How to blog series - sample article - Where do I start with blogging?
March 6, 2008
It has become THE single biggest web crazes online, and I was one of the first people to actually vocalise using blogging as a business model on Ryze and other online forums (and I so wish I’d followed through that thought too), so I’ve been doing this for several years now - and every year, it evolves that little bit more.
Blogging is a huge craze - so big, in fact, that most people are now really intimidated about getting into it. I’ve been blogging since early 2003, so I’ve seen it all - where it started in places like Livejournal (my blog on there now ‘mirrors’ my personal blog at http://kaiberie.com) to installing my own copy of B5evolution - and then evolving onto Wordpress.
I did it the hard way - I dived in, and made LOTS of mistakes - but you don’t need to.
What I want you to do for a second is forget about Web 2.0. Forget about tagging and Pinging, forget about RSS. Forget about the people that claim to make money hand over fist in blogging, and forget about everything you’re worried about. Blogging takes no more technical expertise than accessing a password secured page and pasting a document.
That’s IT.
If you can do that - you have already mastered the basics of blogging.
So - your first step - before you even consider what platform you’ll use (that’s the software people use for blogging) - you need to consider what you’ll actually be talking about.
Blogging is about making a connection with your reader. I’ve already done that with the majority of people reading this article because - one - I’ve denied this is a ‘get rich quick’ concept - I’ve reassured people that it’s ok not to have technical expertise and that they can still get into blogging, AND I’ve given you an idea of the longevity of my blogging projects, which gives me instant ‘expertise’ in most people’s minds.
How did I do it?
I wrote well.
Blogging DOES require writing skills - in fact, masterful bloggers are also the best copywriters, but the one thing good and bad blogs have in common is they have a theme.
I’m not - currently - talking about the ‘look’ of the blog - but the concept that you’re writing about.
For example. I don’t have any blogs on direct sales - because no one associates me with direct sales - conversely, if I didn’t have at least one blog - on blogging - I’d be considered less of an expert (I actually have eight ;)). So my keyword is linked with my reputation.
Do YOU have a keyword linked with your reputation or the business you are ‘known’ for?
Think about it for a minute. if you’re selling candles - your keyword is, of course, candles - or it could be direct sales.
If you’re ‘in’ multiple businesses, your main keyword could be ‘working from home’ - but I’d like to caution ‘broad’ keywords.
Broad (and narrow) keywords can dilute your message - in the case of ‘broad’ keywords, yes, you’ve got scope for growth, and lots of ground to cover, but at the same time, you’ve got scope to be repeating the same thing - and competing with people that either ’say it’ better, or at least have a following so that it seems that way.
Narrow keywords stifle people - just like a small business with no room to expand can be stifling - blogs can be exactly the same.
So, now that you’ve got your keyword - brain storm.
Going back to the candles example - you’ve got candles as your main keyword.
You could then add anything from ‘aromatherapy’ and ’scented’ candles, to candle making (and go off into soap making) home decorating and more. The idea is to keep a tether to the main theme of your blog, but find things that people are interested alongside candles that you can also talk about. Make sure at least one of the other keywords you choose isn’t something you sell, but relates to your business, meaning that you’re automatically NOT going to advertise in those posts.
Once you’ve got your keywords you can move on to more important things - keep the keyword list handy, because you’ll need it when designing your category list 
D Kai Wilson has been blogging for almost five years now, and teaches blogging at an accessible level for every beginner, intermediate and expert blogger.
She can be found at http://blogbeginner-network.ryze.com or http://thebloggingcoach.com - her latest project is a free email based course - for more information check out http://thebloggingcoach.com/lists.
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