All about Blogging!

The Basics of BloggingWith the advent of internet marketing, Web publishingis continually gaining ground and popularity.Nowadays, technologically savvy corporate businessmen,or even business employees, use blogs to build andmanage relationships with their consumers. They sharetheir company’s expertise, culture and otherinformation, which can help develop the customer’sinterest in their products and services.On the other hand, not only do businessmen venture inthe world of blogging but regular computer users too.Not only can they voice out their opinions andthoughts to others but also earn money in more waysthan one; from selling ad space to offering expertservices, which in turn builds their reputation as aprofessional.If you are thinking of entering the blogsphere, youmust be ready for the problems you might encounter inseveral areas of blogging, such as: choosing,installing and configuring your blog software tools.Although the collection and assortment ofconfigurations vary widely, a neophyte blogger canstill get confused. The tools are not the onlyobstacles you must overcome but also the terminologiesused for blogging.Tools for BloggingBasically, the software tools for your blog greatlydepend on your provider. For instance, the RSSfunctionality can be absent from one provider butpresent in another. Additionally, some blog softwaretool providers can cost as low as $4 each monthdepending on the extent of service you choose, whileothers can be used for free but with limited services.Choosing the right software tool depends on you. Ifyou have enough cash to spare for a blog or if youwant to really get serious with a blog and hope toearn cash in the future, which is always apossibility, you have the option of choosing pricedblog software tools. However, if you are a newbieblogger, it might be advisable to start with free blogsoftware tool providers.Fortunately, some providers that charge for theirservices also offer free trial periods, which rangefrom 10 to 30 days. This is an excellent opportunityto try and test out the services they offer withoutpaying any fee. Luckily, if you find a provider thatyou are comfortable with and offer the services youneed, you can always use their free trial periods tothe full extent before subscribing.Blogging TerminologiesBlogging is like a secret society and like most secretsocieties; it has its own language that you mustlearn. Although, technologically savvy individuals aneasily familiarize themselves with these terms, itmight be hard for those who have limited or nobackground with Web publishing whatsoever.Firstly, the most important term in blogging is Post.A post happens every time you place or publish anupdate to your blog; you also create a post this way.Secondly, since blogs are a means of communication,comments are also possible. If your audience leaves amessage regarding your published content, this messageis referred to as a comment. Normally, the commentsare labeled and time-stamped to allow you and otherreaders to see who posted the comment and when it wasposted.Comment spams, is also a term that happen when asingle reader continuously repeats the same commentover and over again. This can be a headache for theblogger as the blog can be used by the reader topromote other blogs or Web site.These are just some of the few terms that you canencounter in blogging. Only exploration and experiencecan help you understand the other terminologiesinvolved in blogging.Why You Should BlogMany people are getting into blogging for severalreasons. You might have heard it somewhere recentlybut it actually started more than a decade ago fromits mother, the online diary. Back then, these kindsof diaries are used by people to record and shareaccounts of their personal lives. Although bloggingstill uses that same concept, it has now evolved intoseveral categories and usage.Nowadays, blogging is synonymous to online marketing.Bloggers not only publish contents reflecting theirmoods for the day or sharing what they have done forthe past few weeks but also advertise and create asturdy communication with their audience. More so,through the use of blogging, people are now able tofind an alternative in making money. Blogging is anexcellent opportunity for generating income.The BlogBefore you even start to create you own blog. It isnecessary to know what blog really is. The term blogis actually derived from the word Weblog or Web log.Back in the days, around the late 1990’s, these Weblogs are utilized by users to track updates andreferences to other resources online. They served asjournals, which made them useful as a publishing toolfor the user’s stream of consciousness. Of course, thereaders can still comment and share their thoughts onjust abut anything under the sun.Technically, blogs are also known as CMS or ContentManagement Systems. Being a CMS, blogs allow thewriters to easily publish to a specific Web site andmanage the content without the need of having to dealwith the program code. Publishing software alsoprovides users with a GUI or Graphical User Interfacefor easy pointing and clicking of their articles.Through the use of easy-to-do procedures, you canperform configuration and set up, which can ease yourjob as a blogger since the tool can automaticallyorganize your published articles the next time youpublish.The Advantage of BloggingThe main question is; why should you start blogging?The first thing you need to know is that blogging canenhance and support your online communications.However, you must first understand the outcome of yourblog that you desire in order to attain success. Themain reason why you should start blogging, is that itcan be both an excellent outlet for your frustrationsor excitement and profitable at the same time.It does not mean that if you are not into blogging,you should not blog. Being in a business, especiallythose with dealings on the Internet, requires you toestablish a clientele that are actually interestedwith your services. Blogs can do this easily due toits accessibility and being an excellent medium formarketing that it is, blogs are essential forbusinesses.More so, if you are handling a business, there is goodchance that your competition is blogging about theirproducts and services. This is an easy method for youto examine the competition and what their clients’preferences are. Additionally, blogs can create strongcustomer relationships since your target market caneasily and directly communicate with the authoritywithin your business.This kind of opportunity is hard to resist since astrong customer relationship can eventually lead tolasting trust to your product and services; hence,eventual increase in your revenue.