Sarah Nielson is a daily blogger and also writes a weekly column for In Utah This Week. She shares some blog basics.
Many people use blogs as an online journal, where friends and family can keep up with you. It takes less time than emailing all your friends and family. Blogs are simple to create and you can create one online in a matter of minutes.
One of the first steps is to name your blog. When coming up with a name for your blog, try and think of something easy to remember that will identify you. I’ve named my blog “Tales of Wit and Charm,” and I blog as “Sarahbellum.” It’s fun to come up with something clever that people won’t forget.
You can invite as many contributers to the blog as you like. I’ve seen a lot of husbands and wives who keep a blog together.
You can post anything you want on a blog: pictures, video clips, music clips or just your written work. I’ve found that people enjoy reading more if they have visual stimulation. Post pictures along with your writings. I post once a day. If your goal is to attract readers you need to offer them enough to read that they will visit your site often. If you don’t post often people tend to get bored and forget to check your blog. My blog contains anything from pictures I’ve taken, or funny conversations I’ve had during the day. You’d be surprised at just how much you really have to share with other people. Blogging can be surprisingly fun and addictive (in a good way!).
When it comes to blog etiquette the only rule is to be kind. Don’t leave mean comments. Most bloggers have tracking software that catches your ip address, so when leaving other people comments keep that in mind.
It’s very important to be safe when blogging online. Remember unless you set up controls anyone out there can read your blog. Don’t post personal information. EVER! When posting about your children keep their safety in mind. Don’t post any information that could lead a person to you or your family. For example, if you post about your trip to the movies, don’t post the name of the theater. You don’t want people to know what spots you frequent. Blogging can be completely safe, just make sure sure to remember which details to leave out.
If you purchase a domain site, like I have ( Sarahnielson.com ) make sure you don’t register with your home address. Use a post office box. When I first registered I made the mistake of using my street address. A reader was able to look up that information and found my house. Luckily he was a friend of a friend and ended up leaving ice cream on my doorstep after I’d blogged about how much I loved it. In the future I may have not been so lucky, so I immediately changed it to a post office box.
There are several free blog site out there, available to use.
Blogger.com is the blogging site I use. I’ve used a couple over the past two years and have found Blogger fits all of my needs. It’s simple to use and has all the control options for your protection. As well as a good help section if you find yourself needing it.
WordPress.com is also a good free blogging site.
Livejournal.com is another. This site is where I first started blogging, but found it more difficult to post pictures than Blogger.
Sarah Nielson has been a Utah blogger for two years. She keeps a daily blog at www.sarahnielson.com and writes a weekly column for In Utah This Week. She has no children but considers her one-eyed pug as a member of the family. She loves all things pink, and hates everything American Idol.
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