Journalio

Ramadhan Mubarak

2011-08-02T11:51:00.003+08:00

Photo credited to Osman_93

The holy month of fasting in Ramadhan has arrived. Happy fasting to all my fellow Muslim readers and friends. Don't forget to do your terawikh prayers, do'a and selawat to Nabi Muhammad SAW.

"Muslims around the globe have begun their holiest month of the year by giving up food, drink, smoking and other physical needs from dawn till dusk each day. In many communities, large dinner gatherings are held each evening to break the fast. The month also marks a time for Muslims to reexamine their lives through the prism of Islamic teachings." - Lloyd Young

The Beauty of Brunei Darussalam in Pictures - Part 1

2011-07-02T17:16:00.003+08:00

If you have not been to Brunei Darussalam or have not even heard of our beautiful and peaceful country, here are some of the amazing photo collections of monuments, mosques, places and events in Brunei Darussalam. These great photos are taken from Flickr and have kindly asked the owner of these photos for permission to share them to you. There will be more, so here is the part 1 of it. Enjoy!

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque - Credited to Michael Urspringer

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah - Credited to KaryaWan

Jame' Ars Mosque at night - Credited to Gedsman

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque - Credited to 7th Wave

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque - Credited to Sam Proctor

Jame' Asr Mosque - Credited to Fiona Forsyth

Jame' Ars Mosque - Credited to Azrol Azmi

Sunrise at Kampong Sungai Kebun - Credited to Azrol Azmi

Istana Nurul Iman's foyer - Credited to She-Shooter

Brunei flag - Credited to Harimau Berantai

Hadrah - Credited to KaryaWan

Bridex - Credited to Ewze

Credited to Azrol Azmi

UBD Convocation - Credited to Azrol Azmi

DPMM FC of 2009 - Credited to Netxposure

The Billionth Barrel monument - Credited to Rob Dudley

Jerudong Park - Credited to Francis Dumadag

Pasar Malam - Credited to TheBruneiEye

Jame' Asr Mosque - Credited to Samer M

Credited to TheBruneiEye

Credited to TheBruneiEye

Kampong Ayer - Credited to Megan Ahrens

SOAS Mosque - Credited to Megan Ahrens

Credited to Enzoe Holic

Fireworks - Credited to JimmyJohari

Credited to TheBruneiEye

Men in uniforms - Credited to TheBruneiEye

Number 60 monument - Credited to Attiev

23 Best Books for Entrepreneurs

2011-06-30T14:28:00.001+08:00

A friend of mine, Joshua Patterson, has been kindly helping me on what great books to read for executing ideas for starting-up a business and, of course, for entrepreneurship. Joshua is also on the verge of starting up his first business. So here is a books list of some of the best books for entrepreneurs out there.

1. Think and Grow Rich by Naoplean Hill

2. Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible by Steve Monas

3. The Four Steps to an Epiphany by Steven Blank

4. Founders at Work: Stories of Startups Early Days by Jessica Livingston

5. Brand Simple by Allen Adamson

6. The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier

7. Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler

8. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh (you can get this for free, along with the 2010 Zappos Culture Book, by emailing the Zappos Insight Team on the Zappos website)

9. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

10. The 5 Dysunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

11. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

12. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras

13. Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan

14. Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

15. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

16. The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton Christensen & Michael Raynor

17. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance by Michael Porter

18. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael Porter

19. Co-Opetition by Adam Brandenburger

20. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

21. Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore (Moore's books have some great business insights, but are more geared towards the high tech products market)

22. The Art of The Start by Guy Kawasaki

23. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

To Joshua Patterson, I wish you good luck on your entrepreneurial journey.

Funny Bored Cat

2011-06-18T14:06:00.004+08:00

I just saw this video from TheHuffingtonPost. Figured, why don't I just share it here.

Surely, this cat doesn't give a damn about life. Seems like her mother forgot to bring her to a Justin Bieber concert!

