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The Interactive Way to Build Your Business Blogging has come of age as a business tool on the Web. Websites and blogs are important ways of owning a piece of what's known as "Internet Real Estate." Both serve to carve out your place on the Web, and each functions a little differently.
Originally popular as a kind of online diary, the usefulness of a blog in the dissemination of current information, quickly became apparent.Because of the interactive nature of a blog, or weblog, this social site has emerged as the perfect platform for connecting directly with your visitors. Entrepreneurs have embraced blogging with a passion.
The Basics
Creating your own blog, and mastering the use of it - like anything else in this Internet adventure - has a learning curve.There are 4 basic components needed to construct a blog. 1. Blogging software
Setting up the blog itself is not difficult. The most popular blogging software to date is Wordpress. This is an open source program, and is free. 2. Web host
You will need a web host for your blog. Although this can also be done for free, it is safer to pay for your hosting. Find a good web host that offers easy uploading of your blog software, and good support.
3. Theme
This is simply the design and look of the blog. Fonts, colors, the basic layout. You will need to select a theme. There are many free themes available. However, for the novice blogger, it may be better to purchase what's known as a "premium theme" that comes with its own tutorials and support.
4. Plugins
There are many, many free third party plugins. These each add a specific functionality to your blog, and are an essential part of the process. Plugins can add anything from SEO features to easy ways to organize your readers' comments. |
You can learn how to set up your blog. There are tutorials and forums and training programs to help you on your way. And then comes the next step.
The Art of Blogging
Once your blog is set up, then you need to start posting. Again, there will be a learning curve. • What do you post? • How do you write all those posts?
• What are the elements of a good blog post?
• How do you respond to comments?
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Reciprocity Blogging by nature, requires keeping up to date on topics relevant to your niche, and posting regularly . How do you do all that writing, and where do you get the information - all that content? Look to other blogs for content and ideas for your posts. Find blogs, articles and posts you really like, that have some relationship to your niche. Repost someone else's original post on your blog, with a link back to theirs. That blogger is likely to return the favor. That's reciprocity. And once some of your information appears on their blog - with a link back to your site - you have suddenly acquired a whole new viewing audience. |
Study the blogs of successful entrepreneurs. Learn from the masters.
There are numerous tricks to finding both ideas for your own original content as well as other blog posts that you can then repost.
Content for Your Blog Posts: 2 Hot Tips Tip Number 1:Look for websites that specialize in posting links to the hottest topics and blogs. One such site is
POPURLS
which posts web links to the most popular sites of the day. That's useful to you, because it tells you that many folks are visiting these sites. They're interested in the information. Go take a look. Harvest what works for you. Repost it or rewrite it in your own words. Tip Number 2:
Type your keywords into a search engine and note what articles appear in the list. Take a look. Any useful ideas? Explore this material for ideas, or find other posts to repost to your own blog.
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Blogging can be both fun and rewarding.
Do your research, take your time in setting up your blog and learn from those who have gone before.
Jan's blog: WriterJan.com
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