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This document describes how to create a forum which can be used as a blog. How A blog works: A Blog is a forum, each post that a bloger makes is a new topic and each comment is a reply to the post.


1. Create the Blog Forum
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   1. When creating the forum, you should set `Visible` to `No`.  This
      will keep it out of the normal forum list;

   2. The template will use the forum's name as the title of the page;

   3. Set the forum to allow Public Users read and, if unregistered users can comment, reply. Set registered users the same, adding edit posts if you wish to allow editing of comments.

   4. The forum should also have: a blog template, fixed dispay, be in flat mode, reverse threading (to have recent posts first) and Move Threads On Reply No.


2. Create a write group
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   1. Go to `Edit Groups`;

   2. Add a group by creating a new group.  e.g. Blog Writers;

   3. Click on the group name to edit it;

   4. Add the blog forum to the group and grant `Read`, `Reply`,
      `Create New Topics`, `Edit Their Posts`;

   5. You can create additional groups for moderation of comments, etc.

   6. If there is only 1 bloger you can just grant that user `Read`, `Reply`,
      `Create New Topics`, `Edit Their Posts` .



3. Make a cool script (optional)
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   Somehow, you have to point people at the blog. You could make a redirect
   using any number of things to redirect your readers to the appropriate URL
   (list.php?1, where 1 is the forum id of the blog forum). The following method works. Let's asume you want the blog to be a page called blog.php. Then create blog.php like this:

      <?php

      chdir("/full/path/to/phorum");

      // Below, "1" is the forum_id for the blog forum
      $PHORUM_CUSTOM_QUERY_STRING="1";

      include_once "./list.php";

      ?>

   If you wanted your front page to be the blog, just create index.php and 
   put this in it.

4. Edit the template
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You should edit the template header to remove the read docs message and insert your own masthead. If you add to the footer you must do so below the </div> tag.





