BlogWritingCourse

I was looking this morning at the recent comments from students who have taken our eight-week online blog writing course, Blogging 101.  We offer a survey to those who have completed the course, and we use the results to help us make the course even better and more helpful to future enrollees.

As a perk, though, it is also really encouraging to read how much our students have enjoyed the course.  I thought today I would share with you some of the supportive things our alumni have said about Blogging 101.

I learned a lot in eight weeks. A lot more then I expected. Not once did I get bored of the weekly assignments or think it was a waste of time. I am the person who at times loses interest quickly and that did not happen with this course

I would recommend this to absolutely anyone. I really felt the pace was just right and I got WAY more out of it than I expected. I am VERY pleased with my blog and all of the help getting going. It was truly a bargain

The course was easily explained and understood

I’ve already recommended it to two friends. I was impressed with the progressive format and the helpful information

I learned all I needed to know and more about setting up a new blog. I had very little knowledge on the subject and had done a lot of reading online before I started this course. But I got even more information that was not readily available elsewhere.

We are so proud of this course and delighted that those who sign up are getting a quality blog writing course for an incredibly reasonable price.  If you have been thinking about blogging, this may be exactly the course you’ve been looking for.  And thanks to our students, you don’t just have to take my word for it!

Sign up today!!

You want to start a blog. You really do.  But it seems so complex.  So time-consuming.  Maybe even a little bit boring. 

You have things to say, but you aren’t sure how much.  And you aren’t sure you can write enough interesting things or ground-breaking content to make people actually want to stick around. 

So what is a wannabe blogger to do?  One great idea is to test the blogging waters with one of the many “Light Blogging” platforms out there.  The important thing, though is to remember that blogs and light-blogs usually have very different goals. If you are trying to build search engine optimization for your business or to create brand identity, you probably won’t be turning to a light-blogging platform.

Light-blogging is for those people who want to share things quickly – - whether it be quotes, video, images, links, or music.   If you don’t care whether or not you have navigational tools, menus, static pages, or widgets, then light-blogging may be for you.

Tumblr is by far the most popular of these media-rich but free ways to express yourself.  Other light-blogging platforms include:

• Posterous
• Floort
• DailyBooth
• Kontain
• Rememble

If you feel like you may not be quite ready to commit to a blog, a light-blog may be just the way to ease into the blogosphere.  But if you want the customization, sophistication, and focus of a full blog, there are plenty of ways to ease into that as well – - starting with our Blogging 101 course for new bloggers.  This eight-week course will guide you every step of the way through starting up your own blog, creating content, and drawing traffic. 

Whether you are just testing the waters of blogging, or ready to plunge in, we at BlogWritingCourse.com are cheering you on!!

Okay, so people are starting to find your blog.  Hooray!!  You are building up an audience and they seem to like what you have to say.  Woohoo!!  You’ve even gotten a few comments on your last posts.  Alright!!

But maybe you’ve noticed that the visits are a little sporadic.  Or you wish that the comments were coming more consistently.  The question to ask yourself now is….”what do I need to do to make sure my visitors come back again?”  And the best answer to that question is: MAKE SURE YOU MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM!

The most important way to make sure that visitors find your blog again is by double-checking that you have a blog feed enabled.   A feed is kind of like what it sounds like – - a way to give your hungry readers exactly what they want…your blog! 

If you create a way for readers to subscribe to your blog feed, then they can be automatically notified anytime you create a new post.  It is their choice of how to receive that feed – - by email or in a feed reader.  But the nice thing is they don’t have to DO anything to find you.  Your blog comes to THEM!!

For more information on how to create feeds in the different blog hosts and how to display your feed in your blog sidebar,  be sure to sign up for our beginning blogging course, Blogging 101.  There, you will find all the information you need about blog feeds and many, many other ways of ensuring your blog visitors come back again and again.

We all read blogs.  They give us instant access to information, insight into other people, and provide multiple viewpoints on specific subjects. But sometimes, reading a blog just doesn’t cut it.  Sometimes, you realize YOU are the one who has something relevant to add to the online conversation.  In those cases, starting your own blog may be exactly the thing to do.

But the world of blogging can be intimidating – - especially if you have never written anything online before.  Where do you start?  What tools do you need?  Is it even safe???

For people asking themselves those kinds of questions, BlogWritingCourse.com has created an introductory blogging course.  Intro to Blogging is a free, automated, online course that will teach you the basics of blogging at your own pace and from the comfort of your own computer. 

There are a series of videos, short readings, and interactive exercises which you can take over a week or so, taking perhaps a total of two hours.  During this time, you’ll discover:

- how easy it is to blog

- what the basic lingo (vocabulary) is

- some basics about online safety

- whether blogging is something for you or not

Don’t let a lack of knowledge intimidate you from starting a blog or even taking a blog writing course. We’ve laid out all the basics for you in our free course. And, if you complete the course and decide that you really want to do more than think about writing your own blog, we have a subscription-based, 8-week follow up course, Blogging 101,  that will guide you every step of the way through setting up a new blog, writing quality posts, and drawing traffic to your blog.

