Yay! We just released Blog Basics, our first full tutorial of the New Year. Blog Basics is a topic for learners who are interested in sharing. In today’s digital world, anyone can share their passions, opinions and interests with a larger community, or the whole world. All they have to do is create a blog. Easy, right! Well, maybe.

When it comes to blogging, there can be quite a few things a person has to consider. For example:

• What do you want to share? Do you have one passion or multiple ideas?
• Who is your audience? Your family and friends? A community with similar interests? Or the whole, wide world?
• What are you going to name your blog and how are you going to get people to read it?
• Which blogging service should you choose? WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr? Or what, about micro-blogging sites like Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest?

We know! It’s a lot to think about, but don’t worry, our tutorial simplifies the whole process. It includes:

• Why people blog and the various types of blogs they create
• How to develop your blog by setting goals for your topic, time, design and more
• Determining your audience and preferences for personal privacy
• How to choose a blog service that is right for you
• Tips for writing blogs and standards for fair use and copyright
• How to promote your blog, including how to choose your audience and privacy levels

So, if you think you have something to say, visit Blog Basics and learn how you can start sharing with the rest of the world.

1.  What do you want to blog about?

There are a LOT of blogs out there, about almost every subject imaginable. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for one more. You should choose a subject that you are knowledgeable about and have an keen interest in; after all, you’re going to be writing about it, so hopefully you’re going to have a lot to say about it for years (or at least months) to come.

2.  What do you expect from your blogging experience?

Do you enjoy writing and just want a forum to express yourself? Do you have knowledge you want to share with others? People who travel or have children far away from friends and family see blogging as a way to stay in touch. Others sell ad space on their blogs and are able to monetize their site. Whatever your reason, choosing a focus or goal will help shape the tone and look of your blog.

3.  What will be the title of your blog?

Now that you know the subject of your blog and it’s purpose, you have to think of a title. This won’t be written in stone; you can change it later if you’d like. However, it’s more difficult to change the longer you use it so it may be best to come up with the perfect title right off the bat. Try to think of a title that reflects the identity of your blog. Anything witty or creative is always a great choice!

4.  What will be the domain name of your blog?

The domain name will be the web address of your blog. Some people choose their name or a nickname, others simply choose the title of their blog. But choose carefully; once selected, you won’t be able to change it with much ease. All the blogging platforms I’m going to talk about below allow you to customize your URL but if you want a truly unique (and easy to remember) domain name, you may want to look into purchasing your own domain name.

5.  What platform will you use?

Through various web-based platforms, you really don’t need to know anything about web design or programming to have a blog. These are some popular blogging platforms that are free and relatively easy to use:

• WordPress: Often used for professional blogs or businesses, WordPress‘s templates can be minimalist and “no-nonsense.”

• Blogger: A popular Google publishing tool, Blogger is widely used for both personal and professional blogs.

• Tumblr: More regularly used as a “short-form” blogging platform, Tumblr is rising in popularity and is often used to share photos or short posts.

(In the original post we mentioned LiveJournal and Blogstream but neither of those platforms are used with much regularity anymore).

6.  Write your first post!

If you’ve gotten this far, you pretty much have your blog up and running. Sure, you’ll continue to tweak it, choosing a template that best represents you and perfecting your Blogroll, but you’ve done all of the groundwork at this point. Publish a “Welcome to my Blog” post and create an “About Me” page. Tell people why you have decided to write a blog and what they can expect in the future.

Many people will say that the more you write, the more readers you will have. Well…it doesn’t hurt. Blogs are all about having regular content. But what is most important is that the content is quality; that’s what brings people back and encourages comments and conversation with readers. As long as you are getting what you expected out of your blogging experience, that’s all that matters.

Do you have a blog? Plan to start a blog soon?

A blog, short for web log, is an online journal. It is a location on the Internet where a person can share information about any topic. This information can be thoughts or opinions on a given topic, a list of website links and commentary, or anything the author might want to share with the world. There are millions of active blogs on the Internet and these blogs combined make up the blogosphere.

Blogs are sometimes compared to message boards or personal websites, but they are actually very different. Three basic characteristics of blogs are:

• Single page entries – A blog is usually a single page of entries. Each entry may contain comments from the author, links to other websites, pictures, and audio or video clips. The author of the blog may archive, or save, previous entries, but the most relevant information will appear on the main page. The most recent entries appear at the top of page, while older entries are located on the lower part of the page.
• One author – A blog is written by one person. This person is known as the blogger. Other people may often write comments to the blogger’s post, but the primary content of the blog is written by one person. Many companies are creating blogs, too. This allows the company to interact with customers in a much more informal environment.
• Public – A blog is usually public and is on the Internet for anyone to see. If you do create a blog you should remember that anyone can read it, which means that you should be careful of the personal information you share.

By now you may be wondering, “What is the point of a blog?” To some bloggers, their blog is a chance for them to express their views on a wide range of issues, while other bloggers choose to focus on a particular topic. If I am interested in jewelry making, fishing, or technology, I might create a blog dedicated completely to one of these topics. The possibilities are endless.

