Thinking About Starting a Blog?
Have you thought about starting a blog? It could change your life, your esteem, fatten your bank account, further a cause you believein, and even make you famous. Starting a blog can do so many wonderful things for you and can bring you an amazing amount of personal satisfaction and also open doors for you that you would never have thought possible.
I remember the very first time I heard the word “blog” over 10 years ago and from day one; I was hooked on the idea of starting a blog. I have always loved writing and throughout my marketing career, I have written countless documents, reports, brochures, publications and much more, but it was always for someone else’s benefit, and had little to do with me, personally. Starting a blog just for me was exciting and seemed like the ideal writing outlet for me. My very first blogs really had little to do with business and were more focused on my personal passions like photography and writing poetry. My first websites that I created years ago were pretty amateur, but that’s ok because that was irrelevant to me. What was important, was the incredible changes I noticed taking place in my life, when I began blogging.
So Exactly What is Blogging ?
Blog is short for weblog, which just means a sequence of online posts usually presented in a chronological order. Here is a history of how blogging began; history of blogging.
There are literally millions of blogs that exist online today. There are all types and styles including; text blogs, photo blogs and video blogs, or a combination of all three. People start a blog for a number of reasons; to share their expertise (business or hobby), track their personal goals, present marketing and business ideas, communicate important causes, conduct some kind of teaching, sell services and products, and so much more. The point is; these people began starting a blog to share something with their readers. It is their personal way to reach out to others and connect. Blogging can become your passion and a wonderful way to express yourself, and share your life, goals, interests, and causes. If you become good at it, it can also increase your wealth and recognition.
What You Need to Begin Starting a Blog – The Basics
If there is something you want to share or promote and are ready to start a blog, you will need to have a platform, a web host, and a domain name.
A blogging platform is a computer software program that allows you to write, update and publish your posts. Here is a great review on the top blogging platforms.
I have used many different platforms but, WordPress is my all time favorite. It is powerful, simple to learn and easy to use. There are many hundreds of incredible free plugins available for WordPress to add tons of functionality. I am addicted to plugins : ) There is a difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. See the pros and cons here. WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.
You should learn WordPress before you begin and here is a fantastic WordPress Tutorial Course that I highly recommend. You can also learn how to make money in this course (bonus)! WordPress Classroom
The web host is much like a virtual file cabinet where everything about your blog is stored. There are hundreds of web host companies. I have used 6 different ones, but the best I have ever used is HostGator. Their customer support is first class and I use them to host all my websites. I love this company.
The domain name is the online address of your blog, like www.lifeprospernow.com. You can use dot come, dot net, dot org and others, but I recommend using dot com (.dom). You can search for a domain name at HostGator and they will help you with setting everything up and loading WordPress.
Ok, those are the basics to starting a blog and the tools that you will need to begin. Now let’s talk about how your life will change when you start blogging.
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How Will Starting a Blog Change My Life?
I mentioned earlier about how my life began to change when I started blogging many years ago. First and foremost, I was astonished at how many people began to write to me and how my world opened up to even bigger and greater things, than it already was. Secondly, I noticed this amazing feeling I got when I was able to help even more people with my success coaching. It’s so gratifying when you discover the positive impact you have made on people’s lives. There is nothing in the world like the feeling of helping people when they need it.
Once I mastered using WordPress, I provided some guidance and training to several others who wanted to start a blog so they could promote some incredibly worthy causes they believed in. You can do that too when you learn WordPress.
I became more inspired everyday to write about subjects that really mattered to me. I connected online with powerful people who gave me motivation and success advice that I would never have been exposed to, if I had not started blogging. I took my offline businesses to the internet and created other lines of income, which was a direct result of starting my business blogs. It’s remarkable how you can add more income to your life, by way of the internet.
For me, blogging is a passageway to the world; a way to enjoy new beginnings, to meet new people from across the globe, and a great way to express myself. I can help others and also make more money. Even if you start a blog for personal expression on what you care about, or writing about your travels, displaying your photography or celebrating personal causes or life events, blogging provides a feeling of satisfaction and contentment and will give you great pleasure every time you create your blogs. Another huge additional benefit is, you can blog from anywhere if you take along your laptop.
If you want some phenomenal guidance on starting a blog, here is the most excellent course from a super guy named Corbett Barr who shares my philosophy on how blogs can change the lives of the people who start them, and the readers who follow them. Whether it’s to start a business, support a cause, start a movement or explore your creativity, Corbett will help you start a successful blog that matters, with step by step lessons, video tutorials and much more. It comes with a guarantee which is a big plus. Start a Blog That Matters.
Starting a blog is one of the best things to do for yourself to open up a whole new avenue of potential and possibilities that will rock your world. How do I know this? Because it definitely changed my life and countless others I know, and continues to do so. Often I ask successful people in my circle of friends and colleagues, “What is the one thing that you feel really changed your life?” For many different reasons, they inevitably reply with, “starting a blog.”
© 2012, Linda. All rights reserved.
Go for it! Both these are good. I tend to prefer Bluehost to hostgator but they are still good.
I have to agree with you WordPress is the standard now in blogging. And like you have been hooked on blogging for a few years now.