Watch the video here.

@FunnyADay via Youtube

Funny and Cool TV Commercials

2011-06-16T13:09:00.005+08:00

Here are some of the TV commercials that I have compiled. Enjoy.

Windows phone commercial:

Photography commercials:

Google commercial:

Cars commercial:

Nike commercials:

Cadbury commercial:

Thinkbox commercial:

10 Steps to Start a Legal Business - Infographic

2011-06-15T21:27:00.007+08:00

Starting a business is fun but starting a legal one is not as easy as it was like 3 decades ago. There are many steps that we need to undertake before starting a business now. Here is an infographic on how to start a legal business in 10 steps by ContactMe.

Click image to enlarge

Source: ContactMe.com

Korea's Got Talent Sung-Bong Choi Made Judges and Audiences Cry

2011-06-10T12:18:00.009+08:00

Sung-Bong Choi, a 22-year-old manual labour, shocked Korea's Got Talent's viewers and also the judges when he came to the stage and start telling his inspiring childhood story.

He was asked why his family section was left out and he explained that he was left in and lived in the orphanage when he was 3 until he was 5 years old. Because of the beatings he got there, he ran away and he had been living in the streets or public toilets for 10 years, selling chewing gums and energy drinks to keep him alive.

His story is amazing but his singing was even better and made everybody into tears. My heart was moved when he started singing.

To me, his story is too good to be true. I respect people like him who had enough suffering when he was still a kid but I just can't imagine how a 5-year-old kid living alone it the streets alone and the only way to keep him alive is by selling chewing gums to passer-bys.

If you haven't watch the video of him, you better see it.

“When I was three years old, I went to an orphanage, but because of the beatings, I ran away when I was five and lived alone by selling gum on the streets. For ten years, I lived like a fly. I was eventually able to graduate elementary and middle school through qualification examinations and the first thing that I ever liked was music.” [Source]

As I said that his story's too good to be true. There was a controversy when viewers are angry of the producers' editing.

It may have seemed like he had a tough childhood, but when netizens researched and found out that he actually was musically trained from attending the Dae Jun vocal department, controversy arose. His side defended this by saying that he had already revealed this information previously.
Although he had also revealed that he took the qualification exams for elementary school and junior high school before graduating from an arts high school, this statement was edited out of the broadcast.

Although touching the hearts of viewers with his beautiful voice, the editing by the producers caused him to become embroiled in a controversy that left viewers both confused and angry after discovering that he had graduated from an arts high school. [Source]

How to Motivate Yourself to Study for Success

2011-06-04T06:35:00.004+08:00

Ever wondered how successful people achieve success? Do you think it is not your 'fate' to be as successful as them? Well, you know what, there's no such thing as fate and anybody can achieve success if there is something that drives them to it. But firstly what you need to know is that success is achievable and by following these ways you can achieve them easily.

1. Assign your goals

What do you want to be in the future? Plant your goals in your mind or write it on a piece of paper or on a whiteboard. If you want to be a lawyer, write something like 'I want to be a lawyer when I get older'. This will remind you if you feel like you need motivation. Personally, I want to be an entrepreneur someday because I don't want to be working under a boss. This is my goal. Your goals can be anything and you can change it if you think there is a better one for you. Of course I think being an entrepreneur is what I wanted but I may also think of being a professional photographer someday so don't limit your goals to only one.

2. Start achieving towards your goals

Start now. Some people always say that they want to get all As for their exams but insists on studying at the present time and said that they will start learning when the exam is near. They may end up getting Fs for all their exams. The way to start achieving your goals is by starting now, as in NOW! For me I will start learning on how to be a successful entrepreneur since that is what I want to be.

3. Think positively

In order to think positively, you need to delete all those negative thinking in your mind. That negative thinking is the one that is stopping you from achieving your goals.You need to delete these kind of thoughts like 'It's hard', 'I can't do this' and 'I will fail'. Start thinking like the a winner, 'This should be easy', 'I can do this with hard work' and 'I can get all As'.

