How to Create an Online Portfolio Using Blogger

Web designers, artists and writers know that having an online portfolio to which potential employers can be directed can mean the difference between getting a job and getting a "thanks for your interest." More creative jobs have become Internet-based or have an online component and, in order to be competitive, it pays to show you, too, are web-savvy--even if you're not all that web page savvy. If you don't have the funds, the time or the talent to create an online portfolio from the bottom up, using Blogger and its existing features can be an easy way to put up a basic portfolio.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Google account
• Blogger account
• creativity
• patience

1. Make sure you have a Google account. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to have and use Gmail--if you're a member of a Google Group or Orkut, you can use that account information as well.
2. Sign up for Blogger (see Resources below). You will need you sign-in information for your Google account and a general idea of what you would like to call your portfolio. It's best to keep it something simple, such as "your_name_portfolio" so that it can be easily accessed by potential clients. When you sign up for a blog, Blogger will check the availability of the name you have chosen, so you may want to have some alternatives in mind in case it's taken.
3. Decide what you'd like the format of portfolio to be. Since Blogger is really designed to be used as a blog, you may need to loosen up your expectations and think outside the box a little bit. Using Blogger for an online portfolio requires some creativity and it may take some time to get it to look the way you want. Regardless, it can be a very functional tool and is easily customizable.
4. Click on "Customize" on the top of your new portfolio. Choose the "Template" tab and click on "Pick New Template" to find a basic skin for your Blogger portfolio. Play around with the different templates, previewing them to see where the elements fall, how many columns and rows they have before choosing one. Don't worry too much about it, since once you've got some content uploaded, it can be changed without losing that content.
5. Click on the "Settings" tab and once you've filled out the basic information (title, description, etc.) choose the formatting link. Change the settings to "0 Posts" on the main page. This is of particular importance if you plan on having a portfolio with a static main page, as it will allow your home page to contain only the basic elements of your portfolio without any other blog posts showing below it.
6. Navigate to the "Archiving" link in the "Settings" tab. Enable the post pages options. That means each new posting your create will have its own URL, which you can then use as a link from your main page. For example, if you create a "blog entry" that consists solely of your resume, you can grab the URL to use as a link on your main page. Simply add a "Link List" page element to your template, leave the title blank, enter the self-referencing URL and enter "Click to See My Resume" in the "New Site Name" field.
7. Configure your main page with all the elements you'd like people to see when they first view your portfolio. Click on "Add a Page Element" to view the different types of elements you can add. Once you've chosen them, you can drag them around to create the best possible configuration on the front page.
8. Create a separate "post" for each page of your portfolio. Writers, for example, may want to create separate posts for each of their clips, while artists may want a separate page for each slide or drawing. Again, grab the unique URL to use as a reference on the front page.

Tips & Warnings

• Note that the web address for your online portfolio will be "http://your_name_portfolio.blogspot.com" instead of just "your_name_portfolio.com." This is very important to remember when you are providing the URL to other people.