Blogging 101 - So You Want to Start a Blog?

There are many different reasons to start your own blog. You can start one to promote your company, product or service. You can start blogging to update family and friends about what is going on in your life. Use a blog as a therapeutic soap box to vent about the things you don't like or that you love. Or you could even start writing about what your dog does every day. No matter what it is that you want to blog about, there will be people that are willing and want to read it. I say go for it!

You can create your blog for free at many different places on the web. Just Google "free blogging sites" and you will be shocked at just how many sites will pop up! Some are more popular than others so be sure to check out quite a few and pick the one that works best for you. Some of those sites will even let you register your own domain name through them for an extremely cheap price per year. I've always said if you can get your own domain for your blog to do it. It makes you much easier to find in the sea of free sites.

The one largest mistake that I have seen with new bloggers is the only thing that they are consistent about is their inconsistency with the timing of their postings. I try to post at least a couple of times a week on my personal blog. More if time allows. This brings people back because they know that they aren't going to become involved in your story then be abandoned. Which to some is like your favorite television show being cancelled in the middle of the season. Be consistent and your readers will love you for it. Don't be and they will leave you quickly for another blogger.

Spread the word about your new endeavor. Tell your friends. The ones you see in person and the friends you communicate with on your social media websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Add your blog URL to your email signature. Make up some cards with your name, the name of your blog and the URL. Spread the word anyway you can. Eventually, if your writing and subject matter are interesting enough, people will come and read what you have to say. And they will tell their friends about it too. Word of mouth can be a good thing for any blog out there.

There is a lot of information available and people wanting to whisper into your ear about how you can make money by blogging. My advice is build your following first. Don't put the cart before the horse! You need readers before you will ever receive any revenue from sales. Someone has to show up to do the purchasing so you might as well make it a crowd. And beware of those who want to charge you for the information. If you are purchasing that information, the only person making money off of your blog is the individual or company that you are buying from. There are plenty of free affiliate programs out there for making money off of your blog and the patience will pay off in the end.

So, what now? You still want to start a blog? I don't blame you because I did too. It's fun, relaxing and lets your creative side out. So go do your Googling and get started. The sooner you do the more fun you will have and the quicker your following will build.