This infographic from MyBlogGuest.com nicely summarizes what guest posting is and what it does for you.

In general, it’s fairly easy to find guest posting opportunities. Blog owners are hungry for content and welcome others’ articles. However, it’s important for you to be choosy about your guest blogging opportunities.

Ideally, you want to affiliate yourself with top quality blogs and reputable blog owners. You also want to choose blogs that are relevant to your industry or niche. You probably don’t want them to be competition, but they should at least compliment your business topic. For example, if you have a blog dedicated to soy candles you might want to be a guest blogger on a blog about natural home products or environmentally friendly gifts.

Here are the steps to take to get started.

Interact with Other Bloggers

Begin following bloggers that fit your guest blogging criteria. That is to say, subscribe to the blogs you’d like to guest post on. Contribute to the blog by interacting and offering insightful comments.

Once you’ve introduced yourself, ask for a guest blogging opportunity. Let the blog owner know that you’re interested and offer a suggested topic or two that you’d like to write about.

Another way to interact with other blog owners is to join a guest blogging community where you can present your articles and search for opportunties. There are a few reputable communities to join such as the one that provided the infographic above.

Search and Alerts

Google offers the ability to set up alerts. For example, you can set it up to send you an alert whenever someone blogs about soy candles. This helps you find the best blogs in your niche.

And of course there is the good old-fashioned online search. Search for blogs in your niche and make a list of potential candidates. Then, after a bit of research, ask for a guest blogging opportunity.

Let Them Know You’re Available

Consider also using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to find guest blogging opportunities. Send personal messages to friends and associates in complimentary niches. Let them know you’re looking for guest blogging opportunities. You might even arrange a partnership where they guest blog for you as well.

Pump Up Your Portfolio

In many cases the blog you’re hoping to post on will want to see samples of your writing. Make sure you have a few links to send them and again, offer a few topic ideas. Always do your research on the blog before asking to be a guest blogger. Make sure you understand their audience and the type of content they publish.

Using these tips you can find opportunities to write for other blogs and further promote your own blog.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How and Why to Find Guest Post Opportunities

As a blog owner there are actually two ways you can benefit from RSS. The first is by making it available to your readers – allowing them to subscribe by adding an RSS feed on your blog. The second is by adding RSS feeds from other sites to your blog. This makes it possible for you to provide updates and information about your industry.

For example, if you have a blog that focuses on an entertainment or gossip niche, offering an RSS feed from other news and entertainment sources might add value to your site. The information is presented right on your blog for all readers to enjoy.

NOTE: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Some sites specifically offer an RSS feed for other blogs, but some other blog authors won’t appreciate having their blog streamed on your site. Be sure you have permission before adding someone else’s content to your blog.

How to Set up Your RSS Feed

The process of adding RSS to your blog varies depending on your blog platform and template. For example, if your website is built on a WordPress template then you likely already have RSS features and functions. You simply have to activate them and modify the settings to fit your needs.

Most likely, you’ll also want to add buttons to your blog that allow people to subscribe via their chosen reader or tool. For example, Google Reader is a tool many people use to organize and access many blogs at once. There are many plug-ins that add buttons to your site. One example of this is AddToAny Subscribe.

All you have to do is download your chosen plug-in and adjust the settings and appearance to fit your needs. Note: Many of these button plug-ins also make it possible to “Like” you on Facebook, bookmark you in sites like StumbleUpon and post your link on Twitter. Search the plug-ins and compare them to find one that is both well reviewed and meets your needs.

But what if you don’t have WordPress?

Many people use other blogging platforms like Blogger and TypePad. The good news is that adding RSS to those platforms is pretty easy too.

With Blogger you’ll want to get into your “Design” section on your dashboard. From there you can see the layout for your template. Simply click on Add a Gadget in the area where you want to add one. Make your selection(s) from the list of available Gadgets that pops up. You can then add subscription buttons to your blog and an RSS feed from another site. Note: if you are adding a feed from another site you’ll need to enter the feed URL. In most cases a simple http://www.thewebsiteurl.com/feed will work.

TypePad works with widgets and it’s the same basic system. Choose the widget that you want, for example adding subscribe buttons, activate it and then adjust the settings to fit your needs.

Because all blogging platforms now have integrated RSS it’s easy to offer your readers a number of subscribe options for your own site. It’s also possible to add content from other relevant websites through their RSS feed when permitted. Take advantage of this technology and optimize your blog to offer more value to your readers.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Set Up an RSS Feed On Your Blog

One of the reasons that WordPress is so popular, and continues to get more popular, is that WordPress continues to develop and evolve over time. With so many websites already running WordPress, there is a large group of developers who are constantly looking to make WordPress more secure, more powerful and easier to use.

Because WordPress is constantly getting better, it’s important to make sure you’re always using the most recent version. In many cases, new versions of WordPress are released to address specific security risks that may have been discovered. Every time you log into your administrative dashboard you’ll be notified if a new version of WordPress has been released.

You’ll be notified if there are any updates available for the underlying WordPress platform, or to any of your themes or plugins (even if the themes and plugins are ones that are not currently active on your site). Not updating every portion of your website leaves you exposed to new security risks. The more plugins that you have installed on your site, the more important it is to stay current on your updating. Update your site every time you log in; don’t just tell yourself you’ll “do it next time.”

But make sure to take a quick look at your site after you do any updates. Occasionally there are compatibility issues between different plugins when one or more of them are updated. It’s better for you to figure this out rather than having your readers discovering it and having to deal with it.

Despite your best efforts, though, there’s always a risk that your website (or even just the company you use to host your website) can be compromised, and your website damaged. The last thing you want to have to do is have to try to recreate your website from scratch.

WordPress uses MySQL as its database, and your database contains every post, every comment and every link you’ve ever posted on your blog. Unless you have a backup of the database, you could lose your entire site if your database ever gets hacked or otherwise corrupted.

It’s possible to backup your MySQL database manually, if you have experience in using a MySQL tool such as phpMyAdmin. But most of the rest of us would like to do our WordPress backups a little more easily.

Thankfully, there are a number of different plugins you can choose from to help you with backing up your website. The first place you should look is the WordPress plugin directory itself: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tags/backup.

Some backup plugins actually have the ability to automatically do a backup and email a .zip file to you every week. This can be a great solution if you think you need a little extra help in staying current on your website backups.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Blog Maintenance – Backups and Updates

One of the characteristics that makes WordPress so powerful is that it’s possible to extend the core WordPress functions to accomplish new things on your website. The basic technique for extending WordPress is through “plugins.” Plugins are discrete pieces of software that you upload and install to your WordPress blog, then configure as desired.

For example, plugins can give you the ability to display your site’s pictures in a shadowbox or pop-up window or can let you create advanced contact forms that let you interact with your readers in more personal and advanced ways. Other plugins can help you reduce comment spam on your posts, and can even let you set up ecommerce functions on your WordPress blog so that you can sell goods or information products directly to your readers. In fact, if there’s something you’d like to do through your blog that the standard WordPress install can’t do, there’s a good chance that other users have wanted it too, and that someone has created a plugin for that function.

The first place to look for plugins for your blog is through WordPress’ own plugin directory, which can be found at:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

Alternatively, you can search for plugins from your blog dashboard. One advantage of using the WordPress Plugin Directory is that you’ll be able to see comments that other users have made about each plugin, and you’ll also find compatibility information about each one. The plugins on the WordPress directory are available free of charge, but there are also plugins that some developers license for a fee. Sometimes these “premium” plugins offer functions that cannot be found anywhere else.

Once you’ve found a plugin you’re interested in, and confirmed that it works with the current version of WordPress, you’ll need to install it either by downloading it to your hard drive or directly through the dashboard. Go to your administrative dashboard and click the “Plugins” section, then the “Add New” link.

You can then click the “Upload” button to upload the plugin file into WordPress if you’ve already downloaded it, or you can click “Search” if you want to browse for plugins directly through your dashboard.

Once you’ve identified the plugin you want and you’ve installed and activated it, you’ll have the ability to go directly to the administrative page for that plugin. Depending on the type of plugin you’ve just installed, you’ll be able to set the various configuration options that are available to you.

It’s important to note that because the underlying code that powers WordPress evolves and develops over time; your plugins sometimes need to be updated so that they still work with that code. Pay attention to any update notifications you receive on your dashboard, and make sure to keep your plugins up to date. At best, outdated plugins will slow your site or cause unexpected behavior. At worst, they can be a security risk or cause your website to fail completely.

You can find five of my favorite plugins here.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Find and Install WordPress Plugins

But now that you actually have people interacting on your blog, how do you manage it?

Here are some tips and strategies:

1. Establish commenting rules and make them clearly visible on your blog.

   Though you want to encourage free-flowing communication on your blog, you do want to set some ground rules. In doing so, you can more easily manage issues like profanity, and commenters know their rights and limits.

   You’ll find that more commenters will want to play by the rules than those who don’t. You’ll even be surprised to see a few avid commenters defend your blog’s rules against those who break them. Nothing wrong with a little help from the ‘good guys’!

