How Do I Start Blogging?

[chrissie]

Oh no, for me, coffee first is a must or I won't even be able to read the feeds....but that is definitely step 2 of my day!

I think content has been mentioned more than once for obvious reasons...so I will just beat the horse dead again. Someone mentioned the 'personal voice' and originality of blogs being so important. I totally agree, as a blog reviewer and a blogger myself, the importance of a personal voice is that it lends credibility to the blog product. We are all more inclined to listen to someone who has had a personal experience on something, rather than just read something we can get elsewhere. Why else would you go back if no personal voice exists? This is the point of the blog, no? With monetization, advertising, yada yada, a lot of bloggers have lost sight of this.

An excellent example I saw recently was a blog about product reviews, and it was one of the best I've seen yet. The blogger brought such a personal element to each review, it almost commanded a definite call to action. Which for her, is a click through that results in a sale, right? Then you see product review blogs where the posts are, here's the product, here's why you should buy it, you should buy it, click here. It loses effect.

Ok, I am officially rambling now....but just wanted to get that in there...

[Sevenheartz]

Good amount of useful links in this thread... Thanks a lot everyone, will be taking a look now.

[Bloggeries]

Originally Posted by Inhibitor

That's the point I think most new bloggers miss entirely. To them, "original" means "something no one's talked about before". Trust Uncle Hib on this one...there tain't no such animal. (Don't make me link to the "nasal sex" thread two times in one day just to prove a point.)

You must be original...but that doesn't mean "new", that means "like no one else". Your blog should say things that no one else could or would say. Try this:

"Monkeys are a lot of fun. You can see them in the zoo, where you can feed them peanuts. Be careful, though...they are known for throwing their own feces at people when they get in the mood."

Or this:

"Monkeys...I have a problem with monkeys. Never mind that they're supposedly so freakin' smart. If they're so smart, how do they all wind up in the zoo? I mean, this is a group of animals whose idea of intellectual stimulation is flinging poo at the people trying to feed them peanuts.

Actually, now that I think about it...if you can get someone to feed you for free while you're throwing your own poo at them, maybe you're not so dumb after all."

Neither one of those two passages are "new"...almost everyone is familiar with monkeys. But, while neither is "new", the second one is "original". Why? because I doubt that anyone else would have said it in the same exact way as I did.

Tell anecdotes from your personal life, relate stories from your own experience, and let your personality guide what you say and, more importantly, how you say it. And don't forget to grow an opinion, and then exercise it regularly.

"Oh yeah?!?" always gets more readers than "Me too!"

AMEN HIB!!! Well said and I'll have to see how we rank for money feces:lurk-2:

[xxvinod]

I got a site giving ebooks for free.
After that i started a free books blog.

[Bloggeries]

Ebooks are awesome; soon I'm going to write some by myself and in a collaboration. They can definitely bring money and help monetize a site which otherwise would have no product / service to sell.

[evelester]

here is a great free site with lots of video tutorials for an absolute beginner- What Is Blogging? We Explain Blogging So That You Too Can Become A Blogger | Become A Blogger

it is pretty cool and perfect for people that don't know what a blog really is or how to start.

[Bloggeries]

Good thinking Nath; I need to read some more ebooks soon. Considering the sheer volume of people online it's a form of media that I should look more into; definitely some amazing ones out there and definitely lot's of trash too though!

[ghing]

before I start blogging.. our boss gave as some ebooks to read.. we read those ebooks for almost a week.. after reading that's the time we started our real work.. being a SEO..

[Bloggeries]

Anyone else have anything to share with someone starting out?

[skleiner]

GET your own domain name.. but I think I said that before!