4. Act positively

Negative friends are enemies. Don't ever follow your friends if they are escaping classes. Studying in classes with lecturers is 80% better rather than reading your notes that are given or read your text books for exams. You need to act positively such as concentrating in class and sleeping/waking up early so that you will not feel stressed already early in the morning or it will affect your studies for the whole day.

5. Make good use of your time

Stop watching televisions, playing games, using the computer and start reading books and study. Time goes by faster when you play games and watch televisions, they are time wasters. At least study for one hour everyday then reward your efforts with games and televisions. Do your homeworks and assignments at home and don't ever think of doing it at your college. That's why they are called 'home' works. At college, during free time, you will most probably go online on Facebook and Twitter or maybe talking with your friends. So you will probably forget of doing your work. Here is a good book on how to be success in college "The Secrets of College Success (Professors' Guide)".

6. Ask help from anyone

We can't do it by ourself because humans are not perfect. Even successful people such as Albert Einstein needed help sometimes in order to be success because he couldn't do it by himself. Don't be lazy, just ask from your teachers, parents or even your neighbours for help. They will help you even you ask them a hundred times.

7. See problems as a challenge

We will face problems along the way but we should not give up and avoiding the problems will not solve anything. If we avoid problems, we will get depressed. We need to face and solve the problems. Math problems won't solve by itself. We need to find a solution to the problem and apply it. Billionaire Bill Gates had so many problems but handled them very well and he did not avoid them because if he did, the problem will keep on haunting him. He sees problems as a challenge.

8. Stay healthy

Staying healthy is important. I know you're tired of hearing the word 'exercise' from televisions and by reading from other articles but exercising is very effective if you want to make your brain healthy. The brain also needs exercise as proven by scientists. We may think even better if we exercise regularly. Get enough rest and sleep 8 hours everyday.

Play Angry Birds using Google Chrome

2011-06-03T15:34:00.011+08:00

The game Angry Birds has been one of the best games and is one of the most purchased games on iTunes. Now it is available at Chrome web store and it's free. Over 1 million users have downloaded the game.

Go to chrome.angrybirds.com to play and download.

30 Ways to Look Nice and Gain Confidence

2011-06-02T18:26:00.001+08:00

If you want to look nice in people's eyes when interacting with them or if you want others to think you as a nice person, here are 30 ways on how to look nice and gain more confidence along the way.

1. Shake hands firmly
2. Smile with your eyes
3. Dress smartly
4. Speak wisely
5. Focus 100% on everything
6. Look people in the eyes
7. Shower
8. Use hair dandruff
9. Exercise regularly
10. Chins up
11. Don't slouch
12. Walk energetically
13. Speak loudly
14. Don't laugh out loud
15. Eat slowly
16. Ignore critics
17. Answer every questions even if your answer is wrong
18. Be polite to older people
19. Stay calm in any situation
20. Sit up straight
21. Give opinions
22. Shoulders wide
23. Wash your face to feel refreshed
24. Drink 8 glasses of water
25. Get 8 hours of sleep
26. Comb your hair
27. Dress relevant
28. Have aims
29. Explore new things and review them to gain confidence
30. Be yourself

50 Ways to Ease Up Your Life

2011-05-31T18:20:00.005+08:00

Here are 50 ways that can make your life easier and uncomplicated.