If you have something to say to the world, don’t settle for being a blog reader.  Now is your time to sound off and share your voice with the rest of the world!  Time to start blogging!!

One of the most daunting parts of the blog creation process – - and the point in the process where many a man or woman have thrown up their hands and given up – - is the choosing of the THEME or TEMPLATE. 

One of the problems is that there are simply too many choices.  Whether you go with WordPress, Blogger, or even a simple generic blog writing program, there are often hundreds, if not thousands, of backgrounds, fonts, sidebars, color schemes, and headers to consider.  The single most important thing to remember in order to keep your anxiety level low at this stage in the game is that your choices are NOT permanent.  In fact, it is almost certain that you will change your theme once you start writing and discover that the template you’ve chosen doesn’t really mesh with where you are going with your blog.

But it never hurts to have a few tried and true guidelines to follow when first faced with that intimidating “themes” page….

Cost

Depending on what you really want out of your blog, and whether or not you envision a strong future for it, you must choose between the free or premium template options. Those blogs out there that all look alike?  They have chosen a default theme provided by their blog host.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a free blog theme, though, and it might even be a smart choice for those who are unsure about how much energy they really want to put into their blog.

For those who crave customization and individuality, however, a paid, or “premium” blog template may be a wiser choice.  There are thousands of premium themes available for under $100 which can be simply imported into your blog, OR you can pay different amounts to have your blog specifically customized for you.

Features

If you are brand new to blogging and are creating your first ever blog, it is very difficult to know exactly what features you will want a blog to have.  It is hard to predict whether you will need more than one sidebar, the ability to add specific widgets, or how much customization of fonts you prefer until you’ve actually been blogging for a while.  But don’t be afraid to experiment with some completely different themes and test out their specific feature-set during the first few weeks you are writing your blog.  And definitely try out several free blog templates with various features before settling on a premium one so that you can be sure you will have exactly the right mix.

Appearance

Although less important than features, the “look” of your blog makes a big impression on visitors.  Therefore, it’s especially important to choose a theme that has plenty of eye-appeal and a pleasant color-scheme.  Your header is usually completely customizable, and isn’t necessarily theme-dependent, but even so, you want to make sure that your header and your blog theme complement each other well.

Don’t hesitate to inquire with blog owners about their design if you come across one that you like.  Find out if theirs is a theme you can use, or if they had their blog custom designed, ask them for their designers contact info.  Blog design is a lot like house design…sometimes you don’t know what you want for yourself until you see it done well somewhere else!

For more info on blog design and creation and all the other important aspects of creating and writing a new blog, sign up today for our eight-week Blogging 101 course!

One of the most common complaints I hear from wannabe bloggers is…”I want to start a blog, but I just don’t know what to write about.” 

Do you want to know what my response is?  “Then DON’T start a blog.” 

That may sound strange from a person involved in a blog writing course, but it is true.  If you don’t know what to blog about, you probably shouldn’t be blogging.  That’s because the best blogs stem out of people’s passions.  In some ways, blogs sort of start themselves when people have something to say, and they know they want to express it, so they kind of have to start a blog to get their words out.

If there is something that brings you constant enjoyment, something that your friends are sick of hearing you talk about, something that is constantly on your mind, or something that you have been through (or are going through) and you wish you could share the journey – - then you already have a blog theme!  All that’s left to do is to get the technicalities out of the way and start writing!!

Even business bloggers need to rekindle the passion they feel for their company or product to be effective in the blogosphere.  It doesn’t matter if you are a mom who happens to think her kids are the most fascinating human beings on the planet, or a man whose wife is in the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease – - if you live it, and you have strong feelings about it – - it’s probably good blog fodder!

If you still aren’t completely sure about your passions, and whether they would make a good blog or not, go ahead and sign up for our Blogging 101 course, where you can work through every step of deciding on a theme, setting up your blog, and writing quality posts.  Sign up today!!

One of the most crucial – - and perhaps most fun – - parts of setting up a new blog is the choosing of the theme or template.  Whether you use WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, or one of the thousands of smaller blog hosting services, you will ultimately have to choose the background that will define your blog’s design.

Many people think that when they are choosing a theme for their blog, they are simply choosing the “look” it will have.  But if you have a hosted blog, the truth is that the theme you choose also affects even the FUNCTIONALITY of your blog. 

I got a question this week from a blogger who was wondering how to add a navigational menu across the top of her blog page.   Had she had a self-hosted blog that she had downloaded, this might have been a matter of adding some basic code that would help her link to the main sections of her content.  But since she had a blog that was hosted at Blogspot, that meant her only real choice for including tabs at the top of her blog was choosing a theme that had that feature built into it.

