GETTING STARTED WITH BLOGGING

Colonial Job SeekersSeptember 26, 2011

Topics

Blogging 101 What to Write About What to Avoid Blogger Code of Conduct Free Hosting Solutions Self-hosted Solutions Desktop Blogging Tools Marketing Your Blog Making Money with Your Blog

Introduction

http://www.victorfont.com/ Business / professional persona

http://www.fontlife.com/ Family oriented / faith based

http://www.ultimatesdlc.com/ Book sales & marketing

Blogging 101 A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of

website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with

regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs. It is this interactivity that distinguishes them from static websites

As of September 17, 2011, there were over 171 million public blogs in existence with almost 20,000 new blogs identified in the prior 24 hour period.

World Internet UsageYour potential audience: over 2 Billion

people

What to Write About

Why do you want to blog? Where do your passions lie? How do you want others to perceive you? Are you willing to commit the time?

“Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out

of it.” –Anonymous

What to Avoid

Defamation or liability: U.S. payouts related to blogging totaled $17.4 million by 2009

Employment: Employees who blog about elements of their place of employment can affect the brand recognition of their employer.

Political dangers: Blogging can sometimes have unforeseen consequences in politically sensitive areas. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes often seek to suppress blogs and/or punish those who maintain them

Personal safety: One consequence of blogging is the possibility of attacks or threats against the blogger, sometimes without apparent reason.

Blogging can result in a range of legal liabilities and other unforeseen consequences.

Blogger Code of Conduct

1. Take responsibility for your own words and for the comments you allow on your blog.

2. Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person.

3. Connect privately before responding publicly4. When someone is unfairly attacking another, take

action.5. Do not allow anonymous or pseudonymous comments. 6. Ignore the trolls7. Think twice—post once

The Blogger Code of Conduct helps create an environment that encourages civility, personal expression and constructive conversation.

Free Hosting Solutions

http://www.typepad.com http://www.blog.com http://www.blogger.com http://www.wordpress.com

Self-Hosted Solutions Popular

Platforms: DotNetNuke Drupal Joomla Moveable Type TypePad WordPress

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Hostek, but unlike some, I only recommend services I’ve used and like. My personal websites have been hosted by them for over 10 years. If you want to help me out, you can order your server through this link: http://www.victorfont.com/go/get-hostek/.

Domain Name Webhosts

Windows or Linux? My personal favorite:

Hostek.com

My Favorite Platform WordPress

According to the web technology survey company, W3Techs, WordPress is used by 54.2% of the top 1 million websites

Extrapolates to a 14.7% market share of all websites worldwide

It’s easy to use and learn The rumors circulating about WordPress

being a virus factory are untrue. Mismanaged sites get infected Hackers work hard to exploit vulnerabilities Am educated webmaster sleeps well at night

WordPress is Not Just for Blogging

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e-Commerce /membership site

Desktop Blogging Tools Free:

Windows Live Writer (Windows) BlogDesk (Windows) Zoundry Raven (Windows) w.bloggar (Windows) Thingamablog (Windows, MAC, Linux) Qumana (Windows, MAC) Scribefire (Firefox extension) Flock (Windows, MAC, Linux) Post2Blog (Windows) Bleezer (Windows, MAC, Linux)

Nominal Cost MarsEdit (MAC): $29.95 Ecto (MAC): $17.95 BlogJet (Windows): $60.00

Marketing Your Blog Write well and write often Submit your blog to search engines (sitemap.xml) Use and update your Blogroll Harness the power of comments Syndicate content with RSS feed Use links and trackbacks Tag your posts Submit you blog to social bookmarking sites Remember SEO Don’t forget images Consider guest blogging Join forums, web rings or online group Promote outside your blog Nominate yourself and other blogs for blog awards Don’t be shy

Monetizing Your Blog

Blogging is big business these days, with some bloggers reporting six-figure or even million-dollar incomes. There are a number of ways that these bloggers earn such large paychecks, and the best know how to do it in a way that won't scare off readers.

Merchandising Paid Content Begging Opportunities Offline Ads

RSS Ads Text Ads Sell your own ads Affiliate programs Sponsored posts Other

Analyzing Your Statistics

12,614Page views1/1/2011-9/8/2011

246 views9/6/2011246 views9/6/2011

Other Resources Google Analytics http://www.copyblogger.com/ http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/ http://www.blog-tutorials.com/ http://www.blogbasics.com/blog-tutorial-1-1.php http://www.blogadr.com/tutorials/free-

wordpress-blogging-tutorial/ http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/blog/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=MWYi4_COZMU http://www.insidecrm.com/features/101-ways-

monetize-blog122007/