Beginners Guide to Blogging

A blog is basically an online journal wherein you can digitally pen down your thoughts, ideas, opinions and practically anything that you want people to read. Blogs come in different styles, formats, and settings, depending on the preference of the user. Many blogging sites offer built-in features such as hyperlinks, straight texts, pictures etc. Some blogging sites, even allow you to put videos and MP3s on your blogs.

 

Instead of writing texts, some bloggers choose to make their blogs more audio friendly, by using spoken word entries. This is called audio blogging.

 

Basically, a blog contains these features:

 

title- which allows you to label your post

body- this is the content of your post

trackback- other sites can be linked back to your blog

permanent link- every article that you write has a URL

comments- this allows readers to post comments on your blog.

 

One of the advantages of blogging is that it is made of only a few templates. Unlike, other websites that are made up of numerous individual pages. This makes it easier for blog users to create new pages because it already has a fixed setting that includes: slots for the title, the body of the post, the category, etc.

 

This is especially useful for first-time users since they can start blogging right away. They can choose from several templates that blogging websites provide.

 

Anyone who wants to start a blog can do so by becoming a member of a blogging website of their choice. Once they’ve become members, they automatically become a part of that particular blogging community. They can browse through other bloggers' pages, and link them back to their own blogs. They can also make comments on other member’s blogs.

 

Blogging is not just limited to personal usage. There are a lot of blogs that follow a theme such as sports, politics, philosophy, social commentary, etc. These blogs espouse their specific themes. This way blogging becomes a medium in which people can share their knowledge and opinions about a variety of themes and topics.

 

Some bloggers even use their blogs as a means to advertise. Some authors advertise their books on their blogs. While other bloggers, use their blogs to shed light on current issues, events, news and catastrophes.

 

Nowadays in education, blogs also play an important part. Professors use blogging to document the lessons that they have discussed and taught. This way, students who who have missed classes, can easily catch up with their assignments.

 

A lot of entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their businesses on their blogs, with millions and millions of people logging onto the net every day, blogging has become a lucrative move. Some bloggers who run online businesses promote their merchandise online. While others profit through advertisement.

 

But by far, the most popular blog type is the one that takes the form of a personal journal. This is the kind that is usually used by first-time bloggers. Individuals who want to document the daily struggle of their everyday lives, poems, rants, and opinions, find that blogging offers them a medium in which to express themselves.

 

Bloggers usually communicate within themselves. This is one of the appeals of blogging. It creates a community of people sharing their ideas, thoughts, and comments with each other.

 

Blogs varying intopics, themes, and set-ups, can be found in blog directories. First-time users who want to get an idea of what the blogging world is all about can browse through several blogs using these directories. This way they’d get an idea of what these blogging communities are like.

 

Blogging is popular all over the world. The blog is short for the term weblog. There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves however way they want, and the best thing about blogging is that most blogging sites are free.

 

There are numerous blogging websites to choose from on the net. This gives first-time users the option of joining a blogging community that appeals to their interests.

 

Just search any blogging directory and you’d get a listing of a lot of blogging sites that are available on the net. It’s easy to search a blogging directory because it is organized according to category. This way you would get exactly what you are after. Blogging is really for everyone. It is fun, simple and easy.

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Are you Blogging Effectively?

 Perhaps blogging isn't such a graceful word. For me, personally, it sounds like a worded drudgery the way cereals can be soggy, skies can be foggy, and the way minds can be groggy. But for now, it's too late to rename this shortened word for weblogging. Widespread blogging is nevertheless one of the most engaging Internet developments of the past few years. As a medium, it gives rise to many new and worthy voices and plays a new and vital force in shaping opinions, political realities, trends, and even our language.

 

I believe that a blog is simply a tool to use for someone who got something to say. Let me be clear in saying that a blog is a poor choice for someone who needs a megaphone to scream out to cyberspace to elicit a meaningful response from Internet users. If you want attention and want it now and expect blogging to bring it to you, then this will surely be a disappointment. However, if you like to write and engage others on subjects of which you have some command or experience, then it's a wonderful application with which you can interact with people who share similar interests as you. The hype is well-founded.

 

Anyway, here's a list of blogging tips

 

1.) Be topical.