2. Be a regular commenter on your own blog.

   OK. A lot of novice bloggers feel that commenting should be an ‘autopilot’ sort of thing. To a large extent, it can be. But you still need to be the pilot and steer the communication.

   Remember, blogging is more than just sharing content and comment space – it’s a relationship between you and your visitors.

   Before replying to a comment, allow a little time for others to add their thoughts and ideas into the discussion to keep it fluid. Do come in and respond after you’ve received a few more comments to show that you’re listening to and acknowledging your commenters.

   Also remember to thank and compliment commenters.

   When they see you involved in the discussion, they recognize that you’re passionate about the subject – and about your blog.

3. Moderate heated discussions and negative comments.

   Some topics are naturally going to bring about controversy, negativity and heated discussions. This can happen even when the post itself is non-controversial.

   This tends to happen with popular brands. You’re going to have people who love a particular brand and others who hate it. The key is in knowing when to step in and act as moderator when discussions get out of hand. Sometimes posting a comment to remind commenters to stay on topic or to show respect towards each other is all it takes.

   If you’re in the middle of this type of discussion, always make an effort to bring things back to a positive tone.

   One effective way is to thank commenters for posting comments, even when they are negative, and compliment them for making an important point.

   Another way to deal with negative or angry posters is to ‘deflect’ the conversation back to them.

   This means asking a question back to the commenter.

   “How would you deal with the situation?”
   “What do you think is a better way to explain it?”
   “How can I improve this information?”

   Think about it … they’re commenting on the topic because the topic is important to them at some level. By keeping your tone positive, angry or argumentative commenters take a step back.

   Many negative commenters are, in fact, ‘one-time’ commenters. They post once and then never come back. A simple “thanks for the comment” will end that chain and move things along.

By establishing the ground rules, setting the tone, and staying in touch with followers, you’ll encourage constructive commenting and interaction. A blog with pleasant, active discussions will attract new readers and keep them coming back.

Image courtesy of _sarchi via Flickr.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Managing Blog Interaction – Tips and Strategies

Many blog owners become frustrated over having few to no comments on their blog posts. That’s certainly an understandable feeling, because in a way, when people leave comments on your post, it’s is an indication that your visitors are interested and passionate about what you have to share.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can encourage interaction on your blog. Let’s focus on these 5 critical ways to promote interaction on your blog.

1. Write your blog posts like you’re talking – not writing – to your audience.

   You’ve heard the saying – it’s not so important what you say as much as it is how you say it. And this is absolutely true of the web space. People have little patience to read oodles of content with no life to it.

   If you haven’t yet developed your writing skills to communicate in a conversational tone, now’s a good time to start. An interesting blog post written in a conversational style is going to get people engaged and interacting far more than anything else you do to encourage comments.

   And this is one skill that will take you and your blog far.

2. Add media to the content mix.

   A picture is worth a thousand words and today’s web is one place where media is taking on words big time.

   Highly relevant and strategically placed images or videos capture attention and create more opportunities for discussion.

   They can also help you get more traffic to your blog through search engines, social networking and media sites. More traffic means more chances to increase interaction on your site.

3. Write headings that grab attention.

   Your blog post heading is the first thing to stand out to your visitors. Get it right and you peak their interest. Get it wrong and it may also be the last thing visitors see on your blog.

   Use active verbs and simple words to make your heading catchy and easy to read.

   You can also add shocking elements or cliffhangers to your headings so that they lead into the content and that your visitors will want to read on.

4. Ask questions.

   You might be an expert on your topic, you might be a good storyteller, or you just might have a problem you want to share with others.

   Whichever of these is true, be sure to ask questions in your post. That way, you’re indirectly telling visitors you want them to respond. And that builds up a momentum to encourage communication exchange on your blog.

   Ask a question directly to your readers at the end of your blog post, before your comments box, to lead them right into commenting.

   It’s not a bad idea to ask them to comment as well, so that they know you want them to interact with you.

   Do note that inviting comments means you need to reply. You can wait a day or so before you do, but don’t wait too long.

5. Make sure your blog is comment friendly.

   All of the techniques we’ve discussed till now are great ways to build up interaction. Yet, a poorly organized blog, or one that’s difficult for visitors to post comments on, can take all of your efforts apart.

   Keep things simple. It’s already a challenge getting people to leave a comment on your post, so adding obstacles like requiring a login or filling in a captcha to post are turn offs.

   Instead, let people comment freely on the front end and use plug-ins like Akismet or WP Spam Free to handle spammers through the back end. Moderate incoming comments to prevent comment spamming.

   Two really cool plugins are KeywordLuv and CommentLuv. These plugins takes blog interaction to a whole new level. They’re free and offer features that encourage comments to your site by rewarding commenters with a keyword or post link.

With a decent amount of traffic and good implementation and tweaking of these techniques, you’ll improve the opportunities for interaction on your blog.

Image courtesy of _sarchi via Flickr.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Promote Interaction on your Blog

Here are a few tips for writing product reviews:

Product reviews may end up being some of the most sought after content on your blog. Use them to not only attract new and repeat visitors, but also to build trust.

Icons courtesy of Icons, Etc.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How To Write a Product Review

What you may not be aware of is that one of the most valuable tools you can use to create better blog content is your blog’s site stats and analytics.

What are Analytics?

Analytics are simple systems to track the important data about your blog. Analytics can track:

• How many visitors you get to your blog each day, week and month
• How many posts they read when they’re on your site
• What posts they read
• How long your visitors stay on your website
• What keywords they used to find your blog
• How they found your blog – for example: Google search, referring website, advertisement and so on.

Analytics provides you with the information you need to consistently create valuable content. Consider for a moment how useful this information is. For example, you find that the keywords “good hair day” is most commonly used to find your website. Then you know that you can create content with those keywords to provide value to your readers.

How Do You Get Analytics?

There are actually several different types of analytic resources or tools. Google Analytics may be the most popular tool. It’s free and it’s easy to use. You can even have daily, weekly or monthly reports sent to you.

To get Google analytics you simply sign up. Enter your website information and then paste the code into your blog’s code. It’s simple, easy and tremendously useful.

Using Analytics to Create Consistently Valuable Content

I’ve already mentioned how you might use the information to create content ideas. Brainstorm topics based on the results. For example, if you notice that your “How To” blog posts generate a lot of traffic, you know that you can create more of these types of articles to offer more value.

You can also use analytics to test and track various blogging “experiments.” If you’re not sure how your audience would respond to a new type of content, a video post for example, you can use your analytic data to measure the results. Many people rely on comments to gauge the popularity of a blog post but they aren’t always a good source for information.

Finally, be sure to analyze your analytics data on a regular basis. Consider timing the review with your blog content planning sessions. For example, if you sit down monthly to plan your content, that’s the perfect time to review your analytic data.

If you don’t already have analytics software installed, compare your options. Check out Google Analytics and start reviewing the data. You’ll be surprised what an amazingly valuable tool this is.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Create Better Blog Content By Using Site Analytics

The following five plugins are my favorite. They’re functional, easy to use and encourage reader interaction.

1. Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin (G.A.S.P.). While the standard WordPress installation includes an effective anti-spam plugin (Akismet), I prefer G.A.S.P. because it blocks automated spam from even being submitted. And unlike a captcha which requires a commenter to decipher and type in a series of letters and numbers, G.A.S.P. simply asks for a box to be checked by clicking it. It’s quick and easy.

G.A.S.P. will take care of automated spam. Using two additional tools will deal with the rest of it. 1) G.A.S.P. suggests a plugin to block trackback spam. And 2) WordPress’s blacklist function helps stop manually submitted spam. These three tools together has eliminated the headaches of dealing with spam and saves me lots of time, which I can now devote to replying to legitimate comments and writing more blog posts.

Check it out at www.growmap.com/growmap-anti-spambot-plugin/

2. KeywordLuv lets you reward legitimate commentators by allowing them use anchor text in the link from their comment, instead of linking their name. Now you already know that lots of relevant comments on your blog helps stimulate activity, traffic and helps build a community. This nifty plug-in offers motivation to other blog and website owners. You can learn more here scratch99.com/wordpress-plugin-keywordluv/

3. WP Greet Box adds a greeting to each blog post which you can customize. I use it to provide a reminder to subscribe to my mailing list and RSS feed and to invite readers to connect with my on social media sites.

You can also greet visitors differently depending on where they’re coming from. For example, if a visitor comes to your blog from Twitter you can greet them with a suggestion that they tweet a link to the blog post or that they follow you on Twitter. You can customize your greetings however you desire. A customized greeting really helps your visitors feel acknowledged and helps build a community. You can learn more about it here http://omninoggin.com/wordpress-plugins/wp-greet-box-wordpress-plugin/

4. WP Socializer. No blog is complete in this day and age without buttons that make it easy for visitors to Tweet, Follow on Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon and so on. WP Socializer is a plug-in that offers 98 different social networking buttons. Pick and choose your favorites and integrate social networking into your blog.

