Blogging For Dummies®

Blogging For Dummies®

Released January 2008
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470230176

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Book description

Because the blogosphere is pretty crowded, it’s a good idea to find out a bit about the anatomy of a blog, what makes a good one, and what it takes to keep one going before you dive right in and start sharing with the world. Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition gives you all the basics so you can get a good start. And if you’ve been around the blog a few times and want to advance to the next level, Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition even takes a look at podcasting and videoblogging.

You’ll find out how to:

  • Make your blog stand out in a crowd, build an audience, and even make it pay

  • Choose the best software options, boost readership, and handle comments

  • Generate revenue from your blog with ads and sponsorships

  • Protect your privacy and your job

  • Deal with spam and the inappropriate comments from that guy who posts several times a day

  • Find your niche

  • Attract and keep readers

  • Use your blog to promote your business, cause, or organization

  • Add audio, video, cool widgets, and more

    • Ready? Get Blogging for Dummies and let’s get started!

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. About the Authors
    3. Authors' Acknowledgments
    4. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Conventions Used in This Book
      3. What You're Not to Read
      4. Foolish Assumptions
      5. How This Book Is Organized
        1. Part I: Getting Started with Blogs
        2. Part II: Setting Up Your Blog
        3. Part III: Fitting In and Feeling Good
        4. Part IV: Adding Bells and Whistles
        5. Part V: Marketing and Promoting Your Blog
        6. Part VI: The Part of Tens
        7. Glossary
      6. Icons Used in This Book
      7. Where to Go from Here
    5. I. Getting Started with Blogs
      1. 1. Discovering Blog Basics
        1. Making Yourself Comfortable with Blogs
          1. How blogs are being used
            1. Documenting your life
            2. Exploring a hobby or passion
            3. Sharing information
            4. Making money
          2. Recognizing a blog
          3. Blog anatomy: Dissecting a typical blog
        2. Getting a Blog Started
        3. Choosing What to Blog About
        4. Creating a Successful Blog
          1. Setting goals
          2. Writing well
          3. Posting frequently
          4. Interacting with comments
      2. 2. Starting a Blog
        1. Starting a Blog with Blogger
          1. Creating an account
          2. Naming your blog
          3. Choosing a template
        2. Writing a Post
          1. Adding a link
          2. Spellchecking your text
          3. Including an image
        3. Publishing Your Post
          1. Previewing your post
          2. Saving as a draft
          3. Setting post options
        4. Viewing Your Blog Post
        5. Setting the Dashboard Settings
          1. Making basic changes
          2. Making publishing changes
          3. Making formatting changes
          4. Making comment changes
          5. Making e‐mail changes
          6. Making permission changes
        6. Customizing Your Template
          1. Editing page elements
          2. Editing fonts and colors
          3. Choosing a new template
      3. 3. Entering the Blogosphere
        1. Understanding What Happens When You Publish
        2. Blogging Ethically
          1. Telling the truth
          2. Making mistakes
          3. Handling dialogue
        3. Blogging — and Keeping Your Job
        4. Blogging without Embarrassing Your Mother or Losing Friends
        5. Protecting Your Privacy and Reputation
    6. II. Setting Up Your Blog
      1. 4. Choosing Blog Software
        1. Deciding on the Right Blogging Software
          1. Establishing concrete goals for your blog
          2. Budgeting for software
          3. Getting geeky
          4. Making sure you get the basics
          5. Upgrading with bells and whistles
        2. Understanding Hosted Blog Software
          1. Reaping the benefits
          2. Living with the limitations
          3. Following the rules
          4. Choosing hosted software
            1. Blogger
            2. WordPress.com
            3. TypePad
        3. Understanding Blog Software You Install on Your Own Server
          1. Reaping the benefits
          2. Living with the limitations
          3. Choosing nonhosted blogging software
            1. Movable Type
            2. WordPress
            3. ExpressionEngine
