BlueBroward.org

Because this is a point of confusion for some members, I wanted to clear up the difference between an event and a blog article on BlueBroward.org.

This website is best known for its event calendar, and all members are invited to post relevant events. I provide some additional features to the leaders of Democratic clubs and allied organizations, but these are mostly to make it easier for people to post recurring events.

A couple of years ago, I converted this site to run on blogging software called WordPress, which makes it easier for members to post opinion articles and carry on discussions through the website. The editor for blog posts and the editor for events use the same basic user interface, with buttons for marking text bold or italic and for adding links.

The major difference is that blog posts are displayed with the most recent posts shown first. So blog posts are shown in reverse chronological order.

Events, on the other hand, are shown are shown in the order that the events are coming up, starting with today’s date. When you add an event to the calendar, make sure you set the event date and time in the control panel below the main editing area.

In general, I’d ask you to put information about your events in the event listings. After you have a great event, come back and post a blog article with photos and commentary to show people why it’s worthwhile and important to get involved. Also use the blog to give your take on important issues like healthcare reform, tax policy, war, peace, and effective tactics for organizing. Democrats are supposed to be the party of ideas, and I invite you to share your best ideas here.

For more details:

How to Post Events to the Calendar (RSVPs Optional)
These are general instructions on posting an event. Any member can post events to the BlueBroward Calendar. There are a few extra options available for members who are registered to edit the events for a Democratic Club or other organization that holds regular meetings (see How to Post and Maintain Club Listings). But these general [...]

How to Post and Maintain Club Listings
This is an update for Democratic club presidents and other people who hold official or unofficial meetings in support of the Democratic cause on a regular basis. When an organization registers with BlueBroward, I create an event template that includes the name of the organization and boilerplate details like the regular meeting schedule and meeting [...]

How To Post to the BlueBroward Blog

Every BlueBroward member is invited to share opinions, criticisms, candidate endorsements, and tips for more effective organizing on the BlueBroward Community Blog, either regularly or occasionally. I reserve the right to edit or delete postings at my own discretion, but my goal is to encourage discussion, not to be a censor. Posting a blog is [...]

Also, as we get into the next campaign cycle:

How to Post a Campaign On BlueBroward.org
Just as any BlueBroward.org member can post events or blog entries, any BlueBroward member can post a campaign listing. When you log in, you should see Post a Campaign Listing as one of the first options on the welcome screen or “Dashboard.” Click there to display the data entry form. (The “Edit Campaigns” button on [...]

How to Share/Delegate Editing Rights for a Campaign, Club, or Organization
BlueBroward allows officers and representatives of Democratic clubs, allied groups, and campaigns to appoint multiple editors for their event listings and related information. For example, both the president and the secretary of a club could have editing rights on this system. A candidate might create a campaign profile but then allow a campaign manager to also[...]

I invite you to update your BlueBroward.org volunteer profile to share details on the issues you care about and the skills you can bring to a campaign. Some candidates like to make their profile public and share some additional details, besides what they put in their campaign profile. But mostly this is meant to be a way for volunteers to connect with each other and with worthy campaigns.

The link to update your profile is displayed at the top of the screen when you log in. It shows the date your profile was last updated — several years ago for some of you who signed up early, when this site got its start after the Kerry vs. Bush election.

Update Your Profile Prompt

Make your profile public if you want it to appear on the Members page, or just fill in the details so I can try to match you up with campaigns that could use your skills.

You can upload a photo to appear with your profile, or you can register on the Gravitar service, which works with multiple blogs and social networking services. Gravitar has some nicer features for uploading, resizing, and cropping the photo or cartoon avatar image you upload.

Members Page

BlueBroward.org has always had a big emphasis on self-service. That’s because it’s a volunteer project with no budget or staff, meant to be maintained for the community by the community. At times, I do post items people send to me by email, particularly if they’re not regular contributors. But the best way to make sure something gets posted is to do it yourself. Sometimes, when those email notices come in, I either don’t see them or I’m busy with other things like chasing paying work.

Any BlueBroward.org member can post an event, campaign listing, or blog entry. Don’t get hung up on the word “blog” – you don’t have to transform yourself into a regular blogger. It’s just an easy way for you to share your opinions, news, photos, and candidate endorsements.

There is a Login link at the top of every page. If you don’t remember your password, you can always reset it. If you’re not a member, sign up now.

Here are some instructions:

How to Post Events to the Calendar (RSVPs Optional)
These are general instructions on posting an event. Any member can post events to the BlueBroward Calendar. There are a few extra options available for members who are registered to edit the events for a Democratic Club or other organization that holds regular meetings (see How to Post and Maintain Club Listings). But these general [...]

