Chapter 1

Blogging Basics

In This Chapter

• It all starts with a plan

• Give them something to talk about

• What it takes to be a great blogger

• The ugly side of blogging

• Tips for blogging success

It’s hard to believe that just over a decade ago, blogs were little more than online diaries published by very few individuals. In the early years of the twenty-first century, blogs have become an integral part of daily communications between individuals, organizations, businesses, and more. In fact, blogs have become more than an outlet for expository writing and user-generated content. Today, hundreds of millions of blogs provide online destinations for marketing, publicity, reputation management, journalism, advocacy, and so much more. And many of those blogs are created and updated with WordPress.

 

In this chapter, you learn how to plan your entry into the blogosphere so you’re positioned to successfully reach your blogging goals, which includes choosing the right version of WordPress for you and understanding the downsides to blogging.

 

Are you ready? It’s time to blog!

Why Do You Want to Blog?

The blogosphere has grown into a global conversation anyone can join, for a few simple reasons. First, there are virtually no barriers to entry. Blogging applications and tools are easy to use. If you know how to use a word processing application and can navigate the web, you can become a blogger, publish a blog, and own your own space online.

DEFINITION

A blog (the fusion of the words web and log) is a website that includes written entries, called posts. Readers can publish comments on posts and access older posts through an archive. Blog as a verb refers to the act of writing content published on a blog. The blogosphere is the online blogging community. A blogging application is the tool you use to create and publish blog content—such as WordPress. Sometimes blogging applications are referred to as blogging software or blogging platforms. A blogger is a person who blogs.

Second, blogging doesn’t have to cost you any money. You can find and use tools—like WordPress—to publish your own blog without spending a dime.

 

Third, there’s room for everyone in the blogosphere. Regardless of who you are, where you live, and what you want to write about, you are welcome to publish a blog to meet your personal or business goals. The rules of blogging are fairly easy to follow, so anyone with Internet access and a desire to write can become a blogger.

 

Before you create a WordPress blog, you need to know why you want to blog in the first place. Each blogger has his own reasons for blogging and his own long-term goals for his efforts. It’s essential that you take the time to evaluate your blogging objectives so you set up your WordPress blog for success from day one.

INSIDER SECRET

WordPress users refer to the two different versions of the WordPress blogging application as WordPress.org (the self-hosted WordPress application) and WordPress.com (the WordPress hosted application), which are the domains where you can access the respective applications.

For example, if your blogging goals include making money, you need to choose a blogging application like WordPress.org that allows you the freedom to monetize your blog. Similarly, if you want to build your brand through your blogging efforts, you need a blogging application like WordPress.org that offers a great deal of customization options. However, if you simply want to share your thoughts online with no set growth or monetization goals, WordPress.com might be the best choice for you.

 

You can learn more about the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org in Chapter 2. But for now, keep in mind that setting your goals upfront helps you not only choose the right version of WordPress, but also helps you focus your efforts on tasks necessary to achieving your own definition of blogging success, as well as in prioritizing those tasks and omitting extraneous tasks that steal time from more important activities.

 

Bottom line, blogs provide people with the ability to own a specific place on the World Wide Web, which they can use in their own ways and to meet their own objectives. Just choose your topic, establish your goals, and you’re on your way to becoming a blogger!

QUICK TIP

It’s possible to migrate your blog from one blogging application to another, but it’s always best to think long term and begin with the best version of WordPress to help you meet your goals.

Refine Your Topic

Maybe you already know what you want to blog about—your hobby, your work, a cause you’re passionate about, or another topic important to you. But what if you don’t know what you want to blog about? How do you find the best topic for you?

 

Ultimately, the choice is yours, but your topic should help you meet the blogging goals you established for yourself. For example, if your primary blogging goal is to build your business, publishing a WordPress blog about a controversial topic unrelated to your business is unlikely to help you meet your goals. Your blogging goals and the subject matter of your blog should blend cohesively.

 

Furthermore, it’s imperative that you choose a blog topic you’re passionate about, have a deep interest in or knowledge of, and won’t get bored with. Successful bloggers update their blogs with new posts frequently—sometimes multiple times a day. If you want to achieve similar success, you need to publish new content to your blog at least several times per week. You also need to respond to comments and participate in the conversations that happen on your blog, as well as on other blogs and sites related to your topic.

 

Not only do you need to be able to come up with numerous new post ideas for your blog if you want to be successful, but you also need to be social and become an active member of the community on and off your blog. That means you should pick a blog topic you have a lot to say about.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Remember, even though your WordPress blog is your own to control and use as you want, the blogosphere is not the Wild West. Even if you write and publish a blog anonymously, you’re still bound by the law and WordPress’s terms of use. Be sure to read Chapter 4 to learn about blogging rules and publishing laws. Claiming ignorance won’t get you off the hook if you violate a law or contractual obligation.

