For Starters: How to Properly Start a Blog

Aug 17th, 2007 by Leonid Shalimov | Scroll down for comments

We are re-publishing this for more exposure as it got lost in the archives. Enjoy!

Time and time again I get e-mails asking me how to start a blog. Well finally we now have a point of reference.

Lets cut all the filler and get straight down to it. You’ve been reading my site for a few days and you have come to the realization that you want to get into the whole ‘blogging’ deal. Well great, this tutorial should be perfect for you.

Your main goal first and foremost is to sit down with a piece of notepad and write down ideas & concepts for your new blogging venture. Don’t be afraid to scrap ideas and start fresh. Be unique, there are millions of blogs out there, how will your’s stand out? Sadly, we skipped that part and dropped ourselves right into the middle of the financial blogging world :-P. In the end, passion is what prevails.

Lightning Tip: Make sure you choose something your passionate about. If theres no passion or drive behind your blog it will most likely fail (this is blunt but true). You need to have your heart in it or else you will tire out. I should know, I’ve been there and done that.

OK, let’s begin. Step #1, choosing blogging software.

So you have your idea and some goals written out, you’re ready to get going and create the blog for all the world to see. First thing’s first, you need to figure out which blogging software is right for you. You have a couple of choices. I’d also give this article a look, its a great resource.

There are three main platforms to get your blog up and running as soon as possible. They are: TypePad (paid service), WordPress, MovableType and Blogger.

All of these with the exception of MovableType will host your blog for you (meaning you don’t have to pay for a domain). However, I strongly suggest that you establish (buy) a domain name. I would recommend GoDaddy for this. Having your own domain establishes your brand and gives your website a personality. In the long run, this is definitely the best option.

Make sure to check out all of those blogging platforms first before deciding on one. All of them have their ups and downs and wide range of features. Find the one that suits you best. Obviously I’m going to have to say WordPress is by far the best just because of the community and amount of plug-ins you can find for nearly any task.

Install the blogging software.

Make sure to read through the documentation on the particular blog you have chosen. If the blogging software is hosting it for you, there is probably no need for setup, however if you are on your own domain, you may need to do it manually. If you have any issues, I’m always around to help so just shoot me an e-mail.

Customizing & modifying the look and feel.

Make your blog stand out. There are millions of them out there, what will set yours apart? My suggestion is take a theme and re-skin it. Use it as a base and remove a lot of the stuff you will be using and put your own creative spin in on it. Change the colors, move some stuff around, play with the stylesheets and make the site your own! If you just plop a theme on, people will notice that.

Just using a theme in a way shows that you haven’t put the effort into making your site original. The ones that stand out are the ones that people come back to, time after time. In my spare-time I do web-design type jobs so if you need help re-skinning or theming your site feel free to contact me.

Start writing!

Once your website is setup and all your necessary plug-ins are there, the rest is cheese. Just start writing. Make sure to stay on point and develop some relationships with other bloggers in the same niche. You’ll be getting page views in no-time, trust me. Also, try to update as much as possible so people know you’re still around.

Don’t be afraid to screw up.

This is an important concept. I remember going through about fifteen plug-ins before I found the right set. I realized I was overdoing it and cluttering my pages with unnecessary crap (plug-ins) that my readers probably didn’t appreciate. Be hard on yourself. If you find yourself making a mistake or finding something you can improve on, go back and do it. People will take notice, trust me.

Hopefully this article helped some of you. Drop any comments if things are still unclear. Cheers.

Leonid Shalimov posted this article under Series - For Starters, Blog Improvement on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 10:56 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site. View Technorati Linkbacks.