What Is a Blog? How to Start a Blog?

What is a Blog?

A blog (short for 'weblog') is a personal website to which you can make regular updates ('posts') - an online platform for your thoughts, laced with links to other websites, pictures and even sound or video clips. The latest material appears at the top, where readers can comment on it, link to it, or (worst of all) ignore it. Your posts are tagged by date and category, and stored chronologically in an archive which you can access through links on your site. You can use a blog to publish journalism, opinion, creative writing or technical expertise instantly. It's completely free because the 'hosting' of your site (in other words, your webspace) is paid for by advertising revenue generated by the website you use to create blog. And, in the finest spirit of the web, it's a living thing, part of a global community of the sophisticated, the sympathetic, the opinionated and the downright rude.

The glory of blogging lies not just in its immediacy but in its lack of rules, its openness and in the sheer diversity of the 'blogosphere'. The best bloggers can open a window into private worlds and passions, or provide a blast of fresh air in an era when corporate giants control most of our media. From new mums to teachers to Whitehall wonks, bloggers will tell you the unadulterated truth, often artfully veiled in the anonymity of cyberspace. Indeed anonymity has been key to the success of many blogs, liberating the voices of writers who have taken politics and journalism by the scruff of the neck, demystified the web and quite simply made people laugh and look at the world differently.

HOW TO START A BLOG

You don't have to be an established wordsmith to write a cracking blog. Some of the best online opinions can be found on the blogs of 'amateur' writers, whose work is often anything but.

Why should I write a blog?

Blogs are great place to test out new material, get some feedback from the like-minded and enjoy the gratifying experience of actually seeing yourself in print. A blog can help you construct and manage what you present to the public, and whether you prefer a greater openness or less speculation, blogging means that you can have the final word rather than leaving it to the press.

How do I get started?

A blogging 'portal' (a website for creating and hosting blogs) will lead you through all the steps to setting up a personal blog. You simply need to register on the site, choose a name under which to write, select a layout for the page from the templates on offer and you're practically ready to go. All you'll need now is something to say...

What should I write in my blog?

The best blogs have a distinctive voice - they're warm, witty, acerbic, opinionated, emotional or all of the above. Most of all, they're honest. Blog work best when it have an unusual viewpoint. They aren't usually high art - they're timely and bitesized. To capture the notoriously short attention span of the internet audience you'll need to be short, sharp and ideally, have an unusual angle for your blog. You don't have to be trapped in a war zone (though it definitely helps). If you're short of ideas, think about an aspect of your life that you could write about in a distinctive way: your job, your family, an organisation you're involved with. You can keep an account of an event you're taking part in, a hobby or art form you're passionate about.

Guidelines for How to Start a Blog

Strictly speaking, there are no rules in cyberspace. But if you want your blog to have regular readers, and even better, to get people linking to you, it may help if you:

• keep your posts short - the average internet reader doesn't dawdle.
• write in the first person and use declarative sentences.
• keep your writing uncomplicated and avoid jargon at all costs.
• use short paragraphs - web readers need white space, because it is difficult to read a solid block of text on a computer screen.
• use subheadings, and bold and italicised text liberally.
• if you can't be brief, be very, very interesting and make sure you entertain your readers.
• be conversational, funny and opinionated - the internet is not a formal place and a sense of humour is essential, not just in your content but in readiness for animated feedback on your work.
• use lots of links - links uniquely enrich writing for the web and readers expect them. Make sure you link to all the blogs, articles, biographies and sites you mention and use links wherever they can help clarify or add depth to your post. It pays to be as original with links as your writing - seek out some of the more offbeat material on the web, and offer a full opinion on sites you link to.
• express yourself - blogging is an opportunity to be published with complete artistic freedom, so make sure you make the most of it.

• be thick-skinned - opinions online are untrammelled, so be ready for unwelcome 'flamings' from fellow bloggers who might not like your style. What's more, irony is rife and taking yourself too seriously can be asking for trouble.

How often should I write?

Blogs do die if they're not updated but blogger burnout is an equally likely cause of death. If you try to update everyday but don't have the time or the energy, your site will be the next burnout casualty, so it's important to decide upon realistic schedule for posting. Updating daily makes perfect sense if you're doing something newsworthy each day but if not it might be better to save your thoughts for the next post. It's fine not to post for a few days or even weeks but don't go completely silent. A blog is a living thing and it needs feeding.

What about pictures in the blog?

You can get away without them but it would be a shame not to use photos to make the most of the web's all-singing, all-dancing capacities. Good writing is vital but visual layout is also important on the web. Pictures breakup blocks of text and can bring your blog to life. All custom blogging websites allow you to add simple pictures and, for a larger catalogue of images, you can link through to a photo-sharing site. Use some judgement in which pictures you post up, though - even your die-hard fans won't want to plough through every holiday snap and on the web this makes for very tedious 'scrolling through' time.

How will people find my blog?

Keywords in the headlines of your blog posts will ensure that you're picked up by searches made through blogging portals and search engines. Be aware people can sign up for email updates from blog aggregators and through RSS feeds (RRS stands for 'Rich Site Summary' and is digested version of the new content on a website) to keep them updated with new posts they are interested in. Your blogging portal will give you the option to add RRS feeds to your own site. Finally, start exploring your community: make friends with other like-minded bloggers and swap links on your sites.

A Final word on blog

Writing a blog means you can see yourself published in minutes, test out material and ensure you're writing regularly. But good writing and engaging with the blogging community can compel readers to come back and ensure your blog develops a life of its own. Most of all, blogging is simple, free and has huge creative potential - don't be afraid to try it.