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.

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.

Blogging is one of the easiest and most fun activities that you can engage in. It is understandable, however, that for those who are quite new at it, things could seem a little confusing at first. This is especially true when one encounters a lot of new terms that may seem intimidating. Obviously, the trick is in learning these terms and understanding what they mean. After a while, you will know the ropes very well and recite these terms in your sleep. Here are some of the most common – and important – blogging terms that you should know at the outset.

Atom – Another popular feed format developed as an alternative to RSS.

Blog Carnival – A blog article that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic. Most blog carnivals are hosted by a rotating list of frequent contributors to the carnival, and serve to both generate new posts by contributors and highlight new bloggers posting matter in that subject area.

Blog client – (weblog client) is software to manage (post, edit) blogs from operating system with no need to launch a web browser. A typical blog client has an editor, a spell-checker and a few more options that simplify content creation and editing.

Blogger – Person who runs a blog. Also blogger.com, a popular blog hosting web site. Rarely: weblogger.

Blogroll – A list of blogs on a blog (usually placed in the sidebar of a blog) that reads as a list of recommendations by the blogger of other blogs. Possibly a play on the the term logrolling.
You place links to your friends’ blogs in your blogroll.

Blogosphere – All blogs, or the blogging community. Also called blogistan or, more rarely, blogspace. Example: There a millions and millions of blogs in the blogosphere today.

Dashboard – When you login to your blogging account, it is the first screen with all controls, tools and functions.

Permalink – Permanent link. The unique URL of a single post. Use this when you want to link to a post somewhere.

Pingback – The alert in the TrackBack system that notifies the original poster of a blog post when someone else writes an entry concerning the original post. It’s like linking back to the original web page.

Plugins – Small files that add improved functionality and new features. WordPress plugins can greatly improve your blog usage and interactivity

Post – An entry written and published to a blog. Basically, this is what YOU write!

RSS – Really Simple Syndication is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts.

RSS aggregator – Software or online service allowing a blogger to read an RSS feed, especially the latest posts on their favourite blogs. Also called a reader, or feedreader.

RSS feed – The file containing a blog’s latest posts. It is read by an RSS aggregator/reader and shows at once when a blog has been updated. It may contain only the title of the post, the title plus the first few lines of a post, or the entire post.

Subscribe – The term used when a blogs feed is added to a feed reader like Bloglines or Google. Some blogging platforms have internal subscriptions, this allows readers to receive notification when there are new posts in a blog.

Templates – used on the “back end” of a blog that work together to handle information and present it on a blog.

Theme – CSS based code that when applied to the templates will result in visual element changes to the blog. The theme, as a whole, is also referred to as a blog design.

Terms and definitions courtesy of Wikipedia and Quick Online Tips.

Everyone has a blog, and you’re tired of not being able to relate to what people are talking about – why not create a blog of your own? That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? After all, there is that saying that if everyone else is doing it, you might as well. Then again, if you are a thinking person, you would want good reasons for doing something, such as creating your own blog. Let me provide you with some of these good reasons.

One, a blog is a great venue for you to express your ideas and thoughts. This is the basic rationale behind a blog. With a blog, you can be the author behind great pieces of writing. You have full control over what you write and what you want to share with your readers. The bottom line is this: if you have something to say, then you can use a blog to make yourself heard.

Two, a blog is a great way to have fun and make new friends. Do you ever wonder why people stick to blogging after so many years? One reason is because it is so much fun! Even if you’re not the best writer out there, blogging can open up doors for you in terms of friendships and fun. Just don’t be too uptight about what you’re doing – that just might take out all the fun. Another point – the fun part stems from the fact that you have full creative control over what you’re doing. You choose to write about something that you are passionate about, and the fun simply follows. What better way to spend your free time?

Three, a blog can reach out to a lot of people. If you are looking to promote a specific product or service, then a blog is a cost-effective way to go about it. There are blog platforms that are for free – no cash outlay for you. All that you need is to have something to write about (your product or service and other related information) and someone to write (you!). Bear in mind that blogs can be read by anyone and everyone who is connected to the Internet – the world is literally at your fingertips!

Four, a blog can make you money! Yes, I am talking about revenue. A lot of people actually go into blogging thinking that they just might strike gold. While this scenario happens quite rarely, there really is a potential for earning extra income through blogging. There are many ways by which you can do this – check out our dedicated page for monetizing your blog.

