blogging crew

It’s surprising how many times I am asked that question, often by ’seasoned’ web users, who are used to sending emails and looking at the internet every day.

A Blog (“web log”) is usually written by one person and updated regularly (in theory at least). Blogs tend to be written on a specific topic, and believe me there are blogs on virtually any suject you can think of – even knitting needles! Some of these topics have spurned whole communities, putting people into contact with each other where they can share ideas, learn new skills, and even do business with people they’ve never even seen or spoken to from anywhere around the globe.

An initial glance at an average Blog (if there is such a thing) might not reveal too much, leaving you with a feeling that there’s very little going on. However, digging a little deeper often reveals a real goldmine of information. A click on ‘Archives’ opens a list of articles written by the author going back to when the Blog started.

Every new article (post) written goes to the top of the front page. As more content is added each post goes down the page until it disappears from it. However, it hasn’t ‘died’, it just goes into the ‘Archives’ of the blog. Think of the ‘Archives’ as an easily accessible filing cabinet. You can read those old posts, now located in the ‘Archives’, by looking on the ’sidebar’ (over on the right of this blog) or the ‘categories’ section, where posts are saved depending on the subject or content. The most recent articles are at the top and the oldest at the bottom.

Most Blogs (though not all) allow readers to comment on posts. The purpose of my blog is to help you with all aspects of blogging, so it makes sense to engage in conversation with my readers. You can give me feedback on virtually everything I write by clicking the ‘comments’ link at the bottom of each one of my posts. You leave your name, email address (which isn’t displayed publicly) and a link to your own blog or website if you have one, as well as your feedback, comment or question, essay. Try it now. I respond to EVERY comment!

One of the best ways to start a blog is read plenty of others for inspiration. Leave a few comments, ask questions and bookmark your favourites. However, the very best way to learn about blogs is… start your own! You do not need to be a technical genius to start one. It really is very easy. If you can write, you can blog! Thinking about the subject you’re going to write about is often the hardest part of starting a blog! That’s worth a whole post in itself.

That first blog was put together for free using the Blogspot platform. It was a great place to start and its failure was entirely down to me – not the platform. Blogspot (or Blogger as it’s also known) is owned by Google and it really is a sinch to get a blog up and running. Go on, give it a go. If you struggle you know where I am!