Ultimately, the topic you choose to write about on your blog should help you carve out your own focused niche on the web. The scope of that niche depends entirely on your long-term goals.

Check Out the Competition

Before you make any final decisions on what you want your blog to be, take some time to check out your competition. Search for blogs related to the topics you’re considering. Conduct a keyword search using a tool like Google Blog Search (blogsearch.google.com) or IceRocket.com. Read the posts on those blogs and see what topics elicit conversations that you can leverage on your own blog, or where there are gaps in information that you can fill on your own blog.

 

Here’s how to conduct a blog search using Google Blog Search.

1. Visit blogsearch.google.com, shown in Figure 1-1, and select the Advanced Blog Search link at the top-right corner of the page, to the right of the search text box.

Figure 1-1 The Google Blog Search page is easy to use.

(Source: blogsearch.google.com)

2. On the Advanced Blog Search page (shown in Figure 1-2), enter the keyword or keyword phrase you want to search for in the text box to the right of the In blogs/with these words in the blog title heading to find blogs related to your chosen keyword.

Figure 1-2 The Advanced Blog Search page offers extensive search options.

(Source: blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch/advanced_blog_search?hl=en)

3. Click the Search Blogs button on the top-right side of the page to access your search results, shown in Figure 1-3.

Figure 1-3 Google Blog Search displays your search results based on your chosen keywords.

(Courtesy of Google)

Visit the blogs found in your Google search results and read the content, looking for subjects that draw readers and comments as well as for missing content. This helps you determine how you can position your WordPress blog relative to the competition and deliver value beyond what’s already being published online.

 

The key to blogging success is bringing something new, different, or extra to the table. In other words, how can you differentiate your WordPress blog from others already being published with existing audiences? Unless you can demonstrate through your content and conversations that your blog is worth reading over or in addition to others published about similar topics, you’ll only be able to grow your blog’s audience so much before you hit a roadblock.

 

You can learn more about growing your blog’s audience in Part 5. For now, be sure you select a blog topic you can add value to within the online community.

Determine Your Blogging Application Needs

Once you define your blogging goals and refine your blog topic, it’s time to think about your blogging application. Do you want something quick and easy, like WordPress.com, or something you can customize and dig a little deeper into, like WordPress.org?

 

Again, look to your blogging goals. For example, if your goal is simply to have fun, then WordPress.com, a free blogging application that offers limited functionality, is likely to suit your needs. However, if you plan to use your blog to build your business or generate an income, then you need something more along the lines of WordPress.org, a blogging application that offers advanced features and maximum customization.

 

WordPress.org offers lots of functionality and flexibility. In fact, many businesses use WordPress.org to create their entire websites, not just their blogs! You can see examples of websites built on WordPress.org in Chapter 16.

 

To help determine your blogging application needs, answer the following questions yes or no:

• Do you want to have a unique domain name for your blog?

DEFINITION

A domain is the part of a URL that represents a specific website. Domain names are typically preceded by www. and end with an extension such as .com or .net.

• Are you comfortable with technology and willing to try new things?

• Do you want to include ads and other monetization efforts on your blog?

• Do you want to have complete control over the ads that appear on your blog?

• Do you need your blog to have a unique design and appearance?

• Are you willing to spend some money (typically $20 or less per month) on your blog?

• Do you want to upload and publish audio and video content directly to your blog using another service such as YouTube?

• Do you want to use contact forms, search engine optimization enhancements (discussed in Chapter 19), spam blockers, and other advanced features on your blog?

• Do you plan to publish large images and content on your blog that require a lot of storage space?

• Do you want to have unrestricted control of your blog layout and content (of course, within the WordPress terms of use)?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need an advanced blogging application like WordPress.org. On the other hand, if your blogging application needs are less advanced and you didn’t answer yes to any of these questions, WordPress.com should work for you. (Learn more about the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org in Chapter 2.)

QUICK TIP

Create a list of the functions and features you want in your blog. Reference that list as you evaluate and compare WordPress.com versus WordPress.org.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Blogging is fun and useful, but it’s not all wine and roses. Elements of blogging can cause concern, and you need to be aware of them before you become an online publisher. Before you join the blogosphere, you need to understand not only the steps required to meet your goals, but also the steps to avoid. Some blogging pitfalls can ruin your efforts faster than you can say, “I’m sorry.” Chapter 4 offers an in-depth discussion about blogging do’s and don’ts, but there are some considerations you need to make before you delve into blogging rules and ethics.

