So You Think You Want to Blog? Beginning Blog Tips

I’ve been blogging on and off for about a decade.  Over that time, I’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks.  If one of my friends were to ask me what they need to know when beginning to blog, this is what I would tell them. 

My List of Beginning Blog Tips

 Get yourself a domain name.  Even if you don’t plan on ever turning your blog into a business, a domain is a great thing to have.  If someone wants to read your blog, it’s much easier for them to remember LandOfUnicornsAndBunnyRabbits.com than LandOfUnicornsAndBunnyRabbits.somethingorother.com

 Decide which platform you want to use.  Blogger is very easy to use.  WordPress + Typepad are about equal, but less user friendly.  Joomla, it’s even more difficult.   All have their pros and cons, which I’ll discuss later. 

 Howevah, if you do plan to turn your blog into a business, you’ll want to use WordPress.  Blogger has been known to zap blogs with no warning.  In fact, it’s happened to many of the big blogs around.  With WordPress, you own your content and you are hosting your own content.  As long as you pay the bill, your blog will go on forever. 

 Ummm…Pay the bill?  I can hear you asking that.  Yes.  Unfortunately, WordPress isn’t free to run.  You’ll need the aforementioned domain name, but you will also need hosting.  Hosting can run you anywhere from $5/mo to several hundred dollars a month, depending on your needs.  For most people, it’ll run ya somewhere between $10 and $30. 

 That’s where advertising comes in.  While it’s not expensive, $30/mo can really start to add up.  A couple of ads will help offset those costs.  We’ll discuss ads more in-depth later, too. 

 Perhaps, most importantly, is to write about things you enjoy.  It will really show.  If you blog about stuff you don’t enjoy – i.e. jazz music, for me – blogging will feel like a chore.  And when it’s not fun, you will lose interest quickly. 

 And finally – be sure you have a great support system.  Other bloggers will help you work through some of your mental blocks, your family discouraging you, they’ll even help troubleshoot your tech issues. 

 Questions?  Ask away!  And if you ever want to contact me, just use the email me button. 🙂