Intro to Blogging

by Kisha Geijer

A few years ago, the popular thing to do online was to have your own homepage, preferably with at least one animated gif. These days, a more specific kind of homepage is in fashion. Blogging, short for web logging, is the art of online journaling, and it's taken the web by storm.

At first it's difficult for some people to see the appeal of sharing your every thought with the world, or of reading about the thoughts of a random stranger. There is a certain beauty in peering into someone else's life and allowing them a glimpse into yours. At Mosaic Minds, we feature excellent blogs each week, so if you're unfamiliar with the concept, feel free to sample the writings of some of the blogging stars at our link archive.

After you read a few blogs, the natural progression is to create one of your own. After all, your thoughts on say, paper clips, are burning a hole in your brain, begging for an outlet. Luckily for you, the process is pretty straightforward.

There are different types of blogs, and the first thing to do is to figure out what you want to accomplish. Many people write their blogs as journals they share with the world. Others post on topics they know a lot about, such as web design or photography or cooking. Still others use their blogs as a repository of links, sharing with their readers the news that they found interesting on the web that day. The sky is the limit, really, and you're not obligated to write about only one thing, of course. It's good to have a general idea of what you want your blog to be, though.

So now that you have a plan, the next thing to do is decide where to put this thing. You can either choose a hosted service like LiveJournal or Diary- X, or you can host it yourself. The advantage of a hosted service is that it's easy to setup, easy to use and usually free. Most hosted services allow you to make limited aesthetic changes to a template, but beyond that, you can't change much. Alternately, you can buy a domain name (like bloggingforpaperclips.com) and host your blog yourself, using software such as Movable Type or pMachine. The good thing about that is that you have complete control over every aspect of your blog, from the design to the code, but installing and configuring them can be a hassle, and it's usually not at all free. You'll end up spending somewhere between $8-$35 (USD) per year for a domain name, plus monthly hosting charges.

Unfairly or not, having your own domain name gives you a little more credibility than using a free site, which is something you might wish to keep in mind. However, you may wish to start out with a hosted service before committing your hard-earned money to host your own domain. After all, you might not like it as much as you thought you would--perhaps you'll even find that there's a limited audience for paperclip blogs. You can always investigate domain names and hosting later.

After you've made it this far, it's time for the hard part--writing. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not. It will probably take you some time to get into the rhythm of things and lose that awkward feeling, so be patient with yourself. After you get your site going, share the link with your friends, join blogging communities and be active in other people's blogs to get the word out about your excellent site. The most important thing to remember is that no matter what kind of blog you want to write, the key to success is consistency. If you fail to provide your readers with regular, fresh content, they will eventually forget you exist. This can be a tad depressing, so try to avoid a continued lack of posts.

Keep in mind, though, that an online journal is not at all as private as an offline one--as unlikely as it might sound right now, your aunt Bertha could easily find your journal and read what you said about that sweater she made you. More than one person has been fired over their blogs, so use common sense before posting. Don't refer to people by their real names, don't post company secrets and most of all, don't reveal a secret you couldn't stand being revealed.

Once firmly established, your blog can be a source of great entertainment. If you're lucky, it can also establish firm friendships with fascinating people. If you're interested in taking the blogging plunge, check the sidebar for further information on where to start.

This article and accompanying information is provided as a resource only. Mosaic Minds, its editors and staff cannot be held liable for any problems stemming from the use of any of the software, techniques or technologies mentioned.