Advanced Blogger Setup

Step 1: Define Your Niche

Before you create a blog, it is important to decide on the topic or subject area your blog will cover.

Defining Your Audience: Are you creating a blog as an extension of your business? Who your audience is will determine which type of blog host you use, the content of your blog, whether or not you publicize your blog and what success means for you in respect to your blogging endeavors.

Choosing Your Subject

If you want your blog to be meaningful and add value to your business, you will need to decide what subject matter your blog will cover. How focused your blog is on a particular subject is entirely up to you. Your blog can simply cover the stuff that is interesting to you and need not be defined beyond that. If, however, you would like to target your blog to a particular niche or audience, here are some questions you might consider:

• What are you interested in?
• What are you an expert in?
• Would your business be an interesting subject?
• What are you passionate about?

If you need some inspiration, check out some of the most popular blogs on the internet through Technorati's Popular Blogs page or the Webby Awards' list of blogging nominees.

• Blogger
• WordPress.com
• Xanga
• Windows Live Spaces
• MySpace (Social Networking site that includes a blog function)
• Vox
• AOL Journals
• Tumblr (Tumblelog)

Step 2: Name Your Blog

There's virtually no limit apart from your imagination as to what you can name your blog. Some blogs have names that relate to their subject matter - Marketing, MyResource etc. others just use their own name. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that the name should ideally be memorable, short, easy to spell and free of hyphens.

Checking Your Name's Availability
Technically, you can name your blog whatever you'd like. However, there are limits to what your blog's URL or web address can be. Most people prefer their blog's name to match its URL address. If you are using a hosted blog service such as WordPress.com, Typepad, Blogger or Vox, you have two options. When you create a blog through these services, you are assigned a web address, which will look like this:

www.yourblogname.wordpress.com
www.yourblogname.typepad.com
www.yourblogname.blogspot.com
www.yourblogname.vox.com

If you don't mind having your host service's name in your web address, then you can use this first option by simply checking your potential blog name's availability when you register for an account. This is the simplest solution. However, if you'd like your web address to read "www.yourblogname.com", you will need to use the second option and purchase a registered domain name. You can check the availability of a domain name at one of the following sites:

DirectNic 
Crazy Domains 
Fardon Webhosting

Once you've found an available name, you can purchase it from one of several online hosting sites including Directnic, Crazy Domains and Fardon Webhosting. After you set-up your blog with WordPress.com or Blogger, you can "point" your newly-purchased domain name to your blog. We'll cover how to do this in Step 4 as it differs from service to service.

Step 3: Choose a Blog Host  

There are several different kinds of services that will help you create and maintain your blog. Which service you choose will depend on the purpose of your blog, your budget and your technical skills. (Don't worry! There are plenty of free services.)

Hosted Blogging Platforms (The Simple Route)

If you are creating your first blog or don't have a great deal of technical expertise, than a hosted blog service is the way to go. A hosted blog service essentially "hosts" your blog at their domain. They make creating a blog easy by providing well-designed templates, a web address and rich text editors that allow you to create posts without any special technical knowledge. With a hosted blog service, you can have a blog up and running in less than ten minutes. Some of the most popular hosted blogging platforms include WordPress.com, Blogger, Typepad and Vox. In Step 4, you'll learn how to create an account with each of these services.
 
Pros to Using a Hosted Blogging Platform:

• Many services are free or inexpensive to use.
• They make your blog easy to set-up and require to little to no technical expertise to maintain.

Cons to Using a Hosted Blogging Platform:

• Blogging hosts are not as flexible design-wise as their server-side counterparts. While many provide beautifully-designed templates, they are not fully configurable. If you have a great deal of technical expertise and would like total control of your blog's look, you may feel limited by a hosted blog.
• Blogging services incorporate their host name into your URL address. (Eg. www.yourblogname.typepad.com) If you purchase your own registered domain name, some services (but not all) will let you "point" it toward your blog. Purchasing a registered domain name for a year will cost you about $10, and some technical proficiency is required to use it in lieu of the URL address your blogging host provides.

Server-Side or Stand Alone Blogging Platforms

Because this instruction is intended for beginners, we'll be concentrating on how to use the hosted blog services, but it's good to know what a "server-side" or "stand alone" blogging platform is. This type of blogging platform is hosted by you on your own domain. This type of platform allows you to have full control over the design of your site and will use whatever domain name you've purchased. To use this kind of blogging platform, you will need to subscribe to a hosting service and download a content management system or blogging platform like WordPress.org or Movable Type. This route is more costly and demands a certain amount of technical literacy. In exchange, you get a fully customizable site in your own name, which makes it the choice of many (but not all) professional bloggers.

