For those of you looking for a very, very (Did I say very? ) simple blog-like construct within SmugMug, consider setting your Gallery's style to Journal.

This style doesn't give you a full-featured Blog by any means but it does give you the option to present your photos, in the order that you specify with your comments as captions in an almost-blog-like way. It took me a looooong time to find this.

I do have a couple of questions:

1. Visitors can post general comments about the gallery but could someone tell me how to get both photo ranking and visitor comments for individual photos working?
2. Andy, your SmugMug blog, http://blogs.smugmug.com/pros/ is very attractive. Is it a full-fledged blog running outside SmugMug or were you able to do it all from withing SmugMug?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Protographer Andy, your SmugMug blog, http://blogs.smugmug.com/pros/ is very attractive. Is it a full-fledged blog running outside SmugMug or were you able to do it all from withing SmugMug?

Isee this in the source:

<‎‎meta name="generator" content="smug WordPress 2.0.2" />

Originally Posted by iamback Isee this in the source: <‎‎meta name="generator" content="smug WordPress 2.0.2" />

Sorry, this tells me that Andy's using WordPress to generate his content, not much more than that. It doesn't tell me where his "blog" is hosted or how many of the WordPress features he is using.

It looks like Andy's blog, http://blogs.smugmug.com/pro, may actually be hosted at blogs.smugmug.com. I don't think it's redirected outside SmugMug, like some of his colleagues' SmugMug blogs are, because looking up blogs.smugmug.com shows its IP address to be 63.81.134.23 which appears to be SmugMug server pluto.smugmug.com.

I understand that SmugMug does not offer blogging as one of its services, so I guess I am asking:

1. Is what Andy, with his SmugMug "blog", and some (but not all) of his colleagues, with theirs, are doing is using an internal SmugMug capability, one that is not being made available to SmugMug customers?
2. Is there a set of SmugMug capabilites that come closer to blogging than using a gallery of style Journal?
3. Is it possible to get both photo ranking and visitor comments for individual photos in a gallery with style Journal?

I merely want to display photos, with the ability to order them, in a fashion resembling a blog. Using a gallery style of Journal comes quite close to what I want (especially if photo ranking and photo comments are possible), but I'm wondering if there are other SmugMug features that might help me get even closer to the "look-and-feel" of a blog but with the ability to sell the photos being dispalyed. Maybe a gallery of style Journal is the best I can do. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Protographer [*]Is what Andy, with his SmugMug "blog", and some (but not all) of his colleagues, with theirs, are doing is using an internal SmugMug capability, one that is not being made available to SmugMug customers?

Not available to customers. But you can make your own blog using any of the popular blogging services :)

[*]Is there a set of SmugMug capabilites that come closer to blogging than using a gallery of style Journal?

Journal.

[*]Is it possible to get both photo ranking and visitor comments for individual photos in a gallery with style Journal?[/LIST]

Yes, sure.

Originally Posted by Andy Originally Posted by Protographer Is it possible to get both photo ranking and visitor comments for individual photos in a gallery with style Journal? Yes, sure.

Then I must be missing something in gallery http://protographer.smugmug.com/gallery/2950441. When set to styles other than journal, e.g., smugmug, a visitor is given an opportunity to leave photo-specific comments and ratings or gallery-specific comments and ratings. I do not see this opportunity when I use style: journal for this gallery. Only gallery-specific comments and ratings appear possible. What am I missing, please? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Protographer Then I must be missing something in gallery http://protographer.smugmug.com/gallery/2950441. When set to styles other than gallery, e.g., smugmug, a visitor is given an opportunity to leave photo-specific comments and ratings or gallery-specific comments and ratings. I do not see this opportunity when I use style: journal for this gallery. Only gallery-specific comments and ratings appear possible. What am I missing, please? Thanks.

Set it to journal style. PhotoRank thumbs are on each photo. Gallery comments can be made on the Journal Page. Photo comments must be made on the single image pages (click a photo from within journal style).

If you upload one photo to a journal gallery then hide it the comments will
show at the bottom. Without a photo in the html gallery the comments will
not show.


I think that's how it works.

Originally Posted by Andy Set it to journal style. PhotoRank thumbs are on each photo.

