How to start blogging ?

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Blogging is a habit, a work with require us some patience and challenge. We look like climbers, more challenge and more fun when we get success.
We start go step by step to get the answer: how to start blogging?
What blog platform for us?
This has a lot blog platforms, but popular and friendly is Word-press and Blogger/Blog-spot. Word press have two version : free at Wordpress.com and Self-host at Wordpress.org. Blogger/Blog-spot is also a free service. Why I select Wordpress and Blogger ? With Blogger.com belong to Google from 2003, your post will easy index in Google, with Wordpress.com you can easy transfer to self-host, we can see more at below.
What different between Free and Self-hosting?
At free version : We can set up it quick, and free but we had limited of design and we do not full allow configuration our blogs.
Example : if we want to add Google AdSense program for our blogs , this is not allow at Word-press free version, and with Blog-spot platform, you had been cut about approximate 40% of income. More, if your blog violate or you have make the fault with their policy, you can get banned anytime. This is fair, because we do not pay anything and we should follow their rules. So if you want more freedom and more fresh air, you must pay for this.
At paid version (self-hosting) : you need to pay for hosting and domain fee. The cost is not too high, but it is waste if you do not have proper plan, and give up during the game.
We also can buy a domain name and forward your free blog to your own domain, this is a economy option can save your money and when you think you need to expand your blog you can host at a hosting company .
What name and domain name for my blog?
This is interesting question and important issue. If you chose a good name, you can save your time for SEO( Search Engine Optimization). How to find your blog name is unique, and easy for people remember. Some tips to find your good blog name : what your subject, your brand name, your focus topics? After that you can use Google Keyword Tool to find down what popular. Example : I want to make this hub become a web site, I will have some option for my domain name:
a) Howtoblogging.com this base on subject and keyword , easy for SEO, but people get tired with enter a long name.
b) Besthubs.com base on my pen name .
c) Hotoblog.com this is shorter but this look no meaning and funny, it is not problem, you can see Google named their brand name is "Google" and they find some interesting thing explain for it.
Depend on you, you can chose which one you love, because it will stick with you long time. You got a name and now you can set up your domain name, with blogger/blogspot, it will be howtoblogging.blogspot.com; with wordpress howtoblogging.wordpress.com; you can see those are very long name. If you want buy your own domain, you can get cheap registration domains with best price at Goddady.com.

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How to start blogging ?

When you need to start blogging? Anytime, when you happy, sad, or normal , you can blog your feeling, your emotion and your status. Blogging is popular with everyone now, and people love blogging. Recently, with Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, some leave and focus at new place to blog, but people still like a traditional blog with more colourful, with photo, music ,video, and can share the blog post to large people. If you want to blog, why do not make a blog now within few minutes. You may think how to blogging? It not require too much money, anyone can do this, you only need the Google Account, access to blogger.com with your Goolge account and make a blog. Blogger.com is used by millions people.It is simple and easy to use with everyone.

Start your blog now with Blogger.com and discover how to blogging with blogger.com with next post.

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Start a blog with blogger.com

We can create a new blog with 4 easy step.
Before do this we will have some preparation:
The name of your blog, this is can your name or pen name, nick name or what ever you like, if you want your blog have more people know, we should go to to Google Keyword tool and find how popular of your blog name, chose it careful because if you create a name you do not like , you need to buy a new domain or create others blog. In case, you feel the domain name with yourblogname.blogspot.com is too long and you want it more popular like .com or .info you can get it at Goddady.com. This is a good place to buy a great domain with cheap price. After buy it, you can forward your blog to that domain.
Now we finish with your blog name , start to make your new blog:
Example my blog , you can replace by your blog name
Step 1

Fill the space
Blog site : How to Blogging
Blog address: how-toblogging ( you check availability, if do not have add a dash, or change to new name, in my situation howtoblogging is used by someone , so I change it to how-toblogging.blogspot.com
Word verification: just fill what you see
And click CONTINUE.


Step 2
Chose a template  just choose what you like and click CONTINUE , we can change it later.




Step 3

Congratulation, your blog has been created. Click to START BLOGGING.


Step 4

You will see posting corner, you can post a new post now and start blogging.

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Setting your blog

Now we need to setting our blog.
We can go step by step to setting blog

a) Basic:

Title: I choose How to Blogging ( Your Blog Title), if you want to change just change it.

Descripton: You can add some description to , it may have content some with your blog title.

You can keep all the default setting and scroll down at 

Global Setting( apply to all of your blog)

Select post editor: you choose Updated editor.

Now you can SAVE SETTINGS.

b) Publishing:

When you have buy a domain, you can switch to custom domain and add your domain name to it. If you do not , just skip it .

c)Formatting:

I keep most of it default , if you want to change to the format you like just change it.

