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Start Your Blog

Start Your Blog

So you want to start a blog? You’re in good company, with almost 66 million blogs online today; everyone from Dell Computers to Howard Dean to Moby is getting in on the action.

A blog is, quite simply, an online journal. For individuals it’s a place to write their thoughts, share their experiences, and keep in contact with like minded people. For corporations, blogging is the new way to do business. If you are running a business, and you’re not blogging, you’re missing out on a lot of potential. And that’s why you’re here, to get started with a blog the right way. So let’s get started.

Setting Up Your Blog

Blogging isn’t all fun and games; there is some serious work that has to be done before you can deliver your message to the masses. Your first step in setting up your blog will be to decide how you want to deliver your message. The decision of where you want to host your blog and how you want it designed is essential and can save you a lot of hassle down the line, so make sure you find what’s best for you.

Hosted Blogs

Hosted blogs such as Google’s Blogger offer pre-made design templates, and are complete with everything you need to get up and running fast and with little hassle. Plus, some of them are free! Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages that you will face with a hosted blog.

Advantages:

• Easy to use interfaces
• No technical experience required
• Generally Inexpensive
• Quick to start

• Lacks customization
• Looks less professional

Hosted blogs are a great way to get started with blogging, and with the amount of different hosting options available, one of them might be right for you. You can view RSS Ray’s comprehensive list of hosted blogging options by clicking here.

Professionally Made or Do it Yourself Blogs

You spent a lot of time and money making your business shine, do the same for your blog and the results will become apparent immediately. Customized blogs using software such as WordPress, that is designed and hosted for you are the way to go for those who want to really impress with their blogs. Here is why you should and shouldn’t use these customized blogs.

Advantages:

• High level of customization
• Countless tools and plugins to improve your site
• Choose a domain name that is right for you
• Gives your blog a more professional feel

Disadvantages:

• Takes longer to set up
• Can be expensive
• Doing it yourself can become complicated

Doing a blog on your own can be very complicated, even with the great support system that’s available to bloggers. Unless you really know what your doing, go with a professional who can help you do things right. You can view our list of blogging consultants by clicking here.

If you want to see the software and tools available for do it yourself blogging, click here.

Writing Your Blog

So now you have a beautiful blog set up with all sorts of colors, fonts, tools, gadgets, and more gizmos then you can shake a stick at. Now what?

Your first step in writing a successful blog is deciding what the blog is going to be about. Everyone writes a blog for a different reason. Maybe they heard that blogging will get them more customers, maybe they learned that blogging is a great way to keep in contact with their current customers, or maybe they even want to use blogging to talk to and motivate their own employees. All of those would be great reasons to start a blog, and they are all great places to start deciding how you want your blog to operate. Here is a list of some of the most popular topics to blog about.

Informative Articles – Take what you know about your industry and share it with the world. If you’re a car dealer, tell people what to look for in a new car. If you sell makeup, tell people how to apply it. Everyone loves useful articles, and if you write good ones, you’ll get people frequenting your blog for more.

Company News – Tell your customers what’s going on with you. Going to be at a trade show? Have a new product offering soon? Upgrading your equipment? Your customers want to know what’s going on, so let them know and watch their loyalty grow.

Product Display – Do you have some products that you think everyone should know about? Show them off on your blog. Tell your readers about some of the cool features your product offers; show them a picture of the product in action, and watch the orders role in.

Deals, Offers and More – Offer your loyal readers a discount on the stuff they want, and they’re sure to stay with you for more.

What you can write on your blog is limited only to your creativity. Remember, if it’s quality, interesting, beneficial, and informative, people will want to read it. Stick to those four adjectives, and update frequently, most people will want to aim for one through three times a week, and you will have a great blog in no time.