Starting a Blog
This topic may be a bit basic for many of you, but every once in a while people ask me how to start a blog, or a website, so I am writing this post to share my recommendations and thoughts on the subject.
The easiest and quickest way I would recommend starting a blog would be to go to blogger.com and sign up for a new account there. The great thing about using blogger is that you don’t have to buy a domain name or get hosting, they take care of that for you. All you have to do is follow their simple step by step sign-up process then start blogging.
WordPress.com also offers a similar service. There are many other similar services out there, but I would recommend using either blogger or wordpress. This is just the easiest route, however. For those that are serious about blogging or want to start a website that they own completely I would recommend buying your own domain name, finding a hosting provider, then set-up WordPress on your own domain. With all the free themes and plug-ins and the ease of editing template files WordPress is really easy to customize and extend its functionality to include almost anything you would need for blogging.
So in a nutshell my advice to anyone who wants to start a blog download and install WordPress on your own domain if you are serious, otherwise just get a free hosted blog on blogger.com or wordpress.com.
Chris, One of the things that was the steepest learning curve fo me about blogging, and I have found is news to many people who consider, or even start blogging, is how much about running a successful blog is tied to network and community (even if it is internet community). What you write on your blog will cause people to read it, and hopefully keep reading. But who you link to from your blog… who you read… who you comment on… these things are what are critical to making sure that people find your blog in the first place to be able to determine if they like it. Obviously, I am the Padawan talking to the Master here
so I just throw this out as what I ahve been learning… woul dlove to hear more and learn more in this vein from your experiences.
Steve,
I definitely agree. No one will will ever read your blog if they don’t know it exists. Getting involved in the community is a great way to get noticed. Not only is networking a great way to promote your blog, but blogging itself is a great way to network. A smart VC once told me that key to networking effectively was pulling up to the table and saying something of value. When people realize that you have something of meaning to say they will want to get to know you better and you will become known in the community for whatever your expertise is. Blogging is a way to display your expertise to a large audience.