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What is Blogging?
The word blog is a contraction of the words
"web log". It is a website that features regular entries by an
author. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular
subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical
blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs. The ability
for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an
important part of many blogs. Most blogs are written words, although
you may start a blog to focus on art, photography, videos, music, or
games. Audio blogs are called podcasts, which are part of a wider
network of social media.
Starting a Blog:
Blogs can be simpler to use and may be an excellent and inexpensive
option for beginners who want a website but either don't want to
spend any money or need some experience as a writer or webmaster
before starting an entire website. The first step in creating a blog
is deciding what you want to write about. Next pick a title for your
blog that compliments the subject matter. Finally you will need to
choose a publisher. Here is a list of some free blog sites:
Blogger - This is one of the more
popular widely used blog hosts. They are a part of Google so you
know they are a trusted site. I have two blogs with blogger:
Ode to the gators and
Mike's Art Store.
Xanga - This is another popular
online blog host which caters to a younger audience such as high
schoolers. It is not as customizable as blogger which may not be
such a bad thing if you want to write something quick and easy
without worrying about re-arranging this and that.
LiveJournal - This is
another great quality blog host that does not charge you a penny.
Wordpress -
Wordpress is the the Mecca of blogging origins.
If you go on their site and look on the bottom, you can see well
known media company names that depend upon wordpress like the New
York Times or Yahoo. The great thing about wordpress is that it
allows you to host and customize virtually anything. Any first time
users will really want to create an account with them to get things
rolling.
After you have gotten your blog going you will want to get people to
find and read your blog. Every time you finish a post you can
ping your blog to let blog
sites know you have new material. Having an
RSS Feed is an important addition to any blog and a great way
to keep visitors aware of new posts. Another way to get people aware
of your blog is to join blogger communities like
Technorati,
Zimbio,
or Blog Explosion.
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