Five, a blog can help you make a difference in your own little way. If you are passionate about a cause, then a blog is a great way to express your sentiments and make others aware. Since you can write about anything in your blog, you can choose to focus on a charity or any other issue that is important to you. You never know, you might make a difference in the lives of people.

Convinced yet? Why not try it out, and start your own blog today!

If you’ve read the introductory article on what a blog is, then the idea of different kinds of blogs will not be new to you. Blogs, just like other web sites, have their own special characteristics that may set them apart from one another. In this article, let us look at some of the common types of blogs that you will encounter, or that you can create.

Wikipedia provides a very useful list of types of blogs, depending on the content as well as the means by which the content is delivered. WordPress, perhaps the most popular blogging platform these days (which is what we are using, by the way), also provides its own list of different blog types. Another good list is from The World of Blogs. I have compiled their lists into one compact reference material for you.

The Personal Blog
This is perhaps the most common and broadest type of blog that you will encounter. A personal blog is what a lot of people think of when blogs are mentioned. It is the earliest form of blogs, and basically consists of anything and everything that the blogger may think of. Topics range from personal issues to milestones to music to politics to love life – practically anything! This kind of blog gives the blogger the most freedom with regard to the content and design of his blog.

The Business or Corporate Blog
Obviously, this kind of blog is created and maintained for a purpose other than to write down one’s thoughts. The business or corporate blog is used by an individual or a company to make their presence felt online. Blogs of this type may be used privately – for internal communication – or as a tool to market the business or the professional.

The Non-profit Blog
Technically, this kind of blog may fall under the corporate blog, as the aim is for non-profit organizations to extend their reach. However, one big difference is that this kind of blog focuses more on the awareness part and not the profit part, although of course, raising funds is part of it.

The Topical Blog
Also a blog categorized based on genre. This type of blog has a very specific focus with regard to the topic. It is easy to see that there can be as many kinds of topical blogs as there are topics in this world. Some of the most popular topics used for these blogs are travel, music, art, cooking, health, parenting, entertainment, real estate, and sports.

The School and Research Blog
The sources I mentioned above make special mention of school and research blogs. These blogs are used for academic purposes and related activities. Updated information about the educational institution may be presented in the blog. Alternatively, students may interact with each other with regard to their academics. Professor-student interaction is also an option.

These are only some of the common kinds of blogs in existence. It’s a good place to start, but don’t think for one moment that all blogs can be labeled based on this list. Who knows, you may even be able to create a category of your own? Whatever type of blog you choose make sure you select the right hosting provider as blog hosting is also one important factor to take into account while making a blog.

You have probably heard of the word “blog” so much that you’re starting to wonder what it is all about. Indeed, blogs have been around for many years now, and it has quickly become a popular means of expressing one’s self and sharing information through the Internet. The popularity of blogs has exploded so much so that practically everyone has at least dabbled in blogging. For those of you who are new to this, let me help you out a little bit. Let’s start with this: what is a blog?

If you’re the kind who likes “official” definitions, here are a couple. Wikipedia defines a blog as:

A blog (a contraction of the term “web log”)[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

Webopedia says:

Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

I chose these two definitions (out of the countless definitions you can find out there) because of key points. One, a blog is simply a web site. It does have differences from the “regular” web site that you see, but the essence is the same. Two, a blog is authored by an individual – most of the time that is. There are blogs which are authored by several people. Bottom line is that there are distinct authors behind a blog. Three, a blog is commonly perceived as a journal which is shared with the world. While blogs have evolved much over the years to serve purposes other than “diaries,” the characteristic of being an open book to share thoughts and ideas remains the same. Four, a blog is updated regularly – not necessarily daily, but often enough – to provide fresh content. Five, the content, or entries, are usually presented chronologically, with the most recent one being first.

So basically, a blog is a web site that offers new content frequently. This content may focus on a narrow topic or be about a broad range of subjects, depending on what the blogger (that’s the person one who writes for the blog) has in mind for the blog. There are blogs which have a tight focus regarding its subject. Some blogs may have broad topics such as art and music while other have more specific topics such as the life and work of a specific artist. Examples of these blogs are Celebrific, Brewed Coffee, Forever Geek, and Yurto. There also a lot of blogs out there which do not focus on a single subject, more often than not, they are referred to as “personal blogs,” and they are actually the blogs which conform more to the diary-type label. Personal blogs can be about anything and everything under the sun – it totally depends on the blogger.

So now you know the general idea behind a blog. Is that all there is to blogging? Definitely not! For more in depth information, check out the other pages I have prepared to give you specific details on blogs and blogging.