Cohesiveness in the message is not optional. Readers may or may not be interested in your topic, but if your message is haphazard that few will bother remembering to return to your blog because it essentially would offer nothing to remember. This doesn't mean blogs can't jump from subject to subject. For instance, a blog with a humorous focus has all the leeway in the world for subject matter, but it would be foolish for such a blog to turn the humour on and off. In such an example, the aspect of humour would be content glue, the strength of the blog. The beauty of staying on point and on the topic is that eventually, due to the nature of the Internet, you will find those interested solely in your topic. (as opposed to online diaries. There are millions of them on the internet, but few have any readers. Email me with examples if I'm wrong and I'll be able to show you why you're showing me a blog and not a diary.)

 

2.) Refresh your content

Create a schedule and stick to it. Realizing that blogging requires time and effort, don’t create unrealistic expectations and be unable to deliver. An occasional lapse or holiday is generally understood but readers returning to find stale, outdated content is going to find another blog with similar content. New blogs and RSS feeds are popping up daily. If you have worked hard to develop an audience and a community you don’t want to lose them due to a lack of communication.

 

And remember, what's old is not new and, for blogs, thusly not interesting. 2023 isn't the time to rail against Elon Musk or Bill Gates. Insight doesn't matter much to yesterday's news.

 

3.) Clear Language Counts.

Blessed is the blog with a clear line of logic. Write without inside jokes, clique-y catchphrases or ambiguous logic. First-time readers need to be close to your message. They are more likely to return to blogs that strike them positively. If the first read is confusing there will not be a second read.

 

4.) Feed the Spiders.

Search engines take notice of active blogs and blog search engines are especially sensitive to activity. If nothing else, search engines are smarter today than they were yesterday and are only getting smarter. In constantly improving they are seeking to aggregate quality; quality blogs are updated several times a week, if not daily, as opposed to once or twice a month. I don't mean to scare you but a big spider is watching, so dance for them.

 

5.) RSS.

Think of RSS magic to the blogging world, because that's the effect it's had. RSS feeds are a way to exponentially sound your voice to the interested. These feeds are a great means to increase the distribution and readership of your original content.

 

6.) Spell check.

Hey man, use the spell-check. I do if I didn't you probably wouldn't have made it to #6. It only takes a minute and can save you from looking like a hack.

 

Your weblog audience will be small at first. And, frankly, that's the way it should be. Who are you to think that half the internet will flock to you after three or four posts of your blog, anyway?

 

If you tough it out while maintaining quality, readership will materialize. You will link to good, relevant blogs and, in turn, they will to you. While your voice may be unique, your niche likely isn't and if your content is emitted smartly to the Internet those relevant readers will respond through readership and interaction. That I guarantee.

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A Great Idea For a Blogging Web Site is No

 A Great Idea For a Blogging Web Site is No Longer Enough 

Whether you are starting up a new website aimed at bloggers or whether you are looking to make your existing blogging site more distinctive, the key to building and

maintaining a site that will capture the interest and attention of the blogging community is finding your niche. If you can fill a unique need in a way that no other website does, you’ll be able to build a lasting readership among web surfers. Once you have discovered a niche, you will still have a lot to do, but finding your place in the blogosphere is the place to begin. 

Every great blogging website starts with a great idea, and you can’t build a successful site that will last without one. There are many great sites aimed at today’s bloggers, and competition for the attention of this growing demographic is fierce. To make your blogging website stand out from the pack, you will need to offer something that no other site is currently offering, or you will need to do the same thing that an already popular site does but in a more impressive or valuable way. 

One way to discover an ideal model for your blogging website is to look at the sites that have successfully captured a blogging audience already to determine if you can appropriate some of their strategies to help realize your vision. Of course, you will also need to add a unique flair to your project to stand apart from your competition. Many people agree that the websites that do the best in today’s market are the sites that have the most personality. The fiercely individual surfers who are bloggers are a demographic that responds especially strongly to personality, so consider how you can give your site a unique and attractive feeling by lending your own voice and sensibility to your site’s design and content. 

Once you have a great idea for your site, have pinpointed a special niche that you are well equipped to fill, and have infused the site with personality, the next step is figuring out how to get the word out to bloggers. In the long run, a great idea just isn’t enough to propel your blogging website to success. You will need to draft a smart and realistic marketing plan to draw readers to your site. Once you hook a blogger, your great content will keep them coming back, but it is vital to get that first glance or your site won’t have a chance to shine.

