Blogging 101: Creating Your Own Blog
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 27th, 2009
Almost anytime I get together with friends, my blog is brought up in some form or fashion. Many people just inform me of something that they read that they thought I might find interesting to write about, but a few are fascinated by blogs and starting one themselves. The Question is always, “How did you get started?”. Well….I figured if friends of mine are asking this question, there might be readers of my blog wondering the same thing. I found this article that I thought would be helpful in getting your own blog started.
Blogging 101: Create Your Own Blog
Richard Laermer
RLM Public Relations, Inc.
Many people aren’t quite sure what a blog is… or think that blogs may be too complicated to set up and use. In fact, that’s just not so.
A blog — short for “Web log” — is a personal Web site that anyone with Internet access can visit. And if you want people to, they can also add their own comments.
Today’s technology makes blogging just about as easy as writing E-mail. And by using simple techniques, you can now make yours stand out from the millions of others out there. Apart from the time you spend, there’s little or no cost to blogging.
Blogging is one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling ways to use the Internet. Your blog can be a diary, or it can be a place to express opinions, post pictures, promote your own business or exchange views with people involved in the same pastimes, hobbies or special interests. Thanks to new technology, it can also contain steady streams of news, and you can link it to other blogs and any Web site you choose.
Political blogs usually get the most publicity, but other popular blogs are devoted to sports, social causes, medical conditions, music, books, aging, hobbies, automobiles, religion and spirituality, movies, gardening, recipes, personal finance, home improvements, humor, men’s issues, women’s issues, pets, shopping and travel. As long as it’s legal, whatever interests you, you can blog!
GETTING STARTED
Only a couple of years ago, it helped to consult a book on blogging before launching your own blog site. Today that’s not necessary, thanks to “hosts” that enable clients to create a blog by simply filling out a form with content they want to appear on the site.
Most hosts provide instructions that are so clear that even neophytes can set up a blog in less than 10 minutes.
Cost: A few hosts provide free blogs, including:
www.blogger.com, and www.wordpress.org. Others typically charge from $3.95 to $25 a month, depending on the size and sophistication of the blog. To find more blog hosts, enter “blog hosting” into Google or another search engine, such as Answers.com.
Hosting companies give passwords to bloggers so that only the person who owns the blog can control the content. But nearly all blogs invite the public to post comments. The blogger is still in control because he/she can use his password to enter the site and delete whatever comments he chooses.
Many hosts also enable clients to put news articles on their blogs. Often for a small monthly charge, bloggers can select news articles in specific categories — politics, environmental issues, entertainment, etc. Most hosts have streams of preselected news articles, but bloggers can delete any news items they choose.
Helpful: Familiarize yourself with existing blogs in the same subject area as the one you want to start. To find these sites, go to the hosting companies mentioned above, or use a blog search engine such as Google Blog Search at http://blogsearch.google.com or Technorati at www.technorati.com.
Look at these blogs to see what types of subjects you can do better. Some blogs with excellent information are so cluttered with graphics or irrelevant information that the worthwhile stuff is difficult to find. On others, credibility is compromised by frequent misspellings, a problem easily solved by the spell-check feature on most word processing programs.
Two of my favorite blogs are http://ccablog.blogspot.com, The Canadian Cartographic Association’s Web log… and http://community.tvguide.com, posted by TV Guide.
Even though some of these are operated by large organizations, their fresh, interesting content and uncluttered appearance can serve as models for any individual blogger.
STANDING OUT
The success of a blog depends on the objective of the blogger. Some bloggers measure success by the number of people their blogs attract, others by the quality of information that’s shared on the blogs. Proven ways to make your blog more popular…
Get the word out. Tell friends that you have a blog, and ask them to pass the word. Even better, try to tell groups of friends, such as those in a club, a hobby group or religious organization, depending on the subject matter of your blog. When you speak with them, talk about the interesting or useful information that they’ll learn on your site.
Example: If your blog is devoted to gardening topics, you might have information about new hybrid herbs that grow year-round.
Give visitors an incentive to spread the word about your site.
Smart move: Hold contests that encourage visitors to tell others about your blog.
Example: Reward the visitor who posts the best new information with special recognition on your site. A golf blog, for instance, could give a monthly “Par Excellence” award, or an herb gardening blog could recognize the visitor with the best information as “Sage of the Month.”
Also consider asking visitors to let you know by E-mail if they want to receive information before it’s posted on your blog. Then periodically E-mail this information to visitors, and ask the recipients to pass on the news to others who they believe would be interested. When they do, many of these people will also become loyal visitors to your blog — and participants as well.
Monitor similar blogs to make sure that your content is fresh, different and better.