5. RSS Footer. This simple plug-in makes it easy to add a line of text at the beginning or end of all of your blog posts. It’s great for monetizing your blog. You can add a call to action, include an advertisement for an affiliate product or motivate a click to another post or to a website.

There are literally thousands of plugins and more are being developed every day. It’s one of the wonderful features of WordPress. These are just a few of my top favorites. Share your favorites. What plugins do you swear by?

Image courtesy of Sean MacEntee.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Five Top WordPress Plugins – My Favorites

Just remember that all ghostwriters are not created equally. To save yourself time, money and frustration it’s important to hire the best ghostwriter for the job. Before you can compare ghostwriting services there are two important steps to take.

1 – Create a Job Description

Write down exactly what type of writing you need to have done. Do you need autoresponders? Do you need a regular flow of articles or blog posts? What about ebooks and special reports?  How long does the content need to be? What’s the purpose of the content? (For example do you want to build your brand or sell affiliate products?) What voice do you want the content to have? (For example, should it be friendly or authorative?)

2 – What’s Your Budget?

How much can you afford to pay a ghostwriter? If you’re unsure then take a look at how much your time is worth. If your hourly value is $25 and it takes you an hour to write a blog post, then you know that anyone who charges less than $25 per blog post is saving you money – assuming you then turn around and use that same hour to work on profitable tasks.

Once you know what your budget is and exactly what you’re hiring the ghostwriter to write, it’s time to start comparing services.

Compare article ghostwriting services:

• Specialization– do they specialize in the type of content you need? Now this can be either industry or format. For example, the writer might specialize in writing blog posts or they might specialize in the pet care niche – they could also specialize in both. Specialization costs more but it is often worth the expense because the content is well written to your specifications the first time. You won’t have to request rewrites.
• Delivery – Will the ghostwriter be able to meet your delivery timetable? For example, if you need weekly blog posts can the ghostwriter deliver on time? Do you have ongoing needs and can they meet those?
• Process – How do they charge? Do they offer revisions and if so how many? Is the content 100% original or do they use article spinning software? Can they provide you with the sources they use for your content? Will they sign a non-disclosure and/or a work for hire agreement?
• Finally, what do they charge? Make sure that the fee includes revisions, editing, and research. You don’t want to be surprised by added fees later.

Once you find a great article ghostwriting service that can meet your needs, keep them busy. They’ll likely offer you a discount for ongoing work and you’ll be able to develop a solid relationship to grow your blog and your business.

Click the link –> recommended resource for article ghostwriting services.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Compare Article Ghostwriting Services

1. Stay current. While it’s great to offer tips and content that will be relevant for the longer term, it’s just as important to keep up with and report the latest news, issues, gizmos and gadgets. Staying current and reporting new information will keep your readers’ interest and encourage them to come back again.

2. Post regularly. There is no magic formula for how often you should post, but regular updates will encourage readers to subscribe and/or return to your blog. Readers like fresh content and they will go where they can get it. If you have trouble producing enough of your own material, consider hiring a writer, ask others to guest post on your blog, use PLR content, and even sprinkle in some free content.

3. Network and share. Use social media and social bookmarking sites to share your blog posts. Develop relationships with other bloggers, comment on their blogs, and share their blog posts with your followers. Doing so will encourage your friends to reciprocate.

4. Interact with your readers. When people comment they appreciate an answer back. Some ask questions and some just want to let you know that they agree or disagree with what you’ve said. Take the time to respond and carry on a conversation. Their comments and the discussion will encourage other participants and provide valuable feedback about what interests your readers.

5. Keep advertisements to a minimum. Ads can be a source of income from your blog, but less is more. You want your posts and information to be the focus. If you post too many ads it will detract from your content and visitors might be turned off.

These five tips will improve the value of your blog, help with creating interesting content to attract readers and keep them coming back for more.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Five Ways to Be a Better Blogger

Thank you Melody for introducing me to them.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Funny! One Way to Start a Video Blog

First you need images. You can use your own photographs, drawing, charts or graphs, or search online for free images that are made available through a creative commons license or sold royalty free.

Download and save your chosen image(s) to your hard drive. Most images will be made available in a common, file format (jpg, gif, or png) that is supported by WordPress media and viewable in most browsers. But it may be possible to convert other formats to usable format depending on your image editing program.

• jpg (JPEG) works well for photographs, but saving as a jpg does removed some detail from the photo. Many photo editors offer compression choices to control how much detail is lost. The goal is to make the file size as small as possible while still presenting a decent quality image.
• gif is more suitable for line art like logos and graphics with solid areas of the same color. It isn’t the best choice for photographs.
• png works well for photos and line art, and while it maintains detail when compressing files, the file sizes are usually larger that jpg’s. Also, some older browsers may not support png.

While WordPress will resize your images when you upload them, I prefer to size them myself so I’m not storing as many large images on my server. The ideal size will depend on your blog theme and how your posts are laid out. I suggest start with a maximum of 500px wide and adjust from there until you find your ideal. Also remember that the larger the image the larger the file size. Smaller images will load faster and use less storage space on your server. When saving your images, using a resolution size of 72dpi will produce a faster loading image that will still be an acceptable quality for the web.

If you don’t have an image editing program, you can resize using a free photo editing service like the one at Pixlr.com or you can download a free editing program like Paint.net at GetPaint.net. (Note: It’s a little awkward to follow the links to download. Start with the link in the right hand column and keep looking and clicking.)

To insert the image into your blog post, just place your cursor where you want the image, click on the add image button, and browse to select.



Add your alt text and if you are linking the image to a different webpage you can insert your link title. If you want you can also caption the image.



If you’ve used a photo made available through a creative commons license you will most likely need to provide attribution (name and link to the author). There are a couple of different ways you can do this and the source’s terms of use may specify. Usually you can provide attribution in the image code, in the caption, or with a note at the bottom of your post.

It’s easy to add images to your blog posts. Finding the right image is sometimes the hard part. My two favorite sources are Flickr.com and Fotolia.com.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Add Images to Your WordPress Blog Posts

As you start blogging you may realize that creating content is trickier than you thought. It can be challenging to come up with content day after day. It can be taxing both on your imagination and on your time. Use these handy tips to create your new blog’s content and never get stumped again.

1. Write like you talk. When you write conversationally you’ll write much more quickly and efficiently than if you’re trying to prepare a formal article. And the added bonus is that your blog posts will be well received by your readers who are looking for both information and a personal connection.
2. Use your resources. Industry magazines, blogs, and even social networking posts and trends can all help inspire content ideas. Magazine covers are the best. They use great headline formats. All you have to do is change the keywords. For example, 10 Tips to _____. “How to ____ in ___ Days/Weeks/Minutes etc…”
3. Use reader comments as sources for future content. Reader comments are wonderful resources because they provide insight about who your audience is and what they want. Additionally, using a reader comment can also help you connect with your readers and bring them into your community.
4. Create your content in advance. If writing a blog post every day (or every few days) is too much, consider bundling your efforts. Write five blog posts, or more, in one day and then schedule them to be posted over a week or two. Take advantage of the inspiring and productive moments to get your weekly blog posts taken care of.
5. Alternative posts. Consider also creating video posts. If you’re not comfortable in front of the camera then you can use screen shots and your voice over. You can also hire a ghostwriter to create blog posts. Using PLR is an option too. You simply need to personalize the posts to make them original and unique to your blog. Finally, consider finding a few guest bloggers. Many people are willing to guest blog because it helps them gain exposure for their own online business or blog.

Best advice…sit down and create a content plan. When are you going to blog? What are you going to blog about? How are the posts going to get created? Planning it in advance will help you stay in control of your content and create it effectively, efficiently and also enjoy the process.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Five Tips to Create Your New Blog’s Content

1. Having a Good Plan
2. Taking the Right Actions

Having a Good Plan

In many ways, your blog’s success actually begins before you start. The most crucial aspect of making your new blog successful is to have a clear and practical plan before you begin blogging.

This means taking the time to carefully research and select your niche, identifying which keywords to write articles and posts around and investigating your niche’s monetization potential.

It also means identifying your competition and their strengths or weaknesses. While you may seem to have the perfect niche, you might find out competition is fierce and your competitors have well established search rankings.

On the other hand, you might find golden opportunities that you can win with a little effort and consistency on your part.

In addition to these, having a good blueprint for your blog is really important. How you structure your blog will affect your blog’s search engine rankings. This in turn determines how people will find you and how much traffic your blog generates. Ultimately, that can determine how much money your blog will earn.

There are some useful tools available to help you in the planning stages of your new blog. Some of these tools are free, such as the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, which lets you gauge the competitiveness and potential traffic of a keyword phrase.

Others tools cost a little money, but may be worth investing in to save you considerable time in the research stages.

Taking the Right Actions

On the web, it can seem as though all your efforts are fruitless. Many bloggers go through this ‘getting over the hump’ phase and drop out of the game before they do.

The key is to know what actions to take and how to prioritize them so that you are maximizing the results of your efforts.

