Starting a Blog - Reviews, Tutorials and More
By Susan Gunelius, About.com Guide
Starting a blog just got easier! Learn the basics of blogging from what to do before you begin to creating your blog, developing your blog and the rules of the blogosphere.
- Before You Start a Blog
- Selecting a Blogging Application and Host
- Team Blogs and Multi-Author Blogs
- Creating & Managing a Blog
- Designing a Blog
- Writing a Blog
- Parts of a Blog
- Blogging Tools and Add-ons
- WordPress Plugins
- Wordpress Tips and Tutorials
- Developing a Successful Blog
- Blogging Rules and Ethics
- Reading and Finding Blogs
- Popular Blogs and Bloggers
- Blogging Reference Guide
Before You Start a Blog
Before you join the blogosphere, take a look at these articles to make sure you're ready.
- What is a Blog?
- Before You Start a Blog Determine if Blogging is Right for You
- Quiz - Should You Start a Blog?
- Top 10 Reasons to Start a Blog
- Top 5 Reasons Why People Blog
- 5 Elements to Start a Blog Successfully
- 5 Tips to Choosing a Blog Topic
- 5 Steps to Start a Niche Blog
- Choose a Domain Name for Your Blog
- 5 Things to Avoid in a Blog Domain Name
- 5 Easy Ways to Ruin Your Blog
- 5 Things You Might Not Like about Blogging
- Top 10 Blogging Books
- 5 Great Kindle Books for Beginner Bloggers
Selecting a Blogging Application and Host
Learn about the various blogging applications and hosts to help you choose the best one for you.
- 6 Questions to Ask to Find the Best Blogging Software for You
- Blogging Application Comparison
- Your Turn - Which Blogging Application Do You Use?
- Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org
- Should You Pay for WordPress.com Upgrades or Use WordPress.org?
- Blogging with Wordpress
- Review of Blogger.com
- Review of Typepad.com
- What Is Tumblr?
- Tumblr Features for Bloggers
- What Is LiveJournal?
- What Is Posterous?
- Types of Blog Hosts
- 5 Tips to Choose a Blog Host
- 5 Popular Blog Hosts
- How to Change Blog Hosts in 4 Easy Steps
- Choosing a Blog Host: BlueHost Overview
- Tutorial: How to Sign up for Blog Hosting with BlueHost
Team Blogs and Multi-Author Blogs
Learn how to create and manage a team blog and the multiple contributors who write for a team blog.
- How to Develop a Team Blog
- Best Applications to Create a Team Blog
- How to Create a Team Blog Style Guide
- Team Blog Online Communication and Collaboration Tools
- What Does a Blog Editor Do?
Creating & Managing a Blog
These tutorials and lessons will help you start your blog and manage it throughout its lifecycle.
- How to Create a Blog for Free in 4 Easy Steps
- Tutorial: How to Start a Free Blog at Blogger.com
- How to Start a Free Blog in Wordpress
- Introduction to FTP for Bloggers
- 10 Steps to Start a Blog with WordPress.org
- 10 Step Blog Maintenance Checklist
- 5 Must-Do Blog Protection Precautions
- 5 Steps for Quick Blog Spring Cleaning
- How to Create a Podcast in 10 Easy Steps
- How to Create a Vlog in 10 Easy Steps
Designing a Blog
The articles below will help you improve the overall look of your blog.
- 10 Essential Blog Design Elements
- Top 5 Blog Design Mistakes
- Blog Design Checklist
- 10 Easy Ways to Make Your Blog Design Shine
- How Much Does Blog Design Cost?
- 5 Ways to Find Blog Designers
- 5 Tricks to Make Your Blog Posts Look Great
- How Color Meanings Affect Blog Design
- International Color Meanings and Blog Design
- 10 Sites for Free Social Media Icons
- How to Choose a Blog Theme or Template
- How to Choose a Blog Layout
- Free, Premium or Custom WordPress Theme?
