So You Want to Blog?
You have made the decision to blog. This decision may have taken some time to develop, but now that you are firm with intent, what do you do?
- Surf the Internet to find a website where you will want your blog. There are more blogging sites on the Internet than can be possibly named. If having your own blog domain is not your goal, a blogging community, such as Stage of Life, is an excellent place to start. It is free, easy to register and always has great prizes for winners of their numerous writing contests.
- Browse blogging sites and read what people are writing. Blogging is open to any topic and if having readers follow what you write is not a priority, no worries. If you do want to gain a following of readers, subscribers, fans and haters; write about current topics and give your own thoughts and opinions. A following will magically develop based on what you write and how available you make it on the Internet.
- Pay attention to how the writers have their blog site formatted. Thousands of templates can be found to format your own website. Don’t underestimate simplistic templates as the flashier ones are distracting to readers. Colorful solids high-light your blog content while abstract, multiple colors and photos clutter your blog.
- Write on paper, five to ten words that would represent the categories on your blog. These categories should be able to contain many topics. On a personal blog site, posts are tagged, making each post unique within the assigned category. If posting on a community blog site, choose one category that you fall into when submitting a story. A community such as Stage of Life lists ten categories where anyone writing will be part of at least one.
- Register on the blogging site of your choice. Set aside any fears you might still have about writing your first post. Nearly every blogger starts their first post announcing it as their first post. There is no shame to start with that announcement, so run with it. Millions of bloggers started exactly where you are right now: having made the decision to write and share your thoughts and ideas with the world.
Still need ideas to blog about? Check out these helpful blog sites & writing prompts:
Prompts:
http://dailybloggingideas.com/10-blog-ideas-in-10-minutes-or-less/
http://www.stageoflife.com/AskAQuestion.aspx
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/26638/10-Ways-to-Never-Run-Out-of-Blog-Ideas-Again.aspx
Sites:
girlboxer1970 
Another top tipp: If you’re following a blog, respond with likes and comments when you can; don’t follow for the sake of following back, write a load of drivel and fail to respond to the people you’re following if they comment to you! 😀
I need to get my blogging/commenting hat on again: Facebook and Doctor Who seem to have eaten my brain lately…
Yes, that is an excellent point! Thank you! Writers love comments. We want to hear what readers think. I recently learned that people don’t comment or like a post because they aren’t WordPress members. Is there a way change the settings so anyone can, regardless of WordPress accoun?
I have a few non-Wordpress followers who simply fill out a form so that they can leave comments (their name, email address etc) but they can’t like.
It’s definitely bad form though, to ignore the people you follow, and expect them to comment when you don’t reply. I’ve given up commenting on some blogs because there’s just no interaction.