The Thinking Blog ~ Knowledge Grows When Shared

First of all, if you don't know what a Blog is.. you are in one! If you don't know what Blogosphere is, its basically the collective term encompassing all blogs as a social network. Many blogs are densely interconnected; bloggers read others' blogs, link to them, reference them in their own writing, and post comments on each others' blogs. Because of this, blogs have grown their own culture. As of August 2006, the blog search engine Technorati indexes over 55 million blogs.

Why blog? A blog lets you keep information that you want to share with others (text, pictures, links and other media relative to each blog post) in one online space, thus eliminating the need to send multiple e-mails to share your world. Blogs can cover a specific topic or simply be regular entries about the person creating the blog, similar to an online diary. Some consider blogs as a new kind of journalism. Your blog is whatever you want it to be!

How to blog? It's easier than the easiest thing you have ever done online. Yes, easier than setting up an email account or ordering something from an online shop, by a long shot. Its so easy, even your grandma can blog! Here is a five step list to get you started:

1. Select a service: free ones are Blogger, Wordpress and LiveJournal.
2. Determine a theme: enter the blog title and select an available address.
3. Select a template: the general look and feel of your blog.
4. Write your first post: welcome note or topics you intend to write about.
5. Post regularly: if there’s nothing new to read, people will lose interest.

Notes: If you don't know what to write about, wait till you have the quality content. Don't post if its a load of rubbish. You can also keep a list of ideas and use them to post entries in the future. Use descriptive headlines for your posts and make sure your links say where they go: Life is too short to click on an unknown!

Think about who will read your blog. The content of your blog could target a certain audience (friends, family...etc) or be open for everyone. You can also limit your readers by creating a password and keep your blog private. If your blog is public, think twice before posting: when its on the Internet then anyone can read it. If you don't want your current/future boss to read it, don't post! You can also blog anonymously or take it to the next level and be a professional blogger.

Extras: If you need more templates, you can search Google for "templates", "layouts", "skins", "styles" along with the name of your service provider or click here: for Blogger, Wordpress and LiveJournal.

There are lots of detailed tutorials and resources (templates, scripts, graphics) for blogs on the Internet but here are some that I found useful. Bloggers also write a lot about blogging tips and tricks, so search posts using BlogLines.

Update: If you are looking for some inspiration, check out the Oscars of blogs at Weblog Awards 2006. There are top 10 finalist blogs in each of the 45 categories and are open for users votes.

Feel free to ask me questions about blogs (leave comments!) and Happy Blogging!

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