Post brief messages on other blogs that mention your own blog site. To improve the chances that your messages are read, make sure that the information is of the type that’s typically posted on the other blogs. If your blog is devoted to Mexican food, for example, referring to your content isn’t likely to get much attention on a food blog that specializes in, say, smorgasbords.
Swap links with other blogs. When you see blogs whose visitors might also be interested in yours, contact the blogger and suggest swapping links so that both blogs have links to each other. Contacting the blogger is usually easy because nearly all blogs have “contact” links where visitors can send an E-mail directly to the blogger.
When you suggest swapping links, explain that the swap is in the best interest of the other blogger. The best way is to give an example of the specifics on your blog that visitors to the other blog will be interested in.
Example: If your blog is devoted to music of the 1950s, you’re almost sure to get a swap deal if you can say that your blog often gets messages from Elvis’s former Army buddies as opposed to saying that your blog has a list of early Elvis records. That’s not new.
Contact newspapers or TV stations with Web pages that cover the same topic as your blog.
Good idea: E-mail information about your blog to the editors of these sites. This will help direct more traffic to your blog.
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Readers: There you have it…now go at it if you desire. Blogging is fun and rewarding.
Hey Zen Lill: You and me both. I am back in fashion again too, and I am very excited. I figure with 20 years of experience and talent why not make it work for me again? It feels good.
Al: Thanks – Another good one. keep ‘em coming.
Anna: Right on. But for me it is way more than a hobby. It is more than a part time job that is on my mind full time. You are doing a great job though informing your peeps here on the mainland.
You too Peter!
Hey Ruth: Great to hear from you. Happy the job is going well. I’m sure you’ll pick up the language sooner than you think. Can you tell us about some of your new assignments? After that one with Anonz and the girls, I am very intrigued of what else you’ve got going on.
I like the article you posted. Lot’s of packaged food is not part of our diet, nor Junk food. I try to buy whole foods most of the time, and we grow our own vegetables – thanks to Doug. But my downfall is really good bread and crackers, cheese, and ice cream. My motto is it’s all about balance. Are you finding an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies and easy to cook? I know the food in France is good and probably difficult to not just go out and eat all of the time.
Hiuhu: Happy that you like my writes. I know that it seems like I am hard on men….but really it is not all men. I guess I don’t give the good men much credit because just being good to women is not good enough. Men have the strength to overpower men. So if they just stood up against the men in this world that rape and enslave women, women would not be in the position that they are in. Women need help from the men that love them…not just for themselves but for the other women in their lives….for their sisters…for their mothers….for their daughters, and for the future of women. When I see men take a hard stance in protection of the women in this world, I applaud them, but most men do nothing even when they aren’t the ones that are cruel to women. I have faith though.
And women….’Be nice to men too’. There are some good men out there. :) However, Hiuhu in regards to you and getting teased by the girls, I can think of a lot worse things than being teased by a name that is very complimentary. Get over it and have some fun with it. If you’re that hot, you should already be having lots of fun. :)
Fakhri: Thank you. Anonz is a hard act to follow but I love that you are inspired by him and you are taking it on. How wonderful that you too can be an inspiration to other men. Go for it. Please also tell your mother that I am touched by her comment.
Billy: Been thinking about you in Afghanistan. How are you? I am hoping that you’ll stop by and put a smile on our faces. Miss seeing you here. I hope you are safe. Here is one for you: “A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.”
I see a few more comments have come in but I am signing off. Continue with the gabfest….I’ll check back in tomorrow.
Peace out and enjoy this beautiful Sunday!
PS 10:51 am: I was informed that the links in the above article were not working. It has been fixed now.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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September 27th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Hi Michelle and everybody else, there are only two left from this series. This one is called “Weapons of Mass Destruction”.
I am totally disgusted with the powers that be.
The public and Congress were goaded into war on Iraq with the threats of Sadam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. As can clearly be seen, there are no weapons of mass destruction to be found. What’s more, when Sadam gassed the Kurds both the chemical weapons used and the training to operate them were supplied by the United States. While the lack of weapons found upon the invasion of Iraq has been conveniently explained away citing poor intelligence and mobile factories, the fact is that the United States government perpetrated a believable and deliberate lie against the American people. While the threat of mass destruction is an easily accepted reason for war, the real reason would not have galvanized the public to such a degree. Iraq was about to begin selling its oil for euros as well as dollars. Such a move would seriously undercut the strength of the dollar at home and abroad, and deal a crippling blow to the already haggard U.S. economy. While the livelihood of Americans is indeed important, it is unlikely the friends and family of servicemen and women would support such a war with the lives of their loved ones.
Al
September 27th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Al,
You’re on a roll! Spot On, once again!
September 28th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Al
I remember a long while back when Anonz gave a detailed account about the Bushes and the people who would not stand for the dollar to be replaced by the euro as the international currency.
