Nowadays it is easier than ever to share our opinions, personalities, and thoughts online. Social media has given us the means to share ourselves and our lives with the world. Twitter is free and widely available for everyone to use, allowing anyone with an internet connection to project their stream of consciousness onto the outside world.
Instagram allows us to create a sort of visual diary, chronicling our day-to-day activities. Facebook allows us to share news, events, and occasions with a smaller circle of our nearest and dearest. But the best way to converse with the world at large continues to be a blog.
A blog is a platform which can be crafted to appear exactly as you wish, with the option to write more in-depth posts than any other site out there. Some people even turn their blogging skills into a career, making a name for themselves in the virtual stratosphere. So, if you have a message to spread, blogging may be the best way to go about it. But how do you start out?
Choose your platform
First things first, you will need to choose a platform to blog from. There are free platforms out there, such as WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr. These sites allow you to change your page’s layout (to a certain degree) with CSS themes. However, if you’re going for an overall more professional look, you might like to use a private web host.
Web Hosting is an ideal solution for personal or business websites. Using a private host allows you to purchase and use a personal domain name and can offer personal or business email aspects, rather than having people contacting you by your personal email address.
Pick a domain name
Whether it’s a brand name or a personal name to go by, you need to choose a name to blog by. This gives your audience something to refer to you as. So keep it short, sweet and catchy. Avoid difficult words that people are liable to misspell, as this reduces potential traffic to your site. You will also need to make sure that nobody else is already blogging with your preferred name, so do your research and check out what’s available before setting your heart on anything. Always have a backup, just in case.
Creating great content
It’s tempting to write about anything that comes into your mind, but for the sake of continuity, you should choose a general theme for your blog. This way, people will know what to expect when they click onto your page and, if they like what they read, they will hopefully come back time and time again. There are plenty of broad areas to choose from, such as beauty, lifestyle, fashion, food, and travel. The list goes on. Opt for something that you are passionate about and are willing to dedicate your time and effort to.
Publish regularly
Once you’re all set up, make sure to post regularly. Set yourself a target and stick to it. Whether this is once a day or once a week. This means people will know when to check back for new posts.