Step 4: Create Your Blog  

This section will cover how to set up a blog using a tutorial for Blogger we will also advise the pros and cons for WordPress.com, and Vox. We'll be looking at these three services because they're three of the easiest, most popular and least expensive options for first-time bloggers with little or no technical expertise. All you need to get started with all three services is an email address. If you don't have an email address, you can sign up for a free email account with Google Mail (Gmail), Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or AIM Mail.

The Components of a Blog
Most blogs are made up of three components - the header, the sidebar and the posts or body of the blog.
 
The Header: A blog's header is the equivalent of a newspaper's letterhead. It contains the blog's name rendered as text or as text combined with a banner image.
 
The Sidebar : A sidebar runs along one or both sides of your posts. A sidebar might contain any number of items including a short bio, a blog roll (a list of blogs that you enjoy reading), a search box, ads and an RSS button. RSS stands for "really simple syndication." Adding an RSS link to your site allows people to "subscribe" to your site - updating them whenever you've posted something new.

The Posts: Posts make up the body of your blog. Posts can include text, images, video and even streaming audio. Most blog posts also include a way for readers to comment on the post.

Which Service is Right for You?

Blogger
Pros: Free; No tech expertise required; Can use registered domain name
Cons: HTML knowledge required to modify templates and use many sidebar add-ons
Ideal User: First-Time Bloggers

WordPress.com
Pros: Free with some advanced design pay options; No technical expertise required; Blog traffic statistics built-in; Easy-to-use sidebar add-ons; Can use registered domain name
Cons: While WordPress.com's interface is simple, it's not as simple as Blogger's. Some knowledge of tech- or blog-related jargon is helpful. Templates are not fully modifiable unless you purchase CSS editing options. Knowledge of CSS required.
Ideal User: Savvy beginners. Because WordPress also produces a server-side blogging software (WordPress.org), WordPress.com is good for users that may eventually want to switch to a stand alone host.

Vox
Pros: Free; No tech expertise required; Built-in social networking functionality; Integrated with popular online media services like Flickr and Photobucket
Cons: Not an ideal platform for a public or general subject blog; Templates cannot be fully modified; Ads embedded at bottom of page; Cannot use registered domain name
Ideal User: Beginners looking for a social networking option and who have accounts with online services like Flickr and Twitter

Getting Started Tutorial from Blogger

Go to the Blogger site.
If you have a Google Account, sign in to Blogger by entering your email address and password in the upper right hand corner. If you do not have a Google Account, get started by clicking on the Create Your Blog Now button. You'll be taken to a screen that asks you to create an account. Here you will need to enter in your pre-existing email address, choose a password, choose the name that will be displayed when you publish a blog post and accept Blogger's terms of use.  You will next be asked to name your blog and choose your blog's URL address. (If you've purchased a domain name that you would like to use in lieu of the Blogger address, you can click on the Advanced Blog Setup link for assistance.) Next you will be taken to a screen that lets you select a template for your blog's design. Pick one, and remember that you can always change it later. Once you've chosen your template, you can start posting.

Your First Post
 
Blogger uses a rich text editor that operates exactly like a word processor. What you see is what you get. Enter a title for your post in the Title field and begin writing. You can insert images or video into your post by clicking on the Add Image or Add Video icons on the upper right side of your text editor. (If you know HTML, you can view your post's source code by clicking on the Edit HTML tab.) When you're done writing your post, click on the publish button or save your post as a draft for later publication. You will then be given the option to view your blog, edit your post or create a new one. Whenever you're ready to write a new post or manage your old ones, simply click on the Posting tab of your Blogger interface.

Exploring Your Settings and Template Tabs

You'll notice that in addition to the Posts tab, you also have a Settings and Template tab at the top of your Blogger interface. (On your Blogger Dashboard, these appear as the Settings and Layout links.) Under the Settings Tab, you'll find all kinds of options to help customize your blog. You can control how many posts appear on the front page, how frequently your posts are archived and whether or not your blog is added to the Blogger directory. You'll also be able to add an RSS link to your blog through Blogger or FeedBurner and control the terms under which viewers can comment on your posts. Under the Template Tab, you'll have the option of switching templates, choosing the colors that fit your blog, adding or deleting information from your sidebar and, if you know HTML, actually editing your template's source code.
 
Your Profile Page
To create a profile page to go along with your blog, go to your Dashboard. You will find a link to Blogger's Dashboard in the upper right hand corner of your screen. On your Dashboard, you'll see the option to edit your profile in the right hand corner. Click Edit Profile. Add as much or as little information as you'd like your readers to know about you on your Profile page. This profile is what readers will see when they click the About Me link in your blog's sidebar. This is a default setting in your Blogger template. The About Me link can always be removed by clicking on your Templates tab and editing your Page Elements.  

Deleting Your Blog
You can delete your blog at any time by clicking on the Delete The Blog button at the bottom of the Basics page under the Settings tab.