How to Post and Maintain Club Listings
This is an update for Democratic club presidents and other people who hold official or unofficial meetings in support of the Democratic cause on a regular basis. When an organization registers with BlueBroward, I create an event template that includes the name of the organization and boilerplate details like the regular meeting schedule and meeting [...]

How to Post a Campaign On BlueBroward.org
Just as any BlueBroward.org member can post events or blog entries, any BlueBroward member can post a campaign listing. When you log in, you should see Post a Campaign Listing as one of the first options on the welcome screen or “Dashboard.” Click there to display the data entry form. (The “Edit Campaigns” button on [...]

How to Share/Delegate Editing Rights for a Campaign, Club, or Organization
BlueBroward allows officers and representatives of Democratic clubs, allied groups, and campaigns to appoint multiple editors for their event listings and related information. For example, both the president and the secretary of a club could have editing rights on this system. A candidate might create a campaign profile but then allow a campaign manager to also [...]

How To Post to the BlueBroward Blog
Every BlueBroward member is invited to share opinions, criticisms, candidate endorsements, and tips for more effective organizing on the BlueBroward Community Blog, either regularly or occasionally. I reserve the right to edit or delete postings at my own discretion, but my goal is to encourage discussion, not to be a censor. Posting a blog is [...]

These are general instructions on posting an event. Any member can post events to the BlueBroward Calendar. There are a few extra options available for members who are registered to edit the events for a Democratic Club or other organization that holds regular meetings (see How to Post and Maintain Club Listings). But these general instructions also apply to them.

Note to Organizing for America members: If you post your event to my.barackobama.com, it will automatically turn up on BlueBroward. A script that runs every morning looks up events by zip code and enters those in our region to the BlueBroward Calendar, along with a link to the RSVP page on the OFA website. So if you also add it here, it will wind up being listed twice.

Links to the screens for posting blog entries, events, and campaign listings are displayed on the main “Dashboard” that welcomes you after you log in.

Member Posting Options on Dashboard

Click “Post an Event” to display the event editor screen. Here, you can set date and time, the headline for your event, and a description.

Headlines should include the name of the organization or campaign. Descriptions should include directions to the event location and contact information for someone who can answer questions about the event.

Event Editor Form

(more…)

BlueBroward allows officers and representatives of Democratic clubs, allied groups, and campaigns to appoint multiple editors for their event listings and related information. For example, both the president and the secretary of a club could have editing rights on this system. A candidate might create a campaign profile but then allow a campaign manager to also update the campaign profile and post campaign-related events. For a campaign, this includes rights to edit the campaign profile listed on our campaigns page, as well as any campaign events.

This can be useful as a way to hand off responsibilities when people come and go, or for people to back each other up when someone is on vacation or tied up with other responsibilities.

(more…)

Just as any BlueBroward.org member can post events or blog entries, any BlueBroward member can post a campaign listing.

When you log in, you should see Post a Campaign Listing as one of the first options on the welcome screen or “Dashboard.” Click there to display the data entry form. (The “Edit Campaigns” button on the left hand side of the screen will take you to the same page.

(more…)

Every BlueBroward member is invited to share opinions, criticisms, candidate endorsements, and tips for more effective organizing on the BlueBroward Community Blog, either regularly or occasionally. I reserve the right to edit or delete postings at my own discretion, but my goal is to encourage discussion, not to be a censor.

Posting a blog is really no more complicated than writing an email, but there are still a few things to learn if you have never done it before. So here are a few tips to get you oriented.

When you first log in, the welcome screen or “Dashboard” shows links to the screens for common tasks, including posting a blog. The “Posts” menu on the left hand side of the screen also gives options for adding new entries or editing existing blog entries. (You will only be able to edit ones that you have posted, although you can respond to other members’ blog entries in the comments section).

(more…)

This is an update for Democratic club presidents and other people who hold official or unofficial meetings in support of the Democratic cause on a regular basis.

When an organization registers with BlueBroward, I create an event template that includes the name of the organization and boilerplate details like the regular meeting schedule and meeting place. This doesn’t stop you from posting events on a different schedule, or a different place, but my intention is to make it easy to confirm a regularly scheduled meeting and add details as necessary. (If you need me to create a template or update a club template, please contact me at david@bluebroward.org as right now I don’t have it set up so you can do that yourself.)

In this example, I’m logged in as Larry Wanderman, one of the leaders of the Wyndmoor Democratic Club. The “Dashboard” of options that welcomes me is displaying options that are available to all BlueBroward members (such as the ability to post blog entries). But it also includes a section specific to the Wyndmoor club.

Club Officer's Dashboard

(more…)