      2. 5. Dropping Code into Your Skill Set
        1. Coding Your Blog with Style
          1. Adding headings, paragraphs, and line breaks
            1. Headings
            2. Paragraphs
            3. Line breaks
          2. Emphasizing text
          3. Linking up
          4. Making lists
            1. Creating unordered lists
            2. Creating ordered lists
            3. Creating definition lists
            4. Putting lists into your lists
          5. Adding images
        2. Featuring YouTube Videos
      3. 6. Hosting Your Blog
        1. Registering a Domain
          1. Picking a domain name
          2. Registering a domain
            1. Go Daddy
            2. Network Solutions
            3. Domainsatcost.ca
        2. Finding Web hosting
          1. Doing your research
          2. Buying Web hosting
            1. Go Daddy
            2. Dot Easy
            3. Nexcess.net
        3. Installing Blog Software
      4. 7. Customizing Your Blog
        1. Designing Your Blog
          1. Exploring blog layouts
          2. Customizing what you can
          3. Keeping it together
        2. Tiptoeing Through Templates
          1. Using free templates
            1. Open Source Web Design
            2. The Open Design Community
            3. Open Web Design
          2. Heading off free template problems
        3. Putting a Web Designer to Work
    7. III. Fitting In and Feeling Good
      1. 8. Finding Your Niche
        1. Deciding What Belongs on Your Blog
          1. Mommyblogging
          2. Turning your offline hobby into a blog
          3. Talking technology
          4. Getting political with it
          5. Pointing out the strange
          6. Reporting news
          7. Revealing it all
        2. Learning from the Pros
          1. Lurking on other blogs
          2. Participating by commenting
        3. Reaching Out to Other Bloggers
          1. Meeting in person
          2. Using social networks
      2. 9. Creating Great Content
        1. Knowing Your Audience
          1. Finding your competitors
          2. Discovering the secrets of success
          3. Profiling your audience
        2. Writing Well and Frequently
        3. Getting Interaction Going with Comments
        4. Linking to Serve the Reader
        5. Breaking Through a Blank Screen
      3. 10. Handling Spam and Comments
        1. Recognizing Unwanted Comments
        2. Moderating Comments
          1. Establishing community guidelines
          2. Editing comments
          3. Getting help from readers
        3. Fighting Spam with Software
          1. Protecting your comment form
            1. CAPTCHAs
            2. User registration
          2. Screening for spam
            1. Keyword filtering
            2. Blacklists and whitelists
            3. IP banning
        4. Dealing with Coverage on Other Blogs
    8. IV. Adding Bells and Whistles
      1. 11. Reaching Out with RSS
        1. Getting the Goods on Web Feeds
          1. Breaking it down further
          2. Generating Web traffic
          3. Creating a feed for your blog
        2. Subscribing to an RSS Feed
          1. Finding a Web‐based newsreader
          2. Browser newsreaders
            1. Google Reader
            2. Bloglines
            3. NewsGator
          3. Choosing a desktop‐based reader
            1. FeedDemon
            2. NetNewsWire
            3. AmphetaDesk
          4. Signing up for a feed
        3. Making the Most of RSS
        4. Bringing It All Together
      2. 12. Building the Sidebars
        1. Adding the Usual Suspects
          1. Including About Me section
          2. Blogrolling
        2. Creating Cameo Appearances
          1. Adding elements using your blogging software
          2. Adding elements using your templates
        3. Finding Goodies for Your Sidebars
          1. Telling others about …your photos
          2. Telling others about …your books
          3. Telling others about …your music
          4. Telling others about …your interests
        4. Surveying the Field
        5. E‐Mailing Your Posts
      3. 13. Making the Most of Photos
        1. Getting Equipped
          1. Picking a digital camera
          2. Choosing photo‐editing software
            1. Picasa
            2. iPhoto
          3. Choosing a photo‐sharing tool
        2. Choosing Visuals for Your Blog
          1. Taking photos
          2. Using art from other sources
        3. Editing Photos
          1. Getting photos into Picasa
          2. Cropping a photo
          3. Adjusting brightness and contrast
          4. Adjusting color
          5. Resizing a photo
        4. Inserting Photos into Blog Posts with Flickr
      4. 14. Saying It Better with Podcasts