1. Never lie.
2. Never steal.
3. Don't cheat.
4. Don't procrastinate.
5. Wake up 30 minutes early everyday.
6. Smile often.
7. Be yourself.
8. Never hate your loved ones.
9. Sleep early.
10. Be nice.
11. Schedule your activities.
12. Make bed after waking up.
13. Reply to all messages asap.
14. Be patient.
15. Never cut queues.
16. Think before you do and speak.
17. Eat your meal. Don't eat when you're not hungry.
18. Drink water.
19. Forgive and forget.
20. Never give up.
21. Watch less television.
22. Read more books.
23. Read the latest news to get updated.
24. Always greet others.
25. Keep your room simple and tidy.
26. Always bring a pen in your pocket.
27. Don't smoke. You'd die soon.
28. Concentrate fully in class.
29. Breathe fresh air.
30. Take a 10 minute nap when you feel dizzy.
31. Take a break every 1 hour work/study.
32. Think before you get mad, will it affect your life when you're old?
33. Finish all the things that you started.
34. Keep a journal.
35. Have a haircut once in 4 weeks (men)
36. Don't envy others.
37. Let others enjoy their life.
38. Don't curse.
39. Don't do revenge.
40. Do the dishes right after meal.
41. Spend time with nice people.
42. Don't make your teacher angry.
43. Arrive early to every occasions.
44. Eat healthily.
45. Don't show off.
46. Don't cut other people's conversation.
47. Family first.
48. Clean your house weekly.
49. Accept other people's mistakes.
50. Accept your own mistakes.

Buy a book on how to be happy: "Happy 4 Life: Here's How to Do It"

How to Add a Google Adsense Inside Blogger Post/Below Title

2011-05-31T14:45:00.005+08:00

Putting an adsense inside post can generate more income for your blog. It doesn't violate the terms of Google Adsense. Adding an adsense code into HTML template is easy if you do it carefully.

Here's an example of an adsense code (you need to get your own code with your own account):

Step 1: Change the elements.

You need to replace the symbols:

" replace with "

< replace with <

> replace with >

This is how it should like after replacing them:

google_ad_client = "ca-pub-4470269547984210";

google_ad_host = "pub-1556223355139109";

google_ad_slot = "1421027945";

google_ad_width = 250;

google_ad_height = 250;

//-->

</script>

src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">

</script>

Step 2: Go to Design -> Edit HTML -> and tick 'Expand Widget Templates'.

Step 3: Press CTRL+F and find <div class='post-header-line-1'/>

Step 4: Paste the adsense codes just below it.

Step 5: Save template.

8 Easy Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog

2011-05-31T09:47:00.005+08:00

If you're a new blogger who wants to increase traffic to your blog, you can find 8 of the easy and effective ways compiled here. I have make it easy for you. So start increasing traffic to your blog.

1. Make a great article

One great article is all it needs to get traffics to your blog but how can you make a great one that makes readers want to read it?

Brainstorm your ideas, do a lot of research and after that you need to form your sentences correctly. You can use humor to make it more interesting for the readers to read. Rather than breaking the topic into sub-topics and write each of them in different posts, it's better if you make the whole topic in one post. This makes the post more popular and can rank your post and blog higher in search engines when readers bookmarked or shared them.

2. Social Networking

After you've written an article, you need to let other people know what you have made. For my blog GunnersBrunei.com, I used Twitter and Facebook to let my friends and followers know that I have updated my blog. An easy way to use social networking is by adding a Twitter and Facebook share button in the blog post.

3. Social Bookmarking

This is also an easy way to get more readers to your blog as they may be interested in reading what others have bookmarked. Bookmark your blog/website to the top social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, and Delicious, and share it with the world. Use Socializer to bookmark your content to selected social bookmarking services at one time. By adding social bookmarking button like ShareThis in your blog post can also let your readers to bookmark it.

4. Blog commenting

Leaving comments on other blogs which have the same niche as yours and including a link back to your post at the end of the comment works like a charm. When the readers from the other blog read your comment, they may click on your link. This is an easy way to promote your blog to people that have the same interest.

5. Make friends with other bloggers

Once you have a good relationship with other bloggers, chances are the person will link to your blog by saying that you have a wonderful site to his readers. Bloggers are most probably willing to help their readers and even their blogger buddies. Making friends with other bloggers (even with top bloggers) is not difficult but make sure you start introducing yourself politely and don't be rude. So email them or tweet them now and don't forget to compliment their blog.