Only when I mouse-over a photo. I haven't yet figured out what purpose these "thumbs" actually serve. Still learning.

Originally Posted by Andy Gallery comments can be made on the Journal Page. Photo comments must be made on the single image pages (click a photo from within journal style).

And individual photo star-ratings must be made on the single image pages.

How can I set a visitor's default gallery style to be journal, instead of smugmug, without removing a visitor's ability to change to a different style?

Why does "your preferred size: S · M · L · Original" show up on a visitor's view of a photo when large and original sizes have been disabled? I know that the visitor cannot see large and original images but why does this listing show up this way?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Allen If you upload one photo to a journal gallery then hide it the comments will show at the bottom. Without a photo in the html gallery the comments will not show.

Sorry, I don't follow.

I have more than one photo in a gallery and it wan't clear to me, until Andy explained it to me, how my vistors could leave, and read, comments and ratings when that gallewry was viewed with style set to journal.

Hi,
interesting questions.
I guess it is best to use some of the well known blog software packages and customize them to look like your smugmug site including navigation. Then add the link to your navigation.

Have to try this myself :-)
As a news page...

Originally Posted by andreas Hi, interesting questions. I guess it is best to use some of the well known blog software packages and customize them to look like your smugmug site including navigation.

That wouldn't work for me:

1. I don't want to link to photos from outside SmugMug and
2. I can't sell prints from an outside blog

Originally Posted by Protographer That wouldn't work for me: I don't want to link to photos from outside SmugMug and I can't sell prints from an outside blog

1. Why not just upload the images individually to your external blog from another location then ?

2. Why would you want to ? surely a link back to your site would do the trick?

Caroline

Originally Posted by caroline 1. Why not just upload the images individually to your external blog from another location then ?

Why would I possibly want to do that? I don't want an outside blog. I want the protections that SmugMug provides for my photos (I know those protections aren't perfect.) and I don't want to maintain photos in two places.

Originally Posted by caroline 2. Why would you want to ? surely a link back to your site would do the trick?

That would be awkward. People would have to leave the blog every time they wanted to add a photo to their shopping cart. It seems like that would make it very awkward for them to purchase prints. Also, since the galleries are password protected I am not sure that linking would work. Lastly, allowing external linking creates potential security and privacy issues that I'd rather not have.

Most importantly, I don't want a blog for a blog's sake. I merely want a blog-like layout for my galleries. I am quite happy using a gallery of style journal based on Andy's very helpful explanations. It's actually a plus that a visitor can change to "thumbs" or one ot the other styles.

Originally Posted by Protographer How can I set a visitor's default gallery style to be journal, instead of smugmug, without eliminating a visitor's ability to change to a different style?

Any ideas?

Originally Posted by Protographer Any ideas?

Is this what you're looking for?


Force a viewing style via a URL so that the viewer starts with a certain style:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=117058#post117058

Originally Posted by birchfield Is this what you're looking for? Force a viewing style via a URL so that the viewer starts with a certain style: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=52811 #48

Originally Posted by birchfield Is this what you're looking for? Force a viewing style via a URL so that the viewer starts with a certain style: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=117058#post117058

Absolutely!!! Works like a charm. Thanks very much.

Originally Posted by Protographer Why would I possibly want to do that? I don't want an outside blog. I want the protections that SmugMug provides for my photos (I know those protections aren't perfect.) and I don't want to maintain photos in two places.That would be awkward. People would have to leave the blog every time they wanted to add a photo to their shopping cart. It seems like that would make it very awkward for them to purchase prints. Also, since the galleries are password protected I am not sure that linking would work. Lastly, allowing external linking creates potential security and privacy issues that I'd rather not have. Most importantly, I don't want a blog for a blog's sake. I merely want a blog-like layout for my galleries. I am quite happy using a gallery of style journal based on Andy's very helpful explanations. It's actually a plus that a visitor can change to "thumbs" or one ot the other styles.

Sorry if i misunderstood what you are wanting to achieve
Caroline

Originally Posted by caroline Sorry if i misunderstood what you are wanting to achieve Caroline

No problem. Thanks for the willingness to help.