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<p><b>Introduction</b><b> 1</b></p> <p>About This Book 1</p> <p>Foolish Assumptions 2</p> <p>Icons Used in This Book 3</p> <p>Beyond the Book 3</p> <p>Where to Go from Here 3</p> <p><b>Part 1: Getting Started with Blogging</b><b> 5</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 1: Discovering Blog Basics</b><b> 7</b></p> <p>Making Yourself Comfortable with Blogs 8</p> <p>How people use blogs 9</p> <p>Recognizing a blog 16</p> <p>Blog anatomy: Dissecting a typical blog 17</p> <p>Starting a Blog 21</p> <p>Choosing What to Blog About 23</p> <p>Creating a Successful Blog 24</p> <p>Setting goals 25</p> <p>Writing well 25</p> <p>Creating a calendar 26</p> <p>Building community with comments 27</p> <p>Designing for Success 28</p> <p>Understanding themes 29</p> <p>Knowing content types 30</p> <p>Thinking about audience 30</p> <p><b>Chapter 2: Entering the Blogosphere</b><b> 33</b></p> <p>Assessing Your Involvement 34</p> <p>What level of commitment are you willing to make to blogging? 35</p> <p>Do you like writing? How’s your typing? 35</p> <p>What will the blog be about? Is your blog personal or professional? 35</p> <p>Do you think that your new blog might lead to new career opportunities? 36</p> <p>How comfortable are you with sharing? 36</p> <p>What Happens When You Publish? 36</p> <p>Blogging Ethically 38</p> <p>Telling the truth 39</p> <p>Making mistakes 41</p> <p>Handling dialogue 43</p> <p>Keeping Your Job While Blogging 44</p> <p>Blogging without Embarrassing Your Mother or Losing Friends 45</p> <p>Understanding what’s at stake 46</p> <p>Protecting others in your life 46</p> <p>Protecting Your Privacy and Reputation 47</p> <p>Creating Your Brand 48</p> <p>Communicating who you are 48</p> <p>Hitting reboot 49</p> <p><b>Chapter 3: Choosing and Hosting Blog Software </b><b>51</b></p> <p>Having Your Own Domain Name 51</p> <p>Picking a domain name 52</p> <p>Registering a domain 54</p> <p>Finding Web Hosting 57</p> <p>Doing your research 58</p> <p>Subscribing to web hosting 59</p> <p>Deciding on the Right Blogging Software 61</p> <p>Budgeting for software 63</p> <p>Making sure you get the basics 63</p> <p>Upgrading with bells and whistles 65</p> <p>Understanding Hosted Blog Software 66</p> <p>Reaping the benefits 67</p> <p>Living with the limitations 68</p> <p>Choosing hosted software 69</p> <p>Understanding Blog Software That You Install on Your Own Server 72</p> <p>Reaping the benefits 72</p> <p>Living with the limitations 73</p> <p>Choosing non-hosted blogging software 74</p> <p>Installing blog software 77</p> <p><b>Part 2: Setting Up Your Blog</b><b> 79</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 4: Starting a Blogger Blog </b><b>81</b></p> <p>Starting a Blog with Blogger 81</p> <p>Creating an account 82</p> <p>Naming your blog 84</p> <p>Using the Dashboard 86</p> <p>Writing a Post 87</p> <p>Adding a link 88</p> <p>Spell-checking your text 89</p> <p>Including an image 90</p> <p>Publishing Your Post 92</p> <p>Previewing your post 92</p> <p>Configuring post settings 93</p> <p>Launching your post 94</p> <p>Viewing Your Blog Post 94</p> <p>Selecting the Dashboard Settings 95</p> <p>Making basic changes 96</p> <p>Making comment changes 97</p> <p>Making email changes 98</p> <p>Customizing Your Blog 98</p> <p>Choosing a new theme 99</p> <p>Using the Theme Designer 100</p> <p>Editing page elements 103</p> <p><b>Chapter 5: Starting a WordPress Blog</b><b> 107</b></p> <p>Choosing between WordPress.com and WordPress.org 108</p> <p>Starting a WordPress.com Blog 110</p> <p>Creating an account 110</p> <p>Using the dashboard 114</p> <p>Changing site settings 114</p> <p>Writing a Post 115</p> <p>Customizing Your WordPress.com Blog 118</p> <p>Selecting a new theme 118</p> <p>Installing WordPress 120</p> <p>Registering a domain 121</p> <p>Selecting web hosting 121</p> <p>Getting the software 122</p> <p>Uploading the WordPress files 124</p> <p>Setting up the database 126</p> <p>Running the install