If you have content on another WordPress site, or on Blogger, Tumblr, or any site that has RSS feed functionality, the Commons now has four plugins that make importing possible. First, you’ll need to export your content to a file, and that process varies, depending upon the platform.
WordPress Importer
If you have content on another WordPress site, simply go to the dashboard to Tools>>Export. Choose what the types of content you want to export – posts, pages, comments, all. (Premium themes may have other types in their export options.) Then click on “Download Export File.” An export file will be downloaded to your computer with the naming convention “sitename.wordpress.date of export.” (This is also a great way to backup your site’s content.) Now, go to your Commons site (make sure you’ve installed the “WordPress Importer” plugin) and follow the directions below to import your content from the file.
Blogger Importer
Blogger is Google’s free blog-publishing service. If your site’s url is something like “yoursitename.blogspot.com” – you’re using Blogger. To export your content to a file, follow these instructions. Then install the “Blogger Importer” plugin on the Commons. Then follow the instructions below to start the import.
Tumblr Importer
Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social networking website, owned and operated by Tumblr, Inc. (Wikipedia). If your site url is something like “yoursitename.tumblr.com” you are using Tumblr. Follow these instructions to export your content to an xml file. Then go to your Commons site, make sure you have installed the “Tumblr Importer” plugin, and follow the instructions below to do the import.
RSS Importer
If you can access content on the Web via an RSS feed, you can import that content into your blog stream using the “RSS Importer.” If you see a RSS icon, you can click on that, or you might try to simply append “/feed” to the end of the contents url. Once you reach a screen that looks something like this, you can click on “view source” and then save that file on your computer. Then go to your Commons site, make sure you have “RSS Importer” plugin installed and follow the instructions below to do the import. Please respect copyright.
Blogroll Importer
This plugin imports the links (or “blogroll”) of a site into your own collection of links. Follow the instructions found here to obtain a url. Then go to your own site on the Commons (make sure the Blogroll Importer” plugin is installed) , open your dashboard to Tools>>Import and key in the url.
Import Process
Once you have your exported file, go your Commons site and open up your dashboard. Go to Tools>>Import and find the importer that corresponds with your content. Browse to find your export file, and click to import your content.
Other Possible Importers
If you have content on Live Journal, Moveable Type or TypePad, let us know and we can install plugins to import this content as well.
