able to read the restricted category. Some examples of restricted category content on a blog would include pictures and articles intended to be read only by family and friends, or business information intended only for employees and other business partners.
Comments: Most blogs allow comments to be written in response to articles, and most of those blogs do not allow anonymous comments. Not allowing anonymous comments cuts down on "comment spam", which is just like email spam but posted as comments to a blog, and "flaming", which is comments posted with the sole intention of making people angry. If a blog does not allow anonymous comments, you will not be able to leave comments without a reader account. The blog adminstrator does not need to add you to a list to make comments.
Posting and Administering: If desired, the blog administrator can add posters and new administrators to their blog, allowing other people to write for or administrate the blog. You need a reader account, and the administrator must add you to the poster or administrator list.
If you wish to perform any of the tasks listed above, you need a reader account. Most often, the blog owner will let you know if you need a reader account to read restricted categories, post, or administrate the blog. If you wish to make comments and anonymous comments are not allowed, you will need a reader account for that, too.
You only need one reader account for the whole Blogware system; you can use your reader account on any blog that is hosted by Domain Direct, and thousands of others that use Blogware.
If you have purchased a BlogID account from Domain Direct, you do not need a reader account. Your BlogID username and password will function as a reader account on any other blog that uses Blogware.
How do I sign up for a reader account?
Go to www.blogware.com/users and click the "Sign up!" link.
Fill in the information. Username, Password, Confirm (where you re-type your password), Display Name, and Email are required; all others are optional. You must also click the checkbox to indicate your agreement with the user agreement. Click "Signup".
The Signup Result page will let you know that your information has been accepted. If you do not see the Signup Result page, it is because some of the information you entered was incorrect. The page you see will tell you what is incorrect. Make the required corrections and submit the signup form again.
Check your email. A message will be sent to you with instructions on how to confirm the signup. Click the link or copy and paste it into your browser's address bar.
Your account will be confirmed and you will be logged in to your management control panel. For now, click the "Logout" link to log out of your control panel.
You will receive another email confirming your signup, with a link to your public profile page.
Go to the blog site (in this example, the Domain Direct News blog at http://www.domaindirectnews.com/), and scroll down the page until you see the Username and Password boxes. Enter your username and password and click the "Login" button.
When you're logged in, you'll be able to post comments. If the blog administrator has set you up as a blog reader or poster, you'll be able to see restricted categories, or a "Post an Article" link if you can post. When you're done, you can click the "Logout" button, or leave yourself logged in and you won't have to login again next time you visit the blog.
Go to the blog site (in this example, the Domain Direct News blog at http://www.domaindirectnews.com/), and click on the "Subscribe" link.
If you're not already logged in, enter your username and password and click the "Login" box.
Choose the articles and/or comments you wish to subscribe to, or use the "all articles" and/or "all comments" option.
Click the "Save Changes" button when you've made your selections to subscribe to the blog.
The "Changes saved" message will let you know that your subscription was successful.
When you're done, you can click the "Login" button, or leave yourself logged in and you won't have to login again next time you visit the blog.
How do I manage my reader account?
Go to www.blogware.com/users, enter your username and password, and click the "Login" button.
Enter and/or change the information you want to display in your profile. The "Display Status" lets you control whether everyone, just friends, or nobody can see your information.
When you're done updating your information, click the "Save Changes" button.
The "Changes saved" message will let you know that your updates were successful. Click the "Logout" link when you're done.