Thursday, February 26, 2009

This Blogging Thing






So if you are new to the blogging scene like me it is important to learn as much as possible from the experts.

According to the "Urban Muse" the 5 terms every blogger should know (allthough most of these were covered in class) are:

  1. Blogroll: a list of related blogs

  2. Domain name: this is the name of a website and it's considered more professional to have your own domain.

  3. Social bookmarking: allows users to search, store, and organize favorite links and access them from any computer. Examples include Delicious, Digg.com, and StumbleUpon.com.

  4. UGC: user-generated content

  5. Widget: third-party online applications that can be embedded in your website.

So now that you know enough in order to start your new blog consider the following tips iwhen constructing a new blog:


  1. Find a niche and stick to it. Most successful blogs focus on a single topic.

  2. Put your personal spin on the topic

  3. Commit to posting regularly

  4. Link to other like-minded (or unlike-minded) bloggers

  5. Get your own domain name

  6. Do a "soft" blog launch. In other words, wait until you have at least a handful of posts and you've worked out the blogging software before you announce your blog to the world.

  7. Invite more experienced bloggers to contribute

  8. Set realistic expectations for your blogging success

  9. Keep a few posts in your drafts folder

  10. Realize that you can't read everything. When you're just starting out, it's tempting to want to read the archives and sign up for the feed of every single blog in your topic area. This is admirable, but it's just not realistic.
Now in order to promote your blog consider the following:


  1. Add your link to all your profiles

  2. Comment Early and Often

  3. Create reciprocal

  4. Google/Google Alerts: Regularly google your name and your blog's name so you’ll know when people are mentioning you and leave a comment thanking them.

  5. Register with blog directories. A few examples: BlogCatalog, BlogHer, BlogWise, DelightfulBlogs, and Technorati.

It seems to me that blogging is not only art but also science and you have to consider several things before starting out. When I was seaching for blogs in the internet there are an infinite amount of blogs for a great variety of topics. Now you have all the tools to start out a new blog and to try to differentiate from the rest.


Happy Blogging!!


Sources:

http://www.urbanmusewriter.com/






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