Many new bloggers spend their time on things that have little long-term value to their blogs. These include perfecting the look and feel of the blog, adding ‘bells and whistles’, and monetizing the blog too early.

These are a waste of time because when you have no traffic, no one is going to visit your blog. So it doesn’t really matter how nice your blog looks or whether it’s monetized. You’ll gain much more by focusing your energies on adding high quality content based on the keywords you identified in the planning stages. Content is what both people and search engines are looking for, and high value content gets paid attention to.

It’s a good idea to have 10-15 articles prepared before you launch your blog so that when you launch it, your blog doesn’t look like an unfinished, under construction project.

Aside from adding content, you’ll want to create some ‘buzz’ for your new blog. You can do this by building some quality backlinks to key blog posts. This is more important than building backlinks to your home page because blog posts are built around those highly focused keywords that you found during your initial research, and it’s through those your visitors will find your blog.

Building quality backlinks to your blog also gives it credibility. Your backlinks should come from reputable directories and high-ranking sites relevant to your niche, in addition to posts and comments in relevant forums and blogs – with the right anchor text in the link.

Guest blogging is a powerful way to get your new blog out to others. As a guest blogger, you get the word out about your new blog by posting as a guest on someone else’s blog and get a backlink to your blog as a result. The key is to post on quality sites and blogs.

Social networks are another important source of traffic. Creating buzz about your new blog on Facebook and Twitter is an effective way to bring new visitors to your blog.

When you’ve planned well and taken the right steps in the early stages of building your new blog, you’ll generate highly targeted traffic to it. At that point, you’ve earned yourself a strong community of visitors and can start to focus on implementing your monetization plan.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. New Blog Success Tips

1. Use your own voice. Let your personality show so that readers can get to know you and develop a relationship with you. That doesn’t mean that you have to post the details of your life, but be personable, share your expertise, and express your opinions.
2. Stay on topic. It’s okay to go off topic occasionally, but the purpose of a blog is to attract a specific group of readers. Post topics of interest to them.
3. Be current and timely. To become the “go-to” person, post news while it’s still new. Use the seasons, holidays, or days of the week, to keep topics timely. November is not the time to post summer barbecue tips and no one is interested in Thanksgiving crafts in June.
4. Use other resources. The media and other blogs are great places to find things to blog about. Follow what is going on in your industry and in the world and offer your opinions. You can also link to the original source as a convenience for your readers who will likely be interested in the original story too.
5. Promote your product or opportunity website. Let your readers know about new products, sign-up specials, and other company news.
6. Write about your products. Offer reviews about your company’s products and tips on how to use them.
7. Get others to write for you. Many people will be happy to write a guest post for your blog as long as they can include a link back to their site in their bio box. Ask friends, colleagues and other bloggers.Private label rights (PLR) articles are another source for content and you might also consider hiring a ghostwriter.

Use these tips and resources to start writing blog posts, to keep your blog content fresh and interesting, and to keep your readers coming back for more.

If you have questions or suggestions about writing for your blog please leave them in a comment below or contact me.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Start Writing Blog Posts

A theme is what sets the layout and design of your blog or website. For WordPress, it’s a combination of php and css files that determine the look of the site including where elements appear on the page, colors, fonts, and some functionality.

As described in previous tutorials, modifications to the default theme such as a custom header and sidebar can make the look more unique to your brand. For additional customization and design elements you may want find and install a new theme.

There are literally thousands of themes to choose from. You can select from a over 1400 free themes on WordPress.org or purchase a premium theme from sources such as Elegant Themes or DIYthemes.

Before you take any time looking for a theme I suggest you get a very good idea in your mind what you want from a theme and your search will be much, much easier. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Do I want a blog only?
• Do I want a WordPress website only?
• Do I want a blog + an HTML website?
• Do I want a magazine style theme?
• Do I want a business professional look or a more casual look?
• Do I want a free theme or am I willing to pay for a theme?
• Do I want to customize the header?
• What colors do I want my theme to be?
• Do I want two columns or three?
• Do I want a left or right side column?

Now that you have all those questions answered (and maybe a few more that you think of on your own), you’re ready to go searching for your theme. You can search at WordPress.org or inside your dashboard.

It’s easy to spend quite a lot of time looking for a theme. Don’t get too caught up in trying to find the perfect theme. Remember you can customize any theme and you can always switch later.

Once you’ve chosen you’re theme you’ll need to install it. If you have been searching through your dashboard, all you need to do is click “install” under your preferred theme.

If you downloaded the theme from WordPress.org, log into your dashboard and then click Themes/Install Themes under the Appearance tab on the left sidebar and upload your chosen theme (in zip format) from your computer and install it.

Then click to activate the theme.

The new theme may have different options you can set or you can make customizations much the same way as the previous theme customization tutorials described:

Theme Customization – Theme Options and Custom Background
Theme Customization – Blog Header
Theme Customization – Menus
Theme Customization – Sidebar

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Blog Customization – Install a New Theme

Again, let’s use the Twenty Eleven theme as our example theme. If you’ve already switched to another theme for your blog, then the specifics will be slightly different (and the screenshots below won’t exactly match up with your theme), but this tutorial will still give you enough information and guidance to make the switch on your own theme.

As you can see, the default sidebar configuration for this theme is to have your content on the left side of the screen underneath the header, in the sidebar on the right:

In order to change your sidebar, log in to your administrative dashboard. While you’re in your dashboard, click Appearance and then click Theme Options below that. You’ll see the basic theme options that are available for the Twenty Eleven theme. With respect to the sidebar, your choices for this theme are to have your content on the left side of the screen (with the sidebar on the right), content on the right (sidebar on the left) or no sidebar at all. Choose the setup you want and click the “Save Changes” button to modify your blog.

In order to change what information is displayed in your sidebar, look under the Appearance menu on your dashboard and click the Widgets selection.

Widgets are one of the most powerful features of the WordPress framework. They let you put small, discrete pieces of content and functionality in various places on your website, in any different arrangement that your theme supports. After you click the Widgets link, you’ll see all of the widgets you have available to you in the Twenty Eleven theme.

Let’s say, for example, that you want to replace the default widgets in the sidebar with a calendar of upcoming events. First locate the “Main Sidebar” area on the right side of the screen, and delete any widgets that are already there.

Find the “Calendar” widget on the list of available widgets, then drag and drop it into the main sidebar area. If you want to change the name of your calendar, simply type the name you want into the “Title” box and click the “Save” button.

When you go back to the main page of your blog, you’ll see a new calendar widget you just added:

You can also change the order of the different widgets in any sidebar by going back to the widget area of your dashboard and simply dragging and dropping the individual widgets into the order you desire.

As you become more comfortable with WordPress, you’ll be able to explore the possibility of adding widgets and “plug-ins” that might not come prepackaged with your theme, but are available in the WordPress.org plug-in directory. Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ to discover plug-ins that you can use to help keep readers on your blog longer. Other themes also have multiple sidebars; feel free to explore all your options as you become more experience with WordPress.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Theme Customization – Sidebar

Your readers need to be able to easily find and navigate to the various sections and pages of your blog. This becomes particularly important as your blog grows.

The default menu of the Twenty Eleven theme includes a link to the home page and links to any other pages you create for your blog. For example when you create an “About Us” and “Contact Us” the page titles will automatically appear in the menu at the top of all your blog pages and be linked to those pages. That works well for a few pages, but becomes less helpful the larger your blog becomes. Additionally, you may have pages such as a “thank you” page or download page that you don’t want showing in the menu.

Customize the menu to control exactly what appears in it.

To begin changing your menu, log into your dashboard and expand the Appearance menu selection. Then click Menus from the list below:

Let’s create a new menu called “Top Nav.” Simply type that new name in the blank space next to “Menu Name.”

Now add whatever links, pages and categories you want to be in your new menu.

The Twenty Eleven theme supports one menu, located directly under the header image. Even though you’ve just created a menu, you haven’t yet told WordPress to display that new menu instead of the default one. Let’s do that now.

Now that you have more than one menu available, a new box – entitled “Theme Locations” –appears on your Menus page. From the drop-down list for your Primary Menu, select the new “Top Nav” menu we just created, and click “Save”:

Now when you revisit your blog, you’ll see the new menu just underneath your header image:

As you build new pages for your blog you will want to add them to this menu.

You can also add links to pages outside of your blog, for example one of your social media profiles. For this tutorial, let’s just a link to a Twitter feed. Locate the “Custom Links” box on the menus page. Type the web address of your twitter feed in the “URL” box, then type “Twitter” in the “Label” box. Now click the “Add to Menu” button and a link to that Twitter feed will appear on your new Top Nav menu. Click the “Save Menu” button and your new menu will be ready to use.

As your blog (and your business) grows, you will likely want to continue updating your custom menu to reflect new categories of content, new promotional campaigns and other things you want to highlight to your readers.

The power of WordPress menus becomes even more apparent when you eventually decide to switch to a theme other than the Twenty Eleven default theme that comes with a new WordPress installation. Many other themes support more than one menu on the screen at a time. This enables you to highlight different parts of your blog in different menus.

