10 Pointers On Starting A Blog

Almost every day, we seem to be confronted by a reference to blogs or the blogosphere, and many people have considered starting a blog but are largely ignorant of the field.

In addition to blogs increasing your search engine ranking, they also provide a publicity vehicle for promoting your organization or addressing any interesting topic. Blogs can be cathartic, functional or just plain fun. Here are some pointers on starting a blog:

1. Start by evaluating blog software.

Blog software varies widely. I recommend Wordpress over the other major competitor in the field, Blogger, because it offers more sophisticated options and possibilities.

2. If possible, incorporate the software on your web site instead of using an off-site host.

This allows you to maintain full control over your blog and build a more robust web site. You should obtain step-by-step instructions from your web site host to enable installation. If this become problematic, it’s okay to use the off-site host.

Wordpress offers both options at Wordpress.org (web site) and Wordpress.com (off-site host).

3. Select a template for your blog.

Templates provide the layout for your blog structure. On the Wordpress dashboard, you can click on “Appearance,” and you’ll see an option for templates. You’re not locked in once you choose a template because Wordpress provides a feature to view your blog, and all its entries, in other templates as well. If you prefer the new template, it’s simple to just click on an “activate” link to change your entire blog’s appearance.

4. Choose widgets for your side column.

“Widgets” refers to the functional elements appearing in the permanent structure of your blog. They can include links to other blogs (the blogroll), a calendar, a search function, etc. Some templates provide two separate columns for widgets, some only one. You will see the option “widgets” under the Appearance topic on your blog dashboard.

5. Determine the author(s) and frequency of your blog entries.

Blogs offer the utmost in flexibility. For example, if you want to have multiple authors, you can title the blog, “Thoughts from [My Company].”

Also, it’s okay if you are unable to blog every day. You can start out with a weekly schedule and, again, title your blog accordingly. For example, “This Week in [Any Industry].

6. In writing your entries, adopt an appropriate tone for a blog.

Blogs are essentially online diaries. Entries should be easily understood, not too technical, and include some emotion or passion about whatever topic they address.

7. If appropriate, add pictures to your blog entries.

Unless discussing a serious policy or technical matter, pictures make your blog posting more appealing for readers and can even be used to inject a measure of humor into your entry.

There is an icon in your blog posting area with an image of a screen. Just click on this icon and add any selected photo from your hard drive (several web sites on the Internet offer royalty-free images you can download).

8. After about 15-20 entries, you should submit your blog to blog search engines.

Blog search engines include blogcatalog.com, blogflux.com, getblogs.com, globeofblogs.com and technorati.com.

9. Establish an RSS feed for your blog.

RSS feeds are typically indicated by a square orange icon with white arcs on it. They allow visitors to subscribe to your blog and receive new entries without going back to check your blog’s URL all the time. Please note the URL for your blog’s RSS feed is different than the URL for the blog itself.

10. Doublecheck the “pinging” on your blog, and add more pinging services if necessary.

A ping is similar to an RSS feed except it doesn’t transfer data when it notifies people about new entries to your blog. “Ping-o-matic” is the default service for the hosted version of Wordpress, but in your company’s web site version, you can add several more pinging services.

Obviously, you want to ping as many sites as possible when you add a new entry. (For instruction, you should visit the Wordpress help section on pinging services.)

By: Willy Gissen

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Willy Gissen founded Cut-It-Out Communications (www.cioediting.com), a full-service public relations agency, in 2003. Previously, he served as Vice President for a PR firm with international clients and on a gubernatorial communications staff. A Harvard graduate, he has published many articles on PR (see www.cioediting.com/content).