Blogging 101
You may have heard the word blog recently and wondered exactly what a blog was. A blog is an online journal where people can share their thoughts and feelings on different subjects with others on the Internet. The blog is found on a web page, either on the individuals web site or a specific blog site. You do not have to have much to start a blog yourself, just a site to store your blog and opinions you want to share on anything.
Before you begin, you need find a place to store your blog. It will probably be easiest if you store it at a place specifically for blogs so you do not have to worry about the technical stuff like HTML or scripts. There are many free blog sites around the Internet. A few are blogger.com, livejournals.com, and www.blogger.com. If you decide that this is something you are dedicated to and want to do seriously, you may want to look at some of the advanced features available at these sites for a small fee.
Another thing you will need to think about before you start blogging is what do you want to blog about and who do you want to read your blog. Some people blog on specific subjects, such as politics or entertainment gossip. Some people blog on life-changing issues like diseases or wedding plans. And some just log in and let the world know their thoughts for that day. You will also need to decide if your blog will be public or private. You may not care who reads your blog, or you may want only certain people, like family and friends, to read it. If you want to keep the blog personal, many sites will offer password protection so that you can give the password to those who will be accessing your blog.
Once you have decided where to store your blog, what it will be about and who can read it, decide what you want it to look like. If you are going to be writing here every day or every week and having people looking at it, you want it to be attractive. Many sites will allow you to choose from different color schemes or layouts.
Now you are ready to write! Here’s a couple of things to remember when blogging. The more you write, the more people are going look at it. Long periods of inactivity will make them visit less often or stop completely. Also, interesting posts will gather and keep more readers. No one is really going to care about your ingrown toenail, so do not write about that. If your blog site does not offer spell check, write your blog in a word processor, such as Word, and spell check it before copying and pasting to your blog site. Spelling errors tend to turn off readers as well.
Once you start, send your blog address to family, friends or post it on a forum if you think people might like to visit. Remember, if you don’t advertise your site, it might be hard for people to find it. And why should you care if people find it? Some bloggers make money off their blog sites by using Amazon Associates ID and Google Ad Sense ads. But do not worry about using your blog to pay all your bills just yet. Just create blog for your enjoyment. If you really enjoy it, it will show in the writing then the readers and possibly profit will come!
Sources:
eHow - http://wiki.ehow.com/Start-a-Blog
About.com - http://freebies.about.com/cs/freebloghosting/index.htm?terms=blogging+sites
Before you begin, you need find a place to store your blog. It will probably be easiest if you store it at a place specifically for blogs so you do not have to worry about the technical stuff like HTML or scripts. There are many free blog sites around the Internet. A few are blogger.com, livejournals.com, and www.blogger.com. If you decide that this is something you are dedicated to and want to do seriously, you may want to look at some of the advanced features available at these sites for a small fee.
Another thing you will need to think about before you start blogging is what do you want to blog about and who do you want to read your blog. Some people blog on specific subjects, such as politics or entertainment gossip. Some people blog on life-changing issues like diseases or wedding plans. And some just log in and let the world know their thoughts for that day. You will also need to decide if your blog will be public or private. You may not care who reads your blog, or you may want only certain people, like family and friends, to read it. If you want to keep the blog personal, many sites will offer password protection so that you can give the password to those who will be accessing your blog.
Once you have decided where to store your blog, what it will be about and who can read it, decide what you want it to look like. If you are going to be writing here every day or every week and having people looking at it, you want it to be attractive. Many sites will allow you to choose from different color schemes or layouts.
Now you are ready to write! Here’s a couple of things to remember when blogging. The more you write, the more people are going look at it. Long periods of inactivity will make them visit less often or stop completely. Also, interesting posts will gather and keep more readers. No one is really going to care about your ingrown toenail, so do not write about that. If your blog site does not offer spell check, write your blog in a word processor, such as Word, and spell check it before copying and pasting to your blog site. Spelling errors tend to turn off readers as well.
Once you start, send your blog address to family, friends or post it on a forum if you think people might like to visit. Remember, if you don’t advertise your site, it might be hard for people to find it. And why should you care if people find it? Some bloggers make money off their blog sites by using Amazon Associates ID and Google Ad Sense ads. But do not worry about using your blog to pay all your bills just yet. Just create blog for your enjoyment. If you really enjoy it, it will show in the writing then the readers and possibly profit will come!
Sources:
eHow - http://wiki.ehow.com/Start-a-Blog
About.com - http://freebies.about.com/cs/freebloghosting/index.htm?terms=blogging+sites
posted by Dustin Cannon @ 8:23 PM