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25 Free Tips for Marketing your Blog

 With so many blogs being created every day, it's a mystery to many bloggers how to make their blogs stand out. It's simple. People want to read good content, and with good content comes ad revenue. Well, maybe it's not that easy We've finally unleashed the secrets of successful blog marketing. Do note that these are not guaranteed to increase your click-through ratios and they will not bring good karma to you or your ads. If only. Nonetheless, these tips should benefit your blog and make it more user-friendly, more easily accessible, and more content-enabled.

 

There are many types of blogs or purposes for blogs and a certain number of tactics apply to just about all of them, so here is a -short- list of tips for marketing and optimizing a blog:

 

1. Decide on a stand-alone domain name www.myblog.com or a directory of the existing site www.mysite.com/blog. A subdomain is also an option for blog.mysite.com. Avoid hosted services that do not allow you to use your own domain name!

2. Obtain and install customizable blog software – WordPress and Moveable Type are my favourites.

3. Customize blog look and feel templates – aka design.

4. Research keywords and develop a glossary – Keyword Discovery, WordTracker, SitePoint, SEOBook Keyword Research.

5. Optimize the blog:

* Template optimization – RSS subscription options, social bookmark links, HTML code, Unique title tags, URLs, Sitemap

* Add helper plugins specific to WordPress or MT

* Create keyword-rich categories (reference your keyword glossary)

6. Enable automatic trackback and ping functionality.

7. Create a Feedburner Pro account and enable feed tracking.

8. Set up a Google account for Sitemap, validate and prep for future submission.

9. Identify authoritative blogs, websites and hubs for outbound resource links and blogroll.

10. Format archived posts, and related posts.

11. Enable statistics for tracking – Performancing, Google Analytics, ClickTracks.

12. Submit RSS feed and Blog URL to prominent RSS and Blog directories/search engines.

13. Engage in an ongoing link-building campaign.

14. If podcast or video content is available, submit it to Podcast and Vlog directories.

15. Submit blog URL to paid directories with categories for blogs – Yahoo, BOTW, bCentral, WOW, JoeAnt.

16. Optimize and distribute a press release announcing the blog.

17. Request feedback or reviews of your blog in relevant forums and discussion threads. If you have a resourceful post that will help others, point to it.

18. Research and comment on relevant industry-related blogs and blogs with significant centres of influence.

19. Post regularly. If it's a news-oriented blog, 3-5 times per day. If it's an authoritative blog, 3-5 times per week, each post must be unique and high value.

20. Monitor inbound links, traffic, comments and mentions of your blog – Google Alerts, Technorati, Blogpulse, Yahoo News, Ask Blogs and Feeds.

21. Always respond to comments on your blog and when you detect a mention of your blog on another blog, thank that blogger in the comments of the post.

22. Make contact with related bloggers on AND offline if possible.

23. When making blog posts always cite the source with a link and don't be afraid to mention popular bloggers by name. Use keywords in the blog post title, and in the body of the post and use anchor text when you link to previous posts you've made.

24. Use social networking services, forums and discussion threads to connect with other bloggers. If they like your stuff, they will link to you.

25. Remember when websites were a new concept and the sage advice to print your web address everywhere you print your phone number? The same advice applies to your blog.

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15 Tips To Drive Traffic To Your Blog

Many factors make blogs much better than normal WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, the ability to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and trackbacks. All these little things can help drive more traffic to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:

 

1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to “Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts” by http://TNL.net

 

2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.

 

3.) Submit to Google’s Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google’s Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.

 

4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon-possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.

 

5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-Matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.

 

6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista and MSN.

 

7.) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?

 

8.) Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.

 

9.) Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy comments like “I agree.” Leave well-thought-out replies that will force readers to wonder “who wrote this?”

 

10.) Use trackbacks. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a trackback. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.

 

11.) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, and even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.

 

12.) Ad a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.

 

13.) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like-minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.

 

14.) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to meetings and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.

 

15.) Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like http://Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or “tags” that everyone interested in that tag can see.

 

Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit yourself to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog! 

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