February 15, 2008

A Guide to Blogging

When I was eight or nine years old, I was given a journal by my parents. As a kid, it was quite the treat: my chance to start writing about my hobbies and to fulfill a (tiny) wish to become an author. But there's a problem with journals: you generally don't share them with other people, and even if you did, it'd still be too hard to pass your thoughts around without the help of a publisher (or, if you were like me at that age, a printer and lots of spare time).

Many years later, I started my first weblog, and it finally fulfilled my dream of being able to share my work with other people. But ironically, that didn't last long, either: as I wrote more and more, I realized that my writing was boring. There was nothing compelling about what I had to say, and I struggled figuring out what would make my blog interesting to other people. So after many attempts and retries at the medium over the course of a few years, the blog I have today is the one I wished I had done in the first place.

Blogging is a wonderful phenomenon, however. It costs virtually nothing to produce and has empowered millions of people with the ability to reach a massive audience easily- as long as they have the drive to do it. As cliche as that might seem, I nevertheless feel the need to reitorate it, because not enough talented people write. I'm not sure if that's a result of laziness or fear to try, but believe me- it's easy once you dip your feet in the water. Hopefully this article will kindle an interest in those folks who are on the fence about giving it a shot.

The Big Question

"So why should I do this blogging thing, anyway?"

I like to think that most folks, even if they don't think about it on a regular basis, are really good at least one thing. My friends' talents are quite diverse- one's a software developer, another a fantastic artist, a third a born musician- the list goes on. They each have their own field of expertise they could convey in thousands of words, but of those three listed, only one actually does. One in three isn't bad, but I could pick out a dozen or more talented folks I know to tip the scales for worse.

So here's your answer: blogging will make you a better person. You'll meet people with similar interests as you, educate them about your skills, and learn something new from them. You'll increase your web presence, become well-rounded in topics you weren't in before, and save Gotham from the Joker. Well, maybe not the latter, since you're (probably) not Batman, but that other stuff will definitely happen.

So let's say I have you convinced. Next question: where should you start?

The first step to creating a blog, before you actually go about creating one, is to ask yourself who you're writing to. Sit down with a warm drink, a pen and pad of paper, and think about two things: the topic you have a passion for, and the audience you're aiming at.

However, writing about strictly one topic can be difficult, if not impossible, when you start to publish on a regular basis. But this is what makes blogging so fun: people like to read about subjects that compliment each other. So if you're a design fanatic, why not write about the web too? If you're a music geek, how about dropping in your thoughts about films?

Broaden your choices and think about everything you would like writing about before you just dive in. There's a good chance that, if you're interested in a few different topics, there's probably a sizable population that wants to hear someone talk about them.

Getting Started

Okay, so you've got a plan and maybe even some ideas for your first posts- now, it's time to make this idea real.

In case you're not familiar with the technical hubbubs of a weblog, the vast majority of them use what's called a content management system ("CMS"). This is the backbone for your website, and it'll make editing, publishing and managing your blog extremely easy; if your blog were a car, this would be the engine. And just like picking out a good car, finding a good CMS will be vital to you in the long run.

Deciding which CMS is right for you is entirely based on what kind of writing you'll be doing. Whereas some beginners might not take it farther than a hobby, if you're approaching it as, say, an extension of your profession, you'll probably need more out of your software than the hobbyist will.

That being said, here's the lowdown.

If you don't own a website or pay for web hosting, your best choices would probably be Blogger or WordPress. Both have solid publishing tools and a myriad of elegant templates, and are generally good choices for beginners. But if you: a.) have a web host and, b.) are fairly technically adept, you might also enjoy Movable Type or ExpressionEngine; these systems require a little more work to install, but are generally easier to use than hosted services (Movable Type runs this site, but Sean Sperte's introduction to ExpressionEngine may give you an idea of how stellar it is). If you happen to be right in the middle- you have a web host but aren't too keen on the geeky details- many web hosts offer WordPress as a 1-click installation, too (check with them first).

Perhaps the very best way to pinpoint the right software would be to just take a few different services for a spin. Go ahead and try out Blogger and WordPress and see how you like different aspects of their interface: the text editor, templates, flexibility, etc. You're not necessarily going to like everything about each one you try, but hopefully one of them will give you good vibes. Your blog, in some ways, is an extension of your personality, so you want to have the right tools on hand to adjust it for your liking.

Be an Artist

I stated before that blogging is a phenomenon, and it really is: the opportunity to publish your words for the masses for almost nothing is a great one. But it's not just about putting something down and pressing "Save": writing is an art form.

The very best blogs are the ones that deliver content so great that a potential subscriber couldn't find something like it in any other weblog. It's not about spreading the news you heard from a major media outlet: it's to have a discussion with your readers. If you can make your material fun to read, you will develop this one-on-one relationship.

There's another important tip any prospective blogger needs to know: don't be discouraged from starting out small. Really. Patience is a virtue, and to gain a readerbase, you have to keep writing well. Before I started publishing this blog, I spent about two weeks reading other blogs akin to this one- not to copy an idea for a post, but to give me a "roadmap" for the kind of material I was interested in publishing. I highly recommend you do the same, if you're not totally confident in your ability or content choices.

But of all things, don't get too stressed out over it. Writing can be challenging, but by the same token, it's also incredibly rewarding. Simply put, if there's one thing you should get out of your work, it's the satisfaction that you published something interesting and enjoyable for others to read.

Links You Might Enjoy