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This is a guest post by the lovely Kat, from Big Girls Don’t Cry ^[2], and talks about her trials and tribulations when it comes to blogging basics.  Take a look at the four main issues she had, and her solutions.

Starting To Blog

When I started blogging a year or so ago, there was much about blogging that confused me.  Here are the main problems I encountered, and my tips; hopefully they’ll help you too.

Choosing the right blogging software

When you start blogging, you first need to address which blogging software ^[3] to use.  In my case, I use WordPress, (the software and wordpress.com) and Blogger.

For me they are the best, of course, there are many more.  All you have to do is Google ‘blog software’ and sift through to find what suits you.  All three I use are available for free.

What you need to ask yourself is: Do I want a one page blog or a blog that can accommodate many pages, much like a website?  Blogger only allows for one page; WordPress gives you the flexibility to have many pages, which is handy if you are trying to create a website feel/look.

Coming up with content for your blog

When I first started Big Girls Don’t Cry, my content was entirely about the plus size world.  This entailed fashion, discrimination, health, fitness – anything that has to do with being overweight or obese.

You need to decide what you want to write about, and then research it.  I’ve found keeping a note book is really handy, so if you see or read something in a magazine that could potentially be a blog post, you can quickly scribble it down.

If you find it difficult to find something to write about, here is a great resource I found for finding content for your blog.  Lorelle’s blog ^[4] also offers useful tips about using WordPress.

Putting ads on your blog when you don’t know HTML

For me, this was the most difficult to do because I have no programming or Web knowledge other then doing searches on the web, so putting ads in my sidebar ^[5] was tricky.  Luckily, when you apply for an affiliate program they will email you the HTML code, and show you what the ad will look like; you simply cut and paste it.

Understanding broken links

While not obvious, when you include links in your posts, you should always check them every couple of months to see if they are still valid (that they actually go to the right place).

It helps you because if your readers can trust your blog to give the correct information, then your community will grow.  No one likes sloppy work, and you should include this practice as part of your blog plan; a good online link checker ^[6] is available at W3C

Blogging Tip 1: Create several pillar posts

Take a look at this post on why writing well is crucial for new bloggers ^[7].  Note: If you’re not familiar with pillar posts, check out the characteristics of pillar posts ^[8].

Blogging Tip 2: Include images in your posts

Sometimes a picture tells a thousand words and is extremely eye catching.  I use the creative commons license for images at Flickr to get images for free.  Take a look at Skellie’s post if you’re not sure how to use free images from Flickr ^[9].

Blogging Tip 3: Institute an Editorial Calendar

Creating an editorial calendar enables you to organize yourself and stay on task.  For instance, one of my categories is Health, so on Monday’s I could write a post about health; another category is recipes, so on Tuesday, I could include a recipe.  You get the idea.

If you need help, take a look at this post on how to create an editorial calendar ^[10], or download this editorial calendar worksheet ^[11] and just fill in the blanks.

I hope you find all of this information helpful to starting up your own blog.

Happy blogging!

Kat

Image source: Flickr: Liewcf ^[12]