Blog Basics for Everyone: Getting Started

Welcome to the Blogging Workshop!

Beginning today, and every Saturday, this online workshop will be in session to help you with helpful tips, strategies and techniques to make your blogging more enjoyable and successful.

Whether you are new to blogging, considering starting a blog, or have been blogging for awhile, you will find the information in these weekly workshops to be effective and proven ways to help you create and sustain a more successful blog.

Each week, the Blogging Workshop will be categorized into three primary parts.

Create It
This part of the workshop will feature tips on writing effective and compelling posts (articles) and headlines as well as design and layout ideas for your blog.

Today’s topic: Getting Started

The word “blog” derives its name from web log. A blog (used as a noun) is a website where posts, or articles, are written in chronological order, typically on the same subject matter. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, for example, “I blog about personal development, relationships, and self growth.”

An effective blog not only has copy (text), it can also have images, videos, and links to other blogs and websites.

Creating a blog is easy, and free. Both Blogger and WordPress provide free blogging software and hosting services. You simply create an account, select a template, and begin blogging – all within a couple of minutes!

Your blog’s topic should be aligned with your passion. Be sure to pick a topic you know very well and have an interest in learning more about. Your topic should also be niche, or unique. The reason for this is you want your blog to stand-out, be noticed, and most importantly, to be read.

To explain, there are a gazillion blogs on parenting. But think how much more interesting your blog would be if your niche happened to be on something like “ caring for premature babies,” or “parenting autistic children.” This allows your focus to be more targeted and less meandering.

Take my blog, The Next 45 Years for instance. There are also a gazillion blogs on personal development, self-growth and relationships. My niche is to explore and write about the possibilities we have in front of us. My message is to point out we should resist the temptation to regret our past. Instead, we need to take full advantage of our future. After all, it isn’t how you start in life, it’s how you finish!

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute one-on-one Blogging Workshop conference call. We can review your current blog, start a new blog, and discuss specific promotional and money-making strategies.

Promote It
This part of the Blogging Workshop will give you suggestions for free or very low cost ways to promote the content you are producing. It’s a great feeling when you are able to share your work with people who want to read it and will appreciate it.

Today’s topic: Blog Carnivals

One of the best ways to start getting the word out about your blog is to participate in Blog Carnivals.

A Blog Carnival is like an online magazine. Posts (or articles) of a similar nature are organized into editions and are hosted by bloggers. Click here to read a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions about Blog Carnival. You can also visit the carnival I host, The Personal Development & Happiness Carnival, to see an example.

The other primary benefit of hosting and participating in Blog Carnivals is the opportunity you will have to meet and network with other bloggers.

As a result of actively hosting and submitting to carnivals, I have done a radio interview, have been invited to be a guest writer for other blogs, and have participated in several memes (we will get to what “memes” are in future Blogging Workshops). All of this activity has resulted in additional exposure and more readers for The Next 45 Years.

Earn It
There is also the possibility of earning income from your blogging. This area will feature proven ways to monetize your blog. Each week you will receive tips on how you will be able to earn income from your blogging efforts.

OK, let’s be honest here. In the beginning, you will not earn much money. Sure, some people may get lucky and make some money as they are getting started, but this is unusual.

Don’t get me wrong. You can make money, just not when you first launch your blog. There are countless online programs that claim you can “make millions by writing just 15 minutes a day.” Be leery of these. Instead, commit to creating a blog that contains quality information and conveys dignity and integrity, not a “splog.”

“Splog” is the combination of the words “spam” and “blog.” Often times, someone will create a blog, steal content, and throw-up (pardon the pun) a ton of cheesy banner ads and widgets.

Look at my blog. Do you see these? No. The reason: My focus is the long-haul; my focus is on quality and meaningful content; my focus is to create a blog with integrity for the next 45 years and beyond.

If you spend your first few months on creating quality content, you will make money as a by-product because you will attract visitors who will experience your site as authoritative.

With that said, there are sensible strategies you can put into place in the beginning (like asking for donations, etc.) to help you cover any associated overhead you may have with managing your blog. We will explore some of these strategies next week.

Are you feeling a little overwhelmed right now, but would like to take the next step?

I would like to help you. For a limited time, you may schedule a free one-on-one 30-minute Blogging Workshop conference call with me. We can discuss your specific questions, review your current blog or start a new blog, and discuss future strategies.

Click here to contact me to schedule your call. I can only accept the first three requests.

Next week’s Blogging Workshop will feature why you should always write your headline before your post; the power of social bookmarking sites; and how to ask for donations.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute one-on-one Blogging Workshop conference call. We can review your current blog, start a new blog, and discuss specific promotional and money-making strategies.

Now you can get one daily email that gives you any article that has been written on The Next 45 Years that day: subscribe here.