What is blogging?

The definition of blogging is something that is very much in flux, as the new technologies that appear every day redefine what a blog is, what starting a blog can be, and what a blog should do. For many years, blogs were defined as text-based websites that kept records of days, similar to a captain’s log on a sailing ship. However, this started to change as the group of people who kept blogs became more diverse. The more bloggers began to explore the limits of the medium and of the technology that made it possible, the more the boundaries of what could be called a “blog” expanded.

Today, there are an abundance of photo blogs, and there are even video blogs as well. Mobile blogging devices may well change the definition of blogging entirely by making it possible for bloggers to create new kinds of posts by creating a blog. Another element of the blogosphere that is starting to redefine blogging is the corporate blog. As more companies hire writers to keep blogs with the sole purpose of creating positive buzz about their brand, bloggers across the globe are arguing about whether these manufactured blogs are really worthy of the name.

Between all of these different forces that are constantly expanding and reshaping the blogosphere, it is difficult to imagine that the definition of what is and is not a blog will ever remain fixed for very long.

Source: How do you start a blog

Simple steps for creating a blog effectively

Starting a blog is one of the smartest things you can do today because they can bring in significant profits easily. Unfortunately, most people don’t know where to start and what direction to take and so the majority of blogs online are abandoned and never earn their owners a cent. This article will discuss how to go about starting your own blog and earning an income online.

The first step you need to take for creating a blog is to choose a great blog topic. This is going to dictate your entire blogging business, so it is critical that you choose wisely. As someone with years of experience creating and marketing money making blogs, I can tell you that in order to profit you have to be in the right niche. If you’re just starting out, I recommend creating a blog within one of these three markets: health/fitness, relationships, or money/finances.

Once you pick a topic within one of these three markets that you’re at least interested in if not experienced in, then it’s time to pick a name for your blog. This is going to be important not only to your readers but also to the search engines. To guarantee yourself free traffic for the entire life of your blog, try to pick a name for it that people might actually search for when looking for what your blog has to offer.

When it comes to blogging once you’ve made up your mind about a topic and got a general idea of the type of blog you are going to have you get to the fun part. There are 10 simple tips that you will want to make sure that you look into when it comes to the design elements you include on your blog.

Now it’s time to actually get your blog set up. Don’t worry, this is the easy part. Just choose a hosting company that offers one-click blog installation and your blog will be up and running literally with a click of a button.

1. Follow, subscribe and feeds are important elements of any blog. These allow people to follow your blog, get emailed updates when you post and even let them get your blog feed via email or their live feed system. If a person has to search for your blog over and over again they usually won’t bother. Offer as many options to make reading your blog easier for them as you can find.

2. Share buttons are a definite DO when choosing blog elements. Think of how many places your readers may share your blog that it will get more readers. Facebook, Digg, Twitter and many more. A selection of share buttons makes it easy for them to share the post that they find interesting with others who will then read it and possibly share as well.

3. Comments are a big part of blogging; they give bloggers the chance to interact with their readers and for readers to have lively debates or share information right on the blog. Don’t skip this important design element.

4. Templates and color schemes can make a difference in whether your blog is popular and read often or not. Choosing a color scheme with too little or even too much contrast will make it difficult for readers to see. Choosing a layout template that is either too busy or too simple will also make it difficult for readers to find what they are looking for. You may spend hours searching for the perfect template for your blog. It’s worth it when it all falls into place perfectly.

5. Readable font is necessary to make sure that readers are able to read your blog posts.

6. About and contact information are elements that readers appreciate. If your reader wants to know more about you or find more of your work the about section is the ideal place to give them that information. The contact element lets readers send you a specific question or suggest a topic that they would like to see on your blog.

7. The archive element is where readers will go when they are looking to see what else you have written over the months.

8. Popular posts are a simple section that will suggest posts that readers may be interested in based on the readership and comments.

9. Blog search allow readers to search your blog for specific phrases, topics, words and images.

10. Copyright information at the bottom of your blog will help protect your work from plagiarism or copy and paste thieves.

All of this may seem like a lot if you are new to blogging but if you visit a few of your favorite blogs you’ll see that they have these elements, which is probably part of the reason they are your favorite blogs. Incorporate the right design elements from the start to make sure your blog is designed competitively.

Source: How do you start a blog

Starting a blog as a business model

There are two major types of business models that entrepreneurs use to make money blogging. The first and most common way is of starting a blog into a profit making machine is to sell advertising to different companies and brands who want to reach that blog’s readers. The second kind of money making blog is one that helps a single brand improve its image by creating positive associations between the blog and the product in the mind of consumers. Both kinds of blogs can make a lot of money, especially if the creator has a keen mind for marketing.

If you are Creating a blog with the goal of selling advertising, there are two basic ways that you can go about recruiting sponsors who want to put ads on your site; you can let someone else do all of the legwork, or you can do the work yourself and keep all of the revenue. Within the first group, many people make money blogging by selling space through Google’s AdSense program. The advantages of this program are numerous, as it requires very little effort on the part of the blogger or webmaster to begin raking in profits. However, most people discover that they make less money through this method than they had hoped that their blog would earn.

Selling advertising directly to companies who want to put banner ads or sponsored links on your blog can take quite a bit of time, but it is often fairly lucrative. If you have a lot of contacts in industries that are related to the topic of your blog, you may want to try to go this route. People who have a strong background in sales and experienced at pitching proposals can make quite a bit of money by renting blog space to interested companies. The most serious problem with this model is that you often have to build quite a sizable readership before you can attract advertisers, which can mean that you have to do several months of work before you start to make money blogging.

As blogging becomes a more and more lucrative business, a lot of established companies are considering how they can get into the action. One way that companies are capitalizing on the blog movement is by having blogs that provide a kind of friendly face for their corporation. Often, a company will employ an established blogger to create a weblog designed specifically to appeal to that company’s customers and to create positive associations with the brand in consumers’ minds. More than one writer who never even dreamed that he or she could make money blogging has been approached by a company and offered quite a pretty penny for this kind of gig.

Source: How do you start a blog