November 13

FAQs

Rice University’s blogs.rice.edu is a service provided by the university for Rice faculty, staff, and students to host web sites and blogs. This page of frequently asked questions may provide some of the answers you seek as you begin blogging or creating a web site.

How do I start?

  • If you have a valid NetID, you can create a blog or web site. Login to blogs.rice.edu to get started.  After you’ve logged in, you will have a Dashboard. Hover over the word “Dashboard” to see the drop down menu, then select “Create a Site.”
  • Name your site* and start blogging.  Change the theme whenever you like.  Add widgets and move them around.
  • *Your site name will end in blogs.rice.edu by default, although customization to remove “blogs” from the URL is available. For domain names ending in .org, Campus Press provides a lease option for $100 per year.  Contact the Help Desk to inquire about customized domain names ending in .rice.edu or .org.

How much does it cost?

  • The blog and web site service is free for Rice faculty, staff and students with a NetID.  To create a Rice blog with a domain ending in .org, the lease from CampusPress is $100 per year per domain.  Contact the Help Desk to inquire about customized domain names.

How long is it published?

  • Web sites or blogs that are not updated for two years may be removed.  Student-owned web sites and blogs will be deleted about six (6) months after graduation.  To retain a department or club site created by a former student, the site owner must add a current Rice faculty or staff member as an administrator before graduation.

How much can it hold?

  • Each blog is allotted up to 10GB of space.
  • To upload a file, the maximum size for each file is 50MB.  Most standard files are acceptable for uploading but  .zip and .exe files are prohibited and will not upload.
  • Due to the size of video files, the best way to share a video is to publish it in externally (YouTube, mediacore, etc.) and then embed it in your blog.

How can I add or embed images, videos and other files?

What can I call my blog and what is my URL?

  • The name and content of blogs and web sites in the blogs.rice.edu system are at the discretion of the site owner.
  • The URL will always end in blogs.rice.edu.  To request a customized domain name that removes the word “blogs” from the URL, send a request to helpdesk@rice.edu.  To create a Rice blog under an .org domain, CampusPress offers a lease for $100 per year per domain. Contact the Help Desk to inquire about specific domain names. Note: domain names ending in .com or .net are not hosted in the blogs.rice.edu environment.
  • Names are generally first-come, first-serve, but they are subject to review. Intentionally taking the name of a known campus entity to disparage them or create confusion is not OK.

How many blogs can I have?

  • There is no current limit. If the quantity of blogs per NetID is restricted in the future, exceptions for a reasonable purpose will be thoughtfully considered. Remember, each blog can hold up to 10GB of data and files.

What Rice University themes are available?

  • All themes are vetted through CampusPress.
  • The latest Rice-branded themes will be available later this year.
  • Approved themes can be selected from a list in the dashboard for blogs.rice.edu. Themes and plug-ins are thoroughly tested for compatibility across multiple platforms and devices before they are approved for use in blogs.rice.edu. Submit ideas for new themes to the Help Desk.

What plug-ins are available?

  • The standard set of WordPress plugins for EduBlogs is available, except plug-ins that monetize or otherwise add commercial aspects to a site.

What about e-commerce?

  • In accordance with the appropriate use of Rice Computing Resources, no e-commerce plug-ins or features are allowed in blogs.rice.edu.

What happens to my blog when I leave Rice?

  • Blogs and other sites in the blogs.rice.edu environment will be deleted after two years of inactivity.
    • Email notifications to the administrators of inactive blogs will begin six months prior to deletion.
    • Faculty, staff and graduate students who wish to retain their site content after leaving Rice should export the content and then import it to a non-Rice content management provider like WordPress, Tumblr, etc.
    • There is also an option to transfer ownership of the blogs site to another NetID (Dashboard > Settings > General > Administration Email Address)
  • Blogs created by undergraduate students are deleted about six (6) months after graduation.
    • Export your blog before you graduate, then import it to a non-Rice content management provider like WordPress, Tumblr, etc.
    • Add a current Rice faculty or staff member as an administrator to retain the department or club blog content after graduation.

Can non-Rice people read, edit,  and create Blogs?

  • Yes, Yes, and No.
    • Yes, anyone can read a blog or site if it is published as a public site.
    • Yes, guests of Rice faculty and staff can edit content in blogs.rice.edu if they have a valid NetID.
    • No, Rice guests are not permitted to create blogs.  For a Rice guest to manage a blog, their sponsor can create the space and assign editor or administrator permissions to the guest.

How do I add a User to my Blogs site?

  • In the Dashboard, click on Users > Add New. Enter the NetID of the user and give him or her a role. If you receive a “No such user” prompt, this means the person has never logged into blogs.rice.edu before. Please have him or her log into http://blogs.rice.edu. After the initial login, the user’s Blogs account will be created and the NetID can be added to your Blogs site.

Can I manage my site from a mobile device?

  • Yes.

Can I track how many people read my blog?

Can I limit who sees my blog?

Can I turn on/off comments?

  • Yes. The blog administrator or author of individual posts or pages can enable comment blocks, as well as blocking comments on articles on an individual basis. To guard against malicious activity, comments in Edublogs cannot be submitted until the writer enters a CAPTCHA code.

Can I show conversation trends in my blog?

Need more assistance?