- 5 Sites for Free Wordpress Themes
- 5 Sites for Free Blogger Templates
- Sites for Premium Wordpress Themes
- Wordpress Themes for Business Blogs and Websites
- Find Free Blog Templates with eBlogTemplates.com
- Review - Flexx Wordpress Theme
- Review - eNews Wordpress Theme
Writing a Blog
The information in the articles listed below will help you learn how to write a blog that people want to read.
- How to Write a Blog People Want to Read
- 5 Ways to Improve Your Blog Writing and Get More Readers
- 3 Steps to Write Great Blog Post Titles
- Secrets to Writing Blog Post Titles that People Click
- 10-Point Checklist to Write the Best Blog Post Titles
- 5 Tips to Write Great Blog Posts
- How to Hook Readers with an Irresistible Blog Post Intro
- 7 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts
- 10 Tips to Write Blog Posts That Get Shared and Increase Traffic
- 10 Ways to Increase Traffic with Blog Writing Tricks
- 5 Blog Posts that Can Drive Massive Traffic
- 5 Blog Posts that Increase Comments
- 20 Blog Post Ideas
- 5 Blog Post Idea Generators
- Blog Post Checklist
- The Secrets of Blog Post Length
- Do You Need a Blog Editorial Calendar?
- How to Create a Blog Editorial Calendar
- How to Get Free Products to Review on Your Blog
- 5 Things Bloggers Can Learn from Copywriters
Parts of a Blog
Blogs are made up of many parts and pieces. Get the information you need to understand the basics of blog terminology.
- The Fundamental Parts of a Blog
- Create Your Blog's Home Page
- Making Your "About Me" Page Shine
- Blog Contact Page Overview
- Blog Page Overview
- Overview of a Blog Post
- Top 5 Sites to Find Free Photos to Use on Your Blog
- Finding Free Photos from Flickr to Use on Your Blog
- 4 Free Photo Editing Sites
- What Are Blog Comments?
- 5 Ways to Identify Blog Comment Spam
- Overview of Blog Categories
- Blog Category Organization Tips
- Overview of Blog Archives
- What is a Blogroll?
- What is a Widget?
- What is a Blog Sidebar?
- 15 Popular Sidebar Items
- What is a Blog Header?
- What is a Blog Footer?
Blogging Tools and Add-ons
Just when you thought you understood how to blog, you realized there are a wealth of tools and add-ons available to you to help you enhance and extend your blog. Learn about these tools and what they can do for you and your blog.
- Overview of Blogging Tools
- 15 Free Blogging Tools No Blogger Should Live Without
- 15 Free Google Tools for Bloggers
- 10 Affordable Blogging Tools to Make Life Easier
- Use TwitThis to Share Blog Posts in Twitter
- Top 5 Blog Statistic Trackers
- Making Sense of Blog Statistic Trackers
- Google Analytics Review for Bloggers
- 10 Metrics Bloggers Should Track
- Tools to Add a Forum to Your Blog
- Best iPad Apps for Blogging
- Top 5 Reasons to Use an Offline Blog Editor
- 10 Essential Features to Look for in an Offline Blog Editor
- Top 5 Offline Blog Editors
- Review of Windows Live Writer as an Offline Blog Editor
- Free Windows Live Writer Plug-ins
- Review of BlogDesk as an Offline Blog Editor
- Review of PollDaddy to Create Free Blog Polls
- 10 Websites and Books to Learn CSS
- HTML Overview for Bloggers
WordPress Plugins
Check out these WordPress plugins to add functionality and features to your WordPress.org blog.
- 5 Questions to Ask Before You Try a WordPress Plugin
- 11 Essential Wordpress Plug-ins
- 7 Wordpress Plugin-ins to Boost Blog Traffic
- 5 Wordpress Plugins to Boost Page Views
- 5 Wordpress Plugins to Help Bloggers Make Money
- 6 Wordpress Plugins to Increase Blog Comments
- 10 Wordpress Plugins That Save Bloggers Time
- 5 Wordpress Plugins for Blog Maintenance and Enhanced Functionality
- 5 Wordpress Plugins to Analyze Blog Visitors
- 5 WordPress Plugins to Gain Blog Subscribers and Increase Traffic
- WordPress Plugins for Facebook Integration
- Review of VaultPress for WordPress Backup Service
- Review of Gravity Forms Plugin
- Review of the Tweetmeme Retweet Button
- Review of Subscribe to Comments Plugin
- Review of Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (YARPP)
- Review of WP Super Cache Plugin
- Review of Editorial Calendar Plugin
- Review of WP Maintenance WordPress Plugin
- Review of Post Teaser Plugin
Wordpress Tips and Tutorials
If you use Wordpress, these tips and tutorials will help you use the functions and features available to you.