For example, you might set up a menu of your blog’s most important or most frequently visited pages (like an “About Me” page and a “Contact Me” page) and display this near the top of your blog. You might also put a menu in your sidebar to highlight other portions of your blog, or to promote your affiliate or other business relationships. By harnessing the power of WordPress menus, you’ll make sure to do the best possible job in making it easy for you readers to find what they’re looking for on your blog.

In the next tutorial you’ll learn how to customize your sidebar using widgets.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Theme Customization – Menus

Here is the step-by-step for customizing the header in Twenty-Eleven theme which came with your WordPress install. If you’ve already chosen a different theme there may be similar options available through your theme. Look under Appearance for Theme Options or similar wording.

The default header option for the Twenty-Eleven theme is to randomly rotate the eight included header images. To customize the header, log into your dashboard and click on Header under the Appearance category in the left hand menu. You’ll be directed to the custom header page.

The first option on the page is to upload your own image. We’ll get back to that; for now let’s look at the options for using the included headers. You can choose to leave the default setting of showing random images, or if you prefer to have the same look on all of your pages, you can select just one of the images. (After making your selection, don’t forget to click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the window.)

To upload your own custom header image, click the Choose File button, navigate to the folder where the image is stored on your computer, and select the image. Click Upload. For the best results choose or design an image that is at least as big as the default header image. In this theme after you click Upload you will be directed to crop the image to the correct size.

Here’s an example of an uploaded image (it’s one of my own photographs):

You can also choose not to display any image by clicking Remove Header Image.

The Display Text option determines whether or not your blog name and tag line are displayed above the graphic on your pages. If you’ve included your blog title and tag line in your custom image then you don’t want to duplicate them in text. If you choose to display the text separately you can also choose a color for your text. The title and tag line were set when you installed WordPress and can be changed in the General section under Settings in your dashboard.

Now that you have a custom header you can move on to customizing your menus.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Theme Customization – Blog Header

Theme Options

One of the first steps is to decide on your color scheme and layout which you will set on the Theme Options page under the Appearance section of your dashboard.

For the Twenty Eleven theme you have a choice of two different color schemes – “Light” and “Dark” – as well as the ability to set the color of the hyperlinks that appear on your website. These two options give you the ability to subtly change how your blog will seem to your readers. Using other themes besides Twenty Eleven will likely provide you with additional options. Some themes offer a number of different color scheme options, as well as the ability to fully customize those schemes.

The “Default Layout” portion of the theme options section lets you decide whether to display a sidebar, and if so, where. Because it’s so easy to change this aspect of the layout, you should take a few minutes to activate and then look at each of the selections in order to decide which is best for your blog. If you’re using a theme other than the Twenty Eleven default theme then your layout choices will likely be different.

Background

Another easy way to customize the look of your blog is setting up a custom background. The background can be a picture or a color that you choose. To change your background, click the Background selection under the Appearance section of your dashboard.

If you have an image you’d like to use as your background, navigate to it using the “Choose File” button. Make sure to preview how your updated blog looks before you settle on an image. If an image is not big enough to cover the entire screen, then WordPress will “tile” it to cover the entire background. Tiling looks good for some images, but not others.

If you want to use a solid color as your background, simply click the “select a color” link under Display Options. You’ll be taken to a color wheel, where you can select any web ready color as your background. Again, make sure to preview how your blog looks when you select a new color, to make sure you are happy with the results. Depending on the header image you use, and the other types of images you are going to be displayed on your blog, some background colors will definitely work better than others.  Keep in mind that this only changes the background that appears behind all of the other areas of your blog.

It’s a good idea to “play around” with different combinations of theme options and backgrounds before you decide on what’s going to be the most effective for your blog.

Next, customize your header.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Theme Customization – Theme Options and Custom Background

Once you log in, locate the link for installing WordPress. It may be in the “Software/Services section of the main page under a service called Fantastico or Simple Scripts. Or you may just have a WordPress button.

These instructions are for the most common service, Fantastico

On the left side of the Fantastico screen, you will see a list of programs you can install with it. Under “Blogs”, locate “WordPress” and click it.

On the next page, click “New Installation”.

And fill out the requested information:

Use the drop down menu at the top of the screen to choose the domain you wish to install WordPress on. If you want to use the domain solely for your blog, leave the field underneath the drop down (Install in directory) blank.

If you’re adding a blog to a site that already has other content or if you plan on including static content later, enter the name of the directory where you wish to install the blog. (for example, blog or tips).

Installed on the root domain the URL to get to the main page of your blog will be something like

http://www.lindastacy.com

If you choose to install into a directory the URL for the main page will be something like

http://www.lindastacy.com/tips

Next, add a username and password. This is what you’ll use to log in to your blog admin. For a little added security do not use “admin.” Additionally, this is the name that will appear as the author of all your blog posts so using your own name makes it a little more personal and can help with branding.

Enter your email address next. No one else will see it. It will be used for administration purposes and to reset your password if you ever forget it, so you’ll want to make sure it’s accurate and up-to-date at all times.

Finally, enter your blog name and description and click the “Install WordPress” button at the bottom of the page. The blog name and description can be changed later if you aren’t sure what you want there now.

Look over the summary of your information and if everything looks fine, click the “Finish installation” button. The installation will be completed and you can visit the admin page and log in to verify WordPress installed correctly.

If you didn’t click the link to get to your WordPress admin, it will be located at the following URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/wp_admin

OR

http://www.yourdomain.com/dir/wp_admin

Note: there is an underscore between wp and admin, like this wp_admin.

If you forget your username and password, you can request your password be mailed to you. WordPress will send your username and password to the email address you entered when you installed it.

That’s it. Now you’re ready to start writing blog posts.

Have questions? Ask them in the comment section below and I’ll answer them for you ASAP.
 

Want an even easier way to get a blog installed? Purchase blog hosting here and have them install a blog for you. (Click on blog installation at the top of that page for complete information and to order.)

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Easy Blog Installation

An example of a nameserver would be: “NS335.YourHost.com”.

In order to connect your domain name with your self-hosted blog, you must set the nameservers at the domain registrar where you purchased the domain name. When you purchased hosting you probably received an email message containing your nameserver informaion. If you don’t have that, you may find it by logging into your hosting account or you may need to request it from hosting support.

To set the nameservers, log in at the domain register (Namecheap for example), click on manage domains, click the box to check mark the domain you want to modify and click edit domain underneath the list. On the next page, select “Domain Name Server Setup.”

On the next screen select “Specify Custom DNS Servers,” input the nameservers provided by your hosting company, and click “save changes.”

It can take up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect, but often it happens much sooner. During this time, your site may fluctuate between being online and offline.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Set Up Your Domain Nameservers

If you want to cut to the chase and go get hosting, I recommend

MomWebs Hosting

I’ve used many different hosting companies over the years and this is my all time favorite. (And no, it’s not just for moms )

Tips on choosing a web hosting company for your blog and some of my thoughts about hosting.

The good news is that although it’s best to choose carefully and never have to make a change, changing hosting companies is not all that difficult. However, you must keep backups of all you files so that you have everything you need should things go bad.

For me, reliability is my number one requirement. I want my sites to be up and running and loading quickly all the time. Again, nothing is perfect, but I look for a company with an excellent record of uptime (99% or better) and a good backup system in place.

Most hosting companies offer some sort of uptime guarantee. But what does that really mean? Usually there’s some sort of refund policy if your site is down for some defined period of time for things that are in the hosting company’s control (equipment failure and the like, but not natural disasters for example). For me, getting a couple dollars back doesn’t make up for the potential loss of income and the frustration if my sites are down for any length of time.

When you start looking at hosting you will be presented with different server options – (shared hosting, dedicated server, or VPS for example). For a reasonably sized business blog, shared hosting is fine. The other options are for sites that have specialized needs for certain programs and scripts, or require extra server space that isn’t offered for shared hosting.

Great support is also a necessity for me. If something does go wrong you want quick and knowledgeable help. In addition to providing support for your hosting account, MomWebs offers a helper line to assist you with other questions about running an online business.

While I normally don’t put price as one of my highest priorities in choosing web hosting, budget constraints are a reality, especially when starting out. Prices can vary widely but I would say that on average you should be able to get what you need to run a basic blog for $5 to $7 a month.

The ability to easily upgrade to a larger account or add more services is another must have. While a basic $5 account will likely be sufficient for quite some time, should the need arise for a more disk space or bandwidth or additional programs and scripts, you’ll want the transition to be simple.

For a WordPress site you will also need a server running PHP version 4.3 or greater, a MySQL (version 4.1.2 or greater) database and the Apace mod_rewrite module (or access to the .htaccess file). Most basic hosting plans include these features, but if they aren’t listed, contact support and ask before you purchase hosting.

If you plan on installing WordPress yourself you will need to be able to access the server to set up a database, upload files to your server either through FTP or your control panel, and a text editor. Alternatively, you might want to choose a company that provides “one click” installation of WordPress, often available through a feature called Fantasico.

