So you want to start blogging? But you’re not sure what it is or how to begin? There are a ton of great blogging tips sites out there (this one included), but most of the articles are intended for people who are already set up and running. If you’re a newbie, where do you begin?
I started blogging years ago as a means of communicating what was going on in my life with family and friends. Now I also write articles for other sites in addition to several blogs that I run myself. This article is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to blogging, but rather to offer some lessons that I’ve learned over the years (the hard way sometimes). And let me point out, it would take much more than this article to get you online – I hope to spur you on a wild and frantic Google search for more information, provide you some links, and hint around at some tools.
Catch A Vision
What are you going to blog about? There are quite a few different kinds of blogs…
- Personal Blogging – for sharing your life with the world.
- Corporate Blogging – for sharing information within or about your company.
- Product Blogging – for sharing news about newly released products.
- Political Blogging – for sharing political viewpoints.
and on and on. You get the picture. Each different kind of blog requires a different style and approach, and a different blog design. Decide your topic and stick to it. The blog you’re reading is about blogging. There are a lot of subtopics, but it all revolves around the central idea of blogging. So pick a topic and stick close to it and search engines will love you for it.
Further, catch a vision for who you want your audience to be. The whole world? Techies? Parents? Health nuts? etc. Your audience should determine what kind of content you offer on your blog. This phase of blog development happens on a legal pad or a moleskin, not the web.
Pick a Platform
There are free blog sites, paid platforms at an affordable rate, or you can go the self-hosted route. If you’re planning on monetizing your blog with advertising or affiliate marketing, I’d highly recommend having your own domain name and a self-hosted blog, but if you’re just wanting to speak to your loved ones on screen, go with a free hosted service like Blogger. A few of the most popular hosted services include WordPress.com (we’ll get to the self-hosted WordPress issue in a second), TypePad, Expression Engine, and Moveable Type.
For most blogs, I recommend going the route of a self-hosted blog with your own domain. How do you accomplish this the easy way?
- Register a domain name – reserve it for at least 2 years.
- Purchase a shared hosting plan.
- Install your platform (more on my favorite in a second).
- Upload your theme and any necessary plugins.
- Start writing!
Obviously that’s abbreviated, but you can find a ton of resources to help on this site and others to get you through the details.
My own favorite self-hosted blogging platform is WordPress. I would not argue that it’s better than everything else. There are pros and cons to various systems. You can read more about that here. But WordPress does happen to be the most popular blogging software and one of the easiest systems to use. If your hosting plan comes with cPanel and Fantastico (most Linux hosting plans offer them), then you can click through a few screens, enter some information, and the blogging software installs itself. Then you’re ready to log in and begin. There are a multiude of free themes available that are easy to install.
What To Write, What To Write…
How do you find inspiration for writing? Surf. Read. Google. Watch the news. Create a post a day to rise to the top of many blog search engines, but it’s certainly not a requirement. The best content is original, personal, helpful, and practical. It’s also easy to read. Long paragraphs belong in an encyclopedia, blogs are more like short bursts or bulleted lists. Video and pictures help, links are great, and mentioning other bloggers is cool too.
How To Monetize Your Blog
Again, this is too broad a topic to cover here in any detail, so I’m just going to mention a few things that you can do to earn some capital, if for no other reason than to pay for hosting, software, and design.
- Pay-per-click ad networks like Google Adsense and Bidvertiser.
- Affiliate networks like the PepperJam Network and Commission Junction.
- Selling your own ads with some help from BuySellAds.com.
- Selling an eBook or white paper or other download using e-Junkie (super-easy).
- Selling products or services, obviously.
Other Essential Blogging Tips
- Leave comments on other blogs, read comments on yours, and reply – it’s called comment luv!
- Subscribe to the feeds of blogs and use them as a resource for inspiration and conversation.
- Promote offline and not just online – tell people you’re out there.
- Network through FaceBook, Twitter, and other networking platforms.
- Don’t create duplicate content, so don’t post large amounts of identical text in more than one place and always be respectful of copyrights and licenses.
- Optimize your site by writing good titles, using good keywords (but don’t overdo it), and linking to relevant resources.
- Do it for fun. If money comes, that’s fine, but keep it fun.
There again, this is not intended to take you from start to finish, but rather to provoke your thoughts at the outset. Maybe this article will spur you onward in your quest for self-expression. If so, why not begin by leaving a comment?
photo credit: kwerfeldein
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I’ve launched IDoBlogs.com! Okay, if you’re reading this, you’re probably seeing the site before it’s finished, but I thought I would build it on its live server rather than wait for a big site reveal. So what is IDoBlogs.com all about? Well, if you haven’t guessed it from the site title… or the header… or the description, it’s a blog about blogging for bloggers.
In the coming months (and perhaps years), I’m going to blog about the joys of blogging, covering such topics as…
- Popular Blogging Platforms
- Monetization and Advertising
- Affiliate Marketing
- Copywriting Skills
- Online Social Networking
- New Media
What sets me apart from the crowd? Well, first of all, I’m not arrogant enough to assume that I’m set apart from the crowd. But I will say that I’m not on this planet to get rich. I want to provide for my family and sometimes blogging can help with the extra income, but I’m here for a far more eternal purpose. Someday every server and data center on the planet will vanish away, but I’m going to live forever because I have established a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
That leads to the second thing that sets me apart from much of the crowd – ethics! In search engine optimization, marketing, advertising, etc. I have an extremely high commitment to ethical standards. I believe the internet should be a much cleaner and more family friendly place, and that dollars don’t always make sense at the expense of the soul!
Check back often. Subscribe. Keep in touch. And happy blogging!
photo credit: Annie Mole
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