- 10 Steps to Start a Blog with WordPress.org
- How to Install WordPress.org with SimpleScripts
- WordPress User Roles and Capabilities Overview
- 10 WordPress Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Blog Running Smoothly
- How to Keep Your WordPress Blog Secure
- WordPress Backup Tools
- Advanced WordPress Technical Terms Glossary
- How to Install a WordPress Theme from the WordPress Dashboard or FTP
- What Is a WordPress Child Theme?
- 10 Sites You Can Build with WordPress Besides a Blog
- How to Configure WordPress Comment Settings
- How to Configure WordPress Reading Settings
- WordPress SEO Tips to Increase Search Traffic
- How to Make a WordPress Blog or Blog Posts Private
- How to Copy and Paste from Word to Wordpress
- Tutorial - Embed a YouTube Video in a Wordpress Post
- Tutorial - Insert Google AdSense Ads Between Posts in Wordpress
- Find WordPress Mobile Apps
- Your Turn - What is Your Top Wordpress Tip?
Developing a Successful Blog
You've joined the blogosphere and published your blog. Now, learn how to make your blog successful.
- 100 Free Blog Tips Every Blogger Should Read
- Essential Requirements to Starting a Successful Blog
- Blog Review Checklist
- Blog Posting Frequency Overview
- Blogging Tips
- Top 10 Tips for Beginner Bloggers
- Blogging Secrets from Top Bloggers
- 10 Unique Traits Top Bloggers Share
- How to Out-Blog Your Competition
- Breaking Bad Habits for a Better Blog
- 10 Free and Easy Ways to Increase Blog Reader Loyalty
- 5 Tips to Turn Blog Content from Boring to Amazing
- Blog Strategy vs. Blog Tactics - How to Blog Strategically
- The 3Cs of Blogging Success - Comments, Conversation and Community
- 5 Ways to Increase Blog Comments and Build an Online Community
- Should You Close Blog Comments on Older Posts?
- How to Respond to Negative Blog Comments
- 5 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Blog
- 5 Ways to Give Blog Archives a Longer Life
- Add Related Posts to Your Blog Entries
Blogging Rules and Ethics
Understand the do's and don'ts of blogging with these articles.
- Blogging Best Practices
- Top 3 Blogging Rules
- Legal Issues Bloggers Must Understand
- Copyright and Fair Use Considerations
- Understanding Creative Commons Licenses
- 5 Easy Ways to Be Labeled as a Spammer
- Avoid Blog Comment Spam
- Creating a Blog Comment Policy
- Sample Blog Comment Policy
- Sample Blog Privacy Policy
- Sample Blog Terms and Conditions Policy
- Sample Guest Blog Post Submission Guidelines
Reading and Finding Blogs
Who else is blogging? Learn how to find them here.
- Directory of Blog Search Engines
- Your Turn - What is Your Favorite Blog?
- Tutorial: How to Find Blogs with Google Blog Search
- Tutorial: How to Search Technorati to Find Blogs
Popular Blogs and Bloggers
Learn from the best-of-the-best in the blogosphere.
- Top 10 Blogs of 2011
- Top 10 Blogs of 2010
- 10 Top Blogs of 2009
- Top 10 Blogs of 2008
- Popular Blogs About Business
- Popular Blogs for and by Business Women
- Popular Blogs About Celebrities
- Popular Green Blogs
- Popular Blogs About Politics
- Popular Blogs About Writing
- Profile of Successful Blogger Heather Armstrong
- Profile of Successful Blogger Perez Hilton
Blogging Reference Guide
Breaking down blogging into easy-to-understand snippets through frequently asked questions and a layman's glossary.