Pictures In Your Blog

If you’ve taken a look at other blogs – which I assume you have – you have probably noticed that many of them make use of pictures and photos within the posts. While this makes sense to me, I don’t want to assume that everyone else has the same idea, so let me ask you, why is it important to add pictures to your blog? I could go on and on about the reasons for adding pictures to blog posts, but let me just stick with the most important ones.

1. It adds to the whole visual experience. I am talking about color, texture, and the like. Many people are visual; that is, they have a better reading experience when they see illustrations and graphics. Using relevant pictures in your posts will make these people happier, and that is what you want.
2. Pictures help break up long chunks of text. Whether you like it or not, not everyone likes seeing long blocks of text without a break every now and then. This is where pictures come in. If you have 10 paragraphs of interesting text, use two or so pictures to provide breaks. As interesting as the topic may be, the pictures will make it even better!
3. Pictures add recall value. Again, a lot of people are visual, and they remember images better than text. If you want to make a greater impact on your readers, then adding eye catching pictures is the way to go.
4. Pictures say a thousand words. Cliché, I know, but true nonetheless. There are just some things that cannot be described by words in a single post. With a picture, you can achieve things that may not be easily done by merely using pure text.

So now that I have convinced you of the importance of pictures, what next? Let’s take a look at how you can find images for your blog. One thing to remember: make sure that you are not “stealing” photos off of someone. While everything can be had online, you have to be careful of copyright issues.

The good news is that there are many resources online which can help you find photos without worrying about ethical issues. Try iStockphoto, which provides excellent pictures for blogs. You would have to pay for their service, though. You can also take a look at PicApp, which allows you to link to photos for FREE. Other free sites include Stock.Xchng and Freepixels.

Another thing that I like to do is go to Flickr and search for relevant photos. The thing is, you have to click on the option that says Creative Commons License. This will give you results of images that you can use for your blog, as long as you give the proper credit to the owner.

The bottom line here is to find pictures that are related to the content of the post and that are “available” for use. Follow these two simple guidelines and you will have much better posts (visually) without the headache of copyright issues.

Posted in Blog Bits, Blog Content, Blog Themes & Templates, Blogging by admin and tagged • 1 lone comment

How Often Should You Post?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions by new bloggers. We all know that blogs are different from static web sites in many ways, and delivering fresh content is one of the main characteristics that set blogs apart. The question is, just how often should a blogger offer new content?

In many circles, the general consensus is that bloggers should post new content daily. Much like news web sites, the idea is to keep people coming back for more, more often. Hence, posting on a daily basis is considered the ideal.

Then again, we have to realize that not everyone has the time and/or resources to keep at it on a daily basis. And more than the time, we also have to consider the content itself. There are times when bloggers do not have enough material to come up with posts 30 or 31 days each month. If this is the case, and the blogger forces a post each day, the chances of burning out AND providing poor content skyrocket.

So what is the ideal posting frequency?

Let’s begin with the kind of blog that you want to create – again. If you are planning on a personal blog, then your posting frequency should not be that much of an issue. Naturally, the more often you post, the better. However, at the end of the day, if you are writing to please yourself, then it should not matter how often you post.

If you are planning on having a different kind of blog, or if your goal is to attract a regular audience, then you do have to pay attention to your posting frequency. Always bear in mind what your readers will want. Put yourself in their shoes. How often would you want to read new content from a blog like yours? Does it matter much if there isn’t a new post everyday? Answering these questions will help you decide on your posting frequency.

Again, I am not saying that you have to have a new post every single day. That is just too much for some people, especially those who have hectic schedules. Every other day maybe? Or even thrice or twice a week? I think that these figures are reasonable – not so taxing on the average blogger and yet not so infrequent that readers just give up on visiting the blog.

Whatever number you decide on, here is something that you should never forget: be consistent. Readers like consistency. They want to look forward to visiting a blog and getting fresh content. There is nothing more irritating than reading three or more new posts a day and then not getting anything fresh in the next 3 months! It is much better to spread out your posts rather than to bunch them up in a day and go AWOL for an extended period of time.

My suggestion is for you to set realistic goals and then do everything you can to stick to your posting schedule. Do that, and your readers will love you for it.

Posted in Blog Content, Blogging Tips by admin and tagged , • 1 lone comment

Blog Design Versus Blog Content

This argument is as old as time. Perhaps it has been phrased differently in various contexts, but the comparison of form and function has been around for as long as I can remember. And this is basically what this page is all about. Which is more important, blog design or blog content?

