 |
|
^ click above ^ |
02.16.04
 By
Merle
Blogs, Blogs; they're everywhere. Unless you've been living under
a rock, I'm sure you've read about the uses for a Blog. With the increasing
use of filters by email recipients and ISP's, many newsletter publ-
lishers are turning to Blogs as a replacement or in some cases as
an add-on to ezine publishing.
So what exactly is a Blog? Basically, it's a web log that's updated
regularly, sometimes daily, with the most recent entry posted at the
top. Usually there's a calendar on the right hand side of the page
where you can click on past dates to read older entries. |
A
Blog can mean different things to different people. To some it's like
a personal journal recording their personal thoughts and daily events.
You can share your views on different subjects with the rest of the
world. Posts to Blogs are generally casual and not too lengthy. To
others, it's a powerful marketing tool which can be used to bring
people back to your website to read about what's new. All in all,
Blogs are a more personal way to reach out to your customers, share
information and build a sense of community all at the same time.
So now that I've got your attention, how do you create your very own
Blog? Simple. You have two options:
1) Purchase Software
2) Use a 3rd Party Service
The look of a Blog is usually template-based, but if you know some
HTML or CSS you can easily fine tune the look to something more to
your liking. If you don't know a stitch of HTML, no problem, you don't
need to.
Depending on the type of Blog service you use, making posts to your
Blog can be done in a variety of ways: some with just your browser,
others by email, and some even via telephone. Some Blogs even allow
your readers to post their own comments and become an active participant.
Now that you understand what a Blog is, let's take a look at some
software and services that are available to you.
Software
1) Radio Userland: http://radio.userland.com
Suitable for personal or business use, it's easy to use but also has
advanced features for the more savvy user. There's a 30 day trial
available so you can download it to try it out. If you like it, purchase
it for only $39.95
2) Movable Type: http://MovableType.org
A customizable publishing system which installs on your web server.
Free for personal use or non profit use, but donations are accepted.
Commercial users must pay a $150.00 licensee fee.
3) PMachine: http://PMachine.com
PMachine requires a hosted account that supports PHP and MYSQL. There
are two versions, Machine Pro for commercial business use is 125.00.
There's also a "Pro" version for non-commecial use or personal use
for only 45.00. There's also a feature- limited free version available.
3rd Party Services:
1) Blogger: http://Blogger.com
My personal favorite. Owned by Google. If you'd like to test the "blogging
waters, this free service makes it a snap to set up your first Blog.
Easy to register and you can start posting immed- iately. If you download
Google's latest toolbar, you'll find a Blogger button included, which
makes it easy to add sites to your Blog with one click as you surf
the Web. I love this feature.
2) LiveJournal: http://LiveJournal.com
Free for a limited account, but if you want to enjoy full features
you'll need to pay 25.00 a year. This service is very much an interactive
community of people.
3) TypePad: http://TypePad.com
A very powerful hosted weblogging service with a rich set of features.
A basic weblog, including the ability to display images and enable
comments, will run you $4.95 a month. If you register for a year,
you'll save almost $10.00 in fees. If you need more features, there's
a Plus account for $8.95 a month or Pro Version for only $14.95 monthly.
4) BigBlogtool: http://BigBlogTool.com
Buy 6 months of service for only $10.00 or 12 months for $15.00. Very
user friendly and loaded with great features.
As you can see, you've got a lot of options when it comes to the world
of Blogging. Another advantage of Blogs is they may help with "page
rank" since search engines love content that updates regularly and
is rich in "key phrase" content.
You can also create an RSS feed for your Blog to syndicate its content.
A site like http://BlogStreet.com
can help you create the feed. If you'd like to make your own feeds
from HTML docs you might want to look at this free software: http://kalsey.com/tools/blogfeed
. By offering an RSS feed, you allow people to add your Blog to their
news reader to keep up with your latest updates, or they can use a
service like http://www.iupload.com/product/mailbyrss.asp
and have your feeds delivered via email. Another RSS to email delivery
service is Info Aggregator, which is located at http://rss.blogstreet.com
.
If you look around the Net you'll find a lot of really cool tools
to add functionality to your Blog. If you'd like to easily maintain
a link list check out Blog Rolling http://BlogRolling.com
. Once you register you'll be given a piece of code to add to your
Blog. As you surf the Net and find websites you'd like to add to your
"link list" just click the "BlogRolling" link in your links bar and
it's done. Another free links manager tool is http://BlogLinker.com
How about comments? If the Blog service you're using doesn't allow
for users to post comments, you can add that feature by downloading
this free software http://jsoft.ca/reblogger/
One of the drawbacks to blogging is that the user has to come to you
and it's almost impossible to know how many readers/subscribers you
may have. That's why there's Bloglet http://Bloglet.com
, which allows you to add an email subscription service to your Blog
so your readers can register to be notified by email of any new posts
and you can see at a glance how many subscribers you have.
So by now, you've made a decision on your Blog service and crafted
this beautiful Blog that you want to share with the rest of the world.
But how do you get the word out? A good starting point is to list
your Blog with "Blog Search Engines." Here are a few resources to
get you started:
BlogaRama http://blogarama.com
BlogWise http://www.blogwise.com/submit
Feedster http://feedster.com/add.php
BlogDex http://blogdex.net/add.asp
BlogMatrix http://blogmatrix.com/join
BlogStreet http://www.blogstreet.com/bin/add.cgi
BlogSearchEngine http://www.blogsearchengine.com
Here's a Big List of Blog Search Engines http://www.aripaparo.com/archive/000632.html
Once you enter into the world of Blogging, you'll find it has a culture
all its own. Many also say the act of posting itself can become almost
addictive in nature as you learn to love this new way of instantaneously
reaching out to your customers in your own personal way. So now that
you know how easy it is what are you waiting for, go Blog!
About the Author:
Merle http://www.EzineAdAuction.com
"Where some of the BEST Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made" Buy
& Sell Ezine Ads in a live auction setting! Publishers sell off your
excess inventory and Buyers pick up some Fantastic bargains. Go now.
Read this Newsletter at: http://www.smallbusinessupdate.com/2004/0216.html |
|
| From the Forum: |
| Google Causes Blogger Uproar |
 Much to the upset of users, Google’s web log service chose to use the new Atom technology instead of the popular Really Simple Syndication, which is favored by many blog services including LiveJournal.
In 2003, Google took control of Blogger.com, an online journal service with over one million members worldwide. Just last month, the search engine began allowing its Blogger users to syndicate their web logs to other web sites using Atom services, causing an uproar in the web log community.
Since Atom’s creation by RSS critics over the summer, a virtual war has broken out, dividing bloggers between RSS and Atom supporters. ...
|
 |
|