 

First, blogging exposes you to a global audience. Are you ready for that level of exposure? It’s possible to write an anonymous blog, but most authoritative blogs are written by people who provide information about their backgrounds and experiences, as well as methods to contact them to ask questions or get additional information.

 

Before you set yourself up to become a big or small web celebrity, be sure you’ve considered and accepted the ramifications of blogging. If you’re not ready to put yourself out there yet, WordPress does offer an option to keep your blog private, allowing you to control who sees it.

 

Second, as a blogger, you need to have a thick skin. Everyone who reads your WordPress blog won’t agree with what you publish. It’s highly likely that at some point, your posts will generate negative comments, and many people hide behind the anonymity of the web to publish offensive and even hateful comments about you and your blog.

 

You need to be prepared for the inevitable day when someone will publish something online that’s hurtful about you. Have a plan for deleting or editing offensive comments on your blog by publishing a comment policy (a sample is offered in Chapter 4), and set up your WordPress blog’s comment moderation settings so you can edit or delete comments that include offensive language (comment moderation is discussed in Chapter 7).

 

Third, to become a successful blogger, you need to publish content on your WordPress blog and participate in conversations happening both on and off your blog. Therefore, you need to be able to write about your blog topic a lot, and you need to keep up on developments related to your topic so you can write intelligently about them. If you publish outdated or inaccurate information, your credibility will be questioned and your blog’s reputation—as well as your own—might get tarnished.

Secrets to Blogging Success

So you’ve determined what topic you want to blog about and what your goals are for your WordPress blog, and you’re ready to get started. Now, let’s review some of the secrets to blogging success so you can get a good start.

 

First of all, blog about a topic people are actually interested in. Your success can only grow as much as there are people interested in your blog’s topic.

 

Blog about a topic that won’t go away anytime soon. You might love a television program and want to blog about it, but eventually, that program will go off the air. What will happen to your blog then?

 

Be visible and promote your blog by being social both on and off your blog. No blog is an island. Just because you build your WordPress blog doesn’t mean people will come to it. Join conversations on other blogs, forums, Facebook, Twitter, and so on, to build relationships with people and invite them to visit your blog for more great content.

 

Be willing to take risks and experiment with new tools and features to continually enhance and grow your blog. A blog shouldn’t be static; it should change with the times and continually deliver relevant information to a modern audience.

INSIDER SECRET

Just because another blogger is using a particular tool or technique doesn’t mean that tool or technique is right for your goals and your WordPress blog. Always evaluate tools and techniques against your own objectives rather than simply copying what other bloggers are doing.

Commit to the long haul. Blogs don’t grow overnight. If you want your WordPress blog to be successful, you need to be patient and continually work to grow your audience. To help with that, dedicate time to your blog. Updating your WordPress blog once a week won’t help it grow. You need to spend time writing content and participating in conversations on and off your blog.

 

Create a reader experience on your WordPress blog that’s inviting, nonthreatening, and enjoyable. Make it easy for visitors to find and read the content on your blog through your blog design and writing style. Use a comment policy so threatening or offensive comments and conversations don’t appear on your blog.

 

Research and know your audience. Spend time learning what your audience wants and needs from your blog, and continually and consistently deliver that content to them. That includes adding value. No one will want to read your blog or interact with you if you don’t publish useful, interesting, or entertaining content that actually adds value to the user experience.

 

Read and learn. The best bloggers spend as much time reading and learning about blogging and their topics as they do creating content.

 

Avoid self-promotion. If you spend all your time on and off your blog trying to sell your products and services, no one will want to read your content or interact with you. Be yourself. People recognize posers, liars, and frauds. Speak from your heart and share your passion for your subject, and people will respect you online.

 

Following the secrets to blogging success doesn’t end when your WordPress blog debuts online. The exact opposite holds true. Continually evaluate your blogging efforts against these success factors to ensure you stay on your path to achieving the goals you originally established. Furthermore, you should reevaluate those goals periodically to determine where changes should be made.

 

The blogosphere changes quickly with new tools, features, and players introduced all the time. Your goals and blogging strategy today might not apply six months from now. Take the time to modify your goals and techniques every few months to be sure you stay on target to achieve your own blogging objectives.

 

 

The Least You Need to Know

• Analyze your blogging goals before you settle on a topic to write about on your new blog.

• Take some time to see what other people are publishing across the blogosphere before you jump in with both feet.

• Think in the long term if you want to set up your blog for success from the start.

• After you’ve thoroughly defined your blogging goals and needs, you’ll have a better idea which WordPress—WordPress.com or WordPress.org—is right for you.