We scroll down to Post template: This is place when you can add the your template post here. At the new post, you do not need copy again. It save my time a lot.

d)Comment

You can keep all the setting or moderation comment by click as Always and add your email address, whenever your blog have comment , this will automatic send a email for your moderation.

e)Achiving

You can change it to daily or weekly if you want.

f)Site feed 

Allow Blog Feed : You can chose Full mean every thing will update to your subscriber, or Short  is a part will show to your subscriber

Post Feed Direct  URL: You may go Feedburner.com with your Google Account( this will give more manage to your feed) and make your feed for this blog and copy feed URL make by Feedburner.com to that space. But you can do it later, it is no problem.

g)Email &Mobile

We do not use this function much , so skip it. 

If you want use posting by email you can add the email at Email Posting Address and it will help you post by email, but sometime what show in blog is different with in email so I do not use it.

h) OpenID and Permission

We do not use it now , just skip it

Now we have done with setting works.

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Setting Your Blogger Layout

You can go to Layout

And Pick a new template, add the new Gadget, move up or down.
Now you can make your new template with Template Designer a new tools of Blogger.com. You just access http://draft.blogger.com  with your blog account and choose hundreds of template. This can make 2,3 column template and it free. I have use this to make my template blog within 10 minutes. You should see the clip before you make your great template:

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How to increase traffic to blog ?

Your traffic will come from 3 main sources : Search Engines , Referring Sites, Direct Traffic, Others
Search Engines: they come most from Google 60-80%, Bing, Yahoo and others is the rest. If your traffic site most from Search Engine, your site have some rank in search Engine , and when your rank increase, you can get more traffic from Search Engine. How to increase your site rank? You need to build the back link by post comment at blogs, forums, others site allow share post for backlink
I often use some site for get some good back link:

Xomba : The site with pagerank 4, when you register and create a new post , they will two type for posting: article and bookmark.
Article is normal article which you can add your link embed inside the content.
Bookmark is easily to make with 50 word relate to your links , the title is your title post or your blog name or your keyword your want to promote.
Xomba is allow to add Google Adsense , but with a limit traffic , you may not get much from them , the best thing is the back links you make is get high rank on Google with quick time.

Redgage : (page rank 4). you just sign up, and go to upload at right corner upload your link with title, tag, descripsion and your link. Redgage also provide a bonus , if you a lucky you can get some $ for fun.

Snipsly: (page rank 3) is a good place for back link also. You register at Snipsly and post a small article with your link inside content.

Referring Sites : This can come from social bookmarking , forum post, or blog comment post.... 

The volume from them may varies and can go up or down depend on people trend and also your interesting content. I often post at forum which allow the signature ( link to my sites); or blog to expand the network, post at dofollow forum , or dofollow blog is also a good idea to build back links and get referring traffic. You can read more about Dofollow at here:

http://hubpages.com/_bestlist/hub/Dofollow-and-Nofollow-Back-links

The social bookmarking is waste your time , so I submit my link to Digg and StumbleUpon and let people vote by themself.

Another tips is add the social bookmarking button to your blog. People like your post will bookmark and may share to others , this will increase your traffic site fast.

Direct Traffic : This traffic from your loyal readers, they remember your site url  and type direct or someone add your site is homepage. The people may increase your page rank , your Alexa rank and may also spread your site.

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Make money with your blog

Now you can go next step make money with your blog :
You go to Monetize tab

And you can see three columns:

Set up Adsense : use for Google Adsense program

Adsense for Feed : it will embed a ads for your feed but not work too much.

Amazon Associates : make money with Amazon, if your have family with Google Adsense and similar program, you can try this, but if you do not know too much, I recommend you not try now. You may spend a year without get payment from Amazon. When you have a lot of traffic about 1000 visitors per day with most from US, you can try  them.

When we can start make money with our blog, I can say any time, but if your blog is new with less traffic , you do not make much money. 

How to know my traffic ? You just use Google Analytics and see more with below clip

Now we start make money with your blog

You can choose to join or not. When do you can apply ? I recommend when your blog have about 20 post and have enough traffic from Search Engine( Google, Bing) because most of your loyal reader do not click to the ads.

How much we can earn? We have a example:

If you have 1000 visitors a month. You can make from $1-$4 with Google Adsense, if your niche is high rate , you can make more. You want to join, at Set up Adsense, you go to next and make your Google Adsense account. Your application will review and reply about a week.

If your application for Google Adsense is not accepted. You can try with Bidvertiser and Chitika 

.

Bidvertiser.com is a good palace for make money from ads also. If you do not use Google Adsene for your blog , you can use this for the alternative. You can get your payment when your balance is $10.

Another program is Chitika. They work great if your traffic site from US and Canada. You can see how Chitika.com work at below :

You can apply now for free at here .

This is some basic information for make money with your blog. You can discover some. It is hard but fun when get money online.

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