script 128</p> <p>Getting Familiar with Settings 130</p> <p>Logging in 130</p> <p>Setting up an Editor account 130</p> <p>Using the Dashboard 132</p> <p>Checking out the panels 134</p> <p>Creating a Post 134</p> <p>Customizing Your Design 136</p> <p>Finding Out More about WordPress 137</p> <p><b>Chapter 6: Creating a Squarespace Blog</b><b> 139</b></p> <p>Creating a Squarespace Account 139</p> <p>Selecting a template 140</p> <p>Choosing a site name 142</p> <p>Adding Blog Content 144</p> <p>Uploading images 145</p> <p>Importing content from other platforms 146</p> <p>Customizing and Connecting 147</p> <p>Linking your social networks 148</p> <p>Using the Squarespace sidebar 149</p> <p><b>Chapter 7: Considering Other Blogging Platforms</b><b> 151</b></p> <p>Blogging with Wix 151</p> <p>Writing with Weebly 155</p> <p>Checking Out Additional Platforms 156</p> <p><b>Part 3: Fitting In and Feeling Good</b><b> 159</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 8: Finding Your Niche</b><b> 161</b></p> <p>Deciding What Belongs on Your Blog 161</p> <p>Parent blogging 163</p> <p>Turning your offline hobby into a blog 164</p> <p>Talking technology 165</p> <p>Getting political with it 166</p> <p>Reporting news 167</p> <p>Revealing it all 167</p> <p>Sharing a deal 168</p> <p>Design, lifestyle, DIY — oh my! 168</p> <p>Living on less 169</p> <p>Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic 170</p> <p>Creating a super niche 170</p> <p>Examining a new niche 171</p> <p>Learning from the Pros 172</p> <p>Lurking on other blogs 173</p> <p>Participating by commenting 174</p> <p>Reaching Out to Other Bloggers 175</p> <p>Meeting in person 175</p> <p>Attending conferences 176</p> <p>Using social networks 176</p> <p><b>Chapter 9: Creating Great Content</b><b> 179</b></p> <p>Knowing Your Audience 180</p> <p>Finding your competitors 180</p> <p>Discovering the secrets of success 181</p> <p>Profiling your audience 184</p> <p>Writing for a specific audience 186</p> <p>Writing Well and Frequently 186</p> <p>Being yourself 187</p> <p>Finding rewards in lengthy posts 190</p> <p>Remembering proofreading and editing 190</p> <p>Relying on your content calendar 191</p> <p>Drawing in Readers 195</p> <p>Hooking with a headline 195</p> <p>Turning to video and photos 195</p> <p>Following what’s trending 196</p> <p>Joining the crowd 196</p> <p>Listing with listicles 197</p> <p>Grabbing readers with food 198</p> <p>Serving the Reader 198</p> <p>Giving them what they need 198</p> <p>Giving them what they want 198</p> <p>Creating content worth referencing 199</p> <p>Getting linky with it 199</p> <p>Overcoming Writer’s Block 200</p> <p><b>Chapter 10: Building Community with Comments</b><b> 203</b></p> <p>Getting Interaction Going with Comments 204</p> <p>Getting involved 205</p> <p>Enabling comments 207</p> <p>Managing Comments 208</p> <p>Establishing community guidelines 208</p> <p>Editing comments 211</p> <p>Deleting comments 211</p> <p>Moderating comments 212</p> <p>Recognizing Spam Comments 213</p> <p>Fighting Spam with Software 217</p> <p>Protecting your comment form 217</p> <p>Screening for spam 219</p> <p>Dealing with Coverage on Other Blogs 222</p> <p><b>Chapter 11: Blogging Anonymously</b><b> 225</b></p> <p>Deciding How Much Anonymity You Need 226</p> <p>Going Anonymous 228</p> <p>Establishing a pseudonym 228</p> <p>Setting up a new email address 228</p> <p>Choosing passwords 229</p> <p>Starting your anonymous blog 230</p> <p>Being time and location aware 230</p> <p>Approaching Content Cautiously 231</p> <p>Stepping Up Security 231</p> <p>Understanding IP addresses 232</p> <p>Using software safely 233</p> <p>Keeping up 233</p> <p>Resources 234</p> <p><b>Part 4: Going Beyond Words</b><b> 235</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 12: Working with Photos</b><b> 237</b></p> <p>Keeping It Simple 237</p> <p>Getting Equipped 238</p> <p>Picking a digital camera 238</p> <p>Choosing photo-editing software 240</p> <p>Using Google Photos 241</p> <p>Choosing a