Step 5: Write Great Blog Posts  

In the world of blogging, content is the ultimate requirement. If you want to generate an audience for your blog beyond your immediate friends and family, it is essential that your posts be well-written and provide value to readers. It's also essential that you update your blog with new posts on a regular basis. Creating a blog is easy. Maintaining a blog is hard.

General Tips on Writing a Blog Post

• Be Passionate. You're writing a blog because you have something to say so say it with style, and enthusiasm. Your voice is the only thing that will make your blog stand out for the millions of others out there.
• Be Funny. Never underestimate the power of humor in blogging. Humor makes your posts enjoyable to read and more likely to be linked to by other bloggers.
• Be Consistent. It's important to post on a regular basis so that your readers keep coming back. Don't post if you don't have something to say. No content is better than bad content, but maintaining your blog should be a priority if you wish to reach an audience beyond your peers.
• Be Useful. Provide value to your readers. It might be entertainment value or educational value, but reaching out to readers means giving them something they need but didn't have before - an insight, a joke, a tool or a new way of looking at something.
• Be Readable. Remember that you're writing text for people reading from computer screens. Your posts should be short and easy on the eyes. If they get lengthy, consider breaking up the text visually with bullet points, images or selectively bolded text.
• Be Responsible. Blog posts almost always contain links to other websites. It's important to give credit where credit is due and link back to a site if you've used it as a reference.

Reviews
You have an opinion, or else you wouldn't have started a blog. Review films, books, gadgets or whatever else might be pertinent to your blog's subject matter. If your reviews are thoughtful enough and your blog gains a following, you may even be able to solicit companies for products or materials to review.

How To
"How To" posts provide value to readers, and if done well, have a longer lifespan than your average blog post. They are frequently linked to by other sites and allow readers to benefit from your expertise.

Step 6: Build an Audience

It's estimated that there are over 71 million blogs in the world with another 100,000 being created daily. Standing apart from the crowd isn't easy, but if you do decide that you'd like to cultivate an audience outside of your mum, here are some tactics you might consider:

• Add your URL to Google. This tells Google's army of robot spiders to check your blog's content - adding it to Google's search results. To maximize your rank in Google's search results, be sure that your posts' headlines are clear and on topic. Keywords are more important than cleverness.
• Claim your blog at sites like Technorati and Blog Top Sites. These are blog directories that allow people to seek out blogs on subject matters of interest to them. You can also apply to be added to the moderated directory Blogarama or try a relatively new service like BlogRush, which will advertise your blog's content across a network of related blogs.
• Remind your readers that if they like a post, they should add it to sites like Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Ma.gnolia or Reddit. These services can help attract new readers to your site.
• Link to other sites. The owners of the sites you link to are likely to check out your blog particularly if the link from your blog drives traffic to their site.
• Become a regular commenter on blogs that cover similar topics to your own. You're part of the blogosphere now and therefore a potential player in a community. Provide useful and thoughtful comments on other people's blogs, and it's all the more likely that they will check out yours.
• The old-fashioned way. Tell everyone about your blog. Add its URL to your email signature. Put it on your business cards. Network at blogging conferences. Kiss some hands and shake some babies, did I really say that oops its getting late?

Step 7: Measure Your Traffic 

 Blog hosts like WordPress.com and Typepad keep track of your stats for you. They will tell you how many people have visited your site and when. If you'd like a more in-depth set of statistics including where people are visiting your site from, what pages received the most views and detailed graphs of your site's popularity, there are a handful of free services you can use to track that information. The most popular include Google Analytics and Site Meter. Both services give you step-by-step instructions in how to set-up their services on your blog although some familiarity with basic HTML coding is helpful.

Step 8: Monetize Your Blog

While you shouldn't quit your day job, there are a handful of quick and easy ways to monetize your blog. A basic knowledge of HTML coding is helpful when using these services, but most blog hosts will walk you through how to add these services.

• Google AdSense: Google Adsense will search your blog and add ads relevant to its content. These ads can appear in a number of different text and image configurations. You make money when people click on the ads.
• Yahoo! Publisher Network
• Yahoo!'s version of AdSense.
• Amazon Associates: An Amazon.com program that places ads relevant to your blog's content on your blog. You make money when readers click on the ads and make a purchase through Amazon.
• Adbrite: A network that lets blog owners sell text ad space directly to advertisers.

Legal Resources for Bloggers
 
There are some legal issues that all bloggers, but particularly those aspiring to capture a large audience, should be aware of. Most deal with the use of images, video and audio files. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a complete legal guide for bloggers online. You may also want to copyright your own original work through Creative Commons. Creative Commons offers several different kinds of licenses. Some let people use your material freely but with attribution. Some let people use your material for anything but commercial purposes. You can check out the full list of Creative Commons licenses at their website.