If you see this post it means that BlogEngine.NET 2.0 is running and the hard part of creating your own blog is done. There is only a few things left to do.

Write Permissions

To be able to log in to the blog and writing posts, you need to enable write permissions on the App_Data folder. If you’re blog is hosted at a hosting provider, you can either log into your account’s admin page or call the support. You need write permissions on the App_Data folder because all posts, comments, and blog attachments are saved as XML files and placed in the App_Data folder. 

If you wish to use a database to to store your blog data, we still encourage you to enable this write access for an images you may wish to store for your blog posts.  If you are interested in using Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, SQL CE, or other databases, please see the BlogEngine wiki to get started.

Security

When you've got write permissions to the App_Data folder, you need to change the username and password. Find the sign-in link located either at the bottom or top of the page depending on your current theme and click it. Now enter "admin" in both the username and password fields and click the button. You will now see an admin menu appear. It has a link to the "Users" admin page. From there you can change the username and password.  Passwords are hashed by default so if you lose your password, please see the BlogEngine wiki for information on recovery.

Configuration and Profile

Now that you have your blog secured, take a look through the settings and give your new blog a title.  BlogEngine.NET 1.4 is set up to take full advantage of of many semantic formats and technologies such as FOAF, SIOC and APML. It means that the content stored in your BlogEngine.NET installation will be fully portable and auto-discoverable.  Be sure to fill in your author profile to take better advantage of this.

Themes and Widgets

One last thing to consider is customizing the look of your blog.  We have a few themes available right out of the box including two fully setup to use our new widget framework.  The widget framework allows drop and drag placement on your side bar as well as editing and configuration right in the widget while you are logged in.  Be sure to check out our home page for more theme choices and downloadable widgets to add to your blog.

Try Out New Features

BlogEngine now supports code syntax highlighting and HTML5 video out of the box. To add a video, click the "Insert video" button just above the post editor. Once your video is uploaded, use the following syntax to show it: [­video src="be-sample.mp4"]. Make sure to add "video/mp4" as a MIME type to your IIS.

[video src="http://dotnetblogengine.net/media/blogengine-welcome.mp4" type="video/mp4" width="600" height="480"]

You can add formatted code by pressing the "Insert Code" button on the post editor toolbar. Here is a small sample:

// Hello1.cs
public class Hello1
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      System.Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
   }
}

On the web

You can find BlogEngine.NET on the official website. Here you'll find tutorials, documentation, tips and tricks and much more. The ongoing development of BlogEngine.NET can be followed at CodePlex where the daily builds will be published for anyone to download.

Good luck and happy writing.

The BlogEngine.NET team

HTML5 will be the new standardised markup language in the next few years and it is designed to deliver almost everything you want to do online; from animation to apps, music to movies. 

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a system that enables programmers to achieve font, colour, graphic, and hyperlink effects on web pages. The HTML5 working group includes Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla and hundreds of other vendors – including CPL Online.

We are upgrading over 35 e-learning courses to HTML5 to make online training even more accessible through your favourite devices! At CPL we strive to expand our business alongside quickly growing technology, which renovates and improves every single day. When the courses are available in HTML5 you will be able to do your training on all major browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer) as usual but now on any platform you want, including tablet, smartphone and desktop.

The HTML5 e-learning courses will be available in 2014 – so keep your eyes peeled next year for our advanced products!

Voiceovers are integral for CPLe-learning courses, and as the company delves into further advancements with its online products and services CPL Online treated their VO Artists to a state-of-the art sound booth.

The VocalBooth™ was acquired from Dolphin Music, who provide a wide range of acoustic solutions. The VocalBooth™ provides CPL Online with greater sound control and it is the most popular product for any professional recording or sound isolation… and of course, everyone is loving the ‘CPL orange’ acoustic foam interior to match the company branding.

CPL Online is constantly striving to improve their products, and by hosting all product-developing facilities on-site they are able to produce quality services for clients and provide new and exciting roles for the talented people who work with them.

CPL Online started developing e-learning courses in 2008. In the five years that have passed, we have grown into a reputable company, providing online training for a large section of the hospitality industry and other industries besides.

We have expanded from e-learning courses into new services, such as intranet design development to meet the changing demands of a growing customer base.

So, what is an ‘intranet’? An intranet is a unique and interactive data sharing and communication package, which can provide a socially intuitive and engaging website for an entire business.

The intranets we provide are visually stunning; we can create anything you want for your intranet, whether it’s an exact replica of your organisation or another world completely; providing users with an engaging experience that allows them to access data, images, videos and other resources in an entertaining yet informative manner. We achieve this by creating a highly detailed bespoke user interface that retains the user’s interest and aides them when navigating through the system, creating a high-level of interactivity.

Other benefits of the internet service are the sophisticated communication package, which offers multiple forms of contact between users, an easy-access system that is available to users from any internet access point and complete data integration of a company’s interfaces, which to brings all the information a business needs into one central location.

To learn more about the intranet service we provide at CPL Online, please follow the link to our website here. (http://www.cplonline.co.uk/products.aspx?products=Intranet)

The first intranet we ever created was for Stonegate Pub Company, which was launched in October 2012 and is a vibrant, online communal point for the company’s 560 sites across the UK.

This Sunday six women from the CPL Training Group supported the charity Cancer Research through the UK event ‘Race for Life’.

Race for Life is the second charity campaign CPL has been involved in this year (the last one being Red Nose Day) and it has provided an excellent opportunity for everyone in the company to get involved with the event; whether they were racing or not.

The charity campaigns help to bring everyone together - not just across the Group - but those that work in separate divisions within CPL Online. Events like Race for Life give employees the chance to integrate and create a good working atmosphere. Of course, producing great products like our e-learning courses is something to take pride in, but to see everyone in your company get along with each other is something else.

The campaigns also raise company awareness through social media; our Facebook page has seen over a 300% rise in likes and interactions (e.g. people talking about the page) in the past seven months, and the highest peaks are usually around the same time we upload pictures from charity events.

All in all, I am very proud of the girls. They’ve come together to raise money and awareness for a good cause under the banner of CPL, and I wish them all the best for next year’s Race for Life event.

You can read more about CPL’s involvement in the Race for Life event here: http://www.cplonline.co.uk/news.aspx