Let’s begin the discussion by clearly identifying what we mean by blog design and blog content. In the simplest possible way, when I say blog design, I am referring to the layout, the template, the colors, and all other visual aspects of the blog. When I say blog content, I am referring to the text and relevant images.

You’ve probably heard of the catch phrase “content is king.” A lot of people believe in this, simply because it makes sense. At the end of the day, what you want is to offer people content that they can make use of. It can be practical information on a topic. It can be insights for daily living. It can even be simple humor that will make the reader smile or chuckle. The bottom line is that when people go to your blog, they will find something in terms of information that will suit their needs and preferences.

On the other hand, design makes a HUGE difference in the experience of a reader. Think about the many times that you’ve visited a blog or any other web site. Think about how your perception was affected by the visual elements. More likely than not, a shabby looking blog turned you off even before you could read the contents in detail. When the layout is not user-friendly, it gets even worse. Even the most dedicated of readers might not stick around for more content if navigation is an arduous task.

At this point, you probably see where I am headed – both content and design have their purpose. One cannot be placed on a pedestal at the expense of the other. Indeed, many have come to the realization that your blog design will catch the attention of readers, while your blog content will keep them coming back for more. I hold the belief that a good blog design will attract people. In addition to that, a good blog design will work together with excellent content to keep readers coming back for more.

So how do you strike a balance between these two elements? Here are a few simple things to consider.

One, make sure that the visual elements come together to create a pleasing whole. Different elements – the header, images, widgets – may look good alone, but you have to see the overall effect and make your decision based on that.

Two, make sure that readers will find it easy to browse through your blog. Archives, tags, categories, and other relevant links – help your reader find these without exerting too much effort.

Three, always provide well-written posts about information relevant to your blog’s theme. Don’t fall for this trap: “poor content is better than no content.” Take the time to think out your posts before publishing them. When you look at your blog, you want to be proud of what you are offering!

Posted in Blog Content, Blog Themes & Templates by admin and tagged , • Post a comment

Now You’re Ready To Create Your Blog

Creating your own blog is as easy as pie, or as easy as taking candy from a baby. Come to think of it, though, with what the blogging platforms have to offer these days, it might even be easier to create a blog than to do those two things I mentioned! After reading through our introductory pages – from common blogging terms to blogrolls to blog templates – you are probably quite eager to get a start on it.

At this point, you should already know what kind of blog you are going to create. Whether it is a personal blog, a sports blog, a political blog – it does not matter. The important thing is that you know why you are creating a blog and what you are going to be writing about.

Now, what you have to decide on is the blogging platform that you are going to use. As we are using WordPress, you can expect me to suggest this blogging platform. There are many reasons for this, one of the main things being the fact that WordPress offers a host of features that make is very easy for new bloggers to create and maintain their blog.

The first thing that you have to do is to go to the WordPress home page. I am assuming that you do not have an account yet, so the next step is to click on the SIGN UP button. Trust me, you won’t miss it – as of this writing, it’s this big orange button on the right. You don’t need to pay for anything in order to create an account – just make sure you have a valid e-mail address.

As with most other accounts online, you need to designate a username and password that will be associated with your WordPress account. You will also be asked to read the terms and conditions – make sure you do, even if you don’t really feel like it. Here’s a very important thing: make sure that you choose the option “Gimme a blog!” That’s what you want to do, right?

On to the next step…you have to choose the domain of your blog. For free WordPress blogs, this is the usual pattern: http://name.wordpress.com/. You can choose what goes in place of “name,” but do realize that it has to be unique. If someone else has picked that name, then you will have to think of something else. You’ll also have to enter the title of your blog. This does not have to be the same as the domain name. Take note that the domain name, once chosen, cannot be changed; but you can always change the blog title anytime. Securing a good hosting plan for your wordpress blog is quite easy. There are many hosting companies supporting WordPress. At Webhostingsearch.com you can go through reviews of leading wordpress hosting companies that can help you find the best host you can utilize in creating a great site.  Once you’re done, you are READY TO BLOG!

This is the fun part – you will be redirected to your dashboard, which is the page where you can access practically everything in your blog. From here, you can choose the blog template that you want. You can also start writing your very first post. Now I won’t keep you – try it yourself and pretty soon, your blog will be up and running.

Posted in Blogging, Getting Started by admin and tagged , • 2 comments

All About Blog Templates

If you were to ask me which aspect of starting a blog involves the most fun, I would have a hard time answering you. Right now, though, off the top of my head, I would have to say that choosing the blog template is right there at the top of my list. This is even truer for those who are into designs and those who place high value on aesthetics.