6. Be friendly to your readers

Reply to all the comments, help those who are in need, congratulate them and make your readers feel at home. Readers love site that are organised, clean, easy access to contacts page and search button. Follow them back at Twitter and add them as a friend on Facebook to get to know each other. Once they know that you care about them, they may come to your blog on a regular basis.

7. Link your blog to one another

If you have two or more blogs, link all of them to each other by making a list of your blog on the sidebar or by putting a banner like I did for my Arsenal Brunei Blog banner at the top left side of this blog.

8. Submit to blog directories and search engines

By submitting your blog to directories, you can build your online reputation and possibly ranked higher in search engines. Submit your site to SubmitExpress.com. This website will submit your site/blog to search engines for free. You should also try submitting your site/blog to AllTop.com. This site is co-founded by Guy Kawasaki, a successful person in entrepreneurship and writing. He was the chief evangelist of Apple company. So don't forget to submit to Alltop.com. Yah? :)

10 free top blog directories:

How to Add Share Box in 5 Easy Steps

2011-05-31T09:40:00.005+08:00

Here is a tutorial on how to add a share box including Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz and Stumble Upon to your blogger blog. Follow the easy steps below.

Step 1: Log in to Blogger. Click design. Then click edit HTML.

Step 2: Tick 'Expand Widget Templates'.

Step 3: Click Ctrl+F and then paste this code.

<div class="post-header-line-1">

Step 4: Lastly, copy this code just below it.

Note: If your blog template doesn't have <div class="post-header-line-1">, scroll down until you found <data:post.body/> and just paste above it.

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>

<style type='text/css'>
.multisharebox {
background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #EFEFEF;
float: right;
margin: 5px 0px 3px 10px;
padding: 0 5px 0;
text-shadow: 0 1px 0 #FFFFFF;
width: 260px;
border:4px solid #d8dfea;
}
.fb-like-boxtop {
background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #EDEFF4;
border: 1px solid #D8DFEA;
color: #000000;
float: right;
font-size: 11px;
margin: 0 0;
padding: 5px 10px;
text-align: left;
width: 230px;
}
.fb-like-boxtop a {
color: #000000;
text-decoration:none;
}
.fb-like-boxtop a:hover {
color: #000000;
text-decoration:underline;
}
.fb-like-box {
background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #EDEFF4;
border: 1px solid #D8DFEA;
color: #000000;
float: right;
font-size: 11px;
height: 60px;
margin: 5px 0;
overflow: hidden;
padding: 5px 10px;
text-align: left;
width: 230px;
}
</style>

<div class='multisharebox'>
<table><tr>
<td><table><tr>
<td><a class='twitter-share-button' data-count='vertical' data-lang='en' data-related='' data-via='' expr:data-text='data:post.title' expr:data-url='data:post.url' href='http://twitter.com/share' rel='nofollow'/>
<b:if cond='data:post.isFirstPost'>
<script src='http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js' type='text/javascript'>
</script>
</b:if></td>
<td><script expr:src='"http://www.stumbleupon.com/hostedbadge.php?s=5&r=" + data:post.url'/></td>
<td><a class='google-buzz-button' data-button-style='normal-count' data-locale='en_IN' expr:data-url='data:post.url' href='http://www.google.com/buzz/post' rel='nofollow' title='Post on Google Buzz'/>
<script src='http://www.google.com/buzz/api/button.js' type='text/javascript'/></td>
<td><a expr:share_url='data:post.url' name='fb_share' rel='nofollow' type='box_count'/>
<script src='http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share' type='text/javascript'/></td>
</tr></table></td>
</tr><tr>
<td><div class='fb-like-boxtop'><a expr:href='data:post.sharePostUrl + "&target=blog"' expr:onclick='"window.open(this.href, \"_blank\", \"height=270,width=475\"); return false;"' expr:title='data:top.blogThisMsg' target='_blank'>BlogThis!</a> | <a expr:href='data:post.sharePostUrl + "&target=email"' expr:title='data:top.emailThisMsg' target='_blank'>Email This!</a> | <a href='javascript:window.print();'>Print This!</a> | <b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'><a expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'><b:if cond='data:post.numComments == 0'>No comments</b:if><b:if cond='data:post.numComments == 1'>1 comment</b:if><b:if cond='data:post.numComments >= 2'><data:post.numComments/> comments</b:if></a></b:if></div></td>
</tr><tr>
<td><div class='fb-like-box'>
Do you like this post?
<iframe allowTransparency='true' expr:src='"http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=" + data:post.url + "&layout=standard&show_faces=false&width=230&action=like&font=arial&colorscheme=light"' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:230px; height:40px;'/>
</div></td>
</tr></table>
</div>

