Blogging 101: Ten Steps to Creating Your Own Blog

Step 1: Choose a topic.
What are you passionate about? Most blogs are dedicated to a single subject that the blogger knows well.

Step 2: Define your audience.
For whom are you writing? Identify your target audience, whether it’s your family or football fans.

Step 3: Choose a title.
Your title should be memorable and informative. The title alone can draw readers.

Step 4: Decide how frequently you’ll post new entries.
Experienced bloggers will tell you that building a blog is all about consistency. Regular posting is an important component of increasing blog traffic. Will your daily updates on current events become an important news source? Or are you posting a new recipe each month to create a cookbook?

Step 5: Find a host platform.
Many Internet-savvy bloggers choose to build their own website; others register a domain through a host website. Several websites, such as Blogger; WordPress.com; Blog.com; and LiveJournal, offer their services free of charge. You may want to consider joining a social networking site, such as Facebook, MySpace, or the AARP Online Community, which includes a journaling application. On these sites, online journals comprise part of the user’s profile.

Step 6: Create an “About Me” page.
Unless your journal is linked to your social networking profile, your readers won’t know who you are. Many bloggers use an “About Me” page to inform their readers about their background and interests. Some bloggers also include their e-mail addresses and contact information.

Step 7: Publish your first entry.
The debut entry is typically an introduction to the blog or a welcome message from the blogger.  Perhaps you’ll tell your readers why you started the blog or forecast future entries.

Step 8: Join other blogging communities.
Start your search for support and readers by joining like-minded blogging communities. Two popular rings are Blogadera.com, an English-language Latino blogging community, and Bitacoras.com, a Spanish-language international blogging community.

Step 9: Introduce your blog to other bloggers.
After joining a blogging community, search for other bloggers with similar interests and introduce yourself. You may want to post a comment on their website or e-mail them. To establish a new group of bloggers, many bloggers link to or promote their peers on services such as Twitter.

Step 10: Continue posting regularly and watch your blog grow.
Newer posts will appear at the top of the blog as you begin adding new entries. Check your readers’ comments regularly and see which entries attract the most hits. This information will give you a good idea of your readers’ interests. Remember that the most important part of blogging is consistency. The more regularly you blog, the more popular your blog will become.

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