Michelle, I can not find that article again. Do you have a way for me to access every Anonz entry so that I can find it easier?
I didn’t believe in Anonz way back then, but now I can see that he was right on everything he said so far. Therefore I won’t to begin a chronicle of his writings for a book I am planning.
I will of course have my lawyer and business partner contact you about your copyright issues before I publish anything. I was pointed towards your blog by my boss. It seems that more than a few news agency check in on your blog for comments by Anonz.
How is he? We haven’t heard from him in a while. The composites being drawn have begun to dry up. The news chatter about who he could be has lost its glamor. We need a boost.
Anonz
I would be very interested in you being my “deep throat.” Let’s talk.
Mark
September 28th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Michelle
One of my jobs is managing the information gathering the group Anonz assigned to Dafur to locate relatives of the 13 girls he had brought to France.
I have appointed “Czars,” if you will, to head departments I have established to: centralize the gathering of the information; organize the exploration of the information that suggests that further action is needed; explore the possibility of identifying those responsible for the cause of negative facts gathered from the information; and a few others that I can not reveal presently.
Another job is to supervise the education of the girls and to see that they have a sufficient circle of influence once they are ready to be presented to the proper social caste in europe.
There is a good deal of research necessary to fine a group that they can be exposed to who not only have the right pedigree but the supervision to prevent them from being drug and sex crazed teenagers.
The girls are from 6 to 11 so I have time before I have to worry about their exposure to the proper teenage social circle. But Anonz wants a profile on my possibles so that is a project that must be tackled presently too,
I have been working on supervising the psychological staff that Anonz asked me to set up and supervise to insure that the girls get the proper mental attention along with their physical needs. All of the girls have been raped at least once so it is difficult getting them to trust men. Therefore, I have to find qualified women to do the job. Women are just as qualified as men, but they are more scarce here.
The 11 year old and the two 10 year olds are very protective of the little ones so I have to continue to work to gain and maintain their trust that I will not abandon them and that I will protect the little ones.
And as they become little girls again, that will present its own problems. Anonz has requested that I select individual nannies for each one and another to work separately from each nanny. Their jobs will be to plan for that child’s future based on her learning skills and her new emerging personality.
I have to find individual accountants for each girl to manage their portfolios set up for them by Anonz. That person must work with the people I have to find to establish new identities for each child.
Only the girls and I will know all 13 their country of origin and their true stories.
There has been a new possibility arising every day since I arrived here. Fortunately Anonz has provided a generous budget so I have no problems finding qualified people and establishing departments and “Czars” to manage them.
I have raised three daughters and a son of my own. They have not married yet, so although they say that I can handle raising 13 more, they speak from lack of personal experience having raised none of their own.
But I do appreciate the confidence, because they are speaking as products of my parenting. I love them and wish their jobs and schools would allow a few to come to live with me here. My eldest daughter is working in Greece.
Forgive me if I do not reveal her job. Anonz has forbidden me from saying anything that could reveal my true identity.
I only mentioned her job so that I could say that I am trying to get her to relocate here in france. I could use the closeness and second opinions she always brought to our conversations.
I hope I haven’t been too winded with my response. But I feel I owe you. If not for your blog, Anonz may never have discovered me and the girls would certainly never have garnered his attention.
Ruth
September 28th, 2009 at 8:21 am
I will have to be brief today we have been issued a notice to prepare for a tropical storm in the next 48 hours. Those of you getting this might want to call home to see that your relatives are taking the warning seriously.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tropical Storm Watch issued for Guam, Rota
Posted: Sep 27, 2009 4:30 PM
Updated: Sep 27, 2009 4:30 PM
Guam Homeland Security
NWS Radar Loop
NWS Warnings
by Sabrina Salas Matanane
The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for Guam and Rota, this means that tropical storm conditions including damaging winds of 39 to 74 miles per hour are expected within 48 hours. The center of Tropical Depression 18W was located east-southeast near 9.5 degrees north latitude and 155.8 degrees east longitude. This is about 790 miles east-southeast of Guam and 780 miles east-southeast of Rota.
The depression is moving southwest at around 3 MPH. Maximum sustained winds are 35 MPH.
Weather officials anticipate Tropical Depression 18W to intensify into a tropical storm later today. All residents are advised to exercise extreme caution while driving, as heavy rain can create unsafe driving conditions.
As a precaution, residents should also begin to prepare your homes, stock your emergency supply kits and continue to monitor local media for updated information.
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Hafa adai
Anna
Oh Michelle, I am so glad that you are so dedicated. Without that we would all have to establish our own blogs and who would read them?
September 28th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Thanks for the info Michelle, I am going to start a blog, when I do will you allow me to get a plug with you?
Tina