Getting Started 1: Registering on the Site

To get started with English 680V, you'll need to complete a few steps that include

Registering for the course website

  1. Go to the course website at http://joe.english.purdue.edu/sp07/blakesley7
  2. Click on "create new account" under "User Login" in the navigation menu on the left.

  3. Create a username that will identify you in the system and that you will use for logging in. Because this site is public on the Internet, your username should not include your last name. You are welcome to use any username (e.g., your IM screenname) that would not be offensive to others or otherwise inappropriate for a course website. Capitalize your username as you intend to use it; usernames are case sensitive.

  4. Enter your email address. You may use your Purdue email address. If you have an alternate one, use the one that you check most regularly.
  5. Provide your real name and home page URL (web address, if you have one). Note that your real name will not be visible publicly but only to students registered at the site.
  6. Click on "Create new account." Registration information will be sent to the email address you listed, so check your email soon after you register. You will need the password that it sends you.

Getting Started 2: Logging in for the First Time

To get started with ENGL 680V, you'll also need to complete this second step:

Logging in for the first time

  1. You should have received an email from the system that includes your new password. With that email handy, return to the course website at http://joe.english.purdue.edu/sp07/blakesley7/.
  2. Enter your username and password in the "User login" box. Your initial password can be retyped or cut-and-pasted into the password box. If you cut-and-paste it, make sure you don't include any extra spaces before or after the password characters. The password is case sensitive.

  3. Click on Log in. When you've successfully logged in, you will see a block of links in the left sidebar with your username above it as a title. This is a navigation menu that provides you with links to many services and content on the site. If you are unable to log in successfully, try re-entering your password. Remember that usernames and passwords are case-sensitve, so make sure you don't have Caps Lock turned on by accident and that (if pasting in your password) that you don't include extra spaces.

Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for the First Time

To get started with ENGL 680V, you'll also need to complete this third step, which will take a bit more time than the previous two.

Editing your account for the first time

Once you've logged in successfully, you need to edit your account and provide some additional information about yourself.

  1. Click on my account link in the navigation menu on the left.

  2. On the next screen, click on the edit tab.

  3. On the account settings screen, scroll to the Account information area.
  4. Change your password by entering a new one into the password boxes. Choose a password that you can remember but that is secure. Remember that passwords are case sensitive.
  5. Scroll to the Picture area.
  6. Upload a picture of yourself or avatar (an image that represents you well) that you would use in a public context. You may have to find one and edit it in an image editor, so just try to have this step completed by the end of Week 2. If you need help editing an image, send a copy to your instructor for help. See Creating Avatars and Images for Your Profile for more information.
  7. Next, scroll to the Theme configuration.
  8. The default selection is Purdue47. You can select any theme you like and all pages will show up with that theme. Course content may sometimes be designed exclusively for the Purdue47 theme, so it may not always display correctly in alternative theme configurations.
  9. Scroll to Contact settings.
  10. Check the Personal contact form box.
  11. When you have made your changes, click on the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

The following steps ask you to complete information for your profile. This will enable the instructor and fellow students to learn a little more about you and help the instructor tailor this class to your background and goals, as well as arrange collaborative projects.

  1. Click on the edit tab again, then on the Personal Information link at the top of the next page.
  2. Enter the required information in the boxes. If you don't have a home page, leave that box blank.
  3. Click on Submit to save.

That's it! You have completed all the steps of the Getting Started process. If you ever need to change any of the information, you can always edit these pages again.

If you have any trouble along the way, please be sure to let your instructor know.

Creating Avatars and Images for Your Profile

Some of you may be in search of an avatar or image to use in the profile that you created for yourself when you registered. If so, here are some suggestions:

An avatar is just an image that "stands-in" for your picture and can be an object, artwork, a photo, or something else that might convey some aspect of your identity, personality, or interests. So, for example, someone interested in biking might use an image of a bike as an avatar rather than a personal picture. The image works best if it's in jpg, gif, or png format, and the dimensions should be (about) 85x85 so that it displays correctly (and doesn't get squished when displayed, for example).

To find an existing avatar to use for free, you could look at a site like these. If you have a Yahoo! ID (free to get, if not), you can get some nice ones:

http://avatars.yahoo.com/

or try

http://www.avatarity.com/

You could also take an existing image of yourself and then create a picture by cropping out the part you don't want. If you haven't used an image editing program before, that can be a bit tricky. But if you have, just use the crop tool to draw a box around the part of the image you want to use, crop it, and then resize it so that it's about 85x85 pixels.

If you have a larger photo and would like help to make it into an avatar, send it to your instructor as an email attachment. Your instructor can help you from there.