</b:if>

Step 5: Save Template.

A sketch from odosketch

2011-05-27T15:09:00.005+08:00

Odosketch

6 Effective Ways to be Happy Everyday

2011-05-16T21:21:00.020+08:00

Some people believe that they only feel happy when they receive money and some say that they feel happy when he is with his lover. The problem about these things is that money and love does not last forever. Today we could get a million dollars but maybe tomorrow we could be in a big debt.

Here are 6 effective ways to be happy everyday:

1. Do the things that makes you happy. Do it often. I drink coffee every morning, I play football regularly and I hear music most of the time. These are the things that makes me feel good everyday. What are your happiness keys? Buy a book on how to be happy: How to Be Happy, Dammit: A Cynic's Guide to Spiritual Happiness.

2. Are you a constant procrastinator? Do you tend to leave your tasks for unimportant things? If you do, then stop procrastinating and finish the task first. Procrastination can make us unhappy. Have you ever finish your homework when you were in school and feel satisfied with it? Thus, if you don't finish it, you will feel concerned because your mind keeps thinking about the problem. One way to overcome procrastination is by thinking that the task as easy, and not that difficult. Most people tend to delay their task like doing a research that is supposed to be due in a couple of days and said to himself that he will do it tomorrow. This concerns him a little but then the day after tomorrow passes and still he haven't done anything , this won't make him feel happy.

3. Not having enough sleep. I sleep 6-7 hours everyday and I feel quite good. A friend of mine sleeps for only a few hours during weekdays. When I look at him, he always have that frown look in his face. My other friend who sleeps 8 hours everyday always smile and more confident when walking, also he always feels alive around our group of friends.

4. Surround yourself with happy and motivated people. When you are with a person who is happy, you will automatically fell happier then when you were alone. If possible, try to avoid negative people. A negative person can change our mood by indirectly saying that that the task is difficult or can't be finished on time.

5. Keep busy with something but not too much or you will have a high blood pressure by multitasking and feel unhappy instead. You should be doing what you love. If you like to write, then open up a blog. Read my post on how to start up a blog. If you love shopping, go out but don't spend too much or you will have financial issues.

6. Make a list of aims. Break down your main aim into a smaller and achievable ones. Write them down. If you have achieved them, check them off, it would provide you a great sense of fulfilment. Review your aims daily.

How to Start a Blog?

2011-05-14T06:01:00.026+08:00

What is a blog?

So you have heard about the term "blog" but not sure what it does and how to make it. A blog is basically a website. The term "blog" comes from the word "web log", the person who blogs is called a blogger and the process of writing a blog is called blogging.

1. Blog posts are arranged chronogically by the latest posts on top of the web page.

2. It's is a social media that the reader can easily interact with the authors of the blog either by emailing to the author or commenting at the bottom of the page.

3. A blog is updated daily/regularly.

4. So a blog is where bloggers share news, express thoughts, do business, professinally or personally.

Simple right? Now you know what blog is, let me tell you how to set up a blog!

