Why Blog?
There are many reasons people choose to blog. Many do it because they love writing or a particular topic that their blog is about. Others do it because they love expressing themselves and being about to share their blog. Still others do it to make money. Whatever your reason for blogging, you can have a successful blog.
Free Blogs
There are lots of great locations to set up a free blog. If you are one who loves social networks, you can often set up a blog at your favorite social network. If you are one who is looking for a fantastic place to set up a free blog there is Blogger which is really easy to use and to set up. It does have limitations, but it is a great place to begin. Wordpress.com is another great option. There are lots more, but these domain names are recognized as a couple of the best free blogs on the net.
Advantages To Having a Not So Free Blog.
For about $60 a year you can have a web host. For $10 a year you can buy your own domain name. You can place a blog on that domain name and have your own blog. But why would you want to do that when you have free options?
The largest advantage is the domain name. You can have your very own www.whatuwant.com. Otherwise you would have a Wordpress account or a Blogspot account. This domain name gives you some advantages. First of all it is a bit easier to advertise, they have less to remember. Second, it can offer more financial opportunities should you decide you want to monetize your blog.
Additionally, you have total control over that site. You can change the host, change the blog type, change the template, change the formats, make it a website and not a blog, and no matter what you can keep. It you don't have to worry about Blogger deciding to charge people or your free blog host going out of business. You own your own and as long as you want to maintain that blog, you can.
Choosing a Topic
It isn't always easy deciding what to blog. Also, as time goes on it is sometimes hard to blog on a topic you thought was going to be easy. The best bet when choosing a topic is to sit down and write out how many subtopics you can come up with inside of that topic. If you can come up with twenty or more, then explore it as an option.
When choosing a topic you will want to ask yourself if you have a lot to say about that topic without doing research. Research takes time, effort, and energy. If you are going to have to put a lot into it there will be times when your blog is seriously neglected. Life happens, boredom happens, and days when you don't feel good happen. Make sure it is a topic you already know a lot about.
Stick with what you are passionate about. If you love taking pictures, but you don't love art, then do a photography blog and not an art blog. By sticking with what you are passionate about you will more likely continue to blog in your blog every chance you get.
Setting a Time to Blog
Blogging isn't hard work. It can be fun, easy, and rewarding. However, you have to set some discipline or you will only blog every now and then. A blog should be updated at least three times a week to be popular. The more the better. Find the time to blog. Set down a schedule. If you have time, blog ahead so you have something to post on the day you don't feel like blogging or don't have the time to blog.
Monetizing Your Blog
You have a lot of options when it comes to making money with your blog. Some are easier then others, some take a lot of time and effort to build up, but all of them can make you money over time. Often times you have to be patient for online earnings. It is like starting a business (minus a large capital). It takes time, effort, and work even when it isn't worth it, in order to grow into something that is worth it.
Ads are one way you can make money. You can go Google Adsense or choose another great option. Most of these ads pay according to clicks. This means you have to have a fair amount of traffic to get clicks, and the more traffic the better. Very few pay by page impressions anymore, however there are a few. If you get into one of these programs you will be making money faster.
Sponsored posts are a newer way to make money. Google has cut page ranks of blogs with sponsored posts on them, so beware that it will take your blog longer to get a high page rank if you use sponsored posts. However, this can be a profitable way to earn some money. The various programs that pay you to write what advertisers want you to write work a little differently. However, they all have the same basic idea behind them. Advertisers want a blog entry or post about them, their site, or their product. They offer a certain amount of money to make this happen. You follow the directions, create the post, and make the money.
Blogging can be a very worth while thing to do. You can share your passion, enjoy writing, and even make money. It takes time, effort, and work. But if you are willing to put a little bit into it you are certainly to have a good time, and produce something worth talking about.