If this is all starting to sound overwhelming, don’t stress over it. Just head over to MomWebs Hosting, click on Blog Installation in the top menu, follow the instructions to order a mini plan and basic blog installation, and you’ll soon have a blog all set up and ready for you to start posting.

One of the most often asked questions about choosing hosting is “how much bandwidth and disk space do I need?” Honestly, I have the hardest time finding a good answer. A big part of the problem with answering the question is that it really does “depend”. If you plan on hosting a lot of video and audio files you’ll need more disk space than a blog that’s primarily text. And allowing visitors to upload and download files means more bandwidth is required. When comparing hosting companies I think you’ll find that plans that are similarly priced offer similar bandwidth and disk space so unless you have a special need for more space, choose based on other factors and just make sure you can upgrade easily if need be.

There are companies that offer “unlimited” bandwidth and disk space, but as far as I can tell, that’s not possible. Any server can only handle so much data and you’ll likely find some limits defined in the terms of use. I’m not saying there’s any reason not to choose an unlimited account, just be sure you understand exactly what it means.

There are many hosting review sites out there and I remind you to take into consideration that many review sites for which they are affiliates. Having said that, I feel compelled to also say that I too make recommendations using affiliate links, and I am an affiliate for MomWebs Hosting. But I also host this site and others with them, so I think it’s a safe presumption that I find their service to be high quality. The review sites can be very helpful in comparing different hosts, and if they have experience with the companies they are recommending then I would presume their review is trustworthy as well.

Also keep in mind that you can find disgruntled customers for almost any hosting company. If you see a few negatives about a company I wouldn’t worry too much as long as you can also find a good number of happy customers.

The bottom line is this. Look for an affordable company with reliable service, good customer support, average disk space and bandwidth, the ability to easily upgrade, and any additional features you may need. You can find all of that at MomWebs Hosting.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Choose Blog Web Hosting

What to expect:

• High quality, well organized training. Kelly and I have been online friends and associates for 8 or 9 years now and I can assure you she’s one smart blogger and business woman, and a great coach. She really wants you to succeed!
• Fifteen weekly lessons including printed material and audio recordings.
• You’ll develop blogging skills and habits that will help you make your blog an ongoing success.

The course is intended for WordPress bloggers (installed on your own site) so if you don’t already have a blog, buy a domain name and run over to MomWebs for hosting and blog installation. You can still benefit from the course if you use a different blogging platform, but at times you’ll have to figure out some stuff on your own because there is some WordPress specific instruction.

Click here to register right now. It’s very affordable and there is a payment plan if it’s a stretch for you to pay the whole fee upfront.

Let me know how it works out for you. And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section below and I’ll get an answer for you.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Do You Need More Structured Blog Coaching?

There are many domain registrars to choose from. Whichever registrar you use, I recommend making sure they are accredited by, or are a reseller for a company accredited by, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN manages the assignment of all IP addresses and domain names.

I have domains registered at three different services and would recommend any of them.

1. A couple years ago I came across a good review and a discount coupon for Namecheap and have used them regularly since then. Two things I like about them are that they offer WhoisGuard for free for the first year of registration, and they often offer a coupon for new registrations. (WhoisGuard is explained below.)You can pay with a credit card, PayPal, or Google Checkout. One thing I don’t like is that because I pay with PayPal I have to remember to fund my Namecheap account before they come up for automatic renewal to avoid any risk of losing my domain names. (That may be the same for other registrars. I don’t know because it’s the only place I’ve used PayPal for domain registration.) Registrars all give plenty of warning before it’s time to renew, but I’d really prefer to have the whole process automatic “just in case.” I probably should just switch to a credit card payment to solve that little annoyance.
2. GoDaddy is probably the best-known of the domain registrars. They are the first service I used and I still have a few domain names registered there. What I like about them is their solid reputation.

   Find out why I transferred my domains away from GoDaddy and will no longer do business with them.

   Coupons are also available and some say that using coupons they can usually get a better price than at Namecheap. What you have to watch out for at GoDaddy is their upsells, some of which may be preselected for you during the check out process. Payment options include credit cards, PayPal, echeck, and wire transfer.

3. I have registered domains through InternetBasedMomsHosting”s because it’s owned by a friend and I like to support my friends. It’s a reseller service for a major domain registrar.

Here’s a quick walk through of how to register a domain at Namecheap. The other registrars’ processes are very similar:

1 – On the home page, fill in the search section with your chosen domain name. If you are registering something other than a .com, choose the top level domain type from the drop down list (.net, .org, .biz, etc), and then simply click the search button.

2 – If the domain name is already taken you will be presented that message, and you’ll also be provided with a list of any of the alternative top level domains that are available. As discussed in How to Choose a Domain Name my recommendation is to stick with a .com.

Use the search box to enter your 2nd choice and so on until you find an available name.

3 – When you find an available domain name you will be presented with a “buy now” button. Click it.

4 – The shopping cart will show your domain name and includes any extras you added. The default registration is for one year and you can add additional years if you prefer. I recommend leaving WhoisGuard selected in the shopping cart. You can change it later in the process if you decide against it.

You may also be asked if you want to enable SSL. SSL is needed when you collect sensitive information from your users such as passwords or credit card payments. More information about SSL.

Be sure to add your coupon code on the right hand side of the shopping cart. (For a limited time during the month of February, 2012 the Namecheap coupon code is DOMAININ.)

5 – Log in or create an account. If this is your first purchase you will need to create and account. The terms of service require that you provide your real name and accurate contact information and keep it up to date. If you don’t use privacy protection this information will be available to the public (more about that in the options section below).

6 – Next is the options screen. Here you can select whether a public or private registration. Public registrations will be visible in the whois.com directory. The whois directory allows people to type in a website and view the owner’s personal identity. If you do not want your personal information shown, choose private registration (WhoisGuard is free for the first year at Namecheap; subsequent years will be billed. Other registrars likely charge a small fee for privacy protection.)

In the nameservers section leave the default “use our free name servers” selected (unless you already have your hosting and site set up). You will change that later when you have your site ready for public viewing. You hosting company will provide you with the information you need to set the nameservers.

The “URL forwarding services” section is used only if you are redirecting the new domain to an existing domain. Again, that’s something you can do later if need be.

“Email Forwarding Services” would only be used if you are setting up a domain name solely for a new email address that you want to forward to an existing email address.

7 – And the last step is to select your payment option and complete your purchase.

After your domain is registered (and in some cases during the process) you must also select whether you want the registry to automatically renew your domain when it expires. You will be notified by email either way, but if you want to make sure you don’t inadvertently lose the domain, set automatic renewal.

Ready to Register Your Domain Name? Get a discount when you register your domain at Namecheap using coupon code DOMAININ (Available for a limited time in February, 2012; check back next month for the new code).

Have any questions? Post them in the comments section and I’ll answer them right away.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Register a Domain Name for Your Blog

What is a domain name? Essentially, it is the name of your website and what you enter in your browser to get to a website. It is an alphanumeric representation of your IP address – your address on the Internet. For this website, LindaStacy.com is the domain name.

If you already have a website to which you’re adding a blog, you can put the blog in a subdirectory and name it whatever you like. For example, YourSite.com/blog or YourSite.com/tips. If your website domain name is not descriptive of your business, you could make the subdirectory more descriptive. For example, YourSite.com/candles or YourSite.com/candle-tips.

If you are looking for a new domain name for your blog there are several considerations.

While you may want to choose a domain name that is descriptive of your blog and contains your primary keyword phrase, I think it’s most important to keep your visitors in mind, as well as your goals and plans for your blog.

Choose a domain name that is easy to say, easy to spell, and easy to remember. You may have heard reference to the “Oprah test” when choosing a domain name. Picture yourself being introduced by Oprah (or anyone else) and having her say your domain name. You don’t want people wondering what she said or how to spell it. For example, say the domain name JustForWomen.com out loud. How will someone know whether it’s for, four or 4 in the middle? And what if a potential client types in Just4Women.com and finds someone else’s website there?

Having a keyword rich domain name can help you achieve better ranking in the search engines, but again, don’t sacrifice your visitors’ experience to include your keywords. You might want ErgonomicallyDesignedComputerDesks.com, but it’s a lot to say, pronounce, spell and remember. Instead, choose something easier to remember and use other methods to optimize those keywords.

Ideally, your domain name should be no more than 22 characters, and the shorter the better. I recommend against using hyphens, again because it’s too hard to say the hyphens when giving out your domain name. In addition to avoiding numbers try to stay away from homonyms – is it their or there, too or to, see or sea? And when using multiple words, carefully consider whether it’s clear what the words are. Does childrenswear.com sell clothes or help break a child’s bad habit?

It’s best to stick with the .com extension unless you have a specific reason for using one of the others (such as .org for a non-profit). Websites ending with any other extensions other than a .com may not seem as credible to potential customers and clients simply because the .com extension is considered to the be standard. Additionally, most people automatically use the “.com” when typing in a domain name either on the web or in email so you may lose some customers that way.