When you are browsing the themes and templates from your blog hosting service, make sure to examine all aspects of each one during the preview.  You will want to look for things such as:

• number of columns
• whether it uses a right or left sidebar
• whether it includes a navigational menu (and what that menu connects to)
• whether the colors are customizable
• customization of header
• how photos appear on posts and sidebar
• built in widgets, such as RSS, calendars, and stats

Making note of these small details can go a long way toward ensuring that you are as happy USING a particular theme or template as you were picking it out.  And remember the other wonderful thing about blogging….changing your mind is your daily prerogative!  If you don’t like a template, don’t hesitate to change it!  Your readers adjust to change quickly, and if you aren’t happy with it, you won’t utilize it. 

Happy theme picking, everyone!!

For more information on choosing themes, and other aspects of beginning blog design, sign up today for our eight-week online Blogging 101 course!

So you are starting a new blog, and you want to have more than Aunt Erma and Cousin Grover reading it.  So you begin to explore all the different ways of increasing blog traffic (including taking our terrific Blog Writing Course!!) and yet you still feel like there is something else you could do to get the word out about your site.

And there is!!  It is called Twitter, and unless you have lived in a cave for the past five years you have probably heard of it.  You might have even looked into it, but weren’t sure how it could really benefit you.  Well, if you are a blogger, Twitter might have several benefits for you…

• Twitter can introduce your blog to a whole different set of readers.  Those who follow Twitter aren’t always the same ones who follow blogs, so if you create a Twitter account that is focused on the same subject as your blog, you might garner a whole new audience!
• You can have your new posts automatically post to Twitter!  That’s right…using a service such as Twitterfeed, you can link up your blog to Twitter and let TF do all the work!  Then, your Twitter followers will be immediately notified anytime you add a new post.
• You can get more mileage out of your blog.  Blog posts are very different from Tweets…they are longer, more indepth, and usually have more substance than the average Tweet.  But that doesn’t mean that you stop having things to say about your blog subject after you have posted.  If you want to add to the conversation, post additional remarks, or ask for opinions about what you have posted, Twitter is the perfect outlet!
• You can supplement your blog.  By posting additional information, links, and resources that have to do with your blog theme, you can use your Twitter account to be an all-in-one reference source for your particular subject.  This helps potential readers understand that you are serious about making your blog the Go-To place for info.

To utilize these strategies, you will also want to be sure to include a scrolling feed of your Tweets on your blog sidebar as well.  That way, your blog visitors can quickly view your between-posts information!

So you have been thinking about starting a blog.  Everyone is doing it, right? So why shouldn’t you??

Well, maybe you should, and maybe you shouldn’t.  Here are some questions to ask yourself if you have been considering joining the blogosphere lately…

1. Do you enjoy writing?  If the first answer that comes to mind is…”I’d rather have bamboo shoots stuck under my fingernails!!”, then possibly blogging is not for you.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.  Maybe you don’t enjoy writing because you haven’t found something you enjoy writing about yet. If that is the case, see the next question…
2. Do you have something you are passionate about?  If there is a subject, concept, idea, or hobby that you just can’t get enough of, then you just might be the next big blogger.  That’s because having a deep interest in a particular subject is one of the key ingredients of being able to write a blog that others will enjoy reading.  People can “catch” passion.  Even if you aren’t the best writer in the world, but you are passionate about what you are writing about, you can often create a successful blog.
3. Are you willing to take risks?  Are you willing to try new things?  Experiment?  Learn?  Even more importantly…are you willing to fail?  If the answer to these things is a resounding “yes”, then you might be ready to jump headlong into the exciting and uncertain world of blogging!
4. Do you enjoy networking?  One important thing to remember about a blog is that it is NOT a diary.  A blog is meant for viewing and interacting with.  That means that in order to build a readership for your blog, you have to do more than just write it and hope people will come.  You have to network with other bloggers and online personalities in the field you are blogging about.  If you like to keep pretty much to yourself on the world wide web, then blogging may not be for you, but if you are a natural chatter, commenter, and messager, then you already are halfway there to creating a community around your blog!

If you answered each of the above questions with a resounding, “YES”, then you could be a strong candidate for starting your very own blog.  I would suggest that you take our free pre-course, “Intro to Blogging” to help you get your feet wet and help you make the final decision about whether blogging is for you.

Yes.  Yes, in fact I did say a FREE blogging course.  BlogWritingCourse.com is proud to offer new or potential bloggers a free introductory course into the world of blogging.  That means that if you have been entertaining the idea of starting a blog, but felt that you really didn’t know where to begin, then we have a course for you!!

Intro to Blogging is a fun and interactive automated course to help you get your feet wet in the blogosphere.  There are a series of videos, short readings, and interactive exercises which you can take over a week or so, taking perhaps a total of two hours.  During this time, you’ll discover:

- how easy it is to blog

- what the basic lingo (vocabulary) is

- some basics about online safety

- whether blogging is something for you or not

Don’t let a lack of knowledge intimidate you from starting a blog or even taking a blog writing course.  By signing up for and taking our free pre-course you know what it’s all about. You’ll understand the lingo. You’ll know how to stay safe online and you’ll know how to create and promote your own blog.

Join the growing number of bonified bloggers who have gotten their start in blogging right here – - at BlogWritingCourse.com!