The Quick Start Guide to Blogging

If you're an experienced Internet user who's familiar with the concept of blogging, and would just like to know how to maximise the effectiveness of your blog, here's a quick reference guide.

Create your blog at www.blogger.com. Optionally, get a domain name for it at www.domaindiscover.com and point it to the blog.

Then start blogging! Here are some things to blog about:

When Google News Alerts sends you something relevant, write a blog post. The post is a one-paragraph summary of the news story (including a link to it), followed by your one-paragraph commentary on it.
When you reply to a question by e-mail, consider whether it's worth copying that question/response to your blog.
Whenever you publish an e-mail newsletter, copy the articles and paste them as blog posts.
Read your newsletter articles out loud, record them at www.hipcast.com, then post them to your blog.
Whenever you read a book, blog about it. Write a one-paragraph summary of it, followed by your one-paragraph commentary on it.
When you release a new product or service, blog about it, with a link back to your Web site.
If you're writing a book, use short extracts as blog posts.
Take digital photographs of interesting and relevant things, and post them to your blog.
When you make a presentation, blog about it - the organisation, venue, client and main theme of your presentation.
When you get a testimonial, blog it, with a link to something relevant.

For search engine positioning, focus on the title of your blog posts. That's the best place to put your most important keywords and phrases.

Promote your blog everywhere - from your Web site, from within your e-mail newsletter, in your e-mail signature, and in blog directories.

Find other relevant blogs and link to them from your blog. Ask them to link to you in return. Be selective - don't spam!

That's it!

Key words: Internet Marketing, Web 2.0, blogging

Permission to Reprint: Yes, you may reprint this article in any of your publications - paid or free, electronic or physical, commercial or non-commercial - provided you do not edit it in any way (except for formatting changes to suit your publication style), and include this resource box with the article:

Gihan Perera is the author of "Get Active: Web Sites for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches and Consultants" and "Fast, Flat and Free: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead in a Connected World". Visit http://GihanPerera.com and get your complimentary copies now.

I would also appreciate receiving a copy of the issue in which it appears, if that is convenient.