Blogging for Beginners

John Campanelli, who writes for the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s PDQ section, sent an email out asking for tips on starting out blogging. I think hanging out with bloggers gives much insight, as noted at a recent Cleveland Blogger meetup. You can sign up to find out about the next one here, and not to worry, it's free, no one at the meets tries to sell you anything or convert you to Tom Cruiseism.

John asks some interesting question, but I was thinking about the ones not asked, which might be more important.

Do you currently read any blogs? If you don't, who do you see as your potential audience?
Do you currently comment on any blogs? If you don't, what is it you think you'd like to say that other blogs are not?
Do you scribble thoughts down in any form, such as emails, poems, stories, anecdotes, recipes, diatribes?

If you answer no to these, you may not want to blog at all. There's nothing sadder than an abandoned blog - well, maybe those darned dead-enders in Iraq are sadder. But it takes a certain amount of energy, time, thought and work to keep publishing one for any extended period. But on to the questions John asked:

Q. Which online blog-hosting site do you recommend?

A. Let's say you're poor, or cheap. I know I am oft one and sometimes both. Blogspot.com will give you a place to put your blog. A consensus like creature I've decided to call "Consensy" came to exist at a recent blogger meetup that Blogger's software was one of the most user friendly. Yes, there are many others.

If you are slightly less poor or cheap, you could consider hosting your blog on a website you pay for, perhaps with your own Domain name. This gives you a bit more control, and also more stuff to manage yourself.

If you have your blog at Blogspot.com, you have to use Blogger's software. The Blogging software is not the same thing as the Blog host! Many bloggers prefer other tools such as Movable Type and Typepad, which could be hosted at your own domain, or at many other sites that Google can list much more efficiently than me

Word to the wise - there may be tools and add-on's that will not work with Blogspot or Blogger. And moving your blog from one piece of software to another can be painful, like admitting your government's response to Hurricane Katrina sucks so hard that guy from Dyson vacuums looks at you with British envy. Worse, moving comments can sometimes be even harder.

Bottom line - what do the blogs you think look the best and work the snappiest - and have the fewest complaints from the writer about the blog-host or software - use for a host or for software? Ask them in comments. Blogs should be a conversation.

Q. What things should first-time bloggers make sure to do when setting up a blog?

A. Firstly, allow comments. This is the easiest way to get feedback. It's much easier to soldier on writing posts if you know someone is actually paying attention. Blog-commenters may also give you information and insights you didn't realize before - the blogosphere can thus be self-correcting, self connecting, and useful.


Set up some kind of tool to track visitors. It makes it easier to figure out who's linking to you. Some popular tools are Sitemeter.com for tracking visitors to a page, Technorati.com for a much more complex and searchable database of who's linking to what, and NZ Bear's Blog Ecosystem.


Finally, make sure your permalinks work. It's really annoying to find a great new blog that you cannot link to individual posts on...

Q. What's your advice for creating interesting, readable posts?

A. Find your own voice. Doesn't matter if your topic is politics, making jewelry, or what your cat ate that you still can't identify. If it sounds like boilerplate, and you have no desire to re-read it and feel good about it, it may not be worth writing.

It's acceptable to just have a post that does little more than link to a story, website or another blog, but too much of this without comment will just drain the life from your writing.

If you have some pieces that are not time sensitive, you can save them up for the inevitable writer's block.

Q. How often should folks post?

A. I try to post every day, and sometimes fail. The pop blogs go for the range of posts up to ten or more a day. Blogs that post less than once a week will have a hard time attracting regular readers.

Q. How personal should the posts be?

A. Before you even create a blog, decide if you want to be anonymous. The best way to decide this is to imagine everything you write on your blog printed up, and delivered to your boss, your mom, and neighbours. If that gives you the heebie-jeebies, blog anonymously, use a web- based email account for the blog, and don't mention your name, your companies name etc. The First Amendment doesn't protect you from being fired if your boss doesn't like what you write, or even if they don't like you having a blog at all.

For more info on not-getting-fired, see Dooce.com.

That being said, some folks make their blogs very personal indeed, listing personal life details about one or more of endeavours such as sexual conquests, positions, toys, tales of their cat and daily life. If that's what you want to write, you should. Some people write blogs that have a personal passion highlighted but do not mention their personal life details. It's good to understand the difference.

If you ever think you might want to delete a post, it's probably not a good idea to put it up in the first place. If mentioning people you hate, avoid names unless they are folk in the public eye. I'll assume you went to high school and know what libel means, and that being an anonymous blogger will not protect you from those laws.

Q. Biggest mistakes bloggers make?

A. Do not plagiarize. With Google and Technorati, it will be found out. Also, give proper attribution to the person you got the "funny link" from, thus acknowledging they found it first, or at least before you did. In return, they may link to you and thus drive traffic to your site.

I've never focused on blogger mistakes, but I'd have to say try and define a style of writing that's consistent. If I mention a blog name such as Brewed Fresh Daily, I put it in italics, but this is just my "house style".

If at all possible, spell-check your posts.

Q. Most important piece of advice?

A. Let your interests drive your writing, not what everyone else is writing. Being different and honest makes it more readable.

Q. Hardest part of blogging?

A. Thinking of something interesting to say on subjects that have been beaten around a while. Takes a lot of reading - blogging is generally 80% reading, 20% writing, plus 50% contemplation.

Q. What's the best way to get people to visit your blog?

A. Comment on blogs you like, and leave a link to it.

After you write what you think of a good post, email it to a larger, popular blog.

List the blogs you visit often in a blogroll.

Write often, and know people read a lot less on the weekends, and prefer fresher posts.

To quote George Nemeth: "porn". Well, actually, if you have porn, you don't need tips on drawing traffic.

Update 9/23/05 10:07 AM: George commented about on his tip: "By the way, my suggest for building traffic was porn and being quoted in the Blogosphere Cleveland section of the PDQ, which is never online anymore…"


Q. How addictive is blogging

A. It's like crack without the chalky aftertaste.

Update 9/23/05 10:46 AM: Bridget Ginley at erie.effusion has her own answers to the question.