What is your niche?

Firstly, before you start up a blog, you have to know what type of blog you want to do. Are you thinking of blogging about your favourite sports team, your diary, money making blog, selling your products, celebrity updates, photography, or even cooking. Do you want a lot of people to read your blog or just your closest friends and families or just you.

Choose a blogging platform

There are many good blogging platforms out there. So I'm just gonna list the 5 top blogging platforms:

Blogger

Wordpress

Tumblr

Posterous

Penzu

You can choose any platform to use. You don't need any technical knowledge to set up a simple blog.

In this post, I'll only explain how to set up a Blogger blog since I'm using blogger. It's easier to use Blogger to me but most people prefer to use Wordpress because it is very flexible and offers advanced users the features they're looking for but it's more tricky to set up. I think it doesn't really matter which blogging platform you are using unless you want to have more features to use in the future.

What name do you want for your blog?

Since a lot of people came into the blogging world, a lot of the best blog name have almost been taken. To name your blog, it should relate and can describe your blog niche. This blog is an example, Journalio.blogspot.com - it is a blog about blogging, music, life problems, tech updates and so on. Your blog name should be short and easy to remember. An example of a long and complicated blog name is sandy-lovescats7260.blogspot.com (just an example).

Here are some tips for choosing your blog name:

1. Search ideas from magazines, websites, and newspapers.

2. Relate it to your blog title.

3. Combine words.

4. Use your nickname.

5. What's your hobbies and interest?

6. Think of a unique name that differentiates your blog from others.

Buy a domain name (optional)

A domain name is used to identify an ip address. It helps to give any internet servers a memorable and easy to spell address. Examples of domain names are .com, .net, .org, .biz and etc.

You have to type in the platform name too every time you want to enter your site address, eg. yourblogname.blogspot.com. So if you want your address to be yourblogname.com only rather than adding blogspot.com after it, you can simply purchase a domain name at any domain name services. I use Domain.com for my other website Arsenal Brunei Blog. It is easy, reliable and cheap.

Choosing a template

A template is a design that determines how your web page appears and it can be changed. There are already blogger templates ready for you to choose from as a starter but you can download some interesting templates at btemplates.com, allbogtools.com, bloggerstyles.com, deluxetemplates.net and many other sites that offers free templates. You can also buy premium templates from Themeforest.net. These premium templates are far more dynamic and beautiful. Here's how to install blogger templates.

Write your first post

Write a topic and make sure it relates to the content so that readers understand what your blog post is all about.

In the post, you can write anything from expressing your feelings to linking other blogs or websites to uploading pictures of you and your boyfriend/girlfriend together. When you have finished writing your content proof-read and check for spelling or grammar errors. You don't want your readers to think your english (or in any language that you are writing) is bad. Make sure it is interesting and understandable.

Here are some ways to writing a good post:

1. Research - This can give you more ideas and gather information that you want to talk about in your post. By doing this, your blog post can be more detailed and can prevent from wrong information. Then back them up with evidence.

2. Plan/brainstorm - Similar to researching, planning gathers information and breaks down complex overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable ones and it involves structuring your content.

3. Write a topic that is trending - This makes readers want to read your blog rather than reading the topic that is unresourceful.

Click publish and click view post and there it is, your blog with your first post! If your post is interesting, readers will bookmark it or even subscribe to your blog.

Write an about me page

Writing an about me page is almost as important as making your content and your blog layout beautiful. The readers want to know the story of who is behind the blog. Without having an about me page is like handing in your essay work without stating your name. No matter who you are and where you came from, the readers want to know about you. So don't be afraid to show yourself to the world.

The about me page should include:

1. A picture of you.
2. A little story about you and your background.
3. Your experiences and skills
4. Your contact information

Of course this the first step of blogging, so the next step is marketing your blog to attract readers to your read your posts. You now know how to start a blog. Just write and I wish you happy blogging! :)