I‘m a blogging newbie. I only started this blog as a means to share my projects with friends and family. Now it’s starting to become something I like to do. I believe that when you find something you like, it should be shared!
I think that my new hobby has inspired some others to follow suit. A few friends have asked me, “How do you start a blog or website” or “Which blogging platform do you prefer?”. Although I’m relatively new to blogging, I am happy to share some tips on how to get started.
Diy Girl’s Guide to Starting a Blog in Four Basic Steps
Something to talk about…
Step One: Decide what you are going to blog about. Are you a real estate junkie? Do you want to blog about your family pet? Maybe you have an imaginary friend? Perhaps you want to vent about your boss or bitch about your in-laws (NOT recommended). Your blog can be about anything you like really but I would suggest using discretion when blogging about “touchy” subjects.
What’s in a name?
Step Two: What are you going to name your blog? Choose a name and then choose two other names as back ups in case the one you really want is already taken.
Blogger or WordPress?
Step Three: Choose your blogging software. Blogger and WordPress are both free web-based blogging platforms that are readily accessible to anyone with an email account. Signing up for either of these software programs is super easy. The hard part is deciding which way you want to go. My suggestion is to sign up for both so you can try each program yourself. As with most things you will find yourself preferring one or the other.
So which platform do you use?
I’m a WordPress girl.
Why Blogger or WordPress? Can’t I use something else?
Of course. I mentioned Blogger and WordPress because they are well-known and I’m familiar with both programs. Paid blogging programs are also available, but why would you pay?
Start blogging “write” away
Step Four: Once you have picked your blog topic, name and software you’re pretty much ready to go. See how easy that was? Now start blogging!
Additional Tips
This is a very basic guide that will help you get started in the world of blogging. I haven’t talked about “hosted” vs. “self-hosted” blogs. Nor have I touched on blog customization, templates or design. These other topics will require dedicated posts! Meanwhile, here are a few more blogging tips and resources.
- Do write about what you know or enjoy
- Don’t start a blog for monetary reasons only. If you do, you will be greatly discouraged and your interest in blogging with fizz out pretty quickly. This is a whole other issue that requires a dedicated blog post!
- Be personal but not too much. Nobody wants to know about your toenail fungus. Okay, maybe someone might be interested but that’s not really a good thing.
Be sure to look out for the next post: Diy Girl’s Guide to Starting a Blog: Hosted or Self Hosted?
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