If you see this post it means that BlogEngine.NET 1.6.0 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, VistaDB, 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.

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

Modern Warfare 2 and Good Grip Go Hand in Hand

It's no secret that Modern Warfare 2  is one, if not the best shooter to come along since, well, since Call of Duty Modern Warfare.  Like the original Modern Warefare, Modern Warefare 2 brings intense action to your gaming experience.  It has totally gone over the top, adding new weapons, new vehicles, new maps, bigger maps, new scopes, the list goes on.  The pre-game lobby is even better.  With all these upgrades comes an even greater and more intense gaming experience than the original.  Which brings me to my point, if your hands aren't sweating when playing this game in campaign mode or online, you're not trying hard enough.  To take advantage of everything this title has to offer and rank up fast, don't get caught wiping your hands on your pants, the action is too tight, too sharp, there's no time for it, unless you like taking a round to the dome piece.  You know how hard it is to snipe when your thumb slips off the thumb stick?  You're in campaign mode climbing up an ice cliff, do you think you'll have time to blow dry your paws?  How about racing a snowmobile down a mountain barely escaping trees and cliffs on either side of you, do you think a set of stickers on your controller is going to help you there?  Here's what I do, I settle in, apply some GhostGrip, and I know I'm good for hours of sweat free game play, period.  It even stays effective in between games when I have a need to reach for my favorite frosty beverage.  Speaking of online gameplay, unlock the spec-ops missions and you and others can run through some missions together online!  Sometimes you'll have a guy on the ground while you're piloting a gunship, do you really want the enemy to smoke your friend because your bright idea of putting baby powder on your hands reeked havok on your controller?  No, I didn't think so.  GhostGrip is formulated to not leave residue build up on your controller, unlike other "home remedies" out there.  GhostGrip is the real deal.

Modern Warefare 2 and Grip Review

Let's review, why is it important to have a good dry grip and maintain it while playing Modern Warfare 2.  1.  You don't want to get popped because you're wiping your hands on your pants.  2.  You want to be able to own peeps with your sniper skills.  3.  You don't want to fall off a cliff  4.  You don't want to slam you snowmobile into a old growth pine tree.  5.  You don't want to fail your partner in spec-ops and get removed from his friends list.