Then there’s the question of whether or not to use your own name as your domain name. I chose to do so for this site for a couple of reasons. One is that I’ve been active online for a good number of years under my own name and I use my name on social media sites and forums. Since I’m known online people may be searching for me by name and I’ll be more visible with this domain name. I also plan on blogging about several different topics, but wanted some separation without having to buy a domain name and set up a different website for each topic. Of course an alternative would be to use a generic domain name, however another reason I used LindaStacy.com is because had been in existence for some time and already had Google ranking.

The big disadvantage to using your own name as your domain name is that it will be difficult to sell the site in the future should I want to. Who else will want to own and run a website called LindaStacy.com?

A keyword tool like Google’s Keyword Suggestion Tool, along with a thesaurus can help you find a suitable domain name. There are also domain name suggestion tools such as DomainsBot.com that may be useful.

Using these tips and a little creativity you should be able to find a great domain name. There’s no need to get overly obsessed with finding the perfect one. A less than perfect domain name doesn’t spell failure, however it is definitely worth the effort to find the right domain name.

Once you have chosen it, you are ready to Register Your Domain Name.

Already have your domain name picked out and already know how to register it? Get a discount at Namecheap using coupon code DOMAININ (For a limited time in February, 2012; check back next month for the new code).

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Blog

Of course if you already have an existing business and you are adding a blog as a marketing tool, your topic is pretty much predetermined. But consider the following tips to help insure success.

1. Choose a topic that interests you and that you can see yourself writing about for a long time. This is not a “set it and forget it” endeavor. To be a successful blogger requires regular posts over the long term.
2. Write about what you know. While it’s not impossible to research and write about a new topic, having at least some knowledge of the topic makes it easier to keep up with regular posting.
3. How popular is the topic? If you want to gain an audience, make sure other people are also interested in the topic. But keep in mind that the more popular a topic the more competition you’ll have. One way to compete in a popular topic is to put a new spin on it to carve out a niche for yourself. Do you have a unique perspective on the topic or can you fill a gap that others have neglected?
4. If you intend make money with your blog, consider the income potential of the topic. A large audience doesn’t necessarily mean there’s good income potential. The Google Keyword Tool can be used as one indicator of income potential. In a keyword search result, the “competition” column indicates how many advertisers bid on the keyword and the average cost per click indicates the cost for advertisers. Other indicators might be availability of affiliate programs, how many paid advertisements competitors show, and sales on online auctions and similar sites.
5. Will you have enough to say on the topic? While you want a unique perspective on the topic, you don’t want to choose too narrow a topic. You’ll want to update your blog regularly so be sure you’ll have plenty to say on the topic.

When adding a blog to an existing business, you will want to stay on topic, but depending on your product or service, consider your unique angle. For example, if your business is jewelry, you’ll find countless blogs on the topic, but perhaps you can find a niche in jewelry for special occasions, personalized jewelry, or a particular brand or style.

Blogs exist for almost any topic you can think of, but successful business blogs are the ones that gain a loyal audience. By carefully choosing your blog topic, you are more likely to become a successful blogger.

Image courtesy of seo_gun

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Choose a Blog Topic

It should be noted that Movable Type isn’t for the technophobe. You’ll definitely need to be comfortable with coding including HTML and CSS. You’ll want to understand what goes into installing something onto your server or hosted server and how to manage files. That being said, you can pay the pros at Movable Type to install it for you. But remember, you’ll still need to manage the updates, upgrades and blog management.

Step One: What License Should You Consider?

Visit Movable Type, www.movabletype.com. Make sure it is the .com extension and not the .org extension. .Org is for developers. You’ll see that there are a variety of download options. Some are free, some cost $1000 or more. As a beginning blogger or entrepreneur you likely have two choices. They are:

• Blogger License – this option is free. It’s for someone who is blogging for fun or for money. However, you need to be an individual or a sole proprietor. You can absolutely monetize and profit from your blog. You just cannot be a corporation or partnership. If you’ve registered your business as an LLC you may need to check with the developers to determine which licensing is right for you. It should also be noted that once you have an account with Movable Type you can create any number of blogs.
• Business License – this option is not free. It costs $395 and doesn’t include hosting. You’ll have to find a host or host your blog on your own server. Most hosting costs around $10/month. If you have a company, corporation, partnership or other business organization and you’re using the software to make money you’ll need to purchase this license.

Step Two: Download Your Product

Once you’ve made the choice, it’s time to download and install your product to your hosting server. You may want to outsource this task to an administrative assistant who is familiar with Movable Type or pay the fee to have the developers at Movable Type install it for you. This can seem complicated if you’re unfamiliar with the technology.

Step Three: Design

One of the many well reviewed features of Movable Type is the user interface and the ability to customize your blog design. In the beginning you may want to simply upload one of the templates or have a template designed for you by a Movable Type theme designer. Installing a theme from another designer is a bit technical but if you’ve managed the Movable Type install process yourself then installing a new theme should be easy enough. You’ll unpack it, add it to your folder directory, select “Apply a New Template Set” and choose the new theme on your dashboard and create your blog. From there you’ll adjust your settings and begin blogging.

Like any blog you’ll want to pay attention to your statistics and build an audience before you begin any heavy monetization strategy. The secret to online success and profits is a quality foundation of valuable content. Build your content foundation first and then you can begin to profit.

Blog Platform Comparison Chart

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to use Movable Type

If you’ve decided TypePad is your platform of choice let’s take a look at the steps you’ll want to take to get started and use TypePad.

Step One: Sign Up

With TypePad you get a free trial. By all means take advantage of this. It’s a great, risk free, way to try a platform. If you decide you don’t like it, well you’ve lost nothing in the process except a little time.

Most people, according to TypePad, choose the Unlimited Plan. With this plan you have limitless ability to customize your blog. It’s $14.95 a month. You’ll be asked to create your blog’s URL or domain name right away so be sure you have it prepared. Initially it’ll have .typepad as part of your address. You can change that later so don’t worry. You’ll also need to enter your payment information at this point in time.

Step Two: Creating Your Design

Once your account has been created then it’s time to start designing your blog. This is the fun part. Experts say this is where TypePad really stands above the rest. Creating your blog design is easy and fun. You can get a professional looking design quickly.

Once your account is created you’ll have access to your dashboard. There you will see a link labeled, “Create a Blog.” You can also choose the “Add a Blog” from the Blogs menu on the navigation bar.

TypePad works by letting you essentially layer your design. And it provides you with a step by step design process. The first step is to choose a theme. There are hundreds of themes to choose from. From that point, you then choose a layout. There are five layouts to choose from. They vary depending on the number of columns you want, one, two or three, and the location of those columns.

You can then also add widgets and drag and drop items to reorganize them on your design. As you’re creating your blog’s design TypePad gives you a preview so you can see how things look. It’s also important to know that you can purchase TypePad themes online along with custom headers to change the look of your blog. You aren’t limited to the themes TypePad offers – though there are hundreds of them.

A note about editing CSS, If you’re comfortable editing the blog’s code, aka CSS, you can do that with TypePad. I recommend starting small like changing the color of an element before getting into advanced CSS.

Once your design is ready, head into your “Settings” and make the necessary adjustments depending on your needs and goals. For example, do you want to allow comments?

Step Three: Creating Pages and Posts

Your final step is to start creating the content on your blog. Have a plan in mind before you start adding content. What pages do you want to have on your blog? What will you name them? Will you use keywords to help optimize your blog?

You’re now ready to blog! One of the great things about TypePad is that you can publish your blog and continue to tinker with the design until you’re happy with the results. Have fun and happy blogging!

Blog Platform Comparison Chart

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to Use TypePad

You can make money with AdSense, Google’s advertising program that pays you for placing advertisements on your blog. You can also become an affiliate for Amazon and earn commissions on products you promote. Additionally, there are customization limitations. Nonetheless, Blogger is used by thousands of people around the world.

Let’s take a look at how to use blogger to build your first blog.

Step One: Create Your Account

Visit Blogger at www.blogger.com. If you have a Google account you can sign in with your account information. If you don’t have a Google account, simply click “Get Started” and you’ll be guided through the sign up process.

Step Two: Name Your Blog

Once you have an account simply click on “Create a Blog” or visit your “dashboard” and click on “Create a blog.” You’ll then be asked to choose your blog title and address. For example, the title could be Jane Smith and the address janesmith, which will result in a URL of http://janesmith.blogger.com. If you own your own domain name or wish to purchase one, you can use the “Custom Domain” to set your URL to omething like www.janesmith.com.

Step Three: Design Your Blog

Now it’s time for some fun. Blogger offers hundreds of templates to choose from and you can customize a template with your own background image and modifications. It’s a layering process. You’ll choose your template, then your layout, width of the columns, background image and colors. You can also change the fonts for the various categories.

