How to Start a Blog

Far from being a fad, blogging has become a very important form of communication. From personal diaries to social commentaries, blogs now represent a major source for fresh information. Every day, thousands of new blogs and millions of new blog entries are posted on the Internet. If you have yet to join in the new information revolution, then it may be high time for you to make your own blog.

What is a Blog?

A blog, or Web log, is a website with entries posted in a reverse chronological order. Blogs may contain everything from text to pictures and even videos. Almost everything can be written about in blogs; while many people understand blogs to be personal diaries, they can also contain posts on breaking news stories and social commentary. Many bloggers also get thrust into the limelight for writing about entertainment gossip and political issues.

Blogs are more than just small personal websites. Corporations may sometimes use blogs to advertise their services and products, or maximize their visibility on the market. Some bloggers may also use their blogs as a means of generating extra income. All blogs are connected together in some way or another in a community known as the blogosphere.

Blogging Engines

If you know a lot about HTML, you can start a blog from scratch. Blogs, however, are usually defined by whether or not they use a blogging engine. Blogging engines are Web applications and content management systems (CMS) used to make blog entries. With these programs, it’s very easy to start your own blog. There are many blogging engines available for you to choose from:

• Weblog software like WordPress, Blogspot, TypePad, LiveJournal, Joomla, and Windows Live Spaces are tools that make blogging easy and convenient. Blogging engines may be used for free through the software’s hosting service, or a download of the software’s contents can be uploaded through a separate server.
• Many social networking sites like Facebook, Multiply, and Friendster offer limited blog services with their services. While you do not have the same power and flexibility as weblog software when you use a social networking site’s blog hosting service, the service is more than adequate for start-up bloggers.

Blog Types

You can write about pretty much anything in your blog; blogging is all about free expression without borders. While some bloggers feel comfortable writing about anything and everything under the sun, some bloggers prefer to specialize in one or two genres of blogging:

• Personal blogs are like online diaries, where people talk about their feelings, emotions, personal thoughts, or interesting things they experience.
• Entertainment blogs talk about the latest in showbiz gossip, movies, music, sports, television, and computer games.
• Lifestyle blogs talk about restaurants, concerts, events, traveling, and other light reading to make people relax and live the good life.
• Political and social blogs are serious or satirical commentaries about timely and newsworthy issues. Writing political and social blogs are considered dangerous in some countries where free speech is not considered a fundamental right.
• Group blogs are blogs that are run by a group of people, as opposed to only one blogger. Group blogs may have one author writing one post, or a group of authors may write one post.
• Podcasts, photoblogs, and vlogs are alternatives to written blog entries. Podcasts are audio files broadcasted via podcasting channels, while photoblogs are pictures posted with a minimum of text. Vlogs, or video blogs, are fast gaining popularity thanks to YouTube.

Blogging Rules

Just because blogging is all about free expression doesn’t mean that you can write whatever you want in your blog. There are cases where people get sued or fired from their jobs because they wrote something unflattering or offensive in their blogs. In countries where blogging is discouraged or regulated, some people go to jail for their strong opinions. Blogs are also a magnet for identity theft and online harassment.

Unlike journalism, blogging is simple; it does, however, require you to be prudent and reasonable. Here are some things to keep in mind before you start blogging:

• Think twice before posting an entry. While you can’t please everybody, you never know who’s going to seriously take offense to things you post online.
• Like print, whatever you write online can and will be used against you. If you’re not absolutely sure you got the facts straight, do not post an entry. Always double-check your facts, cite your sources for images and facts, and don’t pass off other people’s blog entries as your own.
• Just because you have an “online image” doesn’t mean that you’re completely anonymous. Always act responsibly whenever you post controversial opinions online. Remember that people will always have a way to know who you are even if you have an online persona.

Blogging is one of the most enjoyable things to come out of the Internet. With these tips to help you get started and sustain your brand new blog, you may find blogging to be one of the best things you ever did in your life.