Now that you understand what a blog is, you might want to know how to create your own. The good news is that you do not have to be a computer programmer to learn how these programs work! There are many web-based programs that make creating and managing a personal blog very easy. Many of these programs will allow you to create a basic blog for free. Three very easy-to-use blog creation programs are:

• Blogger
• LiveJournal
• Blogstream

If you’ve ever scribbled a web address down on a scrap piece of paper for a friend, had pictures or videos to share with others, or wanted to express your views or experience on a topic, then you may find the idea of creating your own blog interesting. It is an easy way to share information with friends, family, and coworkers – not to mention the rest of the world. If creating your own blog doesn’t interest you, blogs can still be a great source of information. Take a little time out of your day and review a few of the blogs on the web to see what the hype is all about.

Enjoy the wonderful world of blogging. See you in the blogosphere!

The average computer user may think it is too difficult to create a blog, or online journal, but in fact, it’s quite simple. You don’t need to know any technical terms or how to program a computer. All you need to do is follow these easy steps and you’ll be joining the blogosphere before you know it.

1. Choose a topic for your blog.
   You can write about any topic in your blog, however, successful and cohesive blogs have a general focus. For example, if you are an avid skier, scrap booker, or jewelry maker, you could start a blog that targets one of those hobbies.

   Technology, politics, pop culture, music, sports – no topic is off limits. If you are interested in the topic, have something to say, and think other people would be interested in reading about it, then you could easily start a blog that thousands or even millions of people would be interested in reading.

   You could also create a family blog and then share it only with family and friends. Does this sound vaguely familiar to a family newsletter? It is, but since blogs are electronic, they are often easier to produce. Additionally, visitors to your blog can add comments, making it a communication tool that allows you to stay in touch with the people in your life.

2. Decide how you will create your blog.There are two basic ways you can create a blog.Option 1: If you already have a personal or business website, you can easily launch a blog on that site by using a program such as WordPress or Blosxom that allows you to create a blog on your own website. Programs like these do require some programming skills, so if you are a computer novice or you don’t already have a website, Option 2 is definitely the easiest way for you to create a blog.Option 2: You can use a free or inexpensive, blog creation and hosting program. Many of these web-based programs make creating and managing a personal blog easy. Some of them work quite well and do not use the obtrusive advertisements that are found on many free websites. Five easy-to-use blog creation programs are:
   • Blogger
   • LiveJournal
   • Blogstream
   • Bravenet
   • Xanga

   What will your blog’s web address be if you use one of these programs? If you create your blog using Blogger, one of the blog creation programs listed above, you will have to decide where you want your blog to “live” or be located on the Internet. You have two choices.

   • You can create a custom URL that identifies your blog, however, it can still reside on the Blogger’s website. For example, if you create a blog and decide to call it snowskifavorites, Blogger will publish it through their hosting service and give it the URL http://snowskifavorites.blogspot.com. The other four blog hosting services mentioned above use a similar naming style that allows you to use their services to easily host your website with a custom web address.
   • You can personalize your blog by registering your own domain name, and use one of these programs to create your blog and publish it to your own web address. If you choose this option, Blogger will direct your blog to the domain name you purchased. If you write a blog about skiing, you may want to purchase the domain name www.snowskifavorites.com and direct your blog to that website. Hosting a blog under your own domain name marks you as a serious blogger and gives it a more professional appearance.

   Regardless of the program you choose, you will find instructions on how to create your blog on that program’s website. Most of these programs have easy-to-use tutorials that explain how to use their program to create and publish your blog. Additionally, they have services such as mobile blogging, photo sharing, and audio options you may want to consider.

3. Decide whether you are blogging for fun or profit.
   Yes, you can make money in the blogosphere. But, before you dream of all the money you’ll make, remember that there are millions of blogs and only truly dedicated bloggers with stable blogs can make a profit. People must read your blog for you to make money. This requires interesting and constantly changing content, which can be extremely time-consuming to produce. However, there are two popular ways bloggers can make money.
   • Sell Ad Space: The easiest way to sell ad space is to use Google’s Ad Sense, which allows you to display up to three ad boxes on your site. Each box contains fours ads, for a maximum of up to 12. The ads are content-specific, so if your blog is about jewelry-making, they would be related to jewelry or crafts. Each time a person clicks an ad, you (and Google) get paid.
   • Take Donations: If you spend all your time writing interesting and engaging blog entries and articles, why shouldn’t the people who are enjoying them share their appreciation? Many bloggers find that creating a link to accept online donations provides a little extra income. You can use a program like PayPal to set up an online donation link.

   There are many other ways you can make a profit through your blog, but all of them require you to be a dedicated blogger and attract steady blog traffic. This doesn’t happen overnight, so if you have the time to invest in it, search the Internet and read more about how to market your blog to increase traffic and make money using your blog. Remember that you don’t have to be in this for the money. With over 60 million blogs in existence today, blogging can just be a hobby that you enjoy.

You can create your own blog and join millions of people in the blogosphere sharing their thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. Whether you want to connect with family, share a hobby, amuse people, or make a little money, a blog is a tool that can help you reach that goal. All you need is an Internet connection and the desire to express yourself. Take a look at the free or inexpensive blog creation programs discussed and you’ll see that creating a blog is as easy as 1, 2, 3!