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 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
- 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 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?
- What Is Pinterest?
- How Bloggers Can Use Pinterest
- Types of Blog Hosts
- 5 Tips to Choose a Blog Host
- 5 Popular Blog Hosts
- 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
Creating a Blog
These tutorials and lessons will help you start your blog.
- 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
- 10 Steps to Start a Blog with WordPress.org
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Review - MyProduct 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
- 5 Tips to Write Great Blog Posts
- 7 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts
- The Secrets of Blog Post Length
- 20 Blog Post Ideas
- 5 Blog Post Idea Generators
- Blog Post Checklist
- How to Get Free Products to Review on Your Blog
- 5 Things Bloggers Can Learn from Copywriters
- 5 Things Bloggers Can Learn from Journalists
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
- 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
- CSS Overview for Bloggers
- 10 Websites and Books to Learn HTML
WordPress Plugins
Check out these WordPress plugins to add functionality and features to your WordPress.org blog.
- 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
- 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 WP Maintenance WordPress Plugin
- Review of Post Teaser Plugin
- Review of WP125 WordPress Plugin for Ad Management
Wordpress Tips and Tutorials
If you use Wordpress, these tips and tutorials will help you use the functions and features available to you.
- Your Turn - What is Your Top Wordpress Tip?
- 10 Steps to Start a Blog with WordPress.org
- How to Install WordPress.org with SimpleScripts
- How to Install a WordPress Theme from the WordPress Dashboard or FTP
- WordPress SEO Tips to Increase Search Traffic
- 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
Developing a Successful Blog
You've joined the blogosphere and published your blog. Now, learn how to make your blog successful.
- 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
- Breaking Bad Habits for a Better Blog
- 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
- 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
- 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.