Let’s revisit the term “blog template” just in case you’ve forgotten what it means. Simply put, a blog template determines what your blog looks like. Of course, it is coded using a language, but the end result is what you and your readers see. From colors to fonts to the number of columns – all these depend on the blog template that you choose. As you can surmise, your blog template of choice could very well define the visual success of your blog. As such, you have to be discriminatory in choosing a blog template.

So where do you start? The beauty of blogging platforms (especially Blogger and WordPress) is that they come with default blog templates. This makes things so much easier for the new blogger. Even better, you can choose any default template if you cannot make up your mind just yet – you can always change the template later on.

As with many things that have “defaults,” the blog templates that are available from most blogging platforms may not meet all of your needs and preferences. The good news is that you can find other blog templates online which you can use for your blog. You can either look for FREE blog templates or find a designer/programmer who will create a custom blog template. Naturally, if you decide on the latter choice, you should be ready to pay for the designer’s services (unless you happen to have a friend who does this).

Here are some things to consider when choosing a blog template – whether free or paid.

1. What sort of layout do you want?
What I mean is this: how many columns do you want in your blog? Do you want one main column for the posts and one sidebar on the right? Or maybe you want it on the left? Or maybe you want one main column for the posts and two sidebars – one on each side. This is a great place to start as you can search for free blog templates depending on the number of columns that you want.

2. What color scheme do you have in mind?
Everyone has a favorite color – what’s yours? Blog templates have default color schemes but many also have options to tweak the hues. When checking out blog templates, make sure that the color suits your preferences AND the overall theme of the blog as well.

3. Do you want a custom header?
The header is that image at the top of the page, and it is something that I value highly. The header is often the first thing seen by readers and I think that it has to make a good impression. Now if you think like me, then you will have to look for a blog template that allows users to change the image for the header.

4. What other customization requirements do you have?
Aside from changing the image header, you might want to be able to customize other aspects of the layout such as the size of the sidebar and so on. I suggest listing these things down so that you can check as you are going through various blog templates.

Posted in Blog Themes & Templates, Blogging by admin and tagged , , • Post a comment

What Should You Blog About?

You already know the basic idea behind a blog. You know why people prefer blogs. You know some of the most common terms that you’ll encounter in the blogosphere. You know about all the different kinds of blogs. You think you’re practically ready to start your own blog. Then you realize something – you have not answered the question “What should I blog about?”

On the one hand, this is a very easy question to answer. You can blog or write about anything you want to! That’s the beauty of blogging – you will not be shot down for saying what you think. On the other hand, this freedom might make it a bit difficult for you to decide as to what exactly you want to do with your blog.

That, I think, is the crux of the matter. Even before you decide on what you should blog about, I believe that you should pinpoint your reason for blogging. Why are you creating a blog? Once you have answered this question, then you will find the answer to the first question more easily. (ASIDE: If you need to refer to the page on different kinds of blogs, feel free to do so. It will help you in case some of the ideas in the next paragraphs seem strange.)

So let’s talk about what kind of blog you want to create – why you want to blog. If you’re looking at creating a personal blog, you have free reign over what you will be writing. More often than not, personal bloggers want to put their thoughts and feelings in writing – and that’s exactly what you will write about if you are thinking of putting up your personal blog. Everyday experiences, holidays, trips, shopping sprees, food – whatever you want, you can blog about.

If you’re looking at creating a blog focusing on a more specific subject, then there is one thing that I have to tell you: make sure that you will have enough to write about on that subject. If, at the very beginning, you are decided on writing about something specific, bear these things in mind:

1. Passion – you have to be passionate about the topic. Without passion, you can probably come up with posts. However, they will almost always come out dry and leave your readers looking for something else.
2. Knowledge – you do not have to be an expert in a field in order to blog about it. However, you will have to gain knowledge as you go along. Otherwise, how can you establish yourself as an authority on a topic if you’re making things up as you go along?
3. Creativity – even if you are passionate about a topic and you pick up a lot of information along the way, you will always come to a point wherein you feel that you do not have anything to write about. That is inevitable. That’s when your creativity will play a very important role. You have to find ways and means to add fresh content to your blog – read the news, read other blogs, talk to people, watch a movie; it doesn’t matter – you have to let your creative juices flow and provide that content.

Again, the bottom line here is that you write something that you WANT to write and that you KNOW well enough to write about. Whether you’re talking about personal blogs or not, if you are passionate and have the info, you will do just fine.

Posted in Blog Content, Blogging by admin and tagged , • Post a comment

What Should You Place In Your Blogroll?

