Glogster

What is this?

The picture you see above is what is known as a Glog and their slogan pretty much explains what they are: Poster yourself. It's pretty much a poster where you can add videos, text, pictures, links, even sound.

So, how do you make one?

1. Go to Glogster and make an account. It's completely free.
2. In the top right corner of the screen there is a button that says Create A Glog. Click it.
3. You'll be directed to the editing page. Don't be alarmed if there is already stuff there, that's just the website advertising.
4. To change the background, click the Wall button in the toolbar that sits on the left of the screen.
1. There are two walls you can decorate. The Glog wall and the Page wall. The Glog wall is where you'll be placing text, videos, and pictures. The page wall is behind the Glog wall.
1.  You can choose a picture that isn't in the Glogster library.
1. Click the Upload button to use a picture you have saved on your computer.
2. Click the Link button to use a picture straight from the internet.
3. Click the Grab button to take a picture via your computer's web cam.
2. You can choose a simple, solid color.
3. Or you can choose one of the funky designed backgrounds Glogster has created.
5. To add music or sounds, click the Sounds button.
1. Click the Upload button to use music or sounds you have saved on your computer.
2. Click the Link button to use music or sounds from a website.
3. Click the Grab button to record sound using your computer's microphone.
6. You can even choose to add a Player for your sound or music. That is, you can choose what your Play, Pause, Stop, etc. buttons look like.
7. To add videos, click the Video button. You can choose one of your own, or use one from the SchoolTube selection. Again, you can choose what the Player for your video looks like.
1. Click the Upload button to use a video you have saved on your computer.
2. Click the Link button to use a video on a different website besides SchoolTube, like YouTube.
3. Click the Grab button to record your own video with your web cam.
8. To add pictures, click the Image button. You can also choose a frame to go around your picture.
1. You can choose pictures from TinyPic.
2. Click the Upload button to use a picture(s) saved on your computer.
3. Click the Link button to use a picture(s) from the interenet
4. Click the Grab button to take a picture with your web cam.
9. To add text, click the Text button.
1. You can choose from speech bubbles, stickers, and title boxes.
2. You're limited to what Glogster has in its library.
10. To add a graphic, click the Graphics button.
1. You are limited to what Glogster has in its library here too, though some are even animated.
11. When you're finished, scroll down to the bottom of the Glog and click Save Or Publish.
1. Here you can save your Glog.
2. You can also choose for it to be public or private.
3. You can publish it to other websites, like Facebook.
4. You can embed it from here too.

Now, when you place an image or text on your Glog, a few more options will appear. You will have an Edit button, a Bring It Forward button, a Put It Behind button, a Clone button, a Cancel Changes button, and a Delete button.

1. Edit Button
1. Here there are even more buttons.
1. Change the Graphics Color--pretty self explanatory.
2. Add a Link--again, self explanatory.
3. Edit Text/Font/Color--yep, this too is self explanatory.
4. Effects-- Now this, isn't. Under the Shadow tab, you have the options to Blur the shadow, Alpha the shadow (which simply means to darken or lighten it), Angle the shadow, and Distance the shadow (which means how far the left or right of the image or text you want the shadow). Then there's the Alpha tab. There you can change how solid or transparent the whole image and shadow is.
2. Bring It Forward Button
1. Simply brings the selected image or text to the front of all the other things you have on your Glog.
3. Put It Behind Button
1. Opposite of the previous button.
4. Clone It Button
1. Just a copy and paste button.
5. Cancel Changes
1. Self explanatory
6. Delete Button
1. It deletes the whole image.

You also have the option to re-size your videos, images, and text. You can also tilt them.

Uses

Glogs are a great way to make a visual for a project for school or to even just play with and make a poster of your summer vacation. You decide.

My Complaints

• Font repertoire is small.
• When you re-size something, you can't make it tall and skinny, or short and wide.
• If you have text in, say a speech bubble, you can't make one phrase one font or size, and another phrase a different font or size. I imagine the color is the same way.

I believe I've covered everything I intended to. If you have any questions, feel free to comment and ask!