For example, Tabs, links, headers and so on. Spend some time creating your design but also know that nothing is permanent. You can start blogging today and modify your design as you go. When your design is ready to go click on “Apply to Blog” or “Create” and you’re ready to move onto the next step.

Step Four: Final Touches

Head back into your dashboard and you can now monetize your blog. Click on the “Monetize” tab and you can sign up for AdSense and Amazon affiliates. You can also add gadgets simply by clicking on the design tab and clicking on “Add a gadget” in the area where you’d like to add a new element.

Click on the “settings” tab and you can make the necessary modifications. For example, do you want to publish email post links? This makes it easy for others to link to your blog. Simply change the box from “no” to “yes” and you’re good to go. Click “Save Settings.” Notice that there are settings tabs for a number of your blog’s elements – from publishing to permissions. Go through all of these and set them to you preferences. Again, these aren’t set in stone and you can modify them as needed.

Step Five: Start Posting

Start posting to your blog and marketing your blog. Pay attention to the stats on your blog. What are people reading? How are they finding your blog? This information will help you create a blog that meets your blogging and business needs.

Blog Platform Comparison Chart

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How to use Blogger

A blogging platform is essentially the technology and software behind it. For example, Blogger, TypePad and WordPress are all blogging platforms. Many people head straight to WordPress because of the platform’s infinite ability for customization and it’s easy to use nature.

If you’re like many bloggers researching WordPress brings instant confusion. There are two WordPress platforms! Actually, the platform is the same. The difference is hosting.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is hosted on the WordPress group of servers. This means you do not have to worry about finding or paying for hosting. However, it also means your blog address will include the words WordPress.com. So your blog’s URL will look something like this: http://yourblogurl.wordpress.com/postheadline/

It is possible to use your own domain name for your WordPress.com blog using domain mapping. There is annual fee for that.

If you are blogging for business, be careful to understand what is and is not permitted on WordPress.com.

You also cannot upload plug-ins to customize your blog. On the other hand you also don’t have to worry about backing up your content or protecting it from hackers. WordPress handles all of the security, upgrades and technical aspects of hosting a blog.

WordPress.org

For most business owners the choice is to host their own blog. This means heading over to WordPress.org. Owning your own blog means more freedom on how you use it. There are no design or monetization restrictions when you own your own blog. However, you also need to yourself.

If technology and the idea of hosting your own blog seems intimidating, don’t let it scare you. You can find a host online starting at about $5 a month. And registering your WordPress blog address and redirecting it to your host is easy. And if it’s more than you want to handle you can always hire a virtual assistant to handle it for you. It’ll take them less than an hour to accomplish. WordPress also offers the service but they charge $119 to redirect your blog to a self hosted site.

The difference, in a nutshell, is hosting. WordPress.org is a self hosted blog. WordPress.com is a blog hosted on WordPress servers. Ultimately the decision is yours and it depends largely on the purpose for your blog. If you’re blogging simply because you want to build a community and connect with others then there’s no reason to host your own blog. If you’re blogging to build a business and make money then you will want to own your own blog and have more control over the design and functionality.

Blog Platform Comparison Chart

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. What’s The Difference Between WordPress.Org and WordPress.Com?

One of the first decisions to be made is where to blog or which blogging platform to use. There are many options including free and paid hosted services, or you can set up and install a blog on your own domain name and hosting.

One of the most important considerations in deciding where to blog is the purpose of your blog. Is your blog going to be a business blog (or money-making blog) or strictly a personal journal? Think about what you might want to do in the future as well. While it’s possible to move your blog to a different platform later on, I recommend starting where you can likely stay put.

Two popular hosted services are Blogger and WordPress.com (Note – there is a difference between WordPress.com and the self-hosted version of WordPress at WordPress.org).

Blog Platform Comparison Chart

Many people who are just getting started are attracted to these services because they are free. But if you are even considering a money-making blog, I urge you not to use a free service. In addition to appearing less professional, these free services place additional restrictions on what you can market and how. Many people will tell you that WordPress.com doesn’t allow business blogs at all, but their TOS doesn’t expressly prohibit them. However, it can be a bit tricky to stay on the site of “allowable.” In my opinion, it’s not worth the risk of losing your blog, especially when it’s very inexpensive to purchase a domain name and hosting to set up your own blog.

Blogger.com seems more accepting of business blogs, but again, there are rules about what is allowed, and you can find many stories of people losing their Blogger.com blogs. On the other hand, I know of people who have successfully run a business blog for years on Blogger.

That being said, for a strictly personal blog, Blogger.com or WordPress.com blog may be a good choice because of their ease of use. Just by signing up for an account and making a few choices about design and colors, you can very quickly start writing.

Both have support documentation and active support forums where a large community of users are willing to help.

Another option is to consider a paid, hosted service which provides ease of use, professional support, custom templates, more design control. Two popular paid services are TypePad – starting at $8.95 per month (free trial to try it out) – and SquareSpace – starting at $12 per month (free trial to try it out).

My recommendation is the platform I use for blogging, and for static websites. It’s the self-hosted WordPress platform. With the right hosting you can use the one-click installation provided by the hosting company, and be set up and writing in minutes.

One of the biggest advantages to the self-hosted version of WordPress is that you have complete ownership of your blog and more control over it. As long as you pay your hosting bill and aren’t posting illegal content, there’s little chance that you’ll lose your blog. Additionally, with a self-hosted blog there are more options for customization using themes and templates, and more functionality through the use of plugins.

Another reason to use a self-hosted blog, particularly for business, is that it gives a more professional appearance. Using a free service may give the appearance that you’re just trying it out or just dabbling in something. When you’re willing to spend a little, you look more serious.

FAQ: Why Should I Pay for Web Hosting?

While there is a bit of a learning curve to customize your blog and make use of the many available features, it’s really not difficult. Here at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging, I’ll walk you through installation (both one-click and manual), customization, content, and marketing. You can get started blogging right away and continue to customize as you go.

To get started, follow the posts listed at the bottom of Create a Blog From Start to Success.

I encourage you to ask questions along the way either by commenting on any of my blog posts or by contacting me.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. Free Blog Service, Paid Blog Service, or Self Hosted Blog?

You may already have developed your own website or a company you represent may have provided a website for you. You might even have set up profiles and pages on social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Those are all good ideas and can certainly be beneficial to your business, but perhaps you should also add a blog to your arsenal of online marketing tools.

You want to use every available option when promoting your business, whether offline or online and a blog can be effective for promoting your business. It can help you meet new prospective customers and help build trust and loyalty. A blog can help develop and publicize your expertise. It can be used to stay in touch with your customers and interact with them. A blog can truly help your business reach a new level.

Consider your goals for having a blog and write them down. Know what you want to accomplish with your blog before you write your first post. Think about the people that will be reading your blog and design your blog with them in mind. Make it your goal to to create a strong link between yourself and your customers and prospects. Use your blog as a business tool, not a site for letting off steam about personal issues.

Your blog can be used to build trusting relationships, promote sales, and interact with customers and prospects. People want to do business with someone they know and trust. By using your blog to provide your customers and prospects with useful information, products news, recall notices and other important tidbits that relate to their needs, you gain their trust and establish that you are there for them. Make sure your posts matter to your customers and prospects and provide information they will appreciate and use.

Everyone likes to interact with the people they purchase from. A blog is a fantastic arena for questions, suggestions, and even debate. By keeping a blog, you are giving your customers and prospects a forum to ask questions, seek advice, offer comments on your product or service’s quality and simply form a personal relationship with you.

You can promote sales by blogging about your products and linking directly to the page where the product can be purchased.

It is easy to see why blogging has become so popular. Millions of people use their blog to express themselves every day. Why not take advantage of this tool and use it to help your business grow? All it takes is a little bit of time and thought, and a desire to offer move value for your customers and prospects.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. How a Blog Can Help Your Business

Blog entries, called posts, are added regularly. In the case of personal blogs, posts are made almost daily, while others may update several times a week or just a few times a month. Posts are typically listed in reverse order so the most recent posts appear at the top of home page or posts page.

Most blogs are written by one author, called a blogger, and reader input is usually encouraged by way of comments on individual posts. Corporate, service agency, or community blogs may have a team of contributors.

Blogs have become an increasingly popular way to establish a web presence because of their relative ease of use (compared to traditional web design and HTML coding), because the software required to publish a blog is free, and because there are also services that also provide free online space on which to host a blog.

Some of the earliest bloggers (Justin Hall, Jerry Pournelle, and Dave Winer) began online journaling in the early 1990′s. These early blogs were traditional websites that were manually updated on a regular basis. Starting in 1998, s blogging became more popular, blog tools and hosted blog sites made their appearance. By 2004, blogging became fairly mainstream.
(Source: Wikipedia – Blog)

It should be noted that while many people consider “blog” to be synonymous with the software used to run a blog, a blogging platform can also be used to run a more traditional looking website.

Your blog can be a personal journal, a creative outlet, a way to share personal, social, and political commentary, or a business tool. It can be whatever you make it.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy Recommends Blogging. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles. What Exactly Is A Blog?