If you have taken a look at our page on the most common blogging terms (if you haven’t, NOW is a good time to do so!), you should at least recognize the term “blogroll.” Just to make it easier on you, though, let me reiterate what a blogroll is. This is simply a list containing other blogs which you (the blogger) visits or reads regularly. Sometimes, blogs are listed in the blogroll even if they are not visited by the blogger often. The main point is that the blogger is recommending or plugging these blogs. The blogroll is oftentimes found on the right column of the blog. This does not mean, however, that you cannot place the blogroll in other locations.

More than the name or title of the blog, readers are also treated to links. That is, the names of the blogs in the blogroll are often hyperlinked to the blogs themselves. This makes it easier for the reader as she or he merely has to click on the blog name to see the content for herself/himself.

Another element of a blogroll, which is fairly new, is the link to the most recent post. That is, more than the main URL of the blog, readers can also click on the link to the latest post. This is a great way for you to monitor if a blog that you like to visit has new content. This eliminates the need to visit the blog just to check if there is something new that you have not read before.

Based on the information given above, it is easy to see the importance of a blogroll. On your part, you get to provide additional information to your readers. This is especially true if the blogs that you include in your blogroll have content related to yours. More so, getting YOUR blog on other blogs’ blogrolls will increase your exposure, which is always good.

So how do you decide on what to put in your blogroll?

Obviously, you will place links to the blogs of your friends who have their own blogs as well. This is the most common start for those maintaining personal blogs. Alternatively, you might get to meet other bloggers. Sooner or later, you will get a request to exchange links – you put their blog in your blogroll and they’ll do the same for you. While this is a great way to gain more exposure, you have to take into consideration the content and the quality of the other blog. The bottom line is to make sure that you are not associating yourself with a shady blog that has nothing but ads and copied content. Your best route is to follow the blog for a while and then make your decision.

For those whose blogs are of a more focused nature, the content of the blogs in your blogroll are even more important. Remember that more than recommending these blogs because you like them, you have to provide quality AND relevant content to your readers. So if your blog is all about food, it would be great to put your favorite food blogs in your blogroll.

Posted in Blog Bits, Blog Content by admin and tagged , • 1 lone comment

All About Feeds

No, I am not talking about stuff that you can buy and ingest to fortify your body. If you have been reading the other pages that we’ve created for you, you’ll realize that I am talking about feeds that are one of the most important tools in blogging. Feeds are basically an alternative way of accessing the content of a blog (or any other web site for that matter) without having to actually visit the blog in your web browser.

Try visiting various blogs and web sites, and you will see some buttons saying “Atom,” “RSS,” or “XML.” These are all types of feeds which you can also use in your blog. Let us say that over the course of time, you stumble upon many blogs that you would like to follow, or read regularly. Now this should not be so difficult if the number is a mere 10 or so. What if your list of blogs grows to reach 50 or a hundred? It would be such a hassle to regularly open each blog.

This is where feeds come into the picture. Blog platforms have a built in feature which come up with code – automatically – that allows readers to subscribe to a blog. This means that they can subscribe to as many blogs as they want, and use a feed reader or aggregator to read the contents of each blog as it is updated. The need to actually open a tab or window to visit a blog is done away with.

Now how do you add feeds to your blog? This, again, depends on the blogging platform that you are using. Let’s just say that you are using WordPress – perhaps the most versatile and feature-rich blogging platform today, and the one which this blog uses as well. Most WordPress themes have built-in feeds, meaning that you do not have to add a feed! Try scrolling down to the bottom of this page, and you will see two links saying “Entries (RSS)” and “Comments (RSS).” The first one is the feed URL for the blog posts while the second one is for the comments. It is that easy!

If you want to use a third party service for feeds, you can do so as well. Perhaps the most popular is Feedburner. This service is chosen by many bloggers because it makes it easy for readers to subscribe to the feed. It also provides additional features such as the ability to track statistics, which is quite important for a lot of people. Feedburner is compatible with various blogging platforms, and you can get step by step instructions on how to use it in their web site.

One last thing, remember that you want your readers to immediately see the subscribe button. As such, if you’re customizing your blog’s look, make sure to place the feed button somewhere on top where it can be spotted without the reader having to look hard for it. In this manner, you don’t lose out on subscribers simply because of inappropriate location.

Posted in Blog Bits, Blog Content by admin and tagged , • Post a comment

All About Blog Comments

The ability to comment on each post is one distinct feature of blogs. Comments provide an additional dimension: interaction. This interaction can be between blogger and reader as well as reader to reader. As such, blog comments play an essential role in the success of a blog.

