Blogging

You Should be Blogging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWYi4_COZMU

Websites to Help you with Blogging

http://www.becomeablogger.com/

http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/08/29/learning-about-blogging-and-how-to-blog/

How to get Traffic to your Blogs

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/06/how_to_get_traf.html

Places to set up a blog

http://blogger.com

http://wordpress.com

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How to Blog 101 – The Ultimate Beginner?s Blogging Tutorial

February 26, 2009 @ 3:11 am · Filed under Design, Leadership, Resources, Technology

I regularly get asked questions about how to start and maintain a successful blog. Here is my beginner?s blogging tutorial – How to Blog 101.

#1 :: CHOOSE A BLOGGING PLATFORM
I recommend self-hosting your blog and using WordPress. It the most popular platform among Technorati?s top 100 blogs and among Church Relevance?s top church blogs.

Self-Hosted Blogging Software:

Blogging Services (hosting provided):

• TypePad
• WordPress.com
• Blogger

#2 :: CHOOSE A DOMAIN (if allowed)
As long as it is relevant, the shorter the domain is the better. A short domain is quick and easy to type, which will save you time in the long run and reduce the probability of you and your visitors mistyping it.

• Domize – immediately checks a domain?s availability as you type it into the query box
• DomainsBot – suggests domains based on your search keywords
• Domain Pigeon – lists available domain names which you can use for your websites
• MakeWords – generates domain ideas based on your suggestions, linguistics, and semantic databases

#3 :: DESIGN YOUR BLOG
Being a web designer or hiring one is not necessary for having a good looking blog, but it definitely helps. WordPress has thousands of template designs for sale and for free that are not too complicated to implement.

For Inspiration:

• A Small Design Study Of Big Blogs
• 45 Excellent Blog Designs
• 50 More Excellent Blog Designs
• 60+ Unusual WP Blog Designs

For Templates:

• 20 Free Corporate WordPress Themes
• 20 Great Free WordPress 2.7 Themes
• 21 Mindblowing Premium-Like Free WordPress Themes
• 30 Free High Quality WordPress Themes
• 50 Beautiful Free WordPress Themes
• 83 Beautiful WordPress Themes You (Probably) Haven?t Seen
• 100 Excellent Free WordPress Themes

#4 :: USE TOOLS
WordPress is a great platform, but there are tools and plugins that can make it even better. I recommend at least using the following tools:

• Akismet Plugin – tracks spammers and helps keep them off your blog
• All in One SEO Plugin – optimizes your WordPress blog for search engines
• FeedBurner – tools to help you promote, deliver, and profit from your Web content
• Google Analytics – free stats about where your visitors come from and how they interact with your site
• StatCounter – a free yet reliable tool for real-time detailed web stats
• WordPress Database Backup Plugin – easily backup your core WordPress database

Other Tools:

• Bad Neighborhood Text Link Checker – detect links that hurt your SEO
• ClickTale – provides movies and heatmaps of your visitors? actual browsing sessions
• Crazy Egg – supplement your analytics with stunning visuals and actionable data
• Creative Commons – easily mark your work with copyright freedoms
• Facebook Connect – integrate Facebook into your blog
• PollDaddy – create free online surveys and polls for your blog
• Redirectr Theme – redirects the traffic from an existing (old) blog to a new blog or site

Tool Lists:

• 9 SEO Plugins Every WordPress Blog Should Have
• 12 RSS Plugins for WordPress
• 20+ Must-Have WordPress 2.5 Compatible Plugins
• 21 of the Best WordPress Plugins for New Blogs
• 30+ WordPress Plugins for Statistics
• 50 Best WordPress Plugins for Power Blogging
• 50+ More Ways to Track Website Traffic
• 50+ Tools For The WordPress Admin
• Powerful List of WordPress Lifesavers Plugins
• The Business Blogging Toolset: 100 Resources for Entrepreneur-Writers
• Useful WordPress Plugins

#5 :: HAVE QUALITY CONTENT
An aesthetically well-designed blog may entice visitors to linger for the first visit, but quality content is what will get those visitors to keep coming back. If you need topics, visit these resources:

• Alltop – an ?online magazine rack? of popular topics
• Delicious – the tastiest bookmarks on the web
• Digg – discover and share content from anywhere on the web
• Reddit – users decide the top stories
• StumbleUpon – discovers web sites based on your interests

#6 :: STUDY BLOGGING
If you want people to read your quality content, study the science of successful blogging and copywriting. Writing for a blog is different than writing for a book or magazine. My advice:

Unless you are blogging for personal reasons, focus on optimizing the reader experience. Offer only quality content. And make it scannable by using short paragraphs, bold text, and bullet points. Use as few words as possible without compromising quality (needless words wasted readers? time). And if possible, post consistently often.

Blogging Tips:

• Copyblogger – copywriting tips for online marketing success
• ProBlogger – a blog about how to be a successful blogger
• 7 Types of Blog Posts Which Always Seem to Get Links and Traffic
• 15 Powerful Ways to Differentiate Your Blog from the Crowd
• 101 Essential Blogging Skills
• Blogging on Alltop – all the top blogging news
• WordPress on Alltop – all the top WordPress news

#7 :: MARKET YOURSELF
With blogging, two of your most powerful marketing opportunities are Search Engine Optimization and leveraging social media. Last year, 48% of ChurchRelevance.com?s traffic came from search engines. You should be using these resources:

• Facebook – a popular social network likely used by many readers
• LinkedIn – a popular social network for professionals
• Twitter – stay hyperconnected to readers with this microblogging tool
• Google Keyword Tool – discover which keywords and phrases are searched for the most
  I use this often. In fact, three highly-searched keyphrases are in this post?s title.
• SEOmoz – free SEO education and tools
• 16 Effective Strategies to Expand Your Blog?s Reach
  

   

WHAT ELSE?
Remember this is just the beginner?s blogging tutorial. But if you read all of these links, you will be on your way to becoming a blogging expert.

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Tags: blogging your home business, how to blog, word press blog