Blogging 101

Your spam-catcher will help cut down on junk comments but that doesn’t mean you should let the other comments get posted without review. The action of review is called moderation. This means you approve or deny each comment from being published. Good bloggers publish a comment policy on their blog (e.g. at the end of each post, or in the sidebar) which outlines which types of comments will be welcomed. Common things to avoid when approving comments are 1) People signing “key words” instead of their name 2) Non applicable links being added 3) Offensive or Hateful comments directed at you or other commentators. These sort of comments should not be allowed to pass through.

Popularity: 93% [?]

Comments to your blog posts are what makes your blog a blog and different than just a static web page. Comments from readers help create the conversation and allow immediate and direct feedback to your thoughts. Allowing comments on your blog should be a no-brainer but you need to becareful about spam comments. If you are using WordPress as your blogging platform, you can install a plug-in to help stop spam comments automatically or at least help you monitor them efficiently. AKISMET is a plug-in which comes with WordPress — you just need to activate it and you will start seeing less junky comments.

Popularity: 90% [?]

What is a Splog? Well it’s a combination of the words SPAM and BLOG (Funny since Blog is a combination of the words WEB and LOG). Splogs are bad news for the blogosphere and the Internet as a whole. Splogs come in several varieties. First are the non-sensicle splogs. Their content does not make any literal sense and usualyl just comprises of keywords and links. The purpose of these splogs are to generate inbound links to other sites. The second type of splogs are the content-stealers. They steal content from legitimate  blogs and post it as their own. Some pretend to be nice and credit the original source, but its still stealing. The purpose of these blogs can be similar to the first but also usually have heavy advertising to generate page view revenue. If you are the victim of a splog (stealing your content), report them to Google.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Coming up with your own personal style and content is a key to successful blogging. One such way to create value is to have a reoccuring theme to your posts. For example, if you love to write about movies, you could have a “Movie of the Week” theme, posting once a week on a given day like Monday. Call it “Movie of the Week Monday” (MOTWM) and design a small logo using MS Paint. Take it to the next level by adding a permanent link in your sidebar using the logo as the image. Hyperlink the image to a tag search of your blog (tag=Movie of the Week), so your readers can instantly filter and display all your MOTWM posts with a click! This sort of idea can be adapted to countless themes and subjects and can go a long way in creating a strong readership and your own distinctive content.

Popularity: 42% [?]

To Blogger or not to Blogger, that is the question that new bloggers need to ask. What this means is whether you should use a free blogging host or pay to have your own hosting. For people new to blogging, I would recommend using a free host service like Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. This is a great way to “try before you buy”. No sense investing any money in it if there is a chance you will not like it or continue. But if you have blogged before or know you want to do it, then a free host limits your blogging ability. You are limited not only in how much control you have over your blog (widgets, style, layout) but also in the content you are able to include! The Terms of Service of free blogging host services limits or censors what you can and can’t write about. It also can limit your ability to place advertisements on your blog, if you decide you want to. Bottom line: If you are totally new and are not sure blogging is for you, try a free blog out first. Otherwise, get your own hosting!

Popularity: 28% [?]

I started off like many a blogger, using Google’s Blogger.com service. But after a year or so, I decided I wanted something more and that more was found in the WordPress blogging platform. Why WordPress? Well you can read about the features on the official site, but here are my reasons:

1. Power: Oh more power! The full control you have with WordPress is amazing. You can design your own templates, customize existing ones, add third party plugins, and add  with ease. Nothing beats WordPress in terms of control and power.
2. Templates: The wealth of free templates for the WordPress platform is awesome. You can find new templates for free and upload them with ease. Best yet, you can have multiple themes uploaded at once and switch between them with the click of a button.
3. Open Source: WordPress is open source and is constantly being improved by the community. You never have to pay for the software and the updates can be made with ease. There is nothing to hide and you are always looked after.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Check out this great tutorial which shows you exactly how to Upload and Link to a PDF Document Using WordPress. Thanks to Mark McLaren of McBuzz Communications for this useful video!

Popularity: 61% [?]

Silly question? Maybe. Important One? Yes! Blogging is a geat way to communicate and share. It truly is about creating a conversation and interacting with others. You won’t see it coming but you will soon find yourself well within the blogging community. Why blog? Here are some reasons:

• Become a Better Writer
• Share Your Thoughts and Ideas
• Put Your Thoughts Down in Writing
• Make Friends
• Become Good with Online Technology
• Make Money
• Communicate With Family Around the World
• Document Your Life, Travels and Ordeals

Popularity: 42% [?]