Let’s look at this role – why are blog comments important? Try visiting some of the most popular blogs in the Web today. Whether you look at blogs with an international scope, or more localized blogs, you will see that the most popular ones have LOTS of comments linked to each post. This is because being able to start or join a “conversation” about a particular topic – that which is contained the blog post, usually – is what makes blogs interesting for people. Even if the comments are not so positive, the fact that your post has created a discussion is enough to make you make your mark.

Another thing that bloggers have to realize is that blog comments can have an impact that extends to beyond the blog itself. Those readers (who are probably bloggers as well) who leave comments in a blog will probably link back to that post in their own blogs. It is easy to see that this can attract new readers to the blog in question.

Now let’s look at some technical issues that you may have to consider when it comes to comments. Blog comments may be presented either chronologically or in a “threaded” manner. The former view simply shows comments based on the time that they were posted while the latter shows comments which are related to each other – just like a thread in a forum. The chronological view is simple – all the reader has to do is to scroll down to see all the comments. However, the threaded view provides the additional advantage of clumping replies together, making the conversation more coherent.

The layout of blog comments may also be tweaked, and the options will depend on the blogging platform that is being used. Comments may be shown in the most straightforward manner – a line by line presentation of information (Commenter’s name, time and date, comment, etc.). Alternatively, comments may be shown in two columns, with the commenter’s details in the left and the main comment in the right. Sometimes, it is possible to use three columns.

The blogger has the option to set restrictions regarding comments. The “loosest” setting is to allow comments from anyone and everyone without any restrictions at all. This may prove to be problematic if spammers start messing with the blog, though. The strictest setting is to have people register before they can leave comments. A happy medium is to allow people to leave comments without having to register but requiring certain information to be inputted. Usually, this is done using “captcha,” or code that is automatically generated, which the commenter has to manually input. Furthermore, the blogger can choose to view comments and approve them first before publishing. This provides more control over what is shown.

The bottom line is this: comments are an integral part of a blog, but the blogger can employ measures to make the most of comments while at the same time make it easy enough for the readers.

Posted in Blog Bits, Blog Promotion by admin and tagged , • Post a comment

Elements Of A Blog

A blog is not much different from any other web site in that it aims to present information, albeit with some specific differences; and just like all the other web sites that can be found on the Web today, a blog has elements or parts that make up the whole. As you are on your way to become a prolific blogger, let me help you become familiar with the various elements of a blog. Knowing about each of these elements will equip you to make the most of your blogging experience and perhaps even take it to a whole new level.

Blog Header
The name actually is pretty self-explanatory. The blog header is found at the top (at the head) of the blog and, for me, establishes the theme and focus of your blog. This is because it usually contains the name of the blog as well as the logo. What better way to make an excellent first impression than with the blog header?

Blog Posts
Posts are the “meat” of any blog. The posts, or entries, contain the information that the blogger wants to share with his readers. These can be likened to the news articles and other features that you can find in other kinds of web sites. The posts are usually presented in reverse chronological order – the most recent one shown at the top of the page.

Comments
This is one distinguishing feature of blogs. The comments section is present at the end of each post, and provides the interactive aspect of blogs. Readers may write their thoughts and reactions to each post, and the blogger may also respond to the readers in this section. Comments may be restricted to certain people, and bloggers may also opt to delete inappropriate comments.

Archives
A blog that has been up for quite some time will have a lot of posts, granted that the blogger publishes content regularly. The archives section provides a way to gain easy access to older posts. The archives can be presented in various ways – some use calendars while others use drop down links using monthly or weekly options.

Categories
Another way to easily find posts within a blog is to use categories. The blogger has the option to label or categorize posts using terms. These terms are also called labels, tags, and categories. The categories section is not always used by all bloggers, but it is a very good way to make your blog user friendly as readers can merely browse through the topics to find posts catering to their interests.

Blogroll
Blogging is more than writing content for one’s blog. It is also all about interacting with the rest of the blogosphere, and it is inevitable that a blogger gets to create relationships with other bloggers. One way to further relationships AND to offer more content to readers is to promote other blogs in your own blog. This can be done through a blogroll, which shows links to other blogs. Readers can then simply click on the links to discover more information.

Search
This is another blog element that is not always present, but something that is important if you want to make the lives of your readers easier. Much like Google, readers simply have to key in search terms to find relevant posts within the blog.

RSS Feeds
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a standard way of sharing web site content. Various blog platforms offer RSS Feeds, which allow readers to subscribe to a blog to automatically receive updates and access contents through a reader.

Posted in Blog Bits, Getting Started by admin and tagged , • Post a comment

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