        1. Deciding to Podcast
          1. Reaching a wider audience
          2. Choosing between audio and video
        2. Planning Your Podcast
        3. Assessing the Tools
          1. Recording and editing audio
          2. Recording and editing video
            1. Jahshaka
            2. iMovie
        4. Dressing Up Your Podcast
          1. Creative Commons Search
          2. Magnatune
          3. Podsafe Music Network
          4. The Freesound Project
        5. Publishing Your Podcast
          1. Assigning metadata
          2. Choosing a format
            1. Audio podcasts
            2. Video podcasts
          3. Storing your podcasts
            1. Putting your files on your own Web‐hosting server
            2. Using a free storage and sharing Web site
          4. Delivering your podcasts
        6. Promoting Your Podcast
          1. Adding your podcast to FeedBurner
          2. Adding your podcast to iTunes
          3. Getting listed in podcast directories
    9. V. Marketing and Promoting Your Blog
      1. 15. Measuring Blog Presence
        1. Finding Out About Statistics
          1. Analyzing your stats
          2. Hits
          3. Page views
          4. Unique visitors
          5. Repeat visitors
          6. Errors
        2. Getting Web Stats
          1. Choosing hosted statistics software
            1. Google Analytics
            2. StatCounter
            3. Site Meter
          2. Choosing installable statistics software
            1. Webalizer
            2. AWStats
            3. Mint
        3. Finding Out What Others Are Saying
          1. Google Alerts
          2. Technorati
      2. 16. Making Mad Mad Money
        1. Finding Out How Advertising Works
          1. Planning for advertising
          2. Looking at the formats
          3. Assessing business models
        2. Getting Advertising Going
          1. Google AdSense
          2. Yahoo! Publisher Network
          3. Text Link Ads
          4. AdBrite
        3. Putting Ads on Your Blog
        4. Putting Ads in Your RSS Feeds
          1. Pheedo
          2. Feedvertising
          3. FeedBurner ads for blogs and feeds
        5. Getting Paid to Post
          1. Placing products on your blog
            1. Sponsored Reviews
            2. Pay Per Post
          2. Blogging professionally
        6. Tying in Affiliate Marketing
          1. Amazon Associates Program
          2. LinkShare
        7. Seeking Sponsorships
          1. Negotiating a sponsorship experience
          2. Setting boundaries
        8. Accepting Gifts, Not Obligations
        9. A Final Word of Warning
      3. 17. Blogging for Companies
        1. Putting Blogs to Work for Your Business
          1. McDonald's
          2. Hewlett‐Packard
          3. Wells Fargo
          4. Microsoft Community Blogs
          5. Sun Microsystems
        2. Planning for Business Blog Success
          1. Setting goals
          2. Choosing a blogger
          3. Deciding what to write
          4. Generating sales or action
        3. Delivering with Technology
          1. Enabling comments
          2. Creating RSS/Web feeds
          3. Tagging your posts
          4. Podcasting
          5. Starting a wiki
          6. Joining a social network
          7. Social bookmarking
        4. Advertising on Blogs
          1. Going contextual
          2. Using ad networks
          3. Sponsoring a blog
        5. Bringing It All Together
    10. VI. The Part of Tens
      1. 18. Ten Ways of Growing Community
        1. Write
        2. Reply
        3. Visit and Participate
        4. Add Guest Bloggers
        5. Try E‐Mail and Newsletters
        6. Track and Customize
        7. Develop Solutions
        8. Check Your Code and Software
        9. Have Contests
        10. Ask Your Readers
      2. 19. Ten Cool Tricks for Making Your Blog Shine
        1. Twittering Your News
        2. Blogmapping
        3. Sharing the Weather
        4. Polling the Masses
        5. Tying in Social Bookmarking
        6. Flying High with Tag Clouds
        7. Going Web 2.0 with Big Footers
        8. Digging It
        9. Dressing Up with Avatars
        10. Connecting with MyBlogLog
      3. 20. Ten Blogs You Should Know
        1. Engadget
        2. defective yeti
        3. Daily Kos
        4. Pug‐A‐Day
        5. Problogger
        6. TreeHugger
        7. TMZ
        8. A List Apart
        9. Copy Blogger
        10. Improv Everywhere
      4. Glossary
        1. Glossary

    Product information

    • Title: Blogging For Dummies®
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: January 2008
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9780470230176