photo-sharing tool 242</p> <p>Choosing Visuals for Your Blog 244</p> <p>Taking photos 244</p> <p>Using art from other sources 246</p> <p>Editing Photos 246</p> <p>Getting photos into Google Photos 248</p> <p>Cropping a photo 248</p> <p>Adjusting brightness and contrast 249</p> <p>Adjusting color 249</p> <p>Optimizing a photo for the web 250</p> <p>Considering other photo-editing tools 250</p> <p><b>Chapter 13: Starting a Podcast</b><b> 251</b></p> <p>Deciding to Podcast 252</p> <p>Planning Your Podcast 253</p> <p>Assessing the Tools 255</p> <p>Dressing Up Your Podcast with Music and Sound Effects 257</p> <p>Creative Commons Search 257</p> <p>Magnatune 258</p> <p>Freesound 258</p> <p>Free Music Archive 259</p> <p>Publishing Your Podcast 259</p> <p>Assigning metadata 260</p> <p>Choosing a format 260</p> <p>Storing your podcasts 261</p> <p>Delivering your podcasts 262</p> <p>Promoting Your Podcast 263</p> <p>Adding your podcast to FeedBurner 263</p> <p>Adding your podcast to iTunes 264</p> <p>Getting listed in podcast directories 265</p> <p><b>Chapter 14: Diving into Vlogging</b><b> 267</b></p> <p>Defining Vlogging 267</p> <p>Understanding why you should vlog 268</p> <p>Discovering available vlogging platforms 269</p> <p>Setting the Stage 270</p> <p>Choosing the right equipment 271</p> <p>Creating a vlogging space 271</p> <p>Editing Your Vlog 272</p> <p>Keeping it simple 272</p> <p>Keeping it real 273</p> <p>Promoting Your Vlog 273</p> <p><b>Chapter 15: Leveraging Community with Forums</b><b> 275</b></p> <p>Deciding Whether Forums Will Work for You 276</p> <p>Researching Software Options 278</p> <p>Choosing between Free and Commercial Forum Software 279</p> <p>Browsing commercial forum software 280</p> <p>Perusing open-source forum software 280</p> <p>Getting Finicky about Features 281</p> <p>Installing Forum Software 284</p> <p>Cultivating Community Standards 285</p> <p><b>Part 5: Marketing and Promoting Your Blog</b><b> 287</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 16: Making Your Blog Easy to Find</b><b> 289</b></p> <p>Diving into SEO 289</p> <p>Understanding SEO 290</p> <p>Creating an SEO-friendly blog 290</p> <p>Using SEO tools 291</p> <p>Understanding SEO changes 292</p> <p>Branding Your Blog 292</p> <p>Telling them what you’re going to tell them 292</p> <p>Showing them what you’re going to show them 293</p> <p>Reaching Out with RSS 294</p> <p>Getting the goods on web feeds 294</p> <p>Breaking it down further 295</p> <p>Generating web traffic 296</p> <p>Creating a feed for your blog 296</p> <p>Making the Most of RSS 297</p> <p><b>Chapter 17: Getting to Know Social Networking</b><b> 299</b></p> <p>Thinking Strategically 300</p> <p>Connecting with your audience 301</p> <p>Selecting networks 301</p> <p>Protecting your privacy online 302</p> <p>Focusing on consistent branding 302</p> <p>Creating opportunities for conversation 304</p> <p>Prompting audience action 305</p> <p>Getting Familiar with Social Networks 306</p> <p>Friend-based networks 306</p> <p>Hobby-based networks 308</p> <p>Professional networks 309</p> <p>Media-sharing networks 310</p> <p>Informational networks 311</p> <p>Location-based networks 312</p> <p>Sharing It All 312</p> <p><b>Chapter 18: Joining the Big Four Social Networks </b><b>315</b></p> <p>Joining Facebook 316</p> <p>Creating a Facebook Page 316</p> <p>Using your Facebook Page 317</p> <p>Understanding Twitter 319</p> <p>Getting Started with Twitter 321</p> <p>Signing up for an account 321</p> <p>Tweeting 322</p> <p>Exploring the settings 324</p> <p>Tying your blog into Twitter 324</p> <p>Getting Started with LinkedIn 325</p> <p>Connecting through LinkedIn 325</p> <p>Creating your LinkedIn account 326</p> <p>Connecting through Instagram 326</p> <p>Valuing the visual 327</p> <p>Using Instagram creatively 327</p> <p><b>Chapter 19: Measuring Blog Presence</b><b> 329</b></p> <p>Exploring the Power of Statistics 330</p> <p>Knowing What the Statistics Mean 333</p> <p>Hits 333</p> <p>Page views 333</p> <p>Unique visitors 334</p> <p>Repeat visitors 335</p> <p>Errors 335</p> <p>Getting Web Stats 336</p> <p>Choosing hosted statistics software 337</p> <p>Choosing installable statistics software 337</p> <p><b>Part 6: Getting Business-y with It</b><b> 339</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 20: Making Mad Mad Money</b><b> 341</b></p> <p>Finding Out How Advertising Works 341</p> <p>Planning for advertising 343</p> <p>Looking at the formats 343</p> <p>Assessing business models 345</p> <p>Joining an Ad Network 345</p> <p>Putting Ads on Your Blog 346</p> <p>Getting Paid to Post 347</p> <p>Participating in marketing campaigns 347</p> <p>Tying in social media presence 348</p> <p>Blogging professionally 348</p> <p>Making the Most of Affiliate Marketing 349</p> <p>Amazon Associates Program 349</p> <p>Rakuten Affiliate Network 349</p> <p>Seeking Sponsorships 350</p> <p>Negotiating a sponsorship experience 350</p> <p>Setting boundaries 352</p> <p>Accepting Gifts, Not Obligations 353</p> <p>Viewing Your Blog as an Influential Platform 354</p> <p><b>Chapter 21: Blogging for Companies</b><b> 355</b></p> <p>Putting Blogs to Work for Your Business 356</p> <p>Considering the benefits of a business blog 356</p> <p>Checking out businesses that blog 357</p> <p>Deciding whether to blog 358</p> <p>Planning for Business Blog Success 359</p> <p>Setting goals 359</p> <p>Choosing a blogger 360</p> <p>Deciding what to write 361</p> <p>Generating sales or action 363</p> <p>Delivering with Technology 364</p> <p>Enabling comments 364</p> <p>Creating RSS/web feeds 365</p> <p>Podcasting 365</p> <p>Starting a wiki 365</p> <p>Joining a social network 366</p> <p>Advertising on Blogs 366</p> <p>Going contextual 367</p> <p>Advertising via ad networks 368</p> <p>Sponsoring a blog 368</p> <p>Leveraging LinkedIn 370</p> <p><b>Part 7: The Part of Tens</b><b> 371</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Grow Community</b><b> 373</b></p> <p>Write Often 373</p> <p>Listen and Respond to Readers 374</p> <p>Visit and Participate 374</p> <p>Guest Blog and Invite Guest Bloggers 376</p> <p>Communicate via Email and Newsletters 376</p> <p>Get Social 378</p> <p>Involve Your Readers 378</p> <p>Connect Offline 379</p> <p>Go Mobile 380</p> <p>Diversify 380</p> <p><b>Chapter 23: Ten Things All Bloggers Should Do</b><b> 381</b></p> <p>Discover Your Voice 381</p> <p>Stoke Your Muse 382</p> <p>Survey Your Readers 383</p> <p>Find Your Tribe 383</p> <p>Know Your Traffic Sources 384</p> <p>Set Goals 385</p> <p>Define Success 386</p> <p>Create a Monetization Plan or Not 386</p> <p>Prepare to Grow 387</p> <p>Know When You’re Done 387</p> <p>Index 389</p>

<p><b>Amy Lupold Bair</b> is the owner of Resourceful Mommy Media, LLC, and author of the popular parenting and lifestyle blog, Resourceful Mommy. In 2008, Amy invented the social media marketing tool the Twitter Party, and in early 2009, she created the Global Influence Network for bloggers. A former English teacher and mother of two, she is also the author of <i>Raising Digital Families For Dummies</i>, a guide for parents raising digital natives.

<ul> <li>Use your blog to build your brand</li> <li>Create social media-friendly content</li> <li>Customize your blog to stand out</li> </ul> <p><b>The bestselling guide to blogging</b> <p>Ready to make your mark on the online world? Start a blog! This bestselling book provides you with easy-to-follow guidance on blogging basics, the anatomy of a good blog, and the tools required to get started. Plus, you'll get advice on picking a blog topic, choosing a domain name and host, writing your first post, planning an editorial calendar, and using your blog as an important part of your personal brand. <p><b>Inside...</b> <ul> <li>Decide which of the major blogging platforms will work for you</li> <li>Use SEO to drive traffic to your blog</li> <li>Monetize through advertising and sponsorships</li> <li>Create content that draws in loyal readers</li> </ul>

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