Quick tutorial to get a blog online from Org mode thanks to Org Social

Having a blog online from an Org mode file, without your own server, with auto-deploy and no extra maintenance, is possible thanks to a service in the Org Social ecosystem. As soon as you publish with org-social.el, your blog will be available at a public URL with a ready-to-consume RSS feed.

The final URL has this format:

https://preview.org-social.org/blog/<your-nick>

As an example, here is mine.

The only real requirement is to sign up at host.org-social.org and publish your first post.

Step 1: Sign up at the Org Social hosting

Go to https://host.org-social.org/signup and register with an alias you like.

Take VERY GOOD note of the VFile Token and the Public URL it gives you. You will not be able to recover them if you lose them, and they are essential to avoid losing your account.

Step 2: Install a client

To interact with the hosting, you will need to install the Emacs client or the iOS app.

M-x package-install RET org-social RET

In your Emacs configuration, add:

(setq org-social-file "YOUR VFILE")
(setq org-social-relay "https://relay.org-social.org/")
(setq org-social-my-public-url "YOUR PUBLIC URL")

And replace:

• YOUR VFILE with the token you were given on host.org-social.org
• YOUR PUBLIC URL with the public URL you were given on host.org-social.org

Do not modify org-social-relay. You may be able to change it in the future if you use another relay, but for now leave it as is.

Now restart Emacs or evaluate those lines for the changes to take effect.

Step 3: Create your first post

In Emacs, run:

M-x org-social-timeline

This will open a preview of the Org mode file social.org, which is the one synced with the hosting. It will be empty, but do not worry, that is normal. It is your blank canvas to write your first post.

Now:

1. Press n (for "new post") or click the "New Post" button in the top bar. A new Org buffer will open so you can write your post.
2. Write your message, for example: "Hello Org Social!"
3. Save the buffer with Ctrl + x and then Ctrl + s

Your first post is created! Your social.org file will automatically be uploaded to host.org-social.org, you will be registered on the network (Relay), and other users will be able to read you.

Step 4: Open your blog

Your blog is already online. You just need to know its URL. If the alias you registered at host.org-social.org was, for example, bob, your blog is at:

https://preview.org-social.org/blog/bob

Replace bob with the nick you chose in Step 1 and open the URL in any browser.

Some interesting facts about your blog:

• A header with your avatar (if you set one with #+AVATAR:), your nick, your title and your description.
• All your parent posts (that is, the ones that are not replies to another post), sorted from most recent to oldest.
• Empty posts and replies are filtered out automatically, so that your blog keeps only your own content.

Every time you publish with org-social.el, the new entry will appear on your blog within seconds, with no extra steps. No deployment, no static generator, no server of your own.

Focus on the content, Org Social will take care of the rest.