I have had several people ask me about blogging. I am thrilled that I may have inspired someone to want to start blogging. That is awesome. Blogging is challenge that is for sure. Somedays I draw a blank on what to blog about, and other days I can think of a billion topics but don't have the time. Heres's a quick how to guide to blogging for those that are interested.
First thing is to think of a name for your blog. Mine is "THE FEATHERED QUILL" because I like quills they speak of times past and the romance of writing also they are a writer's tool. Being that I am a writer I figured that fit me and my blog pretty well. Now this name doesn't have to be profound of speak volumes, it's just a name and most blogging sites will allow you to change it later if you need to.
Second pick a site to host your blog. You can google "blogging sites" and you will get heaps of results. I chose blogger because it doesn't require me to have webmaster skills and it's fairly easy to use and set up. Plus it's free. I'm all about the free. If your unsure if you want to go with a certain site check out some of the blogs that they host and see if they are what you are looking for in a host. What does their pages look like? How are they set up? Was the site easy to find? Are the blogs easy to manuver through? Think of all of this as you check out the different hosting sites, and if you need to make a list of important aspects that you want from your host.
Third set it up. For mine I set up an e-mail address just for my blog. That was all of my blog notifcations go into a single place and I don't have to filter through my personal e-mail to check it. I highly recommend this. Then if someone hacks your blog all they get is your blog e-mail and not your personal e-mail that may have your bank statements, cell phone statements and other important e-mails will not be affected. I thought the picking of the design was the best part. Make sure that whatever design you go with is easy on the eyes and is easy to read. You don't want to use a design that is fussy with a font that nobody can read or hard to navigate through. Simple is always the best.
Fourth blog. Blog about whatever floats your boat. If your a mechanic you could have a auto care tip blog. A teacher could set up a blog about how parents could help their children obtain their children's educational goals. A knitter could start a blog about knitting. The world is your oyster! Keep in mind that people sometimes don't have heaps of time to read blogs so keep it simple and short. You don't want to overwhelm a person with minor details that consume paragraphs. If your covering a topic that requires a lot of space, like say your a teacher and your blogging about how to start teaching a child how to read which may take quite a bit of writing to accomplish, simply split that single long blog into segments and parts. That way the reader has time to enjoy the article and advice and they are not overwhelmed.
Fifth keep it up. Blogging takes time. It takes time to build a readership, for people to find your blog and for you to get the hang of it. I've been blogging for 9 months and I am still building it up. Tell your friends and family about your blog, use facebook, Myspace and twitter to spread the word about your blog. Use all of your resources that you have to promote your blog. If your a writer consider this a test drive for promoting your book.
Sixth have fun with it! I added gadets like my Best Seller tool on the bottom of the page and my flag counter. There are tons of gadets out there for blogs and heaps of stuff on the web to discover. Keep in mind if you are not thrilled with your blog then more than likely neither is your reader. Make it fun and it will not seem like a task but more like a hobby. Keep things simple and clean; meaning to check your spelling and grammer. Also a tip I have is to give your readers plenty of options for subscribing and following your blog. The easier it is for them the more they are going to read your blog.
If your thinking on starting a blog I hope this helps. If it does leave me a comment and let me know! I love hearing from people